ISGAP is attempting to shape policy in Washington, at a time when the Trump administration is looking to justify a broader crackdown on opposition to the war on Gaza.

Archived version: archive.is/newest/dropsitenews…

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

An Israel-Funded Campaign to Link Qatar to Campus Antisemitism

^{Nick Cleveland-Stout (Drop Site News)}

Research suggests increase in office snooping in trend that some managers claim undermines trust with staff

A third of UK firms using ‘bossware’ to monitor workers’ activity, survey reveals

^{Robert Booth (The Guardian)}

Welcome to the Third Edict edition of Build of the Week! In this series, we look at interesting builds from the Path of Exile 2 community that have caught our attention.

Today's episode features Sowza's Last Lament Lich build. This unique crossbow is surprisingly well-suited to the Lich, thanks to some cool interactions that let us bypass its downside.

Video: Path of Exile 2: Build of the Week - Sowza's Last Lament Lich

For more information on this build, check out Sowza's video guide .

See you next time!

Delocalizzazione Shein:

non un vero e proprio esubero, il colosso dell'ultra fast fashion si sposta da Stradella (PV) alla Polonia.

Non indolore: 311 licenziamenti

Acquisti da Shein? Conosci il suo modello di business?

Fonti:

🔗 Milanotoday

🔗Il Giorno

Shein chiude a Stradella e licenzia oltre 300 lavoratori: il colosso del fast fashion sposta la sede in Polonia

Il gigante cinese chiuderà il centro logistico nell'Oltrepò Pavese entro fine anno. Persi oltre 460 posti di lavoro (coi contratti a termine non rinnovati): previsti solo 60 ricollocamenti

^{Redazione Pavia (Il Giorno)}

Next month, Microsoft will begin automatically installing the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on Windows devices outside of the EEA region that have the Microsoft 365 desktop client apps.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-to-force-install-the-microsoft-365-copilot-app-in-october/

A federal judge in San Francisco found the Office of Personnel Management unlawfully directed agencies to fire probationary federal employees en masse.

U.S District Court Judge William Alsup ruled late Friday that OPM “exceeded its own powers,” and “directed agencies to fire under false pretense,” telling probationary employees that they were being terminated for poor performance.

The ruling doesn’t reinstate any of the 25,000 probationary federal employees fired around mid-February, but it does direct many agencies to update their personnel records to specify that these employees were not fired for poor performance or misconduct. Agencies must also send letters to impacted employees starting they were not fired for performance.

The ruling, in a lawsuit led by federal employee unions, applies to the departments of Commerce, Defense, Health and Human Services, Labor, Treasury, Transportation and Agriculture. OPM, NASA, the State Department and the Office of Management and Budget are exempt from the ruling.

Court finds OPM unlawfully directed mass firings, tells agencies to update personnel files

The ruling directs many agencies to update their personnel records to specify that probationary employees were not fired for poor performance or misconduct.

^{Jory Heckman (Federal News Network)}

Siccome qui su NodeBB mi sembra di stare su un altro pianeta, stavo pensando se aprire una categoria dedicata al self-hosting casalingo, dove scrivere le mie esperienze. In casa ho già tre mini-pc collegati al modem ADSL.

Il mio modem/router adsl ha la porta DMZ (zona demilitarizzata) abilitata su un mini-pc che mi fa da Proxy. Lo so, probabilmente per alcuni i termini dmz e proxy suonano arabo. Non lo so, forse ho già spaventato qualcuno con quelle due terminologie. Al posto del DMZ si può usare il port forwarding del modem/router.

Ecco il port forwarding è un'altra terminologia tecnica da spaventapasseri. Quando parlo di queste cose con amici e familiari mi sento a disagio perché so già che tanti non capiscono la terminologia tecnica e me lo dicono in faccia già loro: parli difficile, non ti seguo. Sebbene in casa tutti abbiamo un modem/router se vogliamo essere collegati a Internet, basta aprire il manuale istruzioni di questi dispositivi o scaricarli da Internet per trovare la spiegazione dettagliata di queste terminologie.

Tuttavia alla maggioranza delle persone evidentemente non interessano i dettagli tecnici dei modem e dei router. Per loro basta che il modem funzioni, si agganci alla rete, fa tutto il DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) e via. Eppure se si vuole fare selfhosting casalingo è importante capire quella terminologia, altrimenti non si va da nessuna parte.

