Flowers
Flowers by Shawn D Crabtree
See more of my work and interviews with interesting and up and coming artists at shawndcrabtree.com
OpenAI Says It's Scanning Users' ChatGPT Conversations and Reporting Content to the Police
OpenAI Says It's Scanning Users' ChatGPT Conversations and Reporting Content to the Police
OpenAI has authorized itself to call law enforcement if users say threatening enough things when talking to ChatGPT.Noor Al-Sibai (Futurism)
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To explore AI bias, researchers pose a question: How do you imagine a tree?
To explore AI bias, researchers pose a question: How do you imagine a tree?
To confront bias, scientists say we must examine the ontological frameworks within large language models – and how our perceptions influence outputs.news.stanford.edu
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Opposition parties say government's supermarket competition plan doesn't go far enough
Opposition parties say government's supermarket competition plan doesn't go far enough
"What we need is action that tackles the greed we are seeing in the duopoly right now."Tnatanahira (RNZ)
New bill allows Defence Force staff to fill in for people on strike
New bill allows Defence Force staff to fill in for people on strike
It would allow the Chief of Defence Force to sign off on having uniformed staff fill in for striking civilians.Russell Palmer (RNZ)
Uncertain Future for ArcelorMittal's Smart Carbon Projects in Belgium
Uncertain Future for ArcelorMittal's Smart Carbon Projects in Belgium
Steel giant ArcelorMittal has been reluctant to invest into Hydrogen-based steelmaking. But its alternatives it calls Smart Carbon are not doing great either.Hanno Böck (industrydecarbonization.com)
China’s Domestic x86 CPU, the Zhaoxin KX-7000, Debuts in an AI PC by MAXHUB, Positioning It as a Viable Alternative to Intel/AMD Options
Archived ver.: web.archive.org/web/2025082810…
Original source, including in-depth tests and other fancy details of the CPU used in the MAXHUB PC itself (written in Mandarin): news.mydrivers.com/1/1070/1070…
CPU-Z Single-Core Benchmark and specs from the original source:
That's an 8-core, ~3GHz Base Speed, 32MB L3 cache CPU for the number-crunchers around here.
On the surface, this CPU seems like it's best suited for general desktop and office use, to see it adopted to a PC build product geared for "AI workloads" is interesting. If I'm not mistaken, AI performance is heavily dependent on the GPU rather than on the CPU, so I think that's fine:
In terms of performance, the MAXHUB's AI+ desktop computer is claimed to play 1080P 30fps and 4K 30fps high-bitrate online videos with decent CPU utilization numbers, showing that the KX-7000 CPU acts decently with media workload. Of course, when compared against competitors like Intel or AMD, Zhaoxin is behind, but the key motive here to create an ecosystem that relies entirely on in-house products, and this has apparently happened here.
And that's a good thing, lol.
China’s Domestic x86 CPU, the Zhaoxin KX-7000, Debuts in an AI PC by MAXHUB, Positioning It as a Viable …
China has its very own domestic x86 CPU as well, developed by the manufacturer Zhaoxin, which has seen integration by MAXHUB.Wccftech
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Zhaoxin unveils first NPU-equipped CPU and 96-core server chip at WAIC 2025
At WAIC 2025 in Shanghai, Zhaoxin introduced the KaiXian KX-7000N client CPU with an integrated NPU for offline AI workloads and the Kaisheng KH-50000 server chip delivering 96 cores, PCIe 5.0 lanes, and 384 MB L3 cache.Nathan Ali (Notebookcheck)
An actual article on it- chipsandcheese.com/p/zhaoxins-…
Spoiler: It's slower than AMD Bulldozer.
Loongson 3A is infinitely faster if you want a China-domestic-market CPU.
Bing/DuckDuckGo/Qwant actively block southparkuncensored.com
Most other search engines show southparkuncensored.com/ after searching for "south park uncensored" or "southparkuncensored", but Bing doesn't, and therefore DuckDuckGo and Qwant neither.
southparkuncensored.com – Qwant Search
Fast, reliable answers and still in trust: Qwant does not store your search data, does not sell your personal data and is hosted in Europe.Qwant
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Optimizing Database Resilience and Cost: A Deep Dive into SkySQL’s Unique Features
Open-source databases like MariaDB, MySQL, and Postgres are established powerhouses. They boast rich features and their SQL dialects are fluent to developers, backed by a robust ecosystem of tools. However, the cloud changes the game. Operational characteristics now reign supreme: seamless scaling, rock solid security, effortless migration and replication, guaranteed uptime, and most importantly, delivering on the cloud’s cost-saving potential.
