Olga Skabeeva Reporting From The Front Lines in Strasbourg

The  Ukrainian PACE representatives have a terrible PR problem! Worse even than that of the UK Conservative Party.

James Corbett and Jason Bermas on China

Some of the background on China and the US China "trade war". See British Empire in China.

On Intelleectual Property, you might be forgiven for thinking that the World International Property Organisation would be the place to resolve the IP issues in the US - China trade war. The organisation is, ...

... for promoting creative intellectual activity and for facilitating the transfer of technology related to industrial property to the developing countries in order to accelerate economic, social and cultural development, subject to the competence and responsibilities of the United Nations and its organs, particularly the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, as well as of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and of other agencies within the United Nations system.

Hong Kong Protestors Occypying the Legislature

Police are saying they are going to evict them very soon, presumably using force. See Birthday Present from Jeremy Hunt and Occupy Reboot in Hong Kong?

Birthday Present from Jeremy Hunt

I missed this when it came out. On 26th June the UK Foreign Minister made a statement in the House of Commons about the police response to the protests in Hong Kong. It goes nowhere near far enough. The real problem is the erosion of the independence of the Hong Kong judiciary. See Hong Kong 21 Years Ago and Al Jazeera Panel on Hong Kong Protests. We don't want to have to wait for the Foreign Minister in London to issue judgements on the legality of the actions of the Hong Kong police, (or the Israeli Defence Force for that matter. See UK Government Don't Even Bother Trying To Pretend They Give A Shit Anymore.)

China's Foreign Ministry response:

Hong Kong Marchers on China Handover Anniversary

Today is the 22nd anniversary of the 1997 handover of Hong Kong from British to Chinese rule. See Hong Kong Protests Continue.

Indigo Traveller Venezuela - Episode 3

Visit to el 23 de Enero, a pro-government area of the city, named, I guess, after the date of the 1958 popular coup which overthrew the dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez. See Golpe de Estado en Venezuela de 1958. On fake revolutions, see Occupy Reboot in Hong Kong? and The 1958 Cuban Revolution.

See also Lionel Barber Asks Putin if Russia Interfered in Venezuela.

Hong Kong Protests Continue

From June 25th

Then yesterday

See Stop Shooting People and China's Assistant Foreign Minister Apparently Controls G20 Agenda.