A developer repurposed discarded disposable vapes into functioning web servers by utilizing their built-in PUYA microcontrollers[^1]. The project runs on a 24MHz Cortex M0+ chip with 24KiB flash storage and 3KiB RAM, found inside modern rechargeable "disposable" vapes[^6].

The web server implementation uses uIP for TCP/IP networking and communicates via SLIP protocol through semihosting. After optimizing the data transfer with ring buffers, the server achieves 20ms ping times and 160ms page load speeds[^6].

The project demonstrates creative e-waste reuse at a time when disposable vapes face increasing restrictions, with recent bans enacted in Rhode Island[^13] and other jurisdictions. The developer notes the irony of "disposable" devices containing USB-C ports and rechargeable batteries[^6].

[^1]: Hosting a WebSite on a Disposable Vape | Lobsters

[^6]: Hosting a WebSite on a Disposable Vape

[^13]: New year, new laws: RI to put host of new laws on the books | ABC6

New year, new laws: RI to put host of new laws on the books | ABC6

The Rhode Island General Assembly is turning out a bevy of new laws for 2025.

^{Christopher Boardman (ABC6)}

Judge Britney Horton kept the Kilfoils’ lawyer from deposing a Citizens adjuster, siding with the company after it argued it had already made another employee available and produced “all non-privileged facts.” The ruling deprived them of a fair opportunity to investigate the denial, according to their attorney. On at least 20 other occasions, DOAH judges have issued similar rulings during a dispute’s fact-finding phase.

In addition, some DOAH judges have denied motions requesting that they disclose any potential conflicts they might have as arbitrators. Some plaintiff’s attorneys say that has made it difficult to trust in the impartiality of their decisions.

And the forum’s rules make it impossible for homeowners to drop their lawsuit without Citizens’ approval, unless they withdraw their claim, a move that can lead to court costs and attorney’s fees if not filed early in the process. Some have felt forced to go to final hearings where they lost and ended up owing thousands to Citizens.

Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Wins Most of Its Claim Disputes in Mandatory Arbitration

State legislators and executives at Citizens Property Insurance touted mandatory arbitration as advantageous for both consumers and insurers. In practice, homeowners were left with few avenues for recourse when their claims were denied.

^ProPublica

cross-posted from: lemmy.world/post/35963824

Via The Hill

Republican lawmakers say it now appears certain that a discharge petition that’s being circulated in the House by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) will get enough signatures by the end of the month to force a vote on a bill directing Bondi to release the Epstein files.

Massie and Khanna are only one vote short of getting 218 signatures to force a vote on their bill.

Once Arizona holds a special election Sept. 23 to fill the vacant seat of Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who died earlier this year, they’re likely to reach the threshold

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5501751-congress-republicans-release-epstein-files/

Personnel from a U.S. warship boarded a Venezuelan tuna boat with nine fishermen while it was sailing in Venezuelan waters, Venezuela’s foreign minister said on Saturday, underlining strained relations with the United States.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tensions between the two nations escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump in August ordered the deployment of warships in the Caribbean, off the coast of the South American country, citing the fight against Latin American drug cartels.

While reading a statement on Saturday, Foreign Minister Yván Gil told journalists the Venezuelan tuna boat was “illegally and hostilely boarded by a United States Navy destroyer” and 18 armed personnel who remained on the vessel for eight hours, preventing communication and the fishermen’s normal activities. They were then released under escort by the Venezuelan navy.

https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-united-states-warship-fishermen-e08c3abde034df0f50c1ea66dff7718b

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/09/ed-tech-provider-chegg-pay-75-million-settle-ftc-allegations-concerning-unlawful-cancellation

::: spoiler Comments
- Hacker News.
:::
- Website.
- Blog source.

For a couple of years now, I have been collecting disposable vapes from friends and family. Initially, I only salvaged the batteries for “future” projects (It’s not hoarding, I promise), but recently, disposable vapes have gotten more advanced. I wouldn’t want to be the lawyer who one day will have to argue how a device with USB C and a rechargeable battery can be classified as “disposable”. Thankfully, I don’t plan on pursuing law anytime soon.

Last year, I was tearing apart some of these fancier pacifiers for adults when I noticed something that caught my eye, instead of the expected black blob of goo hiding some ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) I see a little integrated circuit inscribed “PUYA”. I don’t blame you if this name doesn’t excite you as much it does me, most people have never heard of them. They are most well known for their flash chips, but I first came across them after reading Jay Carlson’s blog post about the cheapest flash microcontroller you can buy. They are quite capable little ARM Cortex-M0+ micros.