It is a common misconception that cloud database management and optimization is a solved problem. In reality, databases are still notoriously difficult to operate efficiently and cost effectively. Many of our customers and prospects have shared experiences of prolonged outages, challenges in achieving consistent performance at scale, and unsustainable costs associated with alternative cloud database services.
In this blog, we’ll delve into how SkySQL tackles these challenges.
See more
Optimize Database Resilience & Cost with SkySQL’s Unique Features
Explore how SkySQL optimizes database resilience and cost. Learn about its unique features for MySQL & MariaDB on the cloud for improved performanceSkySQL
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Nicknames
comiCSS #205: Nicknames
Cartoon with 4 panels in a 2x2 grid titled 'CSS Short Names'. It shows different people (all seem happy but the last one who looks annoyed) saying: - Hello! My name is text-emphasis: sesame, but my friends call me Tess.comicss.art
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Why Tony Blair and Jared Kushner were at the White House to discuss Gaza
Why Tony Blair and Jared Kushner were at the White House to discuss Gaza
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are attending a White House meeting on Wednesday to lay out US and Israeli plans for the fate of post-war Gaza, according to media reports.MEE staff (Middle East Eye)
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Researcher who has distorted voter data appointed to Homeland Security election integrity role
Researcher who distorted voter data appointed to federal election role
A conservative election researcher who pushed faulty findings about the 2020 election has been appointed to an election integrity role at the U.S.The Associated Press (NBC News)
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CDC erupts in chaos after ousted chief Susan Monarez refuses to resign
Lawyers for Monarez say she was ‘targeted’ for ‘protecting the public’ by not endorsing ‘unscientific’ orders
The US’s top public health agency was plunged into chaos on Wednesday after the Trump administration moved to oust its leader Susan Monarez, sworn in less than a month ago, as her lawyers said she would not resign and that she was being “targeted” for her pro-science stance.
Monarez, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was ousted on Wednesday evening, according to a statement from Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that offered no explanation its decision.
“Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people,” HHS said in an unsigned statement posted to social media. Her lawyers pushed back in a statement, saying she had “neither resigned nor received notification” from the White House of her termination.
CDC director Susan Monarez ousted for refusing ‘to rubber-stamp unscientific’ orders, say lawyers
Shortly after nation’s top public health agency announced Monarez’s departure, three senior CDC officials resignedRobert Mackey (The Guardian)
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The next internet for news? Publishers gather to discuss protocols over platforms
The next internet for news? Publishers gather to discuss protocols over platforms
Journalists and tech industry workers gathered at Protocols for Publishers to talk about building an internet that works for news.Nieman Lab
The FBI and agencies in the UK, Canada, and others warn that a Chinese hacking campaign targeting US telecoms has expanded to more countries and US companies
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36422828
PDF.
People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored cyber threat actors are targeting networks globally, including, but not limited to, telecommunications, government, transportation, lodging, and military infrastructure networks. While these actors focus on large backbone routers of major telecommunications providers, as well as provider edge (PE) and customer edge (CE) routers, they also leverage compromised devices and trusted connections to pivot into other networks. These actors often modify routers to maintain persistent, long-term access to networks.This activity partially overlaps with cyber threat actor reporting by the cybersecurity industry—commonly referred to as Salt Typhoon, OPERATOR PANDA, RedMike, UNC5807, and GhostEmperor, among others. The authoring agencies are not adopting a particular commercial naming convention and hereafter refer to those responsible for the cyber threat activity more generically as “Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors” throughout this advisory. This cluster of cyber threat activity has been observed in the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and other areas globally.
The FBI and agencies in the UK, Canada, and others warn that a Chinese hacking campaign targeting US telecoms has expanded to more countries and US companies
PDF.People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored cyber threat actors are targeting networks globally, including, but not limited to, telecommunications, government, transportation, lodging, and military infrastructure networks. While these actors focus on large backbone routers of major telecommunications providers, as well as provider edge (PE) and customer edge (CE) routers, they also leverage compromised devices and trusted connections to pivot into other networks. These actors often modify routers to maintain persistent, long-term access to networks.This activity partially overlaps with cyber threat actor reporting by the cybersecurity industry—commonly referred to as Salt Typhoon, OPERATOR PANDA, RedMike, UNC5807, and GhostEmperor, among others. The authoring agencies are not adopting a particular commercial naming convention and hereafter refer to those responsible for the cyber threat activity more generically as “Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors” throughout this advisory. This cluster of cyber threat activity has been observed in the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and other areas globally.
https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa25-239a
The FBI and agencies in the UK, Canada, and others warn that a Chinese hacking campaign targeting US telecoms has expanded to more countries and US companies
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36422828
PDF.
