Barber: "Our number one goal is material recovery. Stuff in the sky is cool, but we want something to land". Also: "James Fowler (Skywatcher) developed the dogwhistle in his 'past life', if you wi...
# Barber: "Our number one goal is material recovery" [Video on X](https://x.com/thatuapgirl/status/1915847836010512483): > Barber: "Our number...
The original was posted on /r/ufos by /u/phr99 on 2025-04-25 20:47:48+00:00.
Barber: "Our number one goal is material recovery. We want our hands on exotic material, and we want to do that in a legal and ethical way. And so thats the best case scenario as far as our bus
Britain's state-owned energy company will not be allowed to use solar panels linked to Chinese slave labour, under changes to government plans
The government says it has listened to MPs who called for a ban on panels linked to slave labour.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/33259385
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband will introduce an amendment to legislation to ensure there is no slavery in GB Energy's supply chains.
It comes after ministers rejected an amendment to a bill last month that would have prevented that state-owned GB Energy spending money on solar panels where supply chains had "credible evidence of modern slavery".
The production of solar panels in China's Xinjiang region has been linked to the alleged exploitation of Uyghur Muslims.
[...]
A government source told the BBC since then "there has been an acknowledgement of the argument that GB Energy should be an industry leader".
There has already been praise from the international community for the U-turn. Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency, told the BBC: "I really salute the UK government's decision."
He said that the materials for green technology are important but "should really be produced in a
Ireland Announces 33% Increase to World Bank’s IDA Fund, Bolstering Support for Low-income Countries
Washington, D.C., April 24, 2025—Ireland increased its pledge to the International Development Association (IDA) by 33 percent to €141.4 million, reinforcing its commitment to improving lives in the world’s poorest countries.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/33295235
Ireland increased its pledge to the International Development Association (IDA) by 33 percent to €141.4 million, reinforcing its commitment to improving lives in the world’s poorest countries.
IDA, the World Bank’s fund for low-income countries, supports projects that boost economic growth, build resilience, and provide opportunities in 78 countries around the world. Ireland’s new pledge, announced Thursday on the sidelines of the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings, augments its initial commitment to IDA’s 21st replenishment (IDA21).
[...]
IDA’s 21st replenishment was a yearlong process that culminated in December, with a package of up to $100 billion for IDA countries. The Association supports a range o
She only learned her privacy had been breached by filing an access to information request
snips from the article:
Patricia Celan said she decided last June to file a request to determine whether anyone had accessed her records after seeing news reports about privacy breaches in the health-care system.
The result showed that a fellow Dalhousie University medical school resident had inappropriately accessed Celan's records multiple times in March of 2023. She had not been previously notified of the privacy breach.
[...] When she took her findings to Nova Scotia's health authority, Celan said officials confirmed the breach and that there was no reason for the person in question to have looked at her records.
But Celan said she was also told there was little that could be done because by that point the resident who had snooped in her records had completed his training and was working as a doctor in another province.
She said officials at Dalhousie told her something similar.
[...] "And that is concerning because doing something like this is a reflection of someo
Dutch intelligence report: Russia’s sabotage in Europe borders on state terrorism
cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2559835
Russia became increasingly aggressive and provocative toward European countries in 2024, employing espionage, cyberattacks, and covert disinformation campaigns to influence public debate, according to the annual report released by the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD). The agency described Russia’s actions as approaching the level of state terrorism aimed at spreading fear across Europe. The report also highlighted a rise in extremist threats within the Netherlands.
“The regime uses sabotage that borders on state terrorism to sow fear in Europe,” the AIVD stated in its report.
[...]
On Tuesday [April 22], the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) disclosed that Russian hackers attacked a Dutch public facility in 2024. The specific facility was not identified. The incident was part of the agency’s annual report and signals a significant shift in how national security is viewed, w
Dutch intelligence report: Russia’s sabotage in Europe borders on state terrorism
Russia became increasingly aggressive and provocative toward European countries in 2024, employing espionage, cyberattacks, and covert disinformation campaigns to influence public debate, according to the annual report released by the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD). The agency described Russia’s actions as approaching the level of state terrorism aimed at spreading fear across Europe. The report also highlighted a rise in extremist threats within the Netherlands.
“The regime uses sabotage that borders on state terrorism to sow fear in Europe,” the AIVD stated in its report.
[...]
On Tuesday [April 22], the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) disclosed that Russian hackers attacked a Dutch public facility in 2024. The specific facility was not identified. The incident was part of the agency’s annual report and signals a significant shift in how national security is viewed, with threats now considered the norm rather than the exception. “From uncert
In Sachen Klima ist die neue Regierung nicht ehrgeizig. Die parteinahen Klimavereine nehmen das Union und SPD unterschiedlich übel.
In Sachen Klima ist die neue Regierung nicht ehrgeizig. Die parteinahen Klimavereine nehmen das Union und SPD unterschiedlich übel.
Der Koalitionsvertrag steht, doch bei den parteinahen Vereinen, die sich für Klimaschutz einsetzen, herrscht Uneinigkeit. Die CDU-nahe KlimaUnion trägt den Koalitionsvertrag trotz Schwachstellen beim Thema Klima mit. Das SPD-nahe Netzwerk Klima.Gerecht hingegen wirbt in der Partei für Nein-Stimmen.