Over the past year I have collected quite a few of these PY32 based vapes, all of them from different models of vape from the same manufacturer. It’s not my place to do free advertising for big tobacco, so I won’t mention the brand I got it from, but if anyone who worked on designing them reads this, thanks for labeling the debug pins!

The cheapest flash microcontroller you can buy is actually an Arm Cortex-M0+

Puya's 10-cent PY32 series is complicating the RISC-V narrative and has me doubting I'll ever reach for an 8-bit part again.

^{Jay Carlson}

Hi pfefferle@mastodon.social, I was just curious why activitypub.blog@activitypub.blog was a user and not a group on NodeBB, so I checked out its AP representation on BrowserStack.

This stood out:

  ...
  "generator": {
    "type": "Application",
    "implements": {
      "href": "https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc9421",
      "name": "RFC-9421: HTTP Message Signatures"
    }
  },
  ...

It looks like it is supposed to be an array, according to FEP 844e.

As an aside, I guess not all WP actors are groups? I feel like we've had this conversation before though hehe.

cc silverpill@mitra.social

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-pm-starmer-says-people-have-right-peaceful-protest-after-anti-migrant-march-2025-09-14/

Lots of feedback this week about when sharpness matters in choosing a lens, and when it doesn't. It's very easy to focus too much on sharp pixels, when there might actually be more important factors that influence your photography. Welcome to Vlog No. 094.

• My Newsletter: ewenbell.com/subscribe
• My Photography Advice: ewenbell.com/blog
  My name is Ewen Bell and I am a LUMIX Australia Ambassador and an Ambassador for Sigma Photo.

#EwenTube #Photography #PhotographyVlog #ReImaginePodcast

Subscribe to Ewen's Newsletter

Join Ewen's newsletter for short updates on new articles and photographic inspiration. A special treat for new subscribers is a FREE download of my 80 page eBook called 'Camera Not Included'.

^{Photography by Ewen Bell}

• With Bangladesh’s growing economy and city dwellers’ purchasing capacity, the tendency to gather for parties and serve food has also increased in the country.
• With concerns for environmental protections, many of them are choosing biodegradable tableware instead of single-use plastic.
• A few local entrepreneurs are now producing tableware like plates and straws from biodegradable and locally available materials like areca leaves for plates and rice bran and jute for straws.
• However, entrepreneurs are struggling with production costs and are looking forward to the policy support that industries producing environment-friendly products usually receive in Bangladesh.

archived (Wayback Machine)

With areca leaves and rice bran, Bangladesh replaces single-use plastic tableware

Bangladeshi people love to throw a party, as the disposable tableware industry has increasingly seen. They get together or organize social gatherings often, be it to celebrate festivals or go on group trips to touristy attractions.

^{abusiddique (Conservation news)}

• Recently, Bangladesh successfully developed lotus silk — a biodegradable luxury fabric — using lotus stems, merging ancient tradition with modern sustainability science.
• Unlike conventional textiles, lotus silk is produced without water, chemicals or fossil fuels — making it one of the most eco-friendly fabrics in the world today.
• With high prices, lotus silk is attracting top fashion houses internationally, giving Bangladesh an opportunity to gain a premium place in the ethical fashion market.
• In some villages, lotus silk is creating new jobs for women who are now skilled in producing this high-value, global product; it’s reviving Bangladesh’s artisanal legacy.

archived (Wayback Machine)

Bangladesh starts a sustainable luxury fashion journey with lotus “silk”

In an era marked by climate urgency and an escalating demand for sustainable alternatives, Bangladesh has introduced a notable innovation in the textile industry: lotus silk — a rare, biodegradable luxurious fabric derived from the stems of the Asian…

^{abusiddique (Conservation news)}

Does PieFed have a easy way to upload a video to make a post?

If not what's the easiest way, and will PieFed support that in the future? (Perhaps PeerTube integration)

Translated from the official statement.

Following a preliminary investigation, the State Administration for Market Regulation has determined that NVIDIA Corporation has violated the Anti-Monopoly Law of the People's Republic of China and the Announcement on the Anti-Monopoly Review Decision Regarding the Approval of NVIDIA Corporation's Acquisition of Merlin Technology Co., Ltd. with Restrictive Conditions. The Administration has therefore decided to conduct a further investigation into the matter in accordance with the law.

The provision in the government funding bill could shield pesticide companies from billions of dollars in lawsuits.

