Salta al contenuto principale




Indian ministers push domestic alternatives to Google, Microsoft apps amid strained US ties




Merkel blasted by Baltics, Poland for suggesting they share blame for Russia’s Ukraine invasion


In an interview with Hungarian opposition media Partizán published on Friday, Merkel noted the refusal by Eastern European countries to permit direct talks between her, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French leader Emmanuel Macron when describing the lead-up to Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

“In June 2021, I felt that Putin was no longer taking the Minsk agreement seriously,” Merkel said, referring to the peace agreement relating to control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region following the 2014-2015 conflict. “And that’s why I wanted a new format where we, as the European Union, could talk directly with Putin.”

At a European Council meeting that month, Merkel and Macron proposed direct negotiations with other leaders in response to the buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine’s border. But a coalition of Eastern European countries, including Poland, opposed the idea.

“This was not supported by some. It was mainly the Baltic states, but Poland was also against it,” she said. Merkel explained that these countries had been “afraid” that “we would not have a common policy toward Russia … In any case, it didn’t happen. Then I left office, and then Putin’s aggression began.”

in reply to geneva_convenience

There are very few politicians who have ended up disappointing me more gravely than Merkel has done - and only one other comes to mind (Biden) who has stuck to their demonstrably misguided beliefs so staunchly, even after leaving office.
in reply to gravitas_deficiency

She wasn't very much loved in the south of Europe to begin with, after she crushed Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal with her austerity crackdown back in the day.
Questa voce è stata modificata (2 settimane fa)


Merkel blasted by Baltics, Poland for suggesting they share blame for Russia’s Ukraine invasion


In an interview with Hungarian opposition media Partizán published on Friday, Merkel noted the refusal by Eastern European countries to permit direct talks between her, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French leader Emmanuel Macron when describing the lead-up to Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

“In June 2021, I felt that Putin was no longer taking the Minsk agreement seriously,” Merkel said, referring to the peace agreement relating to control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region following the 2014-2015 conflict. “And that’s why I wanted a new format where we, as the European Union, could talk directly with Putin.”

At a European Council meeting that month, Merkel and Macron proposed direct negotiations with other leaders in response to the buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine’s border. But a coalition of Eastern European countries, including Poland, opposed the idea.

“This was not supported by some. It was mainly the Baltic states, but Poland was also against it,” she said. Merkel explained that these countries had been “afraid” that “we would not have a common policy toward Russia … In any case, it didn’t happen. Then I left office, and then Putin’s aggression began.”

in reply to geneva_convenience

The entire West is to blame. This is just like what Hitler did leading up to World War 2.

He did whatever he wanted, and got away with it because the allies were too pussified to fight back.


in reply to Francisco/Frankie

I'd avoid using a domain you dont actually own. Those free DNS places can take the domain back at any time. They are also often very low reputation domains.

in reply to Spectre

Use Apple and Google maps to report ICE officers as speed traps. They will not remove their own apps. And if they nuke the traffic stop feature they'll be skewered. Since their apps are already reporting the locations of law enforcement officers it's not different.
Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to roofuskit

Google Maps reports are just for "police", which is a generic term that ICE would be either way.
in reply to Spectre

Vulnerable group?? Those fuckers should be identified and pushed out of society.

in reply to PattyMcB

In the Reddit thread about the rejected NSFW updates, Crimson Delight have only good things to say about Valve's handling of the situation. "I have to say the reviewer was kind and forthcoming, we didn't feel threatened or bullied in any way, and we got the feeling they were trying to do their best to help devs navigate the process," developer Frenzin writes. "But the fact of the matter is that Valve has payment processors breathing down their neck, and the rules keep getting stricter as time goes on."

"Valve isn't the problem here," Frenzin continues. "The big credit card companies are. If anything, Valve has stood up to them and pushed back. They could've simply nuked the 18+ section of Steam, but they didn't, they stuck up for developers. Obviously adult games make Valve money, but it's a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of Steam's catalogue. Silksong itself probably earned Valve more than most NSFW titles put together.

"Given that we're erogame devs, we're against any sort of censorship (as long as the content isn't sexualizing minors or nonconsensual in any way)," the developer comments. "But it's important to understand where the real problem lies, and it's not with Valve."

in reply to AwesomeLowlander

Valve, the only corporate that one is supposed to bootlick. And ironically it's a storefront for closed source software.
in reply to Mr. Tambourine Man

Yes, the devs who are the actual people affected by this issue, how dare they bootlick!
in reply to Mr. Tambourine Man

GoG is also a Storefront for closed source software, genius. Do you think the software on GoG is open source? Lmao
in reply to TheGrandNagus

Yo Einstein, where did I ever say anything about GoG?

