Israel-backed gangs kill Palestinian journalist in Gaza City
Saleh Aljafarawi, a well-known Palestinian journalist, was fatally shot in Gaza City on Saturday, just days after a Gaza ceasefire agreement was announced.
Various media reports suggest that Aljafarawi was killed when Hamas security forces had surrounded members of an armed militia.
Aljafarawi was cornered by armed men and killed with seven gunshots to his body.
The New Arab reported that Aljafrawi was targeted and killed by Israel-backed armed collaborator gangs while documenting the extensive destruction in the Sabra neighbourhood following the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Israel-backed gangs kill Palestinian journalist in Gaza City
Israel has killed over 250 journalists in Gaza since October 2023.TRT World
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Will the US Attack Venezuela?
- All the elements are in place for a strike inside Venezuela
- Diplomatic relations with Venezuela have been broken since 2019.
- In 2020, the US indicted President Maduro for narco-terrorism, placing a $15 million bounty on him, subsequently raised to $25m and now $50m.
- On January 20, Trump took office. Executive Order 14157 declared a “national emergency” and designated international drug-trafficking groups as “foreign terrorist organizations” (FTOs) and “specially designated global terrorists,” citing authority under the Alien Enemies Act.
- By February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that FTOs posed an “existential threat” and laid the groundwork for treating cartels allegedly linked to President Maduro as enemy combatants.
- In May, the administration opened the path to use military force against FTOs.
- Then in July, a “secret directive” authorized military operations against FTOs at sea and on foreign soil.
- By August, the US launched a massive naval deployment off the coast of Venezuela. By October, troop deployment reportedly reached 10,000.
- On September 2, the US blew up the first of four or five alleged drug boats in international waters off of Venezuela, resulting in extrajudicial murders of the crews.
- By mid-September, the Pentagon notified Congress under the War Powers Resolution that US forces were engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels.
- This was followed on October 1 by the Defense Department’s “confidential memo” and more congressional briefings that the US was engaged in armed conflict.
- Trump then terminated the last back-channel diplomatic contacts with Venezuela.
Will the US Attack Venezuela?
By Roger D. Harris on October 10, 2025 Spoiler alert – it already has. This is not a glib answer but a comment on the nature of the conflict. The US mission to wrench Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolut…Resumen LatinoAmericano English
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Why Signal over Jabber/XMPP?
Over the past few years I have gone through a bunch of different apps and protocols to find the best one for "securely" communicating with my family and friends.
I ended up with the amazing XMPP protocol and my family/friends frequently use its clients to contact me.
Monal for IOS and Cheogram/Conversations/Quicksy for Android. The android app I install depends on if I can get F-Droid on their phone or not.
It's been great with OMEMO encryption and the clients/apps available for XMPP. But sometimes I have issues introducing people to it.
Jabber (friendly name for xmpp) sounds silly to say. The clients all have weird names. And after trying the Signal mobile app it feels more focused than what anyone in the XMPP community has whipped up.
But the capabilities of XMPP makes it better.
Signal Cons (immediete)
- Centralized
- Single app
- Phone numbers
XMPP/Jabber Cons
- Picking server
- Apps are sort of less friendly
What really scares me about Signal is the centralization. Any nerd can easily host an XMPP server these days. But Signal from what I've heard really wants us to use their server.
If XMPP gets more attention I'm sure we can get people supporting projects and creating better apps.
I keep seeing people recommended Signal instead.
This is a bit of a tired ramble. What I wanna know is why anyone is preferring Signal over XMPP apps. I assume it might be not knowing about it. Tell me what you use to message people.
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Signal is the best intersection of genuine security and ease-of-use that I've ever seen. No choosing a server, no making an account. Just install the app, get a confirmation SMS, and now you can communicate with future-proof encryption and authentication right away.
For more technical people, who aren't going to be intimidated by things like making accounts and secure passwords and choosing servers, Signal is not the best. But when I need to communicate securely with non-technical people, it's a wonderful quick go-to solution.
