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China And Russia Reaffirm Their Close Ties As Moscow Presses Its Offensive In Ukraine
BEIJING — On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated their “no-limits” friendship, which has expanded as both countries face mounting tensions with the West, and blasted US military deployments in Asia and the Pacific.
At their summit in Beijing, Putin hailed Xi for China’s recommendations to settle the conflict in Ukraine, which Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected as mostly adopting the Kremlin’s line.
Putin’s two-day state visit to one of his biggest allies and commercial partners comes as Russian forces launch an operation in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, marking the most serious border incursion since the full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022.
China claims to be impartial in the crisis, but it has supported the Kremlin’s accusations that the West led Russia into attacking Ukraine, and it continues to supply vital components required by Moscow for weapons manufacture.
China And Russia Reaffirm Their Close Ties As Moscow Presses Its Offensive In Ukraine
China, which has not condemned the invasion, suggested a broad-based peace plan in 2023, calling for a cease-fire and direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv. Both Ukraine and the West rejected the idea because it did not call on Russia to vacate Ukraine’s occupied territories.
China also lent a verbal nod to Russia’s narrative about Nazism in Ukraine, with a joint statement issued Thursday saying Moscow and Beijing should protect the post-World War II order and “severely condemn the glorification of or even attempts to revive Nazism and militarism.”
Putin has claimed the “denazification” of Ukraine as a primary purpose of the military action, falsely referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government as neo-Nazis.
The mostly symbolic and ceremonial visit emphasized cooperation between two countries facing challenges in their relations with the United States and Europe.
“Both sides want to show that despite what is happening globally, despite the pressure that both sides are facing from the U.S., both sides are not about to turn their backs on each other anytime soon,” said Hoo Tiang Boon, a Chinese foreign policy researcher at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.
While Putin and Xi stated they wanted to stop the war, they made no new ideas in their public remarks.
“China hopes for the early return of Europe to peace and stability and will continue to play a constructive role toward this,” Xi said in prepared remarks to the media in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. His statements echoed China’s overarching peace initiative.
Earlier in the day, Putin was greeted in Tiananmen Square with military fanfare and cannon fire.
On the eve of his visit, Putin stated that China’s proposal may “lay the groundwork for a political and diplomatic process that would take Russia’s security concerns into account and contribute to achieving long-term and sustainable peace.”
Zelenskyy has stated that any negotiations must entail the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the departure of Russian soldiers, the release of all captives, a tribunal for those responsible for the assault, and security assurances for Ukraine.
China And Russia Reaffirm Their Close Ties As Moscow Presses Its Offensive In Ukraine
Putin said he would brief Xi on the situation in Ukraine, adding, “We appreciate the initiative of our Chinese colleagues and friends to regulate the situation.”
Following Russia’s latest attack in Ukraine last week, the war has reached a crucial point as Ukraine’s depleted military awaits new supplies of anti-aircraft missiles and artillery rounds from the United States, which have been delayed for months.
China and Russia’s joint statement also harshly slammed US foreign policy, citing US-formed alliances as having a “Cold War mentality.”
“Both sides expressed serious concern about the consequences caused to the strategic stability of the Asia-Pacific region by AUKUS,” according to the statement, referring to the acronym for Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
China and Russia have accused the United States of installing land-based intermediate-range missile systems in the Asia-Pacific region under the guise of joint drills with allies. They claimed that the United States’ operations in Asia were “changing the balance of power” and “endangering the security of all countries in the region.”
The united declaration underscored China’s support for Russia.
“There’s so much Chinese falling over themselves to give Russia face and respect without saying anything specific, or committing to anything,” said Susan Thornton, a former diplomat and senior fellow at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center.
The meeting was another endorsement of China and Russia’s amicable “no limits” friendship, which they signed in 2022, just before Moscow invaded Ukraine.
Since then, Russia has been increasingly economically dependent on China since Western sanctions have limited its access to most of the global commercial system. China’s expanding commerce with Russia, which reached $240 billion last year, has helped the country buffer some of the worst effects of sanctions.
Moscow has transferred most of its energy exports to China and relied on Chinese enterprises to purchase high-tech components for Russian defense sectors to avoid Western sanctions.
China And Russia Reaffirm Their Close Ties As Moscow Presses Its Offensive In Ukraine
“I and President Putin agree we should actively look for convergence points of the interests of both countries, to develop each’s advantages, and deepen integration of interests, realizing each others’ achievements,” added Xi.
Xi congratulated Putin on the start of his fifth term in office and commemorated the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the former Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China, which were formed after a civil war in 1949. In the March election, Putin eliminated all significant political opponents and faced no serious threat. He, like Xi, has not spelled out a succession strategy.
“In a famous song of that time, 75 years ago — it is still performed today — there is a phrase that has become a catchphrase: ‘Russians and Chinese are brothers forever,'” Putin stated.