[...]
Norway facilitates rehabilitation of injured children and mental health care efforts in Ukraine
Norway will provide NOK 53 million [EUR 4.6 million] in funding for assistance in the health sector in the period from December 2024 to December 2027. The funding is intended to support the health care system development strategy and priorities set out by the Ukrainian Government, and represents a new phase of the institutional health collaboration first initiated between Norway and Ukraine in 2019.
[...]
The institutional collaboration brings together the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Akershus University Hospital, the Resource Centre for Violence, Traumatic Stress and Suicide Prevention (eastern region) and Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital to share their expertise with partners in Ukraine.
[...]
Akershus University Hospital has worked together with Ukraine in the areas of gri
Ukraine war: Why Zelensky can't and won't give up Crimea
Ukraine's leader has ruled out recognising Russian control of the peninsula as part of a Trump peace plan.
[...]
For Trump, Ukraine's southern peninsula was "lost years ago" and "is not even a part of discussion" in peace talks.
But for Zelensky to renounce Crimea as an indivisible part of Ukraine would be unconscionable.
In the words of opposition MP Iryna Gerashchenko "territorial integrity and sovereignty is a red line for Ukraine and Ukrainians".
[...]
Putin later admitted hatching the land-grab [the attack on Crimea] in an all-night meeting with his officials days after Ukraine's pro-Russian leader was ousted in Kyiv.
[...]
Zelensky was adamant that he has no power to give up Crimea: "There's nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution."
Article 2 of the constitution states that Ukraine's sovereignty "extends throughout its entire territory" which "within its present border is indivisible and inviolable".
Any change to Ukraine's territory has to go to a national referendum, which must be authorised by the Ukrainian parliament.
[...]
**Crimea along with the r
China’s trade diversion could swamp other Emerging Markets as the flood of imports from China was already impacting economies before Trump 2.0
The flood of imports from China was already impacting economies before Trump 2.0
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/33309810
[Analysis by Nomura, a financial services group.]
- Some USD560 bn of China’s annual exports may need to find new markets, which can be disruptive to economies
- 45 countries that experienced large increases in their shares of imports from China are generally the ones that experienced the sharpest slowdowns in manufacturing growth and where evidence of disinflation was strongest
- This year, with a US-China trade war raging, the results illuminate just how exposed economies are to the flood of China imports turning into a deluge
With the US-China trade war in full force, many emerging economies, particularly those in Asia, are exposed to the flood of inexpensive Chinese imports turning into a deluge.
[...]
Statistics suggest that Chi
China’s trade diversion could swamp other Emerging Markets as the flood of imports from China was already impacting economies before Trump 2.0
The flood of imports from China was already impacting economies before Trump 2.0
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/33309810
[Analysis by Nomura, a financial services group.]
- Some USD560 bn of China’s annual exports may need to find new markets, which can be disruptive to economies
- 45 countries that experienced large increases in their shares of imports from China are generally the ones that experienced the sharpest slowdowns in manufacturing growth and where evidence of disinflation was strongest
- This year, with a US-China trade war raging, the results illuminate just how exposed economies are to the flood of China imports turning into a deluge
With the US-China trade war in full force, many emerging economies, particularly those in Asia, are exposed to the flood of inexpensive Chinese imports turning into a deluge.
[...]
Statistics suggest that Chi
China’s trade diversion could swamp other Emerging Markets as the flood of imports from China was already impacting economies before Trump 2.0
The flood of imports from China was already impacting economies before Trump 2.0
[Analysis by Nomura, a financial services group.]
With the US-China trade war in full force, many emerging economies, particularly those in Asia, are exposed to the flood of inexpensive Chinese imports turning into a deluge.
[...]
Statistics suggest that China’s highly competitive manufacturers, far from retreating, have penetrated new mar
The Trump administration wants to make us too afraid to look out for one another. Don't let them.
[...]
“There’s a guy in there who just shoots the shit with you when you come in to pay,” Jackson says. “He’d heard that I had previously given some pro bono legal help to a family who owned a barbecue restaurant. He said there was family in the area where the dad had been caught up in one of the ICE workplace raids and they’re really freaking out. The parents were undocumented, while one of the kids is DACA and the other is a U.S. citizen.”
The man asked Jackson if he would be willing to “just talk to them and make sure they know their rights and where they can some help. I said absolutely. I’m not an immigration lawyer, but they were scared to reach out to anyone, so I said I’d go there and try to just give them the basics.”
[...]
“A couple days later, on March 6, I was working from home at around 11:30 when I got a notice that my VPN had gone down,” he says. “I didn’t think much about it. It can cut out from time to time. About 10 minutes later, I got a knock at the d
Number of jailed writers increases worldwide for sixth consecutive year as authoritarian regimes increasingly seek to expunge “inconvenient” truth
The number of writers jailed reached a new high, with at least 375 behind bars in 40 countries during 2024, compared to 339 in 2023.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/33305222
The number of writers jailed reached a new high in a wider range of countries, with at least 375 behind bars in 40 countries during 2024, compared to 339 in 2023, according to the international writers' association PEN. China, already the world’s top jailer of writers, registered another significant increase.