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I'm in two large groups and quite a number of smaller ones.
For the most part, I have notifications muted on most things, except for a couple of very small groups that don't get chats often.
I'm not sure exactly what notification style I'm using because I can't remember, but I do know that I do not have Google Play Services or Google Apps of any sort.
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Well I seached for "jabber" and found Trillian as fourth or so hit. Dunno how good it's on Apple, but I seem to remember using a PC build somewhen with no negative memories. It's free.
Your concerns till now seem like rambling. Or general, as in: How do I make people leave WA, which is, admittedly, complicated.
edit: Double word deleted
You cant make anyone do anything, you can entice them over.
To do that they need to be simple and easy to use, what you're describing is already more complicated than downloading signal or WhatsApp, signing up, and starting.
Android's bullshit made me quit XMPP. We needed instant messages to be instant but Android kept making that harder and harder until it was impossible.
With Signal we're still fighting but it works a little bit better due to integration with the messenger service or whatever it's called. Dunno, maybe XMPP can work with that as well by now.
Sigh, I want my Linux phone where I can control battery life vs availability myself.
I'm not going to push anyone who uses a secure decentralized FOSS chat already to signal, but someone who uses telegram/viber/whatsapp is easier to get gradually on signal, which is super low effort compared to the ones you mentioned.
I've tried. I'm happy that I got friends and family to move from SMS and WhatsApp to Signal. Some I got to move to e.g. matrix but that's only a few.
Just my two cents since you asked. I agree with you but I don't want perfect to be the enemy of good.
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There's nothing wrong with Signal's centralization model in a worrying sense. It acts only as a clueless message relay, and it has near-zero information on any of its users, even as it delivers messages from person to person. The only information Signal knows is if a phone number is registered and the last time it connected to the server. There is great care taken to make sure everything else is completely end-to-end encrypted and unknowable, even by subpoena.
The only real issue with Signal's centralization is that if Signal the company goes down, then all clients can no longer work until someone stands up a new server to act as a relay again. Signal isn't the endgame of privacy, but it's the best we have right now for a lot of usecases, and it's the only one I've had any luck converting normies to as it's very polished and has a lot of features. IMO, by the time the central Signal server turns into an actual problem we'll hopefully have excellent options available to migrate to.
Also TMK, the only reason you still need a phone number for Signal is to combat spam. You can disable your phone number being shown to anyone else in the app and only use temporary invite codes to connect with people, so I don't count the phone number as a huge problem, though the requirement does still annoy me as it makes having multiple accounts more difficult and asserts a certain level of privilege.
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Government Communication
When legally forced to provide information to government or law enforcement agencies, we'll disclose the transcripts of that communication here.Signal Messenger
No, and in fact they have fought to unseal and publish the articles they have. The point is that if you read the subpoenas, they request a lot of data from Signal and Signal can only ever return the phone number, account creation date, and last connected timestamp. So either Signal is consistently lying to various governments or they actually don't have any of that data. Signal's client is also open-source and has been audited, and they have published many blogposts about how the technology works.
I'd strongly recommend digging deeper into this and trusting the auditors and experts instead of dismissing it based on lazy and cynical guesses. If you don't trust anyone you're welcome to read the source code of the client yourself. Soatok recently posted an 8-part series going through Signal's encryption that you can read as a primer: soatok.blog/2025/02/18/reviewi…
Reviewing the Cryptography Used by Signal - Dhole Moments
Last year, I urged furries to stop using Telegram because it doesn’t actually provide them with any of the privacy guarantees they think it gives them. Instead of improving Telegram’s c…Dhole Moments
I'm not the one that is not listening. I don't care about the ones they post. I care about the ones they don't. I trust they client code. I don't trust ANYONES server side code. Their encryption is top of the line and an industry standard. But is DOES NOT hide your IP, the time of the day you send messages
ONCE AGAIN (this is the third time I'm saying this) I like and recommend signal. I have no evil motives nor I'm trying to be paranoid. But let's not pretend they are perfect.