During the war, Russia and China expanded their military ties. In recent years, they have conducted several cooperative war simulations, including naval drills and long-range bomber patrols over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Russian and Chinese ground forces have also moved to the other country’s territory to conduct joint training.
China continues to be a major market for Russian military hardware, while the country’s defense industry is rapidly developing, including the production of aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines.
Putin has already stated that Russia has shared highly sensitive military technologies with China, considerably improving its defense strength.
SOURCE -(AP)
News
The US Election Causes Bluesky To Gain One Million Users Since People Are Leaving X.
(VOR News) – The social media network Bluesky has seen a spike in the number of new users, with over a million people signing up since the conclusion of the U.S. presidential election.
This rise can be linked to the fact that users left the platform because they were unhappy with the direction that X was taking under the direction of Elon Musk, the company’s billionaire owner.
It was announced on Wednesday that the microblogging site had achieved 15 million subscribers. Compared to the roughly nine million members it had in September, this is a considerable increase.
However, Bluesky subscriptions have grown since September.
Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, founded Bluesky in 2019, and it has become known as a safe haven for left-leaning users who are unhappy with the route that X has taken under Musk’s leadership. On Twitter, Bluesky has established a reputation as a safe haven.
Throughout its history, BlueSky has established a solid reputation as a safe and secure location.
Bluesky users have attributed their decision to transfer to Bluesky to an increase in offensive content on X and Musk’s connection to Donald Trump, the incoming US president. Bluesky is a social networking site that facilitates knowledge sharing and discussion. These two factors have been mentioned as justifications for switching to the new system.
On Tuesday, Mark Cuban, a billionaire who had previously backed Kamala Harris for vice president prior to the election, released a statement titled “Hello, Less Hateful World.” On Tuesday, Cuban’s comments was made public. When it came to several problems, Cuban supported Harris.
Due to the “disturbing content” that was accessible on the “toxic media platform,” The Guardian newspaper said in a statement on Wednesday that it will no longer print any information about X. This decision was made in part due to the “toxic media platform.”
Racist remarks and Bluesky conspiracy ideas were in this text.
The Guardian stated on its website, “The U.S. presidential campaign has underscored our long-held belief that X is a detrimental media platform, and its owner, Elon Musk, has leveraged its influence to shape political discourse.”
“The presidential election campaign in the United States merely underscored our long-held beliefs.” “The presidential election campaign in the United States merely underscored our long-held beliefs.”
Since we feel that there are more disadvantages to being on X right now than advantages, we think that promoting our work elsewhere would make better use of the resources we now have.
The business has helped to strengthen Bluesky’s reputation as a haven for liberals who are unhappy with their experiences.
There has been conjecture about Musk’s potential presence to observe election results alongside Trump. X responded by saying that none of its employees would be “sitting with a presidential candidate tonight and giving them direct access to control what you see online.”
This was done in response to the accusations made on the website. This was a reaction to the rumor that Musk would be there when Trump announced the election results. Musk was supposed to be there to witness the declaration.
Since Musk took over the site in October 2022, X has experienced multiple waves of user departures, although it still has a far larger user base than Bluesky. This is true even though Bluesky’s user base is already much larger. There are far less users using Bluesky.
Similarweb, a company that tracks internet traffic, estimates that on the day following the U.S. election, approximately 115,000 users who live in the country deleted their X accounts.
According to Similarweb, this figure was roughly determined. This falls into the category of the biggest single-day decrease in history, according to Musk’s leadership.
SOURCE: AJ
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Telehealth May Be Able to Stop Suicide in High-Risk Individuals.
(VOR News) – The results of a recent study suggest that telehealth therapy may lower the risk of suicide. In the United States, a study was conducted.
The results of a study that was published in the journal JAMA Network Open on November 12 indicate that cognitive behavior therapy can help lower the number of suicide attempts and thoughts.
US Telehealth researchers conducted the study.
This predicament is still true even when therapy is delivered via telehealth for a little period of time. As a result of the information they discovered during the investigation, the researchers finally reached this conclusion.
According to a study conducted by clinical psychologist Justin Baker, a researcher at Ohio State University, this is information that should be promoted.
According to Baker, this is a result of the fact that, at this specific point in history, therapy is increasingly being delivered via the use of virtual methods.
Baker was said to have stated, “The nearly overnight shift from mostly in-person to mostly virtual therapy appointments following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was the impetus for this research question.” Ohio State published a press release that contained this message.
In making this claim, Baker was alluding to the fact that the shift occurred very immediately after the outbreak began. Baker was referring to the changes brought about by the pandemic outbreak spreading significantly.
It has long been thought that patients who are deemed to be at high risk are not suitable candidates for virtual healthcare. This is because the use of virtual healthcare is linked to both accountability and the possibility of harm.
