CounterVortex weekly headlines
Baltic brinkmanship amid NATO war games
Sweden's armed forces charged that a Russian SU-24 fighter plane violated the country's airspace just east of the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, calling the act "unacceptable." Just days before the incident, Sweden and other NATO allies were conducting naval exercises in the area as part of the annual Baltic Operations drill (BALTOPS). Amid the exercise, the Finnish military reported a similar airspace violation by four Russian warplanes over the Gulf of Finland. This was the first time Sweden and Finland had taken part in BALTOPS.
https://countervortex.org/blog/baltic-brinkmanship-amid-nato-war-games/
Russia's 'demobilization' movement under attack
Russian citizens' groups campaigning for "demobilization"—returning conscripts and reservists from the front in Ukraine—are increasingly finding themselves in the crosshairs of the authorities. Last month, The Way Home, the most prominent organization campaigning to bring Russia's mobilized reservists home, was branded a "foreign agent" by the Justice Ministry, as was one of its most prominent leaders. The label, reminiscent of the "enemy of the people" designation of the Soviet era, imposes harsh constraints on activities and requires sources of funding to be disclosed. But protests by the kin of mobilized soldiers have continued outside the Defense Ministry in Moscow—despite the threat of repression.
https://countervortex.org/blog/russias-demobilization-movement-under-attack/
Maritime collision escalates South China Sea tensions
Manila accused Chinese military vessels of engaging in "dangerous manoeuvres, including ramming and towing" a Philippine ship in an effort to disrupt a "routine" resupply mission to an outpost on Second Thomas Shoal (known to the Philippines as Ayungin Shoal) in the the disputed Spratly Islands (known to the Philippines as the Kalayaan Islands). By Philippine media accounts, the craft was fired upon with water cannon and boarded by Chinese troops, with several Filipino soldiers injured in the ensuing confrontation. The skirmish came amid escalating tensions over the South China Sea—much of which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea, but nearly all of which is claimed by Beijing. Chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Romeo Brawner Jr., stated that the military and other maritime law enforcement agencies are prepared to defend Filipino fishermen from China's newly announced "anti-trespassing policy."
https://countervortex.org/blog/maritime-collision-escalates-south-china-sea-tensions/
Honduras implements ‘Crime Solution Plan’
The National Defense & Security Council of Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced a sweeping plan to crack down on crime and safeguard public security. The Crime Solution Plan calls on the Defense and Security secretaries to immediately execute interventions in municipalities with the highest incidence of major gang-related crimes, such as assassination, extortion, kidnapping, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and money laundering. The plan additionally calls for construction of an Emergency Detention Center with a capacity for 20,000 prisoners. Finally, the plan directs the National Congress to reform the Penal Code to classify those who commit major gang-related crimes as "terrorists," and mandate pretrial detention for such crimes.
https://countervortex.org/blog/honduras-implements-crime-solution-plan/
Mexico: amnesty decree stirs human rights concerns
Mexico's government added an article to its Amnesty Law in a decree, allowing the Executive Branch to commute sentences and halt criminal proceedings in cases deemed "relevant to the Mexican State," regardless of the severity of the crime. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador stated that change will contribute to uncovering the truth about such unresolved cases as the collective killings of Ayotzinapa and Tlatlaya. However, the reform has faced strong criticism. Mexico City's Human Rights Commission argues that it lacks clear limits on which crimes qualify, leaving a dangerously vague opening for amnesty in any case the president deems "relevant." Sen. Patricia Mercado of the opposition Citizen's Movement also rejected the notion that the decree will aid truth-seeking, pointing out that it lacks conditions such as disarmament, non-repetition, victim reparations, and education requirements found in amnesty efforts such as that in Colombia's Peace Accords.
https://countervortex.org/blog/mexico-amnesty-decree-stirs-human-rights-concerns/
'Blood avocados' in the news amid Michoacán violence
The US Department of Agriculture suspended inspections of avocados in the Mexican state of Michoacán due to security concerns, freezing the top source of US imports. The move was taken after two agents of the USDA's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) were accosted during a protest in the town of Paracho, beaten and briefly detained. Michoacán is Mexico's heartland of avocado production, but the trade has been notoriously co-opted by local warring drug cartels to launder narco-profits, leading to charges of "blood avocados" in the violence-torn state.
https://countervortex.org/blog/blood-avocados-in-the-news-amid-michoacan-violence/
Audio:
Anti-Semitism versus anti-Zionism: beyond parsing
The Zionist propaganda machine continues to weaponize the accusation of anti-Semitism to delegitimize any effort to resist Israel's genocidal assault on Gaza. This increases rather than decreases the responsibility of activists to distinguish—and oppose—actual anti-Semitism. Yet in recent weeks, sectors of the activist response to the Gaza genocide in the United States have utterly surrendered to the most abject, undisguised, unambiguous anti-Semitism—playing right into the hands of the Zionist calumnies. Bill Weinberg discusses this difficult reality in Episode 231 of the CounterVortex podcast. Listen on SoundCloud or via Patreon.
https://countervortex.org/blog/anti-semitism-versus-anti-zionism-beyond-parsing/
From Global Ganja Report:
Israel's cannabis industry in a time of war
Israel is an emerging player in the international cannabis market, and the industry is embraced by pillars of the country’s political establishment. But every aspect of Israeli society as been impacted by the horrific events of last October 7, and the ensuing war. The cannabis sector has been no exception.
https://globalganjareport.com/node/1953
Maryland governor pardons 175,000 cannabis convictions
Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland signed an executive order pardoning 175,000 convictions related to possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia, becoming one of the first US states to issue such a mass pardon. Maryland voted to legalize cannabis for adult use in November 2022, and is putting in pace a regulated market with an emphasis on social equity.
https://globalganjareport.com/node/1957
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