Better to figure out that the GOP is a patronage machien run by big polluters now than never, but a year ago would have been nice.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/15/climate/gop-plan-on-pesticides-faces-revolt-from-maha-moms.html?unlocked_article_code=1.mE8.uVpj.OxSkKTVwxCZW

MeetMeTonight sono giornate in cui la ricerca milanese invita la citadinanza a partecipare nella ricerca scientifica.

Come parte di questo evento con i miei colleghi stiamo organizzando un incontro per giovani (età 13-18 anni) per conoscere la storia della lingua, in questo caso la lingua dei tempi di Shakespeare.
La nostra attività dura un'ora e ci sono sessioni alle 11:00 e 12:00.
Sabato, 27 settembre, Via Festa del Perdono, 7, aula 104.
Accesso gratuito.

Viaggio nella Lingua Inglese: tra Enigmi, Mappe, e Intelligenza Artificiale

Un workshop dedicato alla lingua inglese, rivolto agli adolescenti.

^Eventbrite

New payment system Wero: First retailers opt for PayPal alternative

PayPal, Visa, and others are facing competition: With Wero, Europe wants to launch its own payment service. The first retailers in Germany are already on board—but the question remains: Do customers even want to switch?

The Wero payment project, led by the EPI (European Payments Initiative) banking alliance, is picking up speed. The digital payment system is in direct competition with services such as PayPal, Apple Pay, and Klarna.

The Wero system is based on SEPA real-time payments, which means payments can be sent in a matter of seconds. The aim is to create a Europe-wide alternative to American payment services.

According to Lebensmittel Zeitung, the first German retailers want to integrate the new payment option into their online shops as early as October. “Preparations are underway, and the integration will take place step by step,” says EPI CEO Martina Weimert.

Mediamarkt and Co. want to test Wero

Mediamarkt-Saturn is one of the first major players to want to use Wero. However, there is no exact start date yet. According to industry circles, Otto and Rossmann are also taking a close look at the project.

The focus on a payment system like Wero is no coincidence: PayPal, Mastercard, and Visa have a firm grip on the market. Added to this are geopolitical tensions, which are reinforcing the desire for a European solution. “Developments in recent months show how important it is to have our own European solution in times of transatlantic tensions,” says Weimert in an interview with Lebensmittel Zeitung.

PayPal alternative Wero: Do people really want to switch?

Acceptance remains a sticking point. According to a study by the EHI Institute, many retailers fear that it will be difficult to lure customers away from established systems. “Customers need good reasons to switch from established systems to a new one,” warns Horst Rüter, payment transactions expert at EHI.

In any case, Weros' plans go beyond online retail: starting in 2026, customers will also be able to pay at supermarket checkouts using QR codes or NFC, directly via an app on their smartphones.

According to Bavarian broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk, around 1.8 million people in Germany have registered for Wero so far, with 43 million across Europe. The payment service is particularly widespread in France and Belgium.

Germany, France, and Belgium are currently the only countries offering Wero, but other countries are set to follow.

Source: watson.de
Translated with deepl

Wero: MediaMarkt und Rossmann wollen europäische Paypal-Alternative testen

Paypal, Visa und Co. bekommen Konkurrenz. Mit Wero will Europa einen eigenen Bezahldienst starten. Doch bleibt die Frage: Wollen die Kunden überhaupt wechseln?

^{Kathrin Martens (watson)}

Artist: Gegegekman | twitter | danbooru

Full quality: .jpg 2 MB (2480 × 2617)

cross-posted from: lemmy.sdf.org/post/42302795

Archived

China’s Salt Typhoon hacking campaign has taken on new urgency with revelations it may have compromised the data of millions of Australians. This demonstrates how cyber operations have evolved beyond merely gathering intelligence.

[...]

The campaign by the Salt Typhoon group was assessed as a targeted espionage effort against US and allied government systems. It involved stealthy intrusions, selective data theft and probing of networks in a handful of countries. At the time, the effect was thought to be limited and largely confined to government targets.

But August 2025 disclosures have shown just how broad the campaign truly has been. The Australian Signals Directorate, working with 20 foreign partners, has publicly attributed the operation to Beijing’s Ministry of State Security and People’s Liberation Army. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation now assesses that Salt Typhoon has struck dozens of countries, sweeping up telecommunications, transport, lodging and civilian data on a massive scale.These operations may have reached virtually every Australian household and millions more across partner nations.