If you are hurt because I said mean things about a company you base your personality on, that is not my problem.
From the blog you provided. Next time. Read your sources
In the absolute worst case, a totally malicious Signal Server can perform traffic analysis to correlate the IP address assigned to the messages arriving with the delivery token for a recipient.
And
Sealed Sender cannot totally hide the recipient (else the server wouldn’t know where to route the messages).
Edit: removed the word "moron". I'm not a native English speaker and I thought it meant something else. It seems its like "retard" which I wouldn't use as an insult. I've used it so much...
Signal is really simple and has a sizable userbase now. I've worked with people in non-tech companies and they'll have signal installed because theres someone in management that cares for security to a degree and does official nonofficial team communication with signal
Element/Matrix I think has a chance. The newest Element X app looks a lot better on the phone and on desktop. It's progressing to good user experience
I’ve used XMPP since shortly after it was developed. I still use it today.
HOWEVER, while the clients are relatively good, as long as they support the extensions you want to use, I’ve found maintaining the server to be a royal headache. Between protocol and extension improvements, security updates and general server instability, I find that it’s a constant struggle to have it running and compatible with whatever client someone is using, when someone actually uses it.
Signal, on the other hand, pretty much always works, has a single client, and nobody has to worry about managing the server except Signal. So as infrastructure, it makes a lot more sense.
I use Telegram. Eek? It's just my wife and I though. All these things I've heard about Telegram? Never actually seen them in mine. I have looked at groups, but I've only seen memes, crypto crap, and what look like scams ("post this in 5 Reddit threads to get invited to the actual group"). There's nothing of value out there that I've seen. So I just use it to message my wife, because texting wasn't good enough when we started using it (both our phones have RCS now) and I don't use Facebook, and she doesn't have an iPhone (so, no iMessage).
I completely reject this notion that you have to pick one and stay with it. My messaging apps include iMessage, Session, Signal, and Telegram. I also have a fork of Telegram that lets me use it from my watch (as in, it has a watch companion; official Telegram does not). I also have Discord (need it for a couple things).
I totally agree with you. But!
But Signal from what I've heard really wants us to use their server.
Signal doesn't have their own servers. Instead, they rent servers from 4 companies, 3 of them is Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. So Signal is relying on Big Tech and if Big Tech decides that enough is enough, they can easily shut Signal down.
THAT is what I find most terrifying. And why not use their own server? Not enough money, but they are working on it (good).
And to make it a little bit worst: Signal depends on a third party company for sending out SMS. Your phone number is therefore handled by not Signal, but by yet another company, highly likey an American company. And they are against privacy invading companies at the same time they are one. Oh, the irony.
You want sources? Sure.
- signal.org/legal/ (below "Information we may share")
- signal.org/blog/signal-is-expe…
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the idea of Signal. But there is flaws that makes Signal more privacy invading than privacy friendly.
Terms of Service & Privacy Policy
Signal is designed to never collect or store any sensitive information. Signal messages and calls cannot be accessed by us or other third parties because they are always end-to-end encrypted, private, and secure.Signal Messenger
Yeah. Let say Signal goes down because of Big Tech and lets say that 50% of their users use Signal as their only messaging app. What will happen then? Hysteria!
No, XMPP all the way for me until Signal becomes decentralized with zero external connections and when they also have removed the phone number requirement.
Because it's nearly impossible to convince friends and family to use anything other than iMessage or "the text app" on their phone. The process you've described is basically akin to swimming the English Channel for the general public. I'd do it. But expecting anyone else to is just a pipe dream.
I'm already a social outcast and second class citizen for not using imessage. Asking my friends and family to install a whole separate app just to communicate with me puts me firmly in weirdo territory.
It can be tough trying to stick to good privacy and staying social. I can do it because I've set boundaries and have a passion for what I believe in.
