>>“Making it” means making it in the specifically American climate of cut-throat, unprincipled competition, where good guys not only always end up last but deserve to, where the prize is money and power, and though the price is the loss of character and humanity, few hesitate to pay it. But money and power are the highest good possible for an American to achieve, and to achieve it no holds are barred, all foul means are fair. If you “win” no questions asked. There is only one caveat: don’t get caught.

I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in learning about the Soviet Union, their trade unions, their working conditions, their technology, or what life was like for visitors.

Microsoft will lay off 8% of the workers at its gaming unit

! © Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images

Microsoft is cutting around 1,900 employees in its gaming unit Activision Blizzard and Xbox this week, CNBC reported on Thursday, citing an internal memo from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer.

The layoffs, which will eliminate around 8% of Microsoft Gaming’s 22,000 staff, are part of a larger “execution plan” that will reduce “areas of overlap,” shortly after the US software giant closed on its $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, its largest ever acquisition, the head of the company’s gaming division said.

“It’s been a little over three months since the Activision, Blizzard, and King teams joined Microsoft. As we move forward in 2024, the leadership of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard is committed to aligning on a strategy and an execution plan with a sustainable cost structure that will support the whole of our growing business,” Spencer wrote in a note.

Microsoft closed its deal for Activision Blizzard, the publisher and developer of several best-selling gaming franchises, in October 2023. The deal boosted the company’s weight in the video-gaming market with popular titles including Call of Duty and Diablo. Experts say the acquisition will help Microsoft compete with industry leader Sony.

Microsoft has recently overtaken Apple as the world’s most valuable company with its market cap surpassing $3 trillion on Thursday.

cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/3431483

> Despite the mammal’s death with her unborn calf, the team believes that IVF methods can save endangered African northern white rhinos > > ! > FILE PHOTO. © TONY KARUMBA / AFP > > Scientists with the BioRescue research consortium in Kenya have recorded the world’s first pregnancy in a rhino following a successful embryo transfer, potentially paving the way to save Africa’s northern white subspecies from extinction. > > The embryo of a southern white rhino, created in vitro from egg cells and sperm, was transferred into a surrogate mother at Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy last year, the team said in a statement on Wednesday. > > ”The BioRescue team confirmed a pregnancy of 70 days with a well-developed 6.4 cm long male embryo,” it announced. However, the mother rhino named Curra and her fetus have died from a bacterial infection. > > ”It is bitter that this milestone is confirmed under such tragic circumstances with the death of the surrogate Curra and her unborn calf, but I am certain that this proof of concept is a turn of the tide for the survival of the northern white rhino and the health of Central-African ecosystems,” BioRescue project chief Thomas Hildebrandt said. > > Fatu and her mother, Najin, are the world’s two remaining northern white rhinos, living on Kenya’s 90,000-acre Ol Pejeta wildlife conservancy, under protection from poaching. > > The northern white rhino was pronounced functionally extinct after the last male, Sudan, died in 2018. > > Last year, BioRescue announced that five new embryos had been created to rescue the endangered African mammal under the project, funded mainly by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. > > The consortium said 18 eggs had been collected from Fatu and fertilized with sperm from two different bulls to improve genetic diversity. The zygotes were then cryopreserved – a process that keeps them at low temperatures for later transfer to surrogate-identified wild southern white rhino females – as neither Fatu nor Najin are able to carry a pregnancy to full term. > > According to the scientists, the next step in the project will be to select and prepare a new teaser bull, which will reveal when potential surrogate mothers can be implanted with embryos.

Despite the mammal’s death with her unborn calf, the team believes that IVF methods can save endangered African northern white rhinos

! FILE PHOTO. © TONY KARUMBA / AFP

Scientists with the BioRescue research consortium in Kenya have recorded the world’s first pregnancy in a rhino following a successful embryo transfer, potentially paving the way to save Africa’s northern white subspecies from extinction.

The embryo of a southern white rhino, created in vitro from egg cells and sperm, was transferred into a surrogate mother at Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy last year, the team said in a statement on Wednesday.