People here a so simple when it comes to Valve. All rationality straight out the window. Yo, attention gamers, it is SALE on Steam right now!

in reply to Mihies

We dont; we need USA pay processors alternatives, and of those in EU we have plenty (but I don't know your specific country, so maybe not in your country).
in reply to ThirdConsul

There are some (many is really a stretch) but not available in many countries nor supported by many merchants.
in reply to PattyMcB

Since the issue is with payment processors, we need to switch to crypto to avoid the censorship and abuse of power from banks.

Anyone who doesn't understand this is a complete moron, but they are average so average people won't see it.

Popularity == intelligence

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to ZeroOne

This pressure is coming from the payment providers without whom no storefront can operate. We need alternatives to Visa and Mastercard.
in reply to scholar

This is literally the kind of thing crypto was invented for, but the useful idiots on the internet are too stupid to see the value of it.

Good job being morons. You are all being herded like sheep.

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to whereyaaat

I honestly don't understand how to “do” crypto. Here’s my brain’s interpretation and questions. You will probably see why I, and many others, don’t use it or dabble in it:

It’s got to be mined to obtain (power hog and time)

You can buy it but it is traded like stock which may inflate it to be more expensive to obtain

Who really owns or has responsibility over what you purchase when it comes to the cryptocurrency?

Where is it “stored” (locally, on a cloud somewhere)?

What coin type do you choose and how do you know it’s safe?

Do you just make your own coin and use a program that does everything needed to package it as “money”?

How does someone verify that you actually have the money behind the coin(s)?

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to ZeroOne

We need a...decentralized alternative to steam.


Customer protections would suuuuuuuck if everyone was running different variations of, what is essentially, a store. Not to mention shovelware would be even more rampant.

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to ZeroOne

Uh, I think it's called the World Wide Web.

I mean, I'm joking, but I do remember buying games directly from a developers website, that's a thing that used to happen.

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to ZeroOne

Seems like a weekend hack to set up a fediverse-backed categorized market that, when you want to buy something- forwards to a "buy our download" link of the seller's choice. Rabid moralists would have to challenge each producer/indie developer individually to take things down.

The real crux is to build a nice user interface on top of it so people would actually use it.

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)


Ukraine severs diplomatic relations with Nicaragua over recognition of Russian-occupied territories


Ukraine has severed diplomatic relations with Nicaragua following its recognition of Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories as part of the Russian Federation.

FYI: See also info on Nicaraguan dictator Ortega and a link to Ruzzian propaganda Hotspot.

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)

in reply to Petersson

We'll see what uses Israel this time as "Hamas is the one that doesn't want peace".
in reply to bufalo1973

We have to wait for the negotiations, Hamas' position isn't settled yet.

E: At least not fully. Afaik they don't want to lay down their army which is a pretty essential part of Trump's plan/(Trump voice😀 deal.

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)


BBC News: Hamas says it agrees to release Israeli hostages but seeks changes to US Gaza peace plan


Hamas has responded to the US ceasefire proposals by accepting them in part but seeking further negotiations on a number of key points.
in reply to Madison420

There are still 48 hostages. They have been repeatedly confirmed by both Hamas and Israel. There is literally no disagreement about who they are.

Ariel Cunio (27)
Alon Ohel (23)
Eitan Horn (38)
Avinatan Or (31)
Elkana Bohbot (35)
Evyatar David (24)
Bipin Joshi (24)
Ziv Berman (27)
Gali Berman (27)
David Cunio (34)
Eitan Mor (24)
Maxim Herkin (36)
Omri Miran (47)
Bar Abraham Kupershtein (23)
Guy Gilboa-Dalal (23)
Nimrod Cohen (20)
Matan Zangauker (25)
Tamir Nimrodi (20)
Matan Angrest (22)
Segev Kalfon (27)
Rom Braslavski (21)
Yosef-Haim Ohana (24)
Itay Chen (19) -
Eliyahu Margalit (75)
Eitan Levi (52)
Sahar Baruch (24)
Joshua Luito Mollel (21)
Tal Haimi (41)
Arie Zalmanowicz (85)
Ran Gvili (24)
Dror Or (48)
Tamir Adar (38)
Ronen Engel (54)
Inbar Hayman (27)
Guy Iluz (26)
Asaf Hamami (41)
Lior Rudaeff (61)
Muhammad Al-Atarash (39)
Meny Godard (73)
Omer Neutra (21)
Yossi Sharabi (53)
Daniel Oz (19)
Daniel Perez (22)
Uriel Baruch (35)
Sontia Ok’Krasari (30)
Sontisek Rintalk (43)
Amiram Cooper (85)
Hadar Goldin (23)

in reply to gedaliyah

So again, how do you feel now that Israel is demanding more than 48 people and all remains that probably don't exist in identifiable condition given the constant bombing of all but like 5% of Gaza.