If somebosy actually wants to contact me, they join a privacy friendly platform, or just take my email. Most people my generation do not use email for instant communication, and neither do I.
I've gotten myself to be someone people want to reach out to, almost entirely in an effort to promote/market FOSS. To be a likable, knowledgeable, and friendly resource. That's how I managed to convert a lot of people. If I say anymore I really bet I could be identified from my post. 😆
Tough pursuits will never be a pipe dream. It just takes enough time and grit. And a little mojo.
I think the slightly more charitable division is "nerds who want to work on the tool" vs "nerds who want to use the tool to work on something else"
Some people want their discord chat to work with little effort or errors because what they're actually interested in is some video editor, or something. And if the chat is broken, it prevents then from getting to what they really want.
I personally use XMPP, so this isn't just to clear my own name, or anything.
Against XMPP+OMEMO - Dhole Moments
XMPP is a messaging protocol (among other things) that needs no introduction to any technical audience. Its various implementations have proliferated through technical communities for decades. Many…Dhole Moments
Signal is a much better recommendation when leaving Telegram. And the OMEMO implementation concerns are something I need to consider. That unprofessional response from one of the devs is not a good look at all.
Though as a comment pointed out, control of servers is like the one main checkbox that I really need filled.
On the point about clients not being OMEMO by default or enforced. This isn't the biggest issue for me. I'm not doing crimes, but I still wouldn't want my saucy messages to be read by server admins or third parties. Whenever I message somebody, I confirm that they are the proper recipient and are using OMEMO. And the clients I found myself comfortable with all support PGP key use instead. (That would be Cheogram & Gajim if anyone was interested.)
This was a great read though, at least to me. It gave me some thoughts to consider.
I'm gonna look into what kind of threats these improper dependency versions and such might pose. Hopefully by now most of these issues have been resolved.
The biggest thing is getting people into the loop of "secure apps" before they really need it.
First of all, thank you for your recommendation. I was on the fence between Siskin IM and Monal, so I went with Monal to replace AstraChat.
I’ve used Signal before and it was fine but I prefer not to give a phone number to open an account; there are other services that don’t require it.
Speaking of services, I use Simple X, Session, Matrix and Delta Chat (occasionally). Most of my eccentric mix of family, friends and colleagues are happy to try something new or switch as long as it doesn’t require a phone number to sign up. They’re slowly leaving Signal, WhatsApp, Telegram and limiting access to their iMessage.
In my experience, Session syncs very well between my devices which makes it my favorite. I chose FluffyChat over Element because of the App Privacy in iOS.
Speaking of wacky hole in the wall messagers!
Its tectonically a network stack but theres a few apps, to use it.
And MAAAN is it decentralized
to answer your question - if you wanna eventually talk to normies. like cute boy/girl you meet at a bar or a business contact from a random meet. even Signal has dogshit penetration compared to the big players, so XMPP/Matrix/Briar/etc aren't even a blip on the dradis.
also, you sorta sidestepped the UX. if you're coming off the hyper-polished world of Telelgram and iMessage, all those things have dogshit UX. yes, you'll eventually find your way around them but you have to be motivated to endure them ugly and slow and unrealiable apps (comparatively speaking); you got that shit covered, your contacts do not.
the situation is kinda like with The Linux Desktop - it's competing with gargantuan corpos with unlimited resources, and to add to that the miniscule dev teams aren't working together, they're competing, pulling in different direction (Gnome, Plasma, Cinnamon, etc.) with duplicated efforts and tons of abandoned paths. can you imagine where we'd be if all that dev effort went towards one goal?
same thing with the messenger space, it's doubtful any of them will become mainstream, but they have their uses.
It does, but that kind of thing defeats a lot of the purpose of leaving these apps in the first place. Same with bridges that work in a hacky way. I usually sandbox these apps and hope for the best.