”The BioRescue team confirmed a pregnancy of 70 days with a well-developed 6.4 cm long male embryo,” it announced. However, the mother rhino named Curra and her fetus have died from a bacterial infection.

”It is bitter that this milestone is confirmed under such tragic circumstances with the death of the surrogate Curra and her unborn calf, but I am certain that this proof of concept is a turn of the tide for the survival of the northern white rhino and the health of Central-African ecosystems,” BioRescue project chief Thomas Hildebrandt said.

Fatu and her mother, Najin, are the world’s two remaining northern white rhinos, living on Kenya’s 90,000-acre Ol Pejeta wildlife conservancy, under protection from poaching.

The northern white rhino was pronounced functionally extinct after the last male, Sudan, died in 2018.

Last year, BioRescue announced that five new embryos had been created to rescue the endangered African mammal under the project, funded mainly by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The consortium said 18 eggs had been collected from Fatu and fertilized with sperm from two different bulls to improve genetic diversity. The zygotes were then cryopreserved – a process that keeps them at low temperatures for later transfer to surrogate-identified wild southern white rhino females – as neither Fatu nor Najin are able to carry a pregnancy to full term.

According to the scientists, the next step in the project will be to select and prepare a new teaser bull, which will reveal when potential surrogate mothers can be implanted with embryos.

Total household energy debt in the UK has reached nearly $3.8 billion and continues to grow, according to Citizens Advice

! © Getty Images / coldsnowstorm

More than 1.4 million people in the UK have been disconnected from the energy grid since November as consumers struggle to pay their bills this winter, according to new research by state-funded Citizens Advice.

Published on Tuesday, the study shows that over 3 million people have been cut off from energy in the last year because they could not afford to top up their prepayment meter. The average energy debt had increased to £1,835 ($2,332) by the end of 2023, up from £1,579 a year earlier. As the total energy debt pile – currently at £2.9 billion – continues to rise, it is weighing down millions of consumers and risks becoming unsustainable for the sector, the researchers warned.

Data shows that over 5 million people live in homes with an energy debt, and are at greater risk as a result of actions to reduce costs, including turning off the heating or skipping meals.

“The rest of winter looks set to be even worse, with prices rising 5% this month and colder weather seeing typical household energy usage reach its highest point,” Citizens Advice wrote. “We estimate that over 2 million people will disconnect because they can’t afford to top up by the end of winter.”

The report comes as the energy price cap in Britain has risen this month. With the situation predicted to ease somewhat from April, bills will still be 40% higher than they were in 2021, Citizens Advice wrote. “We risk an annual winter crisis unless action is taken to help those struggling most,” the report warned.

Germany's rail network has been brought to a standstill after the country's leading train drivers union launched a six-day-strike as part of a long-running pay dispute.

The decision marks the longest strike in the history of state rail firm Deutsche Bahn and comes after months of shorter bouts of industrial action.

Passengers are being warned of major disruption, with thousands of services being cancelled across the country's high-speed, intercity, regional and metro networks. Affected ticket holders are being given the option to rebook with no penalty or a full refund.

The strike, which began at 2am local time on Wednesday morning is expected to last until Monday evening, follows intense negotiations between union leaders and Deutsche Bahn's management over salary increases for drivers.

With platforms largely empty at key rail hubs in Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich, passengers were left scrambling trying to find alternative means of transportation.

"I'm a little frustrated because trains which were announced as running this morning as part of the emergency schedule at the end never arrived. It's annoying but I have to live with it," said stranded passenger Torsten Ilgenstein.

"Six days is exaggerated, quite honestly. Especially in the current situation, we don't need a six-day train strike," said Andrea Kretschmer.

More pay, less hours

Drivers are asking for higher salaries to compensate for rising inflation, and to have their working hours reduced from 38 to 35 a week with no loss of wages.

Executives from Deutsche Bahn have criticised the demands.

"This six-day GdL strike is the longest in Deutsche Bahn's history. We tried to avert it up to the very last moment but the GdL refused and escalated the situation. There are currently massive restrictions to train services across the country," said company spokesperson Anja Broeker.