- The number of writers jailed reached a new high in a wider range of countries, with at least 375 behind bars in 40 countries during 2024, compared to 339 in 2023, says PEN, the Worldwide Association of Writers NGO, in its Freedom-To-Write Index.
- China, already the world’s top jailer of writers, registered another significant increase of 11 cases, to 118 writers behind bars. The majority were jailed under the pretense of “national security” charges, oftentim
Number of jailed writers increases worldwide for sixth consecutive year as authoritarian regimes increasingly seek to expunge “inconvenient” truth
The number of writers jailed reached a new high, with at least 375 behind bars in 40 countries during 2024, compared to 339 in 2023.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/33305222
The number of writers jailed reached a new high in a wider range of countries, with at least 375 behind bars in 40 countries during 2024, compared to 339 in 2023, according to the international writers' association PEN. China, already the world’s top jailer of writers, registered another significant increase.
- The number of writers jailed reached a new high in a wider range of countries, with at least 375 behind bars in 40 countries during 2024, compared to 339 in 2023, says PEN, the Worldwide Association of Writers NGO, in its Freedom-To-Write Index.
- China, already the world’s top jailer of writers, registered another significant increase of 11 cases, to 118 writers behind bars. The majority were jailed under the pretense of “national security” charges, oftentim
Number of jailed writers increases worldwide for sixth consecutive year as authoritarian regimes increasingly seek to expunge “inconvenient” truth
The number of writers jailed reached a new high, with at least 375 behind bars in 40 countries during 2024, compared to 339 in 2023.
The number of writers jailed reached a new high in a wider range of countries, with at least 375 behind bars in 40 countries during 2024, compared to 339 in 2023, according to the international writers' association PEN. China, already the world’s top jailer of writers, registered another significant increase.
China mobilizes museums for propaganda: Museum directors are told they should focus on documenting that “border regions” such as Tibet and Xinjiang were always Chinese
At a training session in Beijing, museum directors are told they should focus on documenting that “border regions” such as Tibet and Xinjiang were always Chinese.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/33304557
China Mobilizes Museums for Propaganda: Museum directors are told they should focus on documenting that “border regions” such as Tibet and Xinjiang were always Chinese
Now, museums are also mobilized for Chinese propaganda. The [Chinese Communist Party] CCP’s primary interest is telling what Xi Jinping calls the “China story” and emphasizing that “border regions” such as Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, or Tibet were “always part of China.”
Pan Yue, director of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, presided in Beijing on April 16 at the First National Training Session for Museum Directors. Museums, he said, should counter “incorrect historical interpretations,” including those that “attempt to position the Central Plains against border regions, the Han against non-Han groups, and Han culture against
China mobilizes museums for propaganda: Museum directors are told they should focus on documenting that “border regions” such as Tibet and Xinjiang were always Chinese
At a training session in Beijing, museum directors are told they should focus on documenting that “border regions” such as Tibet and Xinjiang were always Chinese.
China Mobilizes Museums for Propaganda: Museum directors are told they should focus on documenting that “border regions” such as Tibet and Xinjiang were always Chinese
Now, museums are also mobilized for Chinese propaganda. The [Chinese Communist Party] CCP’s primary interest is telling what Xi Jinping calls the “China story” and emphasizing that “border regions” such as Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, or Tibet were “always part of China.”
Pan Yue, director of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, presided in Beijing on April 16 at the First National Training Session for Museum Directors. Museums, he said, should counter “incorrect historical interpretations,” including those that “attempt to position the Central Plains against border regions, the Han against non-Han groups, and Han culture against those of ethnic minorities.”
Each cultural artifact and historical ac
China’s data protection rules prompt pause from major European research funders
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/33304290
- Three European funding groups say no new funding with Chinese agency since 2021
- Funders concerned about risks from China's Data Security Law
- U.S., Britain also concerned about way law could affect collaboration
- Funding suspension could hamper research into global health issues
Several of Europe’s biggest funders of scientific collaboration with China, in fields such as viruses and air quality, have put bilateral research programmes on hold due to concerns over Chinese data protection laws, funding agencies said.
The suspension, which Reuters is reporting for the first time following queries to the agencies on funding, highlights the widening impact of a Chinese data protection law that has already impeded some business projects, as international institutions and companies assess how to navigate the regulations.
[...]
While many countries require various protections and privacy safeguards for re
China’s data protection rules prompt pause from major European research funders
Several of Europe’s biggest funders of scientific collaboration with China, in fields such as viruses and air quality, have put bilateral research programmes on hold due to concerns over Chinese data protection laws, funding agencies said.
The suspension, which Reuters is reporting for the first time following queries to the agencies on funding, highlights the widening impact of a Chinese data protection law that has already impeded some business projects, as international institutions and companies assess how to navigate the regulations.
[...]
While many countries require various protections and privacy safeguards for research involving their citizens, one of China’s most recent laws – known as the D