Trump vows peace in Middle East 'one way or the other'


They rape, they kill, they plunder, they burn

They make a desert and they call it peace

(Tacitus)
in reply to keyboardpithecus

You ain't getting your Nobel Peace Prize diaper boy.

Obama will always be better than you.




Chinese deal activity in US slumps to lowest level in 17 years


US merger and acquisition investment from China has totalled just $221mn so far this year, representing the slowest pace of investment since 2006, according to data from Dealogic. The total at this point last year was $3.4bn.

The figure contrasts with growing investment into mainland China and highlights the impact of geopolitics on a previously booming cross-border financial sector that for years provided a bridge for Chinese businesses into lucrative western markets.

...

Chinese outbound M&A has shown signs of growth in other parts of the world, such as in Peru, where Italian utility company Enel this year sold assets to China’s Southern Power Grid International for $2.9bn in the biggest outbound deal of the year. The next three largest deals were in Singapore.

But the total of just under $12.2bn invested so far this year contrasts with the tens of billions of dollars invested annually for the decade prior to the coronavirus pandemic. In 2016, China’s full-year outbound M&A peaked at $212bn, while in 2019 it was $54bn.

https://archive.is/2WDWm



Young lives cut short on an unimaginable scale: the 18,457 children killed by Israeli genocide


Omar Ahmed Abdel Naser Shamlakh 8 October 2023

Omar lived in an apartment in a big pink house in Sheikh Eljeen in south-west Gaza. Three families occupied the house, which consisted of two floors containing four apartments. He was the youngest of 10 victims across three generations of the same family that was killed in an Israeli airstrike. “The whole family was buried under the rubble,” Waf’a Shamlakh, Omar’s UK-based cousin, told the Independent. “They only found two whole bodies. The others were in parts or unrecognisable.” Of Omar and his two-year-old brother Abdel, who was also killed, Shamlakh said: “They were just starting their lives, they still had dreams.” Read more.

Nahedh Mohammed Adel Ramez Barbakh 25 January 2024

Nahedh was hit by sniper fire alongside his 20-year-old brother, Ramez, as they followed Israeli military orders to evacuate an area west of Khan Younis. According to a witness interviewed by the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, Nahedh was carrying a white flag to lead the way for his family, but after walking just a few steps from the house he was hit in the leg by a bullet. As the teenager attempted to turn back home he was shot in the back and head, the witness said. Ramez was shot through the heart when he tried to rescue his brother.

Questa voce è stata modificata (2 settimane fa)


[Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières] MSF denounces killing of 14th staff member in Gaza


The attack took place on a street where our teams were waiting to take a bus to the MSF field hospital in Deir al-Balah. All staff were wearing MSF vests, clearly identifying themselves as medical humanitarian workers.
in reply to RandAlThor

It is shameful that global news organizations are deliberately ignoring these war crimes by Israeli forces, treating them as not news worthy.


in reply to Severus_Snape

Reports circulating on social media – difficult to independently verify – claim that more than 11 Hamas members were killed, with some of their bodies dragged through the streets.


I hate this so much: why would Palestinian journalism be more "difficult to independently verify" than Israeli journalism?

Yeah, I need a better article about this incident.

in reply to A_norny_mousse

I hate this so much: why would Palestinian journalism be more “difficult to independently verify” than Israeli journalism?


BBC has experienced journalists inside Israel. They aren't allowed into Gaza.

The BBC has asked to be allowed inside Gaza, but Israel refused:

bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2025/sho…

reutersagency.com/media-centre…

They are forced to rely on social media and free lancers.

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to A_norny_mousse

It's a war zone. Independent verification doesn't depend on the news outlet being verified. It's access by the outlet doing the verification.




