China central bank to set up $70 billion tech re-lending program

 China's central bank will set up a 500 billion yuan ($70 billion) re-lending programme to support the country's science and technology sectors, according to a statement released on Sunday.

The programme will offer loans via 21 banks to small and midsize technology companies at an interest rate of 1.75%. The one-year loans can be extended twice, for up to a year each time, the statement said.

China's policymakers look to boost liquidity and increase confidence in the world's second-biggest economy amid headwinds from a property crisis and frictions with major trading partners.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-central-bank-set-70-052605979.html

What Makes a Woman a Woman

 

J.K. Rowling

@jk_rowling

You’ve asked me several questions on this thread and accused me of avoiding answering, so here goes. I believe a woman is a human being who belongs to the sex class that produces large gametes. It’s irrelevant whether or not her gametes have ever been fertilised, whether or not she’s carried a baby to term, irrelevant if she was born with a rare difference of sexual development that makes neither of the above possible, or if she’s aged beyond being able to produce viable eggs. She is a woman and just as much a woman as the others. I don’t believe a woman is more or less of a woman for having sex with men, women, both or not wanting sex at all. I don’t think a woman is more or less of a woman for having a buzz cut and liking suits and ties, or wearing stilettos and mini dresses, for being black, white or brown, for being six feet tall or a little person, for being kind or cruel, angry or sad, loud or retiring. She isn't more of a woman for featuring in Playboy or being a surrendered wife, nor less of a woman for designing space rockets or taking up boxing. What makes her a woman is the fact of being born in a body that, assuming nothing has gone wrong in her physical development (which, as stated above, still doesn't stop her being a woman), is geared towards producing eggs as opposed to sperm, towards bearing as opposed to begetting children, and irrespective of whether she's done either of those things, or ever wants to. Womanhood isn't a mystical state of being, nor is it measured by how well one apes sex stereotypes. We are not the creatures either porn or the Bible tell you we are. Femaleness is not, as trans woman Andrea Chu Long wrote, ‘an open mouth, an expectant asshole, blank, blank eyes,’ nor are we God’s afterthought, sprung from Adam’s rib. Women are provably subject to certain experiences because of our female bodies, including different forms of oppression, depending on the cultures in which we live. When trans activists say 'I thought you didn't want to be defined by your biology,' it’s a feeble and transparent attempt at linguistic sleight of hand. Women don't want to be limited, exploited, punished, or subject to other unjust treatment because of their biology, but our being female is indeed defined by our biology. It's one material fact about us, like having freckles or disliking beetroot, neither of which are representative of our entire beings, either. Women have billions of different personalities and life stories, which have nothing to do with our bodies, although we are likely to have had experiences men don't and can't, because we belong to our sex class. Some people feel strongly that they should have been, or wish to be seen as, the sex class into which they weren't born. Gender dysphoria is a real and very painful condition and I feel nothing but sympathy for anyone who suffers from it. I want them to be free to dress and present themselves however they like and I want them to have exactly the same rights as every other citizen regarding housing, employment and personal safety. I do not, however, believe that surgeries and cross-sex hormones literally turn a person into the opposite sex, nor do I believe in the idea that each of us has a nebulous ‘gender identity’ that may or might not match our sexed bodies. I believe the ideology that preaches those tenets has caused, and continues to cause, very real harm to vulnerable people. I am strongly against women's and girls' rights and protections being dismantled to accommodate trans-identified men, for the very simple reason that no study has ever demonstrated that trans-identified men don't have exactly the same pattern of criminality as other men, and because, however they identify, men retain their advantages of speed and strength. In other words, I think the safety and rights of girls and women are more important than those men's desire for validation. I sincerely hope that answers your questions. You may still disagree, but as I hope this shows, I’m more than happy to have this debate.

10:24 AM · Apr 6, 2024

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https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1776616861888655835

Israeli military says it reduces troops in south Gaza

 The Israeli military has withdrawn more ground troops from the southern Gaza Strip, leaving just one brigade there six months after the start of its offensive, a spokesperson for the force said on Sunday.

The military has been reducing numbers in Gaza since the start of the year to relieve reservists and under growing pressure from its ally Washington to improve the humanitarian situation. It did not give details on its reasons for withdrawing soldiers or the numbers involved.

Meanwhile, Egypt is preparing to host a new round of talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire and hostage release deal, which both Israel and Hamas said they would attend.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not bend to international pressure and give in to "extreme demands" by Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza.

It was unclear whether the withdrawal would delay a long-threatened incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which Netanyahu says is needed to eliminate Hamas.

Palestinian residents of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, which has come under Israeli bombardment in recent months, said they had seen Israeli forces leaving the centre of the city and retreating to the eastern districts.