People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored cyber threat actors are targeting networks globally, including, but not limited to, telecommunications, government, transportation, lodging, and military infrastructure networks. While these actors focus on large backbone routers of major telecommunications providers, as well as provider edge (PE) and customer edge (CE) routers, they also leverage compromised devices and trusted connections to pivot into other networks. These actors often modify routers to maintain persistent, long-term access to networks.This activity partially overlaps with cyber threat actor reporting by the cybersecurity industry—commonly referred to as Salt Typhoon, OPERATOR PANDA, RedMike, UNC5807, and GhostEmperor, among others. The authoring agencies are not adopting a particular commercial naming convention and hereafter refer to those responsible for the cyber threat activity more generically as “Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors” throughout this advisory. This cluster of cyber threat activity has been observed in the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and other areas globally.
The FBI and agencies in the UK, Canada, and others warn that a Chinese hacking campaign targeting US telecoms has expanded to more countries and US companies
PDF.People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored cyber threat actors are targeting networks globally, including, but not limited to, telecommunications, government, transportation, lodging, and military infrastructure networks. While these actors focus on large backbone routers of major telecommunications providers, as well as provider edge (PE) and customer edge (CE) routers, they also leverage compromised devices and trusted connections to pivot into other networks. These actors often modify routers to maintain persistent, long-term access to networks.This activity partially overlaps with cyber threat actor reporting by the cybersecurity industry—commonly referred to as Salt Typhoon, OPERATOR PANDA, RedMike, UNC5807, and GhostEmperor, among others. The authoring agencies are not adopting a particular commercial naming convention and hereafter refer to those responsible for the cyber threat activity more generically as “Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors” throughout this advisory. This cluster of cyber threat activity has been observed in the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and other areas globally.
https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa25-239a
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to investigate Wikipedia over allegations of organized bias
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36435178
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to investigate Wikipedia over allegations of organized bias
Comer and Mace Investigate Efforts to Manipulate Information on Wikipedia - United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability
United States House Committee on Oversight and AccountabilityOversight Committee Republicans Verified account
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What the hell does the house oversight comitee have to do with a private endeavor?
Even if there was such bias, doesn't the 1st amendment cover it, as it does Fox, for example?
On July 4, 2026, nothing happened on Lafayette Square in Washington, DC, USA.
(And if something happened, its because they were viOlEnT riOToRs and we had to send in the tanks to restore LaW aNd oRdEr!!!)
4chan and Kiwi Farms Sue the UK Over its Age Verification Law
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36419565
Lawsuit.
4chan and Kiwi Farms Sue the UK Over its Age Verification Law
4chan and Kiwi Farms Sue the UK Over its Age Verification Law
The notorious troll sites filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court as part of a fight over the UK's Online Safety Act.Court Watch
Video game addiction in teens likely stems from preexisting mental health issues
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36422589
Video game addiction in teens likely stems from preexisting mental health issues
Video game addiction in teens likely stems from preexisting mental health issues
A new study out of UCSB's Media Neuroscience Lab indicates that gaming disorder (AKA video game addiction) likely develops from a player's preexisting mental health conditions.The Current
Video game addiction in teens likely stems from preexisting mental health issues
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36422589
Video game addiction in teens likely stems from preexisting mental health issues
Video game addiction in teens likely stems from preexisting mental health issues
A new study out of UCSB's Media Neuroscience Lab indicates that gaming disorder (AKA video game addiction) likely develops from a player's preexisting mental health conditions.The Current
Video game addiction in teens likely stems from preexisting mental health issues
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36422589
Video game addiction in teens likely stems from preexisting mental health issues
Video game addiction in teens likely stems from preexisting mental health issues
A new study out of UCSB's Media Neuroscience Lab indicates that gaming disorder (AKA video game addiction) likely develops from a player's preexisting mental health conditions.The Current
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Americans applying for Canadian refugee status in increasing numbers: data
More Americans applied for refugee status in Canada in the first half of 2025 than in all of 2024, and more than in any full year since 2019, according to data published on Thursday by Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board.