Myanmar: At least 24 killed as paraglider bombs Buddhist festival


At least 24 people were killed and 47 others wounded while protesting against Myanmar's military government after a motorised paraglider dropped two bombs on the crowd, a spokesperson for the government-in-exile told BBC Burmese. The military attacked on Monday evening as around 100 people gathered in Chaung U township in central Myanmar for a national holiday.

Thousands have died and millions have been displaced since 2021, when the army seized power, triggering a civil war with armed resistance groups and ethnic militias. After losing control of more than half the country, the army is making significant gains again, through an especially bloody campaign of airstrikes and heavy bombardment.

International sanctions over the past few years have made it harder for Myanmar's military rulers to procure military equipment. However, advanced drones and military technology supplied by China and Russia have given the junta a new edge on the battlefield, according to analysts.


in reply to RandAlThor

Meanwhile, Britain's government and the police on Friday urged organizers of a planned pro-Palestinian protest in London this weekend to cancel or postpone the event.


Israel's ongoing genocide of the Palestine people is driving up antisemitism world wide.

There's more reason than ever to get on the streets and demand Netanyahu and his corrupt regimen to be brought to justice for their crimes against humanity.

in reply to RandAlThor

Good god. Are British police as bad as American cops now?
in reply to RandAlThor

Without more context it's hard to pass judgement. Were the victims hit by pass-through shots on the attacker or a wall? Did the firearms officer straight up miss? Were they using their handgun or their carbine?

The real difference will be if they hold the firearms officer accountable, for negligence if nothing else.



Drone sightings prompt call for German police to gain shoot-down powers


Drone sightings overnight at Germany's Munich airport led to the cancellation and diversion of dozens of flights on the eve of a national holiday, leaving nearly 3,000 passengers stranded and leading politicians to call for a tougher response to drone threats, potentially including shooting them down.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/drone-sightings-disrupt-munich-airport-halt-flights-impact-thousands-2025-10-03/

in reply to Sahwa

We have lots of rules about drone flight now (at least here in the US) - but also no consensus method of enforcement.

It's bizarre, and must be temporary. It's like having speed limits but no method in place for pulling people over.



Police Accidentally Shot and Killed a Victim During Manchester Terrorist Attack


Officials said that one of the men killed at the Heaton Park Congregation synagogue in northwestern England had been hit by police gunfire.


So apparently 50% of the deadly wounded were killed by police, not the terrorist.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/world/europe/uk-manchester-synagogue-attack.html

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to theolodis

Better headline: Police shoot indiscriminately and kill one person while injuring two others.
in reply to theolodis

The Good guy with a gun caused more damage than the actual attacker.

My prediction is people will be blind to the irony and no lessons will be learned.




Discussion: Your recent privacy wins?


Have you had any privacy wins recently? Anything you've tried or tweaked to improve your privacy? Anyone who's listened to something you've said? Do you have any privacy enhancing projects or changes you're working on implementing

I managed to convert someone to Signal this week. Was having reception difficulties with a phone call (both of us in spotty areas) and after a drop out, managed to get them on board with Signal. A very notable quality improvement in the call which helped reinforce to them it was a good idea.

I'm going to work on setting up Pihole over the weekend.

Note: I did steal this topic idea from Techlore.

in reply to cdzero

My street is finally getting fiberoptic internet! That means I'm going from around 4MiB/s to at least 400 more likely 600 MiB/s... with around 3/4 of that in upload speed. I have already canceled all my streaming services and external servers, the parts for my homeserver are on their way.

No more Google Drive, hello Nextcloud, no more Spotify, hello Finamp, no more Netflix and Crunchyroll, hello Jellyfin, no more Bitwarden, hello Vaultwarden.

I'll finally be able to self-host all my Docker containers fir my website-, email- and game-server, I can have a homeserver for my media-streaming even when I'm not at home. I might even create my own Immich and Lemmy Instances. Just need to read up on NixOS and get a good, reliable system running.

Fuck big Tech, I'll host my own shit and offer it to all my friends.

in reply to cdzero

I stopped using Spotify last year, and recently dug my old ipod out of the drawer. Listening to music without an Internet connection and all the spyware is so liberating. If you have an ipod or other old mp3 player, try it out again!



First female Archbishop appointed to lead Church of England


Sarah Mullally will become the first female leader when she officially takes charge of the church in March 2026. A group of conservative Anglican churches across Africa and Asia criticized the appointment.

in reply to return2ozma

This one probably will happen.