Israel's offensive, launched after the shock attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, has focused in the past months on the south of the Gaza Strip.

More than 250 hostages were seized and some 1,200 people killed during the Oct. 7 attack, according to Israeli tallies. More than 33,100 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

Rafah has become the last refuge for more than a million Palestinians sheltering in the territory near the border with Egypt.

WATCHING IRAN

Six months of combat in Gaza has strained the Israeli military and the country's economy. Many Israeli security experts say they now see a greater threat from Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel is also on alert for a possible retaliatory attack from Iran in reaction to the killing of Iranian generals on April 1.

Israel is under increased pressure from the United States, where President Joe Biden has demanded that it improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza and work towards a ceasefire, saying that U.S. support could depend on that.

That was the first time Biden, a staunch supporter of Israel, has sought to leverage U.S. aid as a way to influence Israeli military behaviour. The U.S. is a major supplier of arms to Israel's military.

Biden has also urged the leaders of Egypt and Qatar to pressure Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and hostage deal ahead of a fresh round of talks in Cairo.

Netanyahu, at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting, said any deal must include the release of 133 hostages still being held in Gaza, and that Hamas' "extreme demands" were the obstacle.

"Giving in to Hamas' demands will allow it to repeat the crimes of Oct. 7 again and again, as it has promised to do," he said.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas.

More than 130 hostages are still in captivity in Gaza, and Israel says it will not stop its offensive until they are all returned.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/israeli-military-withdraws-most-ground-094016469.html

Would NATO Really Hang France Out To Dry If Russia Pulverized Its Forces In Ukraine?

 by Andrew Korybko via Substack,

The Wall Street Journal cited an unnamed US official on Wednesday to report that “Macron told allies that there would be no need to involve NATO or the U.S. if Russia targeted French troops” that might conventionally deploy to Ukraine in the coming future per his infamous proposal from late February.

While he might have indeed said that, it can’t be taken for granted that the bloc or its American leader would stand aside and let Russia pulverize their partner’s forces in that former Soviet Republic.

It would reflect very poorly on them for one of NATO’s largest members to be defeated by their traditional adversary on a neighboring nation’s soil. Even though a French official claimed that Macron only had training missions, operating defensive systems, and cyberwarfare in mind when he tabled his proposal, Russia already promised to target any of its troops there. The precedent established by Russia killing dozens of French mercenaries in a missile strike in late January suggests that it isn’t bluffing either.

This analysis here argues that France’s military-strategic goal in the scenario of a conventional intervention would be to seize control of the Black Sea Coast up until the Dnieper, which could lead to the creation of a French-Russian front along that river which runs through the divided Kherson Region. Despite Macron reportedly claiming that he wouldn’t request allied assistance if his troops are targeted by Russia, it’s extremely unlikely that he’d decline doing so if they prevent him from achieving this goal.

Chairman of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev recently said in an interview that “The United States and NATO nurture plans to keep Ukraine or at least part of it as anti-Russian territory wholly controlled by them [and] focused on serving the interests of the North Atlantic bloc.”

In the event that Russia breaks through the front lines and forces the demilitarization of Kiev-controlled left-bank (eastern) Ukraine, then NATO as a whole would likely throw their full support behind this French mission.

There’d be too much pressure upon the bloc from its anti-Russian political elites to not do anything to stop the possibility of their traditional adversary crossing the Dnieper and cutting off Ukraine’s access to the sea by making a major military move on Odessa.

French forces in Romania might try to preempt that from happening either before the abovementioned breakthrough occurs or right afterwards. If Russian missile strikes obstruct their progress, however, then NATO would likely saber-rattle in solidarity.

Even if Macron has too much pride to request assistance, the bloc as a whole could still rally behind France anyhow, or a “coalition of the willing” could assemble in support of Paris.

The fact of the matter is that his reported reassurance that the scenario of French-Russian clashes in Ukraine wouldn’t risk World War III shouldn’t be taken seriously since the military-strategic dynamics could become uncontrollable if his forces get pulverized and the bloc tries to “save face” by escalating in response.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/would-nato-really-hang-france-out-dry-if-russia-pulverized-its-forces-ukraine

Container Ship Reportedly "Lost Power" In NYC Harbor, Right Before Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge

 A massive container ship reportedly lost power on the Upper New York Bay - just before the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge connecting the New York City boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn.

According to Captain John Konrad, CEO of gCaptain, a New York City tugboat captain informed him that the 354-meter container ship APL QINGDAO "lost power while transiting New York harbor." 

"They had 3 escort tugs but 3 more were needed to bring her under control. They regained power & were brought to anchor near the verrazano bridge," the tugboat captain told Konrad. 

Konrad said the vessel is registered in Malta and is owned and operated by a major French shipping company. 