Cyber operations now function as tools for coercion and competition, influencing the balance of power across the Indo-Pacific. They are central to rivalry. Even as governments invest in resilience and attempt to set boundaries, the persistent tension between the United States and China ensures that new vulnerabilities and threats will continue to emerge.

The Indo-Pacific is the epicentre of 21st-century competition. China and the US vie for influence, while South Korea, India, Japan and Southeast Asian countries all face mounting digital vulnerabilities. With the digital economy of Southeast Asian nations expected to surpass US$1 trillion by 2030, growth is driving their prosperity but also compounding risk.

Chinese-sponsored hackers have been targeting critical infrastructure for a long time. Suspected Chinese hackers disrupted India’s port logistics in 2020, and repeated intrusions have targeted Japanese, South Korean and Australian energy grids, telecom systems and government networks. Cyber operations are applied to traditional hotspots—such as the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait—by threatening disruption without any shots being fired.

[...]

Chinese cyber skirmishes in the Indo-Pacific show emerging patterns of conflict | The Strategist

China’s Salt Typhoon hacking campaign has taken on new urgency with revelations it may have compromised the data of millions of Australians. This demonstrates how cyber operations have evolved beyond merely gathering intelligence. When first ...

^{Gil Baram (The Strategist)}

cross-posted from: lemmy.sdf.org/post/42302635

Archived

Suspected Chinese hackers impersonated the chair of the House China Select Committee in emails to people involved in ongoing U.S.-China trade policy negotiations as part of a spying campaign, a House panel said Monday.

Why it matters: The fraudulent emails were sent to a wide range of individuals, including those at U.S. government agencies, business groups, D.C. law firms and think tanks and at least one foreign government.

[...]

• Hackers sent emails purportedly from Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) to key leaders ahead of a meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials in Sweden this summer asking for input on draft legislation.
• However, the attached document, which was sent from a nongovernmental email address, was instead laced with spyware that would infect a victim's computer, according the Journal.
• The FBI and Capitol Police are both investigating the emails, and the malware in the emails has been traced back to a hacking group tied to Beijing's Ministry of State Security, per WSJ.

[...]

Chinese cyber spies impersonated key U.S. lawmaker

Hackers sent emails purportedly from Rep. Moolenaar to key leaders ahead of U.S.-China trade talks.

^{Sam Sabin (Axios)}

cross-posted from: lemmy.sdf.org/post/42302635

Archived

Suspected Chinese hackers impersonated the chair of the House China Select Committee in emails to people involved in ongoing U.S.-China trade policy negotiations as part of a spying campaign, a House panel said Monday.

Why it matters: The fraudulent emails were sent to a wide range of individuals, including those at U.S. government agencies, business groups, D.C. law firms and think tanks and at least one foreign government.

[...]

• Hackers sent emails purportedly from Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) to key leaders ahead of a meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials in Sweden this summer asking for input on draft legislation.
• However, the attached document, which was sent from a nongovernmental email address, was instead laced with spyware that would infect a victim's computer, according the Journal.
• The FBI and Capitol Police are both investigating the emails, and the malware in the emails has been traced back to a hacking group tied to Beijing's Ministry of State Security, per WSJ.

[...]

Chinese cyber spies impersonated key U.S. lawmaker

Hackers sent emails purportedly from Rep. Moolenaar to key leaders ahead of U.S.-China trade talks.

^{Sam Sabin (Axios)}

A developer repurposed discarded disposable vapes into functioning web servers by utilizing their built-in PUYA microcontrollers¹. The project runs on a 24MHz Cortex M0+ chip with 24KiB flash storage and 3KiB RAM, found inside modern rechargeable "disposable" vapes².

The web server implementation uses uIP for TCP/IP networking and communicates via SLIP protocol through semihosting. After optimizing the data transfer with ring buffers, the server achieves 20ms ping times and 160ms page load speeds².

The project demonstrates creative e-waste reuse at a time when disposable vapes face increasing restrictions, with recent bans enacted in Rhode Island³ and other jurisdictions. The developer notes the irony of "disposable" devices containing USB-C ports and rechargeable batteries².

1. Hosting a WebSite on a Disposable Vape | Lobsters ↩︎
2. Hosting a WebSite on a Disposable Vape ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
3. New year, new laws: RI to put host of new laws on the books | ABC6 ↩︎

New year, new laws: RI to put host of new laws on the books | ABC6

The Rhode Island General Assembly is turning out a bevy of new laws for 2025.

^{Christopher Boardman (ABC6)}