The reason is that there are certain fields where you have to sift through massive amounts of data to find the thing you're looking for. This is an ideal task for machine learning. It's not going to replace real scientists, and it sure as hell shouldn't replace peer review. It's a tool with a use.

As one example, the longest known black hole jet was recently discovered using ML techniques: caltech.edu/about/news/gargant…

in reply to return2ozma

Fyi, "AI" has been used in medicine research for decades. GenAI is the one that's wonky. I'd be surprised and sceptical of any researcher that would suggest genAI as the star tool when there are so many predictive ML models that already work so well...


Synology Reverses Policy Banning Third-Party HDDs After NAS sales plummet



in reply to MicroWave

They seem to know whose drones they are but they keep refusing to say who it is. Governments just deciding to withold information thats in the public interest is pretty abysmal, but its the norm now.
in reply to kreskin

It's Russia. They have been disrupting airports and intruding in several countries' airspaces.


The Guardian, largest non-profit newspaper in the world, publishes it's 2024/2025 annual report


  • Total revenue is £275.9m, up from £257.8m in 2023
  • The newspaper has improved its financial performances but is still losing money. Cash outflow was £24.3 million this year, down from £36.5m
  • The number of Guardian supporters increased by 150,000 people in a single year. It has now reached 1.3 million people, with growth in every region of the world.

Guardian editor Katharine Viner said:

“At a time when media freedom is under threat, we’re growing our global operation with rigorous, independent journalism that is freely available to all. The Guardian is now supported by more than 1.3 million readers around the world. It’s a remarkable number and testament to our powerful relationship with our audience, our strategy of continuous innovation and how much our readers care about Guardian journalism.”

Full report: uploads.guim.co.uk/2025/09/11/…

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)


FIFA Council takes no action against Israel


in reply to Samskara

Russia is currently suspended from official FIFA and UEFA matches.

bbc.com/sport/football/article…

in reply to SaveTheTuaHawk

It's been 3 and a half years.

If you don't give bad organisations credit when they do something right, why would they ever do it again?

in reply to Samskara

They ban federations on political interference regularly.

Killing your other opponents' team is optional apparently...


in reply to Severus_Snape

Seriously India, how many times do you have to let this happen before creating some laws? It's not like you need to invent stuff, we've got this problem mostly solved..
in reply to Tar_Alcaran

Even SK had a crush event not too long ago. India probably has laws, but they get flaunted very easily by corruption of police, inspectors etc


in reply to Severus_Snape

This is actually bad news.

Don't get me wrong. Joseph Kabila was a vicious kleptocrat who ruled Congo for too long.

But what makes him a truly extraordinary figure is that after mass protests and international pressure, he said he was ready to voluntarily resign. Most African leaders would rather burn their country to the ground rather than resign.

The international community and his successor promised Joseph Kabila that would not be prosecuted. So Kabila decided to leave office. There was an incredibly peaceful transition of power. No one imagined it would be possible in Africa.

There is one law that all political scientists agree about : Monarchies are the political systems the most likely to transition to democracies.

Why ? Because a powerful monarch like King Abdullah of Jordan can give up political power. He will keep his bodyguards, his big salary, his cars, his palaces. He will see no changes to his lifestyle.

Presidents like Vladimir Putin or Abdelfattah Sisi can't do that. If they give up power, it's over 💀

If dictators know that leaving power means their death, they will fight to death rather than resign.

Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to Severus_Snape

So... Because we have a massive wanker at the top, we must not disturb him and his disgusting lifestyle, otherwise it could turn him into a killer. And that's why he can keep the big salary and palaces.

That's not a good advertisement for monarchy. I wish I had free money and a big house while sitting on my ass. I promise I won't kill anyone.

in reply to 6nk06

If violent dictators can't trust that you're making a deal for peaceful resolution in good faith, then a lot of people are going to die to achieve that transition. If the only way out is death, they're going to take as many people with them as possible. Is that worth it, just to kill one rich guy?

Peaceful transitions of power always involve compromises. Here, they agreed to spare his life in exchange for the future lives of countless citizens. If they didn't want to agree to those conditions, they shouldn't have made the deal. It just makes it harder for this situation to play out peacefully in the future.

in reply to Severus_Snape

Dictator Mobutu Sese Seko overthrown by Laurent Kabila.

Laurent Kabila assassinated.

Laurent's son Joseph becomes corrupt leader.





What Happened with Proton Mail and Journalist Accounts


in reply to Meldrik

i've been trying to de-google myself for years and i regret trying to port everything to proton.