Their share of total refugee claims - 245 of about 55,000 - is small and Canada’s acceptance of U.S. refugee claims has historically been low. Asylum-seekers from other countries crossing the land border from the U.S. are sent back under a bilateral agreement with the reasoning that they should apply for asylum in the first “safe” country they arrived in.
Last year 204 people filed refugee claims in Canada with the United States as their country of alleged persecution. Claims from the U.S. also rose during the first Trump administration.
Americans applying for Canadian refugee status in increasing numbers: data
More Americans applied for refugee status in Canada in the first half of 2025 than in all of 2024, and more than in any full year since 2019, according to data published on Thursday by Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board.Reuters Staff (CTVNews)
You legitimised the Americans' reasons for needing a refuge in Canada.
All while your country is actively shipping "immigrants" to Guantanamo bay and other concentration camps, or Uganda.
The irony is certainly lost on you, due to your blind belief that America deserves what it doesn't give others. It's pretty clearly visible.
Campaign to lift Palestine Action ban seeking ways to stop mass arrests of protesters
Campaign to lift Palestine Action ban seeking ways to stop mass arrests of protesters
The campaign group calling for the UK government to lift its ban on direct action group Palestine Action said it is pursuing methods of protest that would make mass arrests of peaceful demonstrators near impossible.Katherine Hearst (Middle East Eye)
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7 dead, 9 missing after under-construction Sichuan-Qinghai Railway bridge collapsed - Tibetan Review
(TibetanReview.net, Aug22’25) – Seven people were killed and nine others left missing after a construction rope broke at a bridge under construction on the Qinghai section of the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway around 3 am today, reported China’s official chinadaily.com.cn Aug 22, citing the party mouthpiece People’s Daily.
It is not clear whether the dead or missing included Tibetans. Chinese construction and mining firms usually bring mainland ethnic Chinese workers on their lucrative projects in Tibet, denying local Tibetans much-needed employment opportunity.
7 dead, 9 missing after under-construction Sichuan-Qinghai Railway bridge collapsed - Tibetan Review
(TibetanReview.net, Aug22’25) – Seven people were killed and nine others left missing after a construction rope broke at a bridge under construction on the Qinghai section of the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway around 3 am today, reported China’s official ch…tibetanreview (Tibetan Review)
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Britain to pay nearly $4 million in compensation after troops sparked huge forest fire while training in Kenya | CNN
The British government has agreed to pay almost $4 million to thousands of victims of a blaze started by its soldiers while in training in Kenya, according to documents seen by CNN.
The settlement follows a long legal battle by local community members in the East African country. The campaigners have said the effects of the 2021 fire in an expansive wildlife conservancy in central Kenya have caused them lifelong health issues, damaged their property and polluted their environment.
Some of them also told CNN that they lost family members due to ailments arising from the inferno that burned through more than 10,000 acres in the privately owned Lolldaiga conservancy.
The fire is believed to have started accidentally during a British military training exercise. The British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) posted a video at the time showing its officers battling the blaze, in which it claimed the community and wildlife had been kept safe.
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/21/africa/british-troops-kenya-fire-settlement-latam-intl
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Canada to announce new foreign interference watchdog to fight transnational repression
Just months after ICIJ’s China Targets investigation, the country has confirmed that countering foreign influence is an “utmost priority” for the government.
Canada will appoint its first foreign interference commissioner next month as part of a package of reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s ability to fight back against transnational repression, a government minister has confirmed.
Speaking with ICIJ media partner CBC News, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree confirmed that the government has already begun vetting potential candidates for the watchdog role, and plans to present options to lawmakers for review by mid-September.
The move comes months after ICIJ and its media partners published the China Targets investigation, which showed how Beijing has used sinister tactics to silence critics of the Chinese government beyond its borders. In Canada, CBC News uncovered cases of intimidation and harassment against a Hong Kong pro-democracy advocate in exile and a pro-Taiwan activist that included the circulation of deepfake, sexually explicit images online and threats against the activist’s family members still living in China.
Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Orders Google to Respect ‘Right to Be Forgotten’—Google Says No
cross-posted from: programming.dev/post/36436559
Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Orders Google to Respect ‘Right to Be Forgotten’—Google Says No
- Backgrounder: Timeline of events related to the investigation of Google and de-listing of online information;
- Report of Findings: Investigation and recommendations concerning Google search engine service’s compliance with its obligations under PIPEDA.