GdL union leader Claus Weselsky told German broadcaster ARD defended the disruption, saying the current offers put on the table by the rail company weren't adequate.

"We have to strike longer and harder because the railway management is resistant to advice," he said.

"Sand in the gears"

Freight train drivers have also joined the strike, with analysts warning disruption to the logistics sector could spell trouble for Europe's biggest economy.

"The strike itself will not trigger a recession, but it will throw sand in the gears of an engine that is not running smoothly anyway. And all of us know that we are currently facing a number of burdens. We really don't need this on top," said Michael Groemling, an economist with the Cologne Institute for Economic Research.

The management of Deutsche Bahn has also sharpened its rhetoric against the union about the impact its decisions are having on the economy.

"This six-day GdL strike has massive implications on the economy. If you will, the GdL is also on strike against the economy in Germany and Europe. Cancellations can already be felt in European freight traffic and as far as the economic impact is concerned, we must count on it being massive," said Broeker.

Construction and real estate are among the hardest hit sectors, researchers say

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The number of UK businesses on the brink of bankruptcy skyrocketed by more than a quarter at the end of last year amid a “debt storm” triggered by a series of interest rate hikes, a report from a group of insolvency specialists revealed on Monday.

The latest ‘Red Flag Alert’ released by Begbies Traynor Group found that 47,477 firms in Britain were in “critical” financial distress in the final quarter of last year, as more companies struggled with inflation and borrowing costs. The figure was a 26% increase compared to the 37,772 firms that reported a “critical” level of distress in the previous three months.

The surge marked the second consecutive quarter-on-quarter period in which critical financial distress has risen by 25%, the report noted. A significant percentage of businesses facing these conditions are expected to enter insolvency over the course of the next year.

According to Julie Palmer, a partner at Begbies Traynor, soaring interest rates, “rampant” inflation and weak consumer confidence amid rising and “unpredictable” input costs have created a “perfect storm” for British businesses.

The Bank of England has steadily raised interest rates from 0.1% at the end of 2021 to the current 5.25% in an effort to tame inflation.

“Hundreds of thousands of businesses in the UK, who loaded up on affordable debt during those halcyon days, are now coming to terms with the added burden this will have on their finances,” Palmer added. “For tens of thousands of British businesses who should be looking ahead with some degree of optimism, the new year will bring a fight for survival.”

Macroeconomic turmoil is impacting “every corner” of the UK economy, Palmer said, noting that the most serious concerns are in the construction and real estate sectors. They represent nearly 30% of all businesses in critical financial distress, according to Begbies. Researchers pointed out that all of the 22 sectors assessed saw an increase in “critical” financial distress last year.

The report also showed that almost 540,000 British companies were in “significant” distress in the final quarter of last year, up 12.9% from the third quarter. Begbies Traynor warned that insolvency rates in the UK are likely to speed up in 2024.

Many vulnerable households refrain from using heating due to the high cost of energy, according to the End Fuel Poverty coalition

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Nearly 5,000 people died in the UK last winter due to living in cold and damp homes as they could not afford the rising energy costs, the latest report from the End Fuel Poverty Coalition has claimed.

The surge in excess deaths underscores the need to upgrade the UK’s housing stock and implement measures to bring down energy bills, the coalition has warned.

The End Fuel Poverty Coalition includes Greenpeace, WWF, Green Alliance, Save the Children, and Age UK, among others.

Meanwhile, a study by the Warm This Winter campaign noted that excess winter deaths climb when the temperature in the UK drops below four degrees Celsius.

According to Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, as many as 8.3 million adults in the UK are living in poorly insulated, cold, damp homes and, as temperatures drop, conditions go from being uncomfortable to “downright dangerous.”

“While households struggle, ministers are sitting on their hands and leaving matters of life and death to chance. Instead of taking action on energy bills, they have allowed energy firms to restart using the courts to force households onto prepayment meters and have now ruled out reform to energy tariffs to help those most in need,” he told Euronews on Friday.