I consider FOSS third party clients an improvement (but not a solution) in most of these cases btw, so i'm very open to alternatives that are practical while keeping my semblance of a social life.
til about ayugram, thanks for the rec, ill try it out.
do you happen to know of anything similar for whatsapp?
I try to get people to add me on musicbrainz and link up music services to it. It's cool bc you can funnel music player program listens, funkwhale (which is activitypub!), scloud, spotify, yt music, apple, all of their ʜᴏᴛ ɢᴀʀʙᴀɢᴇ right, but it still works with open source shit. It can absorb lastfm which a lot of ppl have hanging around. None of this solves the reality of being at an information disadvantage vs someone who plays weird games with IG likes. But are people like that worth the stress anyways??
But if you get each other's music recs and can dm realistically what else do you need? Am i boring? Lol
It's not elitist, it's realist. They don't want to install Signal just as much as I don't want to install Facebook messenger.
Yes you can nag people but it will more often than not have the same effect as when people try to convince me to install Facebook messenger.
I find this resistance weird. (From the "normies", not the Signal users)
Most of them have phones filled with all sorts of crap that they download willy nilly, yet they only seem to put the walls up for Signal.
They can say the same about me, right? I have so many communication apps on my phone, why do I draw the line on Facebook Messenger?
Most likely you're the only person they know on Signal and it makes more sense to them that you move to Facebook rather than moving their entire friend-sphere into Signal.
speaking of "normies" is elitist, because the term is used usually people privileged/experienced with knowledge about technology to describe people who don't have this privilege/experience. It is implying that there would be a class of (sub-)humans who are not capable of taking the same path as the person who employs this term. I stand by the term "elitist". In a world of diverse people, life-paths and needs, in my own experience everybody is capable of understanding the political reasons to use a piece of software over another one (because one company sucks, because their model of centralization is detrimental to freedom, because they got shady funding, because they pretend to be something else but bar free software authors to modify their software, because they're from the USA, etc.). Everyone has their own way of understanding these things. Everyone has some arguments that will resonate better than others. Pretty much the same way you probably decided to not install Facebook messenger. Well the good news is: everybody is capable of understanding these things. It may take time and effort, it may make elitist people realize it is not as easy as they first thought it would be, and require to fail and try again. It requires efforts and a humble approach as to listen to these people and take them where they are and walk a bit along the way with them.
My personal experience is that most people are capable of understanding such things. It may take time, but everyone is capable.
I also saw tons of elitist tech-enthusiasts and other tech-savvies "bros" not even addressing who they call "normies" out of pure lazyness, to avoid to speak outside of their own comfort zone and question their own status, and to avoid sharing their elitist knowledge.
-> "'normies' won't do that" = "i am too lazy to engage meaningfully with people who do not know the same things as i know."
That's a major part of the problem. Elitist feedback loop...
First of all normie not an insult or a derogatory term. The term "normies" is often used in many niche communities to refer to someone outside the community. It has nothing to do with being smart, privileged or experienced. It means more like "the average user" or "the typical person". Example: a person in the boardgaming community may refer to you as a normie, not because you're dumb but because you don't play hobby boardgames (check out Brass: Birmingham, what a game).
The problem isn't about comprehending the problem, most people understand that Facebook is selling their data. They just don't care. They would rather have their data sold than to have the trouble to move to yet another communication app. WhatsApp is working just fine, Facebook is sparking joy. They don't care.
"Normies won't do X" is a perfectly acceptable way to express that the hurdles are too high for the average user. The average user wants a sleek UI, a user friendly experience and most of all they want to be in the place everyone is already at. The average Joe doesn't want to be the first guy on Simple X, they actually really want the hassle free platform everyone is already at.
Also, the next great communication app is constantly changing. It used to be IRC, ICQ, MSN Messenger, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Signal, Matrix, Simple X, Session. I'm sorry to say that the average person is not willing to migrate that often. Facebook works, their friends are already there, they stick to it. This isn't elitism, it's just stating what I see.
