With nearly 1.3 million people in the EU experiencing homelessness and rent prices skyrocketing, the EU's goal to end homelessness by 2030 is becoming increasingly out of reach.

EU sees rise in homelessness amid housing crisis: report

^{Laura Kabelka (Deutsche Welle)}

Microsoft's biggest project in the state is still going ahead

Microsoft cancels Wisconsin data center after community pushback — 244-acre Caledonia site on hold, but Redmond says it remains committed to the region

^{Jowi Morales (Tom's Hardware)}

Nevada could’ve fined the company more than $3 million, but regulators are seeking a reduced penalty of $242,800, citing an “extraordinary number of violations.”

Elon Musk’s Boring Co. Fined for Nearly 800 Alleged Violations on Vegas Project

^ProPublica

Number of people dead unknown as first responders unable to enter site due to secondary explosions, authorities say

Archived version: archive.is/newest/theguardian.…

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.

Multiple people dead or missing after powerful blast at Tennessee military explosives plant

^{Guardian staff reporter (The Guardian)}

NSO Group confirmed to TechCrunch that an unnamed group of American investors has taken “controlling ownership” of the surveillance tech maker.

Spyware maker NSO Group confirms acquisition by US investors | TechCrunch

^{Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai (TechCrunch)}

Il mondo di Westeros si espande con A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, nuova serie ambientata circa un secolo prima di Il Trono di Spade. Il debutto è fissato per il 18 gennaio 2026 su HBO/Max con una prima stagione di sei episodi a durata contenuta. Basata sulle novelle di George R. R. Martin dedicate a Dunk & Egg, la serie promette un taglio più intimo e quotidiano rispetto ai precedenti capitoli dell’universo televisivo.

LEGGI I DETTAGLI: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: data di uscita, trama e cast del nuovo prequel de Il Trono di Spade

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: data, trama e cast del prequel di Game of Thrones

Il prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms debutta su HBO/Max il 18 gennaio 2026: sei episodi su Dunk & Egg, cast e primi dettagli.

^{Redazione (Atom Heart Magazine)}

The signing of California Assembly Bill 715 (AB 715) by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 7 marks a milestone in the bipartisan campaign to criminalize political dissent and rewrite history in the service of imperialist policy. The timing of the bill’s signing, two years since the events of October 7 and the beginning of Gaza’s genocide, was no accident.

Passed under the fraudulent banner of “antisemitism prevention,” AB 715 embodies a reactionary fusion of state power, corporate censorship and Zionist ideology. It is part of a nationwide effort to equate opposition to the Israeli state with hatred of Jewish people, silencing criticism of the Gaza genocide and US imperialism in the Middle East.

The unanimous passage of AB 715 exposes the class character of American politics. In May, the Assembly approved it 68–0; the Senate followed 35–0; and the Assembly concurred 71–0. Not a single Democrat or Republican voiced objection. The “progressive” state that boasts of diversity and inclusion has united the entire establishment behind a law attacking freedom of speech, placing in grave danger academic freedom and democratic principles.

Unanimity among the ruling class is not progress but a warning. The American capitalist class achieves consensus when preparing war, abroad or at home. AB 715 is a declaration of war on democratic rights and public education, part of the ideological groundwork for dictatorship in the United States which will only facilitate the Trump administration’s war on the working class.

California’s “anti-discrimination,” “antisemitism prevention” bill: A bipartisan assault on democratic rights and public education

California’s AB 715, passed unanimously by Democrats and Republicans, weaponizes “antisemitism prevention” to criminalize anti-Zionist thought while censoring educators and preparing the ideological foundations for dictatorship.

^{World Socialist Web Site}

The $20 billion U.S. bailout of Argentina provided major benefits to hedge fund billionaire Rob Citrone and his fund Discovery Capital, which had made heavy investments in Argentine debt and equity closely tied to the country’s economy. Citrone is personally connected to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and multiple sources report that Citrone lobbied Bessent for rescue measures when his bets on Argentina soured as the country's economy deteriorated under Milei.

The bailout’s timing and structure allowed Discovery Capital and similar investors to avoid catastrophic losses using U.S. taxpayer money.

Key Details

• Rob Citrone’s Discovery Capital invested heavily in Argentine assets on the bet that President Milei’s economic reforms would spur recovery.
• As Argentina’s economy faltered, Citrone reportedly pressed his friend Bessent (now U.S. Treasury Secretary) to arrange financial support.
• The $20 billion bailout, primarily involving the U.S. buying pesos and offering swap lines, propped up Argentine asset prices, enabling hedge funds to exit or mark up their positions.
• High-profile critics, including Nobel economist Paul Krugman and Senator Elizabeth Warren, accused the Trump administration of channeling aid in a manner that disproportionately aided Bessent’s hedge fund “buddies," particularly pointing out Citrone’s privileged role and lobbying—in line with classic crony capitalism.