We randomly assigned the following telehealth programs to 96 Americans:
They received instruction on how to control and alter the disturbing ideas and bad notions they were experiencing through telehealth cognitive behavioral therapy, with a special emphasis on suicide. They received this instruction while participating in the activity.
A treatment method called present-centered therapy is used to help patients deal with the difficulties they are currently confronting in their life.
The results of the study conducted by the researchers demonstrated that a present-focused approach to treatment is a successful way to reduce depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. Research has shown that therapeutic approaches that focus on the present moment are useful.
However, the results of this study show that when it came to reducing the proportion of patients who attempted suicide while getting telehealth services, cognitive behavioral therapy outperformed present-centered therapy.
Furthermore, the results showed that both treatments were effective in lowering the number of suicidal thoughts that patients thought about taking their own lives. The effectiveness of both therapies served as evidence for this.
Craig Bryan, a researcher and the chairman of telehealth Ohio State University’s Suicide Prevention Program, says, “We have good, tested treatments that will lead to significant symptom reduction and improved quality of life for those who are suffering from suicidal thoughts and behaviors.”
In addition, Bryan is currently the program’s leader. Additionally, Bryan is currently in charge of the program. “We have treatments that have been proven to be effective.”
Bryan said that a considerable percentage of therapists are still maintaining some aspect of their telemedicine practice following the epidemic, even though limitations are being loosened.
This leads to the scenario even when boundaries are being loosened. “The results of this study have the potential to expand access to essential treatments that are supported by evidence for people living in rural and difficult-to-reach areas.”
You should call the telehealth Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 if you or a loved one is experiencing an emotional or suicide crisis if you are experiencing emotional distress. They are available to listen to your issues as well as offer support.
SOURCE: USN
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The Main US Inflation Tracker Increased For The First Time Since March.
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The Main US Inflation Tracker Increased For The First Time Since March.
(VOR News) – The challenging road to lower levels is demonstrated by the fact that one of the most important measures of inflation in the United States has increased for the first time since March.
The consumer price index (CPI), a metric that gauges price inflation across a variety of goods, at an annual rate of 2.6% as October reached its peak. The CPI has never been higher than it was at this time.
According to reports, the rate was 2.4% last month, the lowest in over three years. This rate is higher than the one that was noted the month before.
Eliminating food and energy, “core” inflation stayed at 3.3%.
This occurred upon completion of the computation. Following this stage, the index underwent a thorough analysis. A reading was considered accurate if it agreed with the estimates provided by economists.
Even though inflation has somewhat decreased since reaching its greatest level in four decades in the summer of 2022, many Americans still face financial hardship as a result of years of rising prices. This can be attributed to the fact that inflation peaked in the summer of 2022.
According to exit poll results, a significant number of Republican voters expressed dissatisfaction with their own financial circumstances as well as the state of the US economy.
Their voiced displeasure was a reflection of their dissatisfaction. A significant factor that contributed to the election was the ire generated by the rising cost of living. This rage was among the most important factors.
Concerns have been expressed regarding the real effects that these reforms would have on the inflation rate. Donald Trump proposed tax cuts and tariffs as workable answers throughout his campaign, but there have been questions raised over the real effects of these measures.
The next president has promised to levy tariffs on all U.S. imports that are at least 10 percent higher than the current rate, according to the results of a research by Yale’s Budget Lab.
The implementation of this strategy, which many industry experts believe would almost surely result in an increase in inflation of up to 5.1%, has already been made public.
It was the first time in four years that the Federal Reserve started lowering interest rates in September, which marked the first time in four years they had done so.
This was the first time they had ever implemented inflation.
The Federal Reserve has reached a significant turning point in its attempts to control inflation at this particular moment. Additional interest rate cuts were implemented Monday, lowering them to their lowest point since February 2023. Since February 2023, they have not been this low.
The Federal Reserve’s chairman, Jerome Powell, said the Fed “has gained confidence that we’re on a sustainable path down to 2%,” the target it has set for its inflation rate.
He hosted a news conference where he made this declaration. Considering the previously mentioned, he added that “the task is incomplete.”
As part of its “dual mandate,” the Fed is working to keep inflation from rising while also keeping the unemployment rate from rising. This is being done from the Federal Reserve’s point of view.
Over the past few months, the labor market has been significantly slowing down; in October, the United States created just 12,000 new jobs.
This suggests that there is a downturn in the labor market. In October 2023, the unemployment rate was 4.1%, which was a low figure that was similar to levels before the sickness started. Since the illness had not yet spread, this was the situation. This occurred following a reduction in the rate, which came to 3.4% in February 2023.
In response to a query concerning the impact of the election on the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decisions, Powell said that officials “do not know the timing or substance of any policy changes.”
Powell was questioned on the significance of the election. As a consequence, we are unable to determine the possible economic impact of this. The current circumstances are to blame for this.
SOURCE: TG
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