Normies isn't an elitist term it is a counter culture term for people outside the norm to refer to the general opinion. It is the not like us statement or the fact that there is experience that one would not understand fully unless they are in a subset group.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normie_(…
was first used in its original meaning of "ordinary, normal" in English in the 1950s.[6] According to Merriam-Webster, the term "normie" appeared in the late 1980s in the United States. It was used ironically by people with disabilities in reference to the rest of the population.[2] In the late 1990s, the term was used in Alcoholics Anonymous literature to refer to individuals who were not addicted to any substances.
[7]Since the early 2000s it has been spreading on the Internet.[2][4] In the Russian-language sphere, popularization was promoted by the use of the imageboard Dvach, whose users consider themselves representatives of informal culture, which is expressed in controversial publications, non-standard political views, black humor, involvement in various subcultures.[8]
Don't forget that OMEMO on XMPP has no backward decryption - all messages are lost with every new client. Massive dealbreaker for me, as I value message history between those I love.
I've gone for Matrix. Signal doesn't interest me until they get rid of the requirement for phone numbers.
Others have noted that XMPP servers hold user contacts (and maybe other parts) wholly unencrypted, and if the server isn't yours, that's a trust risk.
Signal may not be the best in a technical sense, but it is good enough and it has the network effect. I've been pleasantly surprised when in the span of a few months I met two different people actually in real life, who happened to already be using Signal.
Signal is also just as usable as the big tech alternatives, which makes it not a very hard sell to friends and family. For quite a few years now I have managed to convince everyone I communicate with to do so over Signal. There is no chance I would be as successful with something else.
I love the irony of the name. It's probably the best thing about the app.
One of the things I'm curious about and the website doesn't explain: how are the message queues not identifiers?
They are local identifiers, not global ones. Each one exists only for a single pair of users so they don't function as stable or traceable identities. "Pairwise anonymous addresses".
simplex.chat/#privacy-of-ident…
SimpleX Chat: private and secure messenger without any user IDs (not even random)
SimpleX Chat - a private and encrypted messenger without any user IDs (not even random ones)! Make a private connection via link / QR code to send messages and make calls.simplex.chat
But those are still identifiers linked to you and in a global space because it says multiple servers need to know how to route data.
Nvmd: seemingly if the server hosting your queues shuts down you lose all contact, so your UIDs are shared but only to a specific set of servers you choose with the drawback of fragility. Seems like someone else shutting down a server kills your contact list?
I didn't compare it to signal. I just asked if that was the facts of the situation.
If I were to compare it might be to the topic of this thread which I can self host and thus control.
However, since you opened the door on signal I'd comment that the entire signal org would have to go down for that to happen, not just a few servers. Is simplex managed by a large well funded entity that is unlikely to fail or are the servers more mom & pop setups? What happens if Kurt Cobain wakes up one morning and shuts down his server?
Jami is a mess, when i tried it first it starting calling as it were to receive a phone call. The second time i tried it on 3 devices, out of which 2 could contact each other lol. My last attempt was when I needed to send a few strings from a (internet connected) VM to its host machine*, installed Jami on both and the 2 instances couldn't talk to each other. Joke of a program, really.
- i know i could do it much easier
I use XMPP, and the original idea was for it to be a family chat and a way to securely ask for things on Jellyfin.
No one uses it. (XMPP, not JF)
What's better?
No one cares. They know it's a hassle to ask for media. They know they can only ask me in person if they don't use it. They just won't bother installing a client. Can't be bothered.
Oh well, I can't be asked, then. So we sit in this perpetual state of tug of war. I can't be contacted, it's complained about, the situation is explained again, they complain again, and still never resolve the situation.
Going on three years now.
I use xmpp for notifications a lot, its close integration with the server its on allows for using it kinda like ntfy.
All Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens volunteers freed after Israeli abduction
Dozens of testimonies from participants of the Freedom Flotilla and Madleens missions described degrading and often violent abuse by Israel
Archived version: archive.is/newest/thecanary.co…
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.