Meanwhile, with energy bills set to remain far above pre-pandemic levels this year and beyond, such health dangers are expected to persist this winter following a series of cold snaps, experts warn.

The coalition criticized the British government for a lack of “meaningful” action to help households struggling with elevated energy tariffs. Experts noted that officials “would rather play politics with a ridiculous Oil & Gas Licensing Bill that will do nothing to improve energy security or lower bills.”

“We are very concerned at the level of disinterest shown by the government in the welfare of older people at a time when the temperature is dropping well below freezing,” Jan Shortt, General Secretary of the National Pensioners’ Convention, which is part of the Warm This Winter campaign, said.

The coalition’s report also censured the UK government for its refusal to set up a “help to repay” scheme for those in energy debt and also for its unwillingness to implement a proposed emergency energy tariff aimed at bringing down energy bills for vulnerable households.

The Yemen-based militant group has said vessels from all countries except Isn'treal and its allies will be allowed to pass through the Red Sea

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Houthi militants in Yemen have promised safe passage through the Red Sea to ships from all countries except Isn'treal and nations “in any way connected with it,” a representative of the group has told the Izvestiya newspaper. He noted that Russia and China are among the nations whose vessels will not be targeted.

The Houthis have carried out a string of drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea region in recent months, following the outbreak of the war in Gaza. They have vowed to continue targeting any Isn'treal-linked vessels until the blockade of the Palestinian enclave is lifted and the hostilities are stopped.

In an interview with Russian newspaper Izvestiya published on Friday, Muhammad al-Buheiti – a member of the Houthi politburo – stated that “Isn'treal ships or those in any way connected with Isn'treal will not have the slightest opportunity to sail through the Red Sea. The attacks on them will continue.”

“As for all other countries, including Russia and China, their ships will not be threatened,” al-Buheiti added. He insisted that the Houthis are prepared to provide “security guarantees for their safe passage through the Red Sea because free navigation plays a significant role in our country.”

Al-Buheiti stressed that the militants’ aim is not to capture or sink any particular ship, but rather “to raise the economic costs for the Jewish state to stop the carnage in Gaza.”

Other Houthi representatives have stated separately that American and British ships are now considered legitimate targets. Earlier this week, the militants struck a US-owned container ship with a ballistic missile and a Greek-owned carrier bound for Isn'treal. Another US-owned vessel was hit on Wednesday by a drone carrying a bomb.

The attacks came in response to a US-led series of airstrikes on Yemen on Wednesday last week, which targeted more than a dozen Houthi launch sites as part of ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian’ – an international maritime coalition set up with the stated goal of protecting commercial shipping.

On Thursday, Houthi Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced the group had carried yet out another missile strike, this time on the US-owned and Greek-operated Chem Ranger tanker in the Gulf of Aden in the Arabian Sea. He described the move as “retaliation to the American and British attacks,” warning that “any new aggression will not go unpunished.”

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Buenos Aires, Jan 19 (Prensa Latina) The general secretary of the Argentine State Workers Association (ATE), Rodolfo Aguiar, confirmed today the participation of that organization in a general strike and a mobilization planned for January 24.

In declarations to El Destape Radio, Aguiar stated that ATE will be part of these actions against the measures of President Javier Milei, in spite of the Government’s attempts to demobilize citizens.

Last night, such entity was summoned to the labor union negotiations at the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security, in this capital city.

If the call to this meeting is a strategy to get us to lift the strike, we warn that this will not happen. We have many demands. We ratify that we will mobilize massively, the union leader pointed out.

The reasons that lead us to protest are much broader and include more than just the salary issue, he added.

Next Wednesday, members of social, union and political organizations will express their rejection of an adjustment plan, a protocol against demonstrations, a decree of necessity and urgency and a package of laws presented by the Government.

These last two initiatives imply the elimination or reform of more than 300 regulations and the declaration of a state of emergency with the granting of legislative powers to the Executive until 2025, with the possibility of a two-year extension.

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Kinshasa, Jan 19 (Prensa Latina) Nearly two million people have been affected by the worst floods in 60 years in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

OCHA, as the agency is known, said that 1.8 million people have been affected by the rising waters that began in October last year and reached most of the country, with nine of its 12 departments flooded.