Trump’s Argentina bailout enriches one well-connected US billionaire

A $20 billion US rescue package is a gift for a hedge fund manager with ties to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

^{Mother Jones}

Hagen

One of the stories we have in the book is about that Apple Crush ad. There was that ad where they had all these instruments and drawing materials, et cetera, like all these art related things. on the hydraulic press, and then the hydraulic press crushes it. The piano keys shudder, the trumpet gets crushed, the paint gushes out, and at the end of the hydraulic press, there’s, the iPad.

BITM

And people hated it. They had to apologize for it.

Hagen

Yeah, they apologized—for an ad. So there’s this sense of, “yes, this is actually about transferring knowledge and skills into a tool so that you can pay people who use the tool less.” This is happening over and over again in capitalism. And we’re going to dismantle by force all of these things that you love and that create beautiful art.

It’s such a useful metaphor that they handed us. It was so beautifully clear that this is a way of bulldozing precisely the aspects of like human creative activity, which labor should be. Labor should be, you’re changing something in the world in accordance with your will. And that’s what it means to be alive as a human.

"AI is an attack from above on wages": An interview with cognitive scientist Hagen Blix

The author of 'Why We Fear AI' on why he sees generative AI as "class warfare through enshittification."

^{Brian Merchant (Blood in the Machine)}

Frankfurt (Germany) (AFP) – They could soon be unboxing fines rather than freebies -- Germany's online influencers are facing a tax evasion crackdown that has left them screaming OMG!

The issue hit the headlines after the country's most populous state announced a specialised unit of investigators was probing influencer tax dodging on a massive scale.

They are assessing a stash of some 6,000 data records from social media platforms that point to unpaid taxes on everything from earnings from views to advertising products.

"We know that there is a lot of money circulating right now," Stephanie Thien, head of the state office for combating financial crime in North-Rhine Westphalia, told AFP.

"And we also know that not all of it is being taxed properly."

Like elsewhere, the number of influencers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram has exploded in Europe's top economy in recent years.

According to the German Association for the Digital Economy, the amount of money that companies spend on influencer marketing rose from 223 million euros ($262 million) in 2019 to 477 million euros in 2022.

For some teens who become overnight sensations by cracking jokes or pulling pranks online, failing to pay taxes is a simple error.

"There have been cases where people come to us and say, I've been doing this for two or three years, but I've never thought about taxes," Christian Gebert, head of the tax advisory firm Steuerberaten.de, told AFP.

"Many influencers achieve success quickly, and at the start, they often lack proper tax arrangements", added Gebert, whose firm counts many creators among its clients.

But there are others who seek to evade paying tax by under-declaring their earnings, or not making a declaration at all.

A common trick is pretending to relocate overseas -- Dubai is a popular choice -- to avoid high tax rates at home, and then in reality spending most of the time in Germany.

It is these cases of intentional evasion that North Rhine-Westphalia is targeting.

Thien said her office was "truly targeting serious financial crime, the big cases".

Even before the launch of the recent campaign, the state was already conducting criminal proceedings against about 200 influencers based there -- with some accused of underpaying their taxes by millions of euros.

Other German tax authorities are getting in on the act, with the city-state of Hamburg and the state of Thuringia among those conducting probes.

Such investigations are tricky because of the numerous ways to earn money online.

These range from getting paid by for clicks and views, to payments from brands for product placement, and earning commissions when followers buy promoted items.

It is also common for influencers to receive gifts, from hotel rooms to flights, in exchange for promoting businesses.

But all theses earnings could be subject to tax -- including income, business or sales tax -- and it is up to creators to navigate bureaucracy-loving Germany's complex web of rules.

Alex Schoenen, who runs an agency that supports up-and-coming TikTok creators, said that authorities had not done enough to explain rules that were "far too complex".

They should run more information campaigns, including on social media, said Schoenen, who is himself a popular influencer on TikTok under the handle "Der_Typ_ist_anders" ('That guy is different').

"What I've witnessed in the past three years has been a pure disaster," he told AFP, saying he felt many young people were badly advised by tax consultants.

Even before North Rhine-Westphalia's probe hit the headlines, there was growing debate about influencers being targeted.

In an episode of the German podcast "Das A&O vom Kaffequatsch" earlier this year, hosted by influencers Anahita Rehbein and Olivia von Platen, the pair took a break from their usual topics of motherhood and lifestyle to talk taxes with two experts.

Von Platen said that a tax official had told her: "Influencers are the new top targets for the tax office because they're the easiest to 'take down'".

Authorities say their aim is simply to ensure people pay their taxes fairly.

"It is very important that our tax system is there to enable the state to fulfil its obligations for the common good," said Thien.

"We are interested in tax justice."

OMG! German influencers face tax dodging crackdown

^RFI

In a compelling, entertaining and accessible format, we present these negative awards to companies, organisations, and politicians. The BigBrotherAwards highlight privacy and data protection offenders in business and politics, or as the French paper Le Monde once put it, they are the “Oscars for data leeches”.

I can really recommend Digitalcourage and the event. I am not directly involved.

2025 | BigBrotherAwards

25 years of BigBrotherAwards – that calls for a celebration! On October 10, 2025, at the Hechelei in Bielefeld

^{bigbrotherawards.de}