Russia attacks Ukraine's power grid as Moscow worries over US Tomahawk missiles
Russia has attacked Ukraine’s power grid as part of an ongoing campaign to damage energy infrastructure before winter.
Archived version: archive.is/20251012130927/apne…
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.
China says Taiwan president is 'prostituting' himself, after interview lauding Trump
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te is "prostituting" himself to foreigners to try and win their favour but his schemes are doomed to fail, China's government said on Wednesday after he gave an interview lauding U.S. President Donald Trump.
Archived version: archive.is/20251008085459/reut…
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.
Canada eyes putting nuclear reactors on the moon
'Canada is ... really good at nuclear' says CEO of space mining company
Archived version: archive.is/newest/cbc.ca/news/…
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.
UN force in Lebanon says peacekeeper wounded by Israeli grenade
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (Unifil) said Sunday that one of its members was wounded by an Israeli grenade dropped near a UN position in the country's south, the third incident of its kind in just over a month.
Archived version: archive.is/newest/middleeastey…
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.
"Just before noon yesterday, an Israeli drone dropped a grenade that exploded near a Unifil position" in Kfar Kila, the force said in a statement published on Sunday.
Mali imposes $10,000 visa bond on US visitors in reciprocal move
The West African state says it has introduced an "identical visa programme" for US travellers.
Archived version: archive.is/20251012182742/bbc.…
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.
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Report: Egypt, Jordan training 5,000 Palestinians to deploy in Gaza
Egypt is working on different levels on security arrangements, including training and coordinating up to 5,000 Palestinian personnel to be deployed in Gaza, alongside Jordan, Egypt's foreign minister Badr Abdelatty said, speaking on CBS's Face the Nation.
Archived version: archive.is/newest/middleeastey…
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.
‘Death to Spotify’: the DIY movement to get artists and fans to quit the music app
Musicians have long criticized the streaming service’s paltry payouts, but a new wave of boycotts is emerging
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The £1m man: why did Boris Johnson take his donor to Ukraine?
Exclusive: Leaked files offer a glimpse of the ex-prime minister’s relationship with Christopher Harborne
Faneto accusato di violenze dalla ex: foto dei lividi e messaggi social. Le reazioni e cosa sappiamo finora
È diventato un caso nazionale quello che coinvolge Faneto, rapper emergente della scena urban italiana. La sua ex compagna, Alessandra, ha pubblicato sui social un racconto dettagliato di presunte violenze fisiche e psicologiche, accompagnandolo con foto di lividi, video e screenshot di messaggi. Il materiale, rilanciato da creator e pagine tematiche, ha alimentato in poche ore un’ondata di attenzione e solidarietà. L’artista, al momento, non ha diffuso dichiarazioni pubbliche.
COSA SAPPIAMO: Faneto accusato di violenze dalla ex: foto dei lividi e messaggi social. Le reazioni e cosa sappiamo finora
Faneto, accuse di violenze della ex: foto dei lividi e messaggi
La ex di Faneto pubblica foto e messaggi denunciando violenza e minacce. L’etichetta prende le distanze; l’artista non ha replicato. Cosa sappiamo.Redazione (Atom Heart Magazine)
‘My heart is broken’: Palestinians begin searching the Gaza rubble for their dead
Using manual tools and their bare hands, people start the immense task of trying to find their loved ones’ remains
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.
US | Trump ‘looking at all options’ amid threats to invoke Insurrection Act, Vance says
Vice-president calls crime ‘out of control’ in US cities as Trump faces legal battles for use of federal forces
Archived version: archive.is/20251012185254/theg…
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.
Over half of Russia's regions hit by fuel crisis after Ukrainian drone strikes - BBC
At least 57 Russian regions are facing a fuel crisis after Ukraine stepped up drone attacks on oil refineries. That accounts for more than half of Russia's administrative regions, BBC Russian reports.
Archived version: archive.is/newest/newsukraine.…
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.