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U.S. government takes 10% stake in Intel, as Trump expands control over private sector
U.S. government takes 10% stake in Intel, as Trump expands control over private sector
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that the U.S. government has taken a 10% stake in chipmaker Intel.Kif Leswing (CNBC)
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While I don't trust this administration in the slightest this isn't unprecidented:
- In 2009 he U.S. government took an initial 9.85% ownership stake in Chrysler as part of the company's bankruptcy restructuring. The government later sold its stake to the Italian automaker Fiat in 2011, exiting its investment completely.
- As part of the auto industry bailout in 2008 and 2009, the government received a 60.8% equity stake in GM. The government sold its final shares in 2013.
- American International Group (AIG): In its bailout, the U.S. government provided roughly $182 billion in aid and at one point held an almost 80% stake in the insurer. The government sold its last shares in 2012, ultimately making a profit.
Bluesky blocks Mississippi users over age verification law
Bluesky blocks Mississippi users over new age verification law
Bluesky has blocked access in Mississippi, citing privacy and free speech concerns over a new law requiring all social media users to undergo age verification with fines of up to $10,000 per violation.Matthew Keys (TheDesk.net)
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Also, a detail but:
pcmag.com/news/supreme-court-l…
It's considered likely to be unconstitutional.
The ruling now allows Mississippi to enforce its social media law while case continues in the lower court. In the ruling, Kavanaugh also cited several district court rulings opposing similar age-verification laws, concluding that "the Mississippi law is likely unconstitutional."
US state department stops issuing visas for Gaza’s children to get medical care after far-right campaign
The US state department announced on Saturday that it would stop issuing visas to children from Gaza in desperate need of medical care after an online pressure campaign from Laura Loomer, a far-right influencer close to Donald Trump who has described herself as “a proud Islamophobe”."All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days,” the state department said in a message posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, from which Loomer was banned before it was purchased by Elon Musk.
In a pair of posts on the social network on Friday, Loomer had shared video of badly injured Palestinian children and their family members arriving in Houston and San Francisco this month, along with false claims that their shouts of joy were “jihadi chants” and that they were “doing the HAMAS terror whistle”.
Loomer also falsely claimed that she had “exclusively obtained” the two video clips she shared. One was copied from a medical aid charity’s public Instagram account and the other was from the Houston Chronicle’s YouTube channel.
US state department stops issuing visas for Gaza’s children to get medical care after far-right campaign
Program providing key aid halted after complaints from Laura Loomer, the far-right influencer close to TrumpRobert Mackey (The Guardian)
Russians complete repairs of Mariupol Drama Theatre they destroyed – photos
The Russians have completed the exterior repairs of the Mariupol Drama Theatre, which they themselves destroyed with a missile. They claim the facade is now 100% restored and interior finishing works are ongoing. Russian forces struck the theatre on 16 March 2022, while civilians were sheltering inside.
Source: Mariupol City Council
Details: The occupation authorities plan to stage the first performance in the restored building by the end of the year.
Mariupol City Council said that "behind all this imitation of ‘restoration’ lie the atrocities of the Russian occupiers, who dropped bombs on the theatre on 16 March 2022. At that time, hundreds of Mariupol residents, many of them children, were sheltering inside. Many of them did not survive."
From the beginning of the full-scale invasion on 24 February until its destruction, the Mariupol theatre had served as a refuge for civilians, a centre for distributing food and water, a place to obtain information about evacuation routes and a gathering point for evacuation. From 24 February to 4 March, about a hundred people – mostly current and former theatre employees, their families, and people fleeing violence in early 2022 – used it as a shelter.
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Royal Mail and DHL halt some US deliveries over tariffs
Postal services around the world are pausing some deliveries to the US over confusion around new import taxes that must be paid on parcels from the end of the month.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month ending the global import tax exemption on low-value parcels, which takes effect from 29 August.
While gifts worth less than $100 will remain duty-free, the changes mean all other packages will face the same tariff rate as other goods from their country of origin.
Postal services, including Royal Mail and Germany's DHL, said they would suspend deliveries until they had proper systems in place to deal with the new rules.
Royal Mail said it was withdrawing its current US export services for businesses from Tuesday, but added it hoped to have a new system up and running within two days to allow it to comply with the new rules before they kick in.