He did note, "We are still waiting for confirmation on the incident." 

Adding validity to Konrad's report, the vessel's AIS tracking data shows it abruptly dropped anchor late Friday night - just before the 13,700-foot suspension bridge. As of Sunday morning, the vessel's navigational status is "anchored."  

The incident comes nearly two weeks after a container ship lost power and collapsed the 1.6-mile-long Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, paralyzing the Port of Baltimore. 

Source: Bloomberg

"While the Verrazzano shares some characteristics with the Key Bridge, there are also important differences," an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal recently read, adding:

"First, its massive vertical supports are positioned much closer to land than the Key Bridge's—1,000 feet away from the harbor's navigation channel—making them considerably less likely to be hit by an errant vessel. The towers also are surrounded by rock islands, which would force any ship heading toward the supports to run aground before striking the tower. Additional safety projects have further hardened protections, even adding an air gap sensor system that detects vertical clearances between the bridge and large vessels passing underneath." 

The collapse of the Baltimore bridge has sparked discussions in corporate media about America's vulnerable infrastructure. Within government, high-level officials are likely concerned about terrorists crippling the nation through a series of infrastructure attacks. Maybe it's time the US government vet all foreign crews of commercial vessels entering America's waters... 

https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/container-ship-reportedly-lost-power-nyc-harbor-right-verrazzano-narrows-bridge

'Former Capitol Police officer warns that ‘nothing is preventing’ another Jan. 6'

 Former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn warned that “nothing is preventing” another Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol since there has not been accountability “at the highest level.” 

“Accountability serves two purposes,” Dunn, who testified before the House select committee investigating the attack on the Capitol, said during his Saturday appearance on MSNBC’s “The Weekend.” 

“It brings some type of restitution or healing to those that were aggrieved and also it provides a deterrent to keep things from happening again,” he said. “Accountability has not been had at the highest level of January 6. So there is nothing preventing January 6 from happening again.” 

Dunn stated that “democracy” is the “bigger” issue at hand compared to other big-ticket issues in the 2024 election, arguing that former President Trump’s potential return to the Oval Office would nullify any policy goals Democrats hope to achieve. 

“Democracy is the bigger issue here,” said Dunn, a candidate for Maryland’s 3rd Congressional seat. “It’s so many things that are at stake right now. Like, we’ve talked about, women’s reproductive rights and gun safety, lower price, health, all that stuff doesn’t matter if we have a dictator in the White House that could do whatever he wants to do.”  

“So all of those issues that we talked about that Democrats are fighting hard for those won’t even be an issue if we have a dictator in the White House.” 

Dunn recounted him witnessing police officers getting attacked during the Jan. 6 riot during his testimony. 

He is running in the Democratic primary, hoping to replace retiring Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.). He earned some high-profile endorsements from House Democrats in February, getting a boost from Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas).

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4578752-former-capitol-police-officer-warns-that-nothing-is-preventing-another-jan-6/

Biden could face issues getting on Ohio ballot over scheduling conflict

 President Biden could face issues getting on the Ohio ballot for the general election over a scheduling conflict related to the timing of the Democratic National Convention. 

The Ohio Secretary of State’s office sent a letter to Ohio Democratic Chair Liz Walters on Friday asking for clarification of an “apparent conflict” in the state’s law regarding the deadline by which the party’s presidential nominee must be certified to Ohio’s Secretary of State’s office and Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) nominating process. 

The deadline to certify a party’s White House candidate in the state is on Aug. 7, almost two weeks before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., slated for Aug. 19., possibly jeopardizing Biden’s ability to be on the ballot in the Buckeye state. 

In the letter, obtained by The Hill, legal counsel Paul Disantis offered two solutions. “Therefore, pending further clarification, I am left to conclude that the Democratic National Committee must either move up its nominating convention or the Ohio General Assembly must act by May 9, 2024 (90 days prior to a new law’s effective date) to create an exception to this statutory requirement,” Disantis said in the letter, asking for a swift response on the matter to ensure compliance with Ohio’s law. 

State Sen. Nickie Antonio, the state Senate minority leader, and state Rep. Allison Russo, Ohio’s House minority leader, were copied on the letter. 

The Democratic Party usually appears on the ballot in all 50 states.

Earlier in the primary, Biden was not on the ballot in New Hampshire since the state’s primary contest was in conjunction with the DNC schedule which slated South Carolina to host the first primary. Despite not being on the ballot, Biden won in New Hampshire as a write-in candidate. 

Former President Trump has recently carried Ohio, winning it in both 2016 and 2020. ABC News first obtained and reported on the letter.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4578829-biden-could-face-issues-getting-on-ohio-ballot-over-scheduling-conflict/