… as it doesn’t come at the cost of the national language.

What is a ‘national’ language? Who defines a ‘nation’?

Can the Chinese Communist Party define that all Uyghurs, Tibetans, Mongolians whose territories are occupied are now Chinese that must be taught only in Mandarin?

Can Russia rule that Ukrainians in the occupied territories can’t be taught in Ukrainian as this would “come at the cost of the national language”?

As one scholar from Turkey writes:

Numerous studies in linguistics, psychology, anthropology, and educational sciences demonstrate that monolingual education deepens linguistic, cognitive, and psychological inequalities among children. It not only places children at an academic disadvantage but also damages their relationship with their cultural identities. This leads to a loss of self-confidence at the individual level and to exclusion and alienation at the societal level. In this way, the education system becomes a mechanism that reproduces inequalities rather than eliminating them …

Epistemic hierarchies, frequently found in colonial modes of thought, position certain languages as “central” and “universal,” while relegating others to “local” and “secondary” status … Research, however, shows that children learn more rapidly in their mother tongue, that their conceptual development progresses more healthily, and that their cultural identities are strengthened. Mother-tongue education not only increases academic achievement but also enables children to feel equal and valued in the public sphere.

Lasting social peace is possible not where differences are suppressed, but where they are recognized and institutionally guaranteed. When the education system ceases to function as an instrument of homogenization and standardization and instead becomes a vehicle for pluralism, the principle of equal citizenship will acquire its genuine meaning …

Emphasis mine.

That’s how it should be. That’s already how it works in most (might be all) of Europe.

This is not how it should be, and it is not how it works in Europe.

In addition to @dominic.borcea@piefed.social’s comments: There is even a European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, and European institution seek to improve teaching of these languages. Just yesterday (3 March), the European Council released a report on minority languages in Hungary (whose current PM is a great admirer of China as we know).

Europe is certainly not perfect, but it does a lot to protect and promote minority languages, apparently in direct opposition to China.

You could write a lot about Ms. Pelosi’s actions during her political career that are much worse than a post on social media imo, but that’s largely unrelated to the topic here.

In related news, protests erupt in Iran over government’s handling of economic crisis:

… Many protesters voiced their anger over high prices for essential goods, including food and fuel. “We can’t afford to live anymore!” chanted crowds, highlighting the urgent need for government intervention to stabilize the economy.

The unrest has been further fueled by widespread dissatisfaction with the government’s economic policies and perceived corruption within the ruling elite. Activists argue that the government’s failure to address the economic crisis has led to growing inequality and a decline in living standards for many Iranians.

In response to the protests, Iranian authorities have deployed security forces … Reports indicate that there have been clashes between protesters and police, leading to several injuries. The government has also restricted internet access in an effort to curb the spread of information and organize protests.

Not long ago, a leaked wedding video laid bare luxurious lives of Iran’s political elite and highlights hypocrisy of Islamic Republic:

A short video of a private wedding went viral in Iran recently, tearing away the country’s veil of piety and exposing hypocrisy and a seeming disregard for the rules by which the theocratic regime requires that most Iranians live their lives.

There are many reports like that. Ms.Pelosi’s may not think to much about Iranians’ well-being, but I feel the Iranians’ much larger problem is their own government.

It reminds me somehow on the famous xkcd webcomic: https://xkcd.com/2347

Edit for an addition: Maybe it’s also a reminder that we should frequently donate when we use FOSS.

Not only Russia, but China, Iran, and some other dictatorial governments. They celebrate Trump.

China … opted to install factories on the ground. They create jobs …

I’m not sure whether I got that right. China has been opening up factories in Europe, so far I agree, but that has little impact on the job market in Europe as the Chinese companies bring their own workers. We see this, for example, in Spain (CATL), Hungary (BYD), in the Balkans (Norinco, a Chinese state-owned military supplier that built solar projects there, among others) as well as in other parts of the globe. There are only of few local workers at Chinese foreign subsidiaries, while the most come from China. Also, illegal workers and forced labour is widespread in this setting (recent examples are Italy’s fashion industry or Chinese carmaker BYD’s closure of its Brazilian plant amid accusations of ‘slave-like’ labour conditions).

And these are only a few examples.

Sure, he can defend himself at the ICC.