"We have been working hard with US authorities and international partners to adapt our services to meet the new US de minimis requirements so UK consumers and businesses can continue to use our services when they come into effect," the company said.
Royal Mail said cards and letters could continued to be posted as usual.
The US had a so-called de minimis exemption on packages worth up to $800, which allowed consumers to buy cheap clothing and household goods from sites such as Shein and Temu without paying import duties.
But the duty-free rule on Chinese goods ended on 2 May, and is now being extended to the rest of the word.
Royal Mail and DHL halt some US deliveries over tariffs
Services including Royal Mail and DHL say they are suspending deliveries until they have proper systems in place.Rachel Clun (BBC News)
Kurdish political figure arrested in Iraq, sparking clashes that leave 5 dead
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — At least five people were killed and 18 others wounded in the city of Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region in clashes after the arrest of a prominent Kurdish political figure, officials said Friday.
Security forces launched a major overnight operation to arrest Lahur Sheikh Jangi Talabani, the nephew of the late Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, under Iraq’s counterterrorism law, said Burhan Sheikh Rauf, an official with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the party that holds sway in Sulaymaniyah and to which Lahur Talabani previously belonged.
He said Talabani “had plans to carry out operations against the government and create chaos” and that the operation was part of an effort to enforce laws prohibiting political parties from maintaining armed wings.
The arrest sparked outrage among Talabani’s supporters, who clashed with security forces.
Talabani, once hailed as a key partner of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State extremist group, cofounded the PUK’s Zanyari intelligence agency and was recognized for his leadership in counterterrorism.
In 2020, he became copresident of the party alongside his cousin Bafel Talabani, but was ousted a year later in a bitter internal power struggle. He then formed his own party, the People’s Front, and has maintained influence in Sulaymaniyah.
Rauf initially said that Talabani failed to appear before a judge after being summoned, but later said the operation was carried out “suddenly without informing him about the arrest order.” He confirmed that three members of the local security forces were killed in the raid. The People’s Front said two of its members were also killed.
Rauf said Talabani would be handed over to the court on Sunday, as public institutions in Iraq are closed Friday and Saturday.
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Argentina investigates alleged kickback scheme entangling President Milei's inner circle
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine police on Friday raided over a dozen luxury homes and offices including the headquarters of a national agency charged with providing disability benefits, an official said, escalating a corruption investigation that threatens to ensnarl the closest advisors of libertarian President Javier Milei, including his powerful sister Karina.
Ordered by federal judge Sebastián Casanello, the operation targeted 15 locations in and around the capital of Buenos Aires as fallout spread from audio recordings leaked to local media purporting to show Diego Spagnuolo, President Milei’s personal lawyer and the head of the country’s disability agency, describing a kickback scheme tied to government health contracts that funneled money to top officials.
An Argentine official with knowledge of the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly, gave details of Friday’s raids to The Associated Press.
It’s not the first time Milei’s inner circle has been accused of taking bribes. The first big scandal of his presidency erupted earlier this year after he promoted an unknown cryptocurrency token called $LIBRA that shot up in value after his endorsement then cratered, prompting dozens of criminal complaints alleging fraud from Buenos Aires to New York City.
Qatar said to have paid Israeli officials, including Netanyahu aides, total of $10 million
Report says Doha gave firm owned by PM associate Einhorn $45,000 per month for 2 years, of which $18,000 went to Netanyahu spokesman Urich; separately, adviser Feldstein got $11,000
Qatar paid senior Israeli officials, including several top advisers to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a total of some $10 million in recent years to boost the image of the Gulf nation, the Kan public broadcaster reported Sunday evening.
Citing estimates by law enforcement officials involved in the Qatargate probe, the report says that Perception Media — owned by Yisrael Einhorn, a former campaign adviser to Netanyahu — was paid $45,000 per month over two years, from 2022 until the project was scrapped in late 2024.
Some $18,000 per month out of the payment to Perception went to Netanyahu aide Jonatan Urich, the report says.
Separately from the payments to Perception, $11,000 per month went to another Netanyahu aide, Eli Feldstein.
The rest was paid to then-senior defense officials, former Mossad officials and employees of a tech firm, according to Kan.
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[PSA] Admins: Watch for the antiyanks troll and consider adjusting your rate limits
"Antiyanks" is back at it again and has switched tactics to spamming a massive number of comments in a short period of time. In addition to being annoying (and sad and pathetic), it's having a deleterious effect on performance and drowns out any discussions happening in those posts. That spam also federates as well as the eventual removals, so it's not limited to just the posts being targeted.