The government declared a state of emergency on December 29 and announced that more than 350,000 persons are in need of urgent life-saving assistance, as well as warning of epidemiological risks.

Although the water level began to drop in the north, access remains difficult, the agency said, adding that many villages can only be reached by canoe or boat.

Further damage is reported in the health sector, with nearly 250,000 people unable to access primary health care, while some 27,000 children are unable to attend school.

“Our humanitarian colleagues also warn that the floods could have medium and long-term consequences, due to the impact on livelihoods,” the OCHA report said.

The initial assessments estimate that some 2,300 hectares of cultivated land have been flooded, in addition to the destruction of fishing gear, the loss of small livestock and other means of food production.

The DRC government, with the support of UN agencies, is deploying a humanitarian response that urgently needs financial assistance.

LUSAKA, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Zambia on Friday launched the country's first-ever national refugee policy, aiming to enhance the management of refugees in the country.

Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Jack Mwiimbu said that the policy has been formulated to alleviate challenges and improve the management of refugees.

"Government embarked on the process of developing a national refugee policy by adopting extensive countrywide consultations to create a policy that will adequately and accurately provide much-needed guidance and clarity on the management of refugees," he said.

He expressed optimism that many challenges faced by refugees in the country will be resolved following the launch of the policy, saying he expects the policy to have a positive impact on integrating refugees into society and their contribution to the economy.

The policy, he added, comes with solutions to the many problems refugees, asylum seekers and persons of concern face in the country.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative in Zambia Preeta Law commended the government for coming up with the policy, saying that it reflects the country's commitment to allowing refugees to integrate and contribute to society's development.

She said the UNHCR will support the government using its global expertise to replicate best practices in the management of refugees.

CARACAS, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's government is striving to raise workers' earnings despite the economic stranglehold of U.S. sanctions, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said Tuesday.

One of the most important announcements President Nicolas Maduro made at the National Assembly (Parliament) on Monday was an increase in earnings, Rodriguez told local media.

Maduro announced a hike in bonuses paid to Venezuelan public workers, raising their minimum comprehensive indexed income from 70 U.S. dollars to 100 dollars per month as of February 1, saying it would be adjusted in case of a devaluation.

The main victims of Washington's "criminal blockade" against Venezuela have been blue-collar workers, Rodriguez said.

The ongoing sanctions and financial embargoes undermine the South American country's welfare system, as well as its vital infrastructure and public services, she said.

In addition to the bonus increase, Venezuela's government has made progress in controlling inflation and stabilizing the currency exchange rate, thus facilitating the economic growth of the South American country, said the vice president.

Lemmygrad and ProleWiki are the only communities I've found where I feel safe to be myself and more importantly, safe to learn. I always ask questions and want to learn so much. When I am here, those questions are not found by others as annoying or bothersome or suspicious, but rather as genuine questions from someone trying to learn.

Over the first four days of Isn'treal-Hamas prisoner exchange, Isn'treal arrests 133 Palestinians while releasing 150.

Ramallah, occupied West Bank – Isn'treal has persisted with arresting dozens of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem as it conducts a prisoner release with Hamas, the Gaza-based armed group.

In the first four days of the ongoing truce between Isn'treal and Hamas, which began on Friday, Isn'treal released 150 Palestinian prisoners – 117 children and 33 women.

Hamas released 69 captives – 51 Isn'trealis and 18 people from other nations.

Over the same four days, Isn'treal arrested at least 133 Palestinians from East Jerusalem and the West Bank, according to Palestinian prisoner associations.

“As long as there is occupation, the arrests will not stop. People must understand this because this is a central policy of occupation against Palestinians and to restrict any kind of resistance,” Amany Sarahneh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Prisoners Society, told Al Jazeera.

“This is a daily practice – its not just after October 7,” she added. “We actually expected more people to be arrested during these four days.”

The Qatar-mediated truce came after 51 days of relentless Isn'treali bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, the day Hamas launched a surprise attack on Isn'treali territory, killing about 1,200 people.