As the latest news comes after Mr. Martin’s visit:

China pressing European countries to bar Taiwan politicians or face crossing a ‘red line’

Chinese officials have been pushing “legal advice” on European countries, saying their own border laws require them to ban entry to Taiwanese politicians … Archived version

Did the Taoiseach also discuss this with Xi Jinping as China is -once again- interfering in foreign politics? Or were they too busy when criticizing Europe for its ‘hypocrisy’ and lack of competitiveness?

Oh, yes, you’re right. Now read the posts critical of Europe or any Western democracies and whatbout there, too, as these distraction attempts only work one-way so far.

This article is about China.

Your comment is whataboutism.

There is this time now when people, perhaps rather conveniently in Europe and indeed elsewhere, might be ignoring that China’s economy has massively been running on slave-like labour for long period now. I think these and other human rights violations in China aren’t gone. I think China has very strong dictatorial policies, censorship, and surveillance capabilities, and therefore, calling ‘genuine partnership’ important while not even mentioning these crimes discredits Mr. Martin completely. As a European, I don’t want this cHeAp PrDuCtS mAde By SlAvE LaBoUr.

Mr. Martin didn’t discuss Europe’s growing trade deficit with China. And when speaking on ‘issues around Chinese subsidies,’ he claims that ‘they make similar accusations in China about Europe.’ I would really like to know what these Chinese accusations about European subsidies are. This is makes no sense as Chinese subsidies are far higher than anything allowed in Europe.

The Irish PM is conveying Chinese talking points after his China visit, and he is even hypocritical given he is calling for a ‘trade framework with China’ while opposing the EU-Mercosur trade deal.

As someone who emigrated within the EU, I thought the same. The article does not say where people in Germany intend to go.

And we must not forget that if you live in Germany or in another democratic country, you are free to emigrate if you want to, while in many states like China or Russia leaving the country is highly restricted. Many of people there, if they can, flee to Europe, Australia, and other Western democracies.

German laws appear to be a bit more relaxed than elsewhere. I found an overview for on mandatory winter tyres Europe.

For Germany, it says:

The German regulation doesn’t indicate a minimal temperature or a determined period when the vehicles shall be fitted with winter tyres. Drivers must adapt the tyres to the weather conditions. Winter tyres are mandatory in case of black ice, packed snow, slush, glaze and slippery frost.

No matter what your opinion is on that matter, Cloudflare is a curse rather than a merit imo.

As we know, Cloudflare’s roots go back to 2004 when Matthew Prince and Cloudflare co-founder Lee Holloway were working on a computer industry project they called Honey Pot. They wanted to close-down the project already, but then, as the BBC reported in 2016,

[Mr. Prince] got an unexpected phone call from the US Department of Homeland Security asking him about the information he had gathered on attacks.

Mr Prince recalls: "They said ‘do you have any idea how valuable the data you have is? Is there any way you would sell us that data?’.

"I added up the cost of running it, multiplied it by ten, and said ‘how about $20,000 (£15,000)?’.

“It felt like a lot of money. That cheque showed up so fast.”

Mr Prince, who has a degree in computer science, adds: “I was telling the story to Michelle Zatlyn, one of my classmates, and she said, ‘if they’ll pay for it, other people will pay for it’.” …

In 2017, Cloudflare also provided services to neo-Nazi sites like The Daily Stormer, including giving them personal information on people who complain about their content.

There are more similar stories about this company than these.

Yes, although I am not yet too convinced that this will be the case. Having that said, the populists in Europe are closely aligned not only with the MAGA Republicans in the US but also with the autocracies in China and Russia. They are posing the same threat as Trump.

Municipal authorities also prepare in advance … we have a law requiring winter tires …

What does this person think we are doing in Europe? We have weather forecasts, too, and winter tyres are mandatory in several countries, not only in the Nordics.

I am a complete layman in this field, so please correct me if I am mistaken, but this seems odd to me. That’s not to say Europe can’t learn from Canada in this and a lot of other areas, but the content is very weak imho.

I take to mean that we’re very willing to buy this recycled metal from China, made from our own scrap.

This is an obvious misinterpretation, and the article is quite clear about that.

The vast majority of the material in this scenario can be attributed to China. This is also what the original article’s headline and content suggests.

It’s another point that shows that the Chinese government can’t be trusted, and that China has absolutely no interest in saving the climate.

According to an EU paper from Dec 2023 (opens pdf), imports of ammonia (CN code 2814 under the fertilizer sector) are covered by the CBAM Regulation even if the ammonia is not used to produce fertilisers (page 8 on the linked pdf).