Looking at the site config for the home instance of the latest ~~two~~ three alts, the rate limits were all 99999999. 🤦♂️
Rate limits are a bit confusing, but they mean: X number of requests per Y seconds per IP address.
The comment API endpoint has its own, dedicated bucket. I don't recall the defaults, but they're probably higher than you need unless you're catering to VPN users who would share an IP.
Assuming your server config is correctly passing the client IP via the XFF header, 20 calls to the /create_comment endpoint per minute (60 seconds) per client IP should be sufficient for most cases, though feel free to adjust to your specific requirements.
Edit: A couple of instances accidentally set the "Messages" bucket too low. That bucket is a bit of a catch-all for API endpoints that don't fit a more specific bucket. You'll want to leave that one relatively high compared to the rest. It's named "Messages" but it covers far more than just DMs.
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If you have DB access, the values are in the local_site_rate_limit table. You’ll probably have to restart Lemmy’s API container to pick up any changes if you edit the values in the DB.100 per second is what I had in my configuration, but you may bump that up to 250 or more if your instance is larger.
Fixed:
UPDATE local_site_rate_limit SET message = 999, message_per_second = 999 WHERE local_site_id = 1;
The crisis is “expasperating”: Long COVID compounds economic hardship in Argentina
cross-posted from: lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/51686142
Argentina has no dedicated Long COVID clinics, no disability insurance, and no government recognition, leaving patients to diagnose themselves and search for informal care.Only a couple of Long COVID studies are being conducted in Argentina. One includes over 100 patients and involves analysis of MRI brain scans.
Patients live not only with Long COVID but also the stressful situation of living in a country with high inflation and poverty, while they create their support chat groups to share knowledge, treatments, and information.
The crisis is “expasperating”: Long COVID compounds economic hardship in Argentina - The Sick Times
Argentina is facing an invisible Long COVID crisis, marked by a lack of clinics, minimal media attention, no disability insurance to help people with the disease cope with their inability to work, and only a couple of Long COVID studies — all amid a …Delfina Marchese (The Sick Times)
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Have you tried to fight through the endurance issue? That's my plan. I'm scared shitless of the downward spiral so I hope to get my ass out.
Wife and I took a walk last night, and that's the least I usually do. She couldn't tonight even though she's recovering better than I.
I did that. Do not recommend. I ended up bedridden, because every time I pushed it I would get worse.
I recommend resting and letting your body get better.
Thanks! I have "emphysema light" (doctor's words) and if I sit on my ass too long, well, it's not good. I have to constantly move, and move hard, or I go downhill. Hence the question.
I've improved much since I wrote the question. We're hitting the river tomorrow, see how it goes. Manhandling my 10' boat, battery, trolling motor and other gear is going to be a challenge.
Glad to hear your getting better.
Do read this though.
PEM affects a good third of people with LC. And knowing the signs so you know not to push through it is very important because pushing through it can lead to well. Being like me, bedridden since two years.
I do. I caught it in March 2020, yo-yoed in health for a while, and had some surgeries and a treatable cancer which my doctors suspect were related to Long COVID. I’m pretty well marinated in the info, and am happy to share whatever you want to know.
This page from Yale is a great general orientation, though there’s a lot more LC sufferers would want you to know. This “What to Do When I Have Covid” guide from Clean Air Club will be useful.
The best place I know of on Lemmy for a discussion is !chronicillness@lemmy.world. Mastodon has an active and expansive community of people affected by Long COVID.
Condolences on your illness! I hope you’ll have better luck.
Long COVID (Post-COVID Conditions, PCC)
Long COVID refers to new or recurring symptoms that occur four or more weeks after an infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.Yale Medicine
Nigeria deports Chinese scammers in crackdown on 'foreign-led' cyber crime
Nigeria deports Chinese scammers in crackdown on 'foreign-led' cyber crime
A total of 102 deported foreigners have been convicted of "cyber-terrorism and internet fraud" this week.Wycliffe Muia (BBC News)
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Ben Matthews
in reply to hanno • • •I reckon that in europe as a whole, we have enough steel and need to shift to recycling it more efficiently (including dismantling some reinforced concrete structures, ol pipes etc), although that's not the case in Africa, India with with growing population.