Isn'treal has killed more than 15,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since then, the majority of them women and children.

On Monday, the original four-day truce was extended for another two days, during which an additional 60 Palestinians and 20 captives are expected to be released.

Under Isn'treal’s 56-year military occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Isn'treali forces carry out nightly raids into Palestinian homes, arresting 15 to 20 people on “calm” days.

In the first two weeks after October 7, Isn'treal doubled the number of Palestinians in its custody from 5,200 people to more than 10,000. That number included 4,000 labourers from Gaza who worked in Isn'treal and were detained before later being released back into Gaza.

Palestinian prisoner lawyers and monitoring groups have recorded 3,290 arrests in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 7. In mid-November, 35-year-old Eyad Banat was arrested while he was streaming live on TikTok. He was subsequently released.

‘No guarantees with the occupation’ Since the truce began, the streets of Ramallah have been flooded with people welcoming the freed prisoners.

But the worry for Palestinian prisoners does not end after their release. The majority of those freed are usually rearrested by Isn'treali forces in the days, weeks, months and years after their release.

Dozens of those who were arrested in a 2011 Isn'treal-Hamas prisoner exchange were rearrested and had their sentences reinstated.

Sarahneh said it is not yet clear whether Isn'treal has provided any guarantees that it will not rearrest those who have been released.

“There are no guarantees with the occupation. These people are liable to be rearrested at any point. The occupation always rearrests people who have been released,” she said.

“The biggest evidence that these people may be rearrested is that the majority of people being detained now are freed prisoners,” she added.

Since October 7, the conditions of Palestinians under arrest or in detention have severely declined. Many have complained of severe beatings while six Palestinian prisoners have died in Isn'treali custody.

Many of the women and children released during the truce have testified to the abuse they experienced in Isn'treali prisons.

Several videos have also emerged in recent weeks of Isn'treali soldiers beating, stepping on, abusing and humiliating detained Palestinians who have been blindfolded, cuffed and stripped either partially or entirely. Many social media users said the scenes brought back memories of the torture tactics used by United States forces in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison in 2003.

In addition to severe beatings, Isn'treali prison authorities halted medical attention for Palestinian prisoners for at least the first week after October 7, including for those who had been beaten, according to rights groups. Family visits as well as routine lawyer visits were stopped, the groups said.

Prisoners were previously entitled to three to four hours outside their cells in the yard, but that has now been cut to less than an hour, according to rights groups.

Overcrowded cells now often house double the number of detainees they were built for with many sleeping on the floor without mattresses, they said.

Isn'treali prison authorities have also cut electricity and hot water, conducted cell searches, removed all electrical devices including TVs, radios, cooking slabs and kettles, and shut down the canteen, which prisoners use to buy food and basic supplies such as toothpaste.

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Beijing, Apr 14 (Prensa Latina) Chinese President Xi Jinping received here today his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and formally welcomed him on his state visit to China.

Xi received the South American leader at the Great People’s Palace with the honors corresponding to his high investiture, before proceeding to the official talks.

The first moment of the meeting was open to the press and was followed by another segment, but behind closed doors.

During the presidential meeting, the two leaders are expected to review the bilateral agenda and analyze a proposal by Lula to form a club of mediators in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

At the end of their talks, both will witness the signing of some twenty agreements between their countries covering multiple sectors.

Before meeting with Xi, Lula spoke with Premier Li Qiang, the parliamentary leader, Zhao Leji, and the president of the state electricity corporation, Zhang Zhigang.

To all three he expressed Brazil’s willingness to strengthen the strategic partnership, expand trade and investment flows, as well as join forces with China to promote a balance in world geopolitics.

He also had a contact with representatives of the All China Federation of Trade Unions and paid tribute to the martyrs of this country with the placement of a wreath in front of the Heroes Monument, located in the central Tiananmen Square.

The Brazilian dignitary arrived last night in Beijing from the municipality of Shanghai (east), where he had a marathon day of meetings and tours of centers of economic interest yesterday. His visit will conclude tomorrow.