Over half of Russia's regions hit by fuel crisis after Ukrainian drone strikes - BBC
At least 57 Russian regions are facing a fuel crisis after Ukraine stepped up drone attacks on oil refineries. That accounts for more than half of Russia's administrative regions, BBC Russian reports.RBC-Ukraine
UK | Andrew told Epstein ‘we’re in this together’ day after Virginia Guiffre photo emerged
Duke of York also reportedly told paedophile friend ‘we'll play some more soon’ in email sent three months after date he insisted he had severed contact with disgraced financier
Archived version: archive.is/newest/independent.…
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.
This is going to sound crass, but what law(s) is Andrew accused of breaking? She was over the age of consent in London, and whatever government has authority over Rape Island presumably sets consent at somewhere under 18 (because most of the world does).
Before I get yelled at, I know she was trafficked like a modern day slave. I know she was traumatized. Just curious about the law in this particular case.
Andrew's sweating (lol) the thing and his own mother kicked him to the curb. So what have they got on him? Why wouldn't he come out and say, "Yes, we had sex. But it was consensual and she was of age. I now realize... bla, bla, bla."
There never was a criminal case, but there is a settled civil case en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia…
The claims are listed on page 13-14 courthousenews.com/wp-content/…
Liquid Glass Is Cracked, and Usability Suffers in iOS 26
iOS 26’s visual language obscures content instead of letting it take the spotlight. New (but not always better) design patterns replace established conventions.
Prominent Palestinian activist Saleh al-Jafarawi killed by armed militia in Gaza City
Social media activist was shot dead whilst covering clashes between Israel-backed militia and Hamas fighters, Al Jazeera reports
Archived version: archive.is/newest/middleeastey…
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.
Prominent Palestinian activist Saleh al-Jafarawi killed by armed militia in Gaza City
Prominent Palestinian activist Saleh al-Jafarawi, who was known for documenting Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, was killed late on Sunday whilst reporting on armed hostilities in Gaza City, Al Jazeera reported.MEE staff (Middle East Eye)
essell likes this.
GOG Games
I downloaded from the website posted on fmhy but I don't know why my pc got really slow? Did I get a virus? From gog-games.to
I scanned the files with Malwarebytes and Windows Defender but I got nothing
Use FitGirl or SteamRip. I also use SteamUnlocked which people say are unsafe but I've downloaded over 100 games from there and had no issues, so I won't recommend it but just adding my experience.
Also make backups to your PC using macrium reflect or other backup programs so you can restore from it in case you get viruses.
Use this to check GOG installers before installation. Should still be accurate and active most recently updated 3 months ago.
GitHub - hippie68/gogcheck: Bash script that verifies your GOG offline installers' authenticity and checksums. Made to scan large collections.
Bash script that verifies your GOG offline installers' authenticity and checksums. Made to scan large collections. - hippie68/gogcheckGitHub
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Fitik likes this.
Bless.
Fairly confident I wound up with some malware from a "GOG" download from one of the sites in the megathread. I've already formatted and the files are long gone but I'll tuck this link away for the future.
There’s a checksum program to test them on GitHub called gog-checker I think.
If you think you have malware, just backup, flatten and reinstall.
[edit: can we take a moment to appreciate the downvoting here... whypastor.gif]
South Carolina bar shooting leaves four people dead and 20 injured, officials say
A mass shooting at a crowded bar on an idyllic South Carolina island has left four people dead and at least 20 injured, officials say.
The shooting occurred early Sunday at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St Helena island, officials said. A large crowd was at the scene when sheriff’s deputies arrived and found several people suffering from gunshot wounds.
South Carolina bar shooting leaves four people dead and 20 injured, officials say
Shooting occurred early Sunday at Willie’s Bar and Grill on idyllic St Helena islandGuardian staff reporter (The Guardian)
I doubt it's specifically intentional in this case, but the narrative has been guided to imply that the IDF only has prisoners and that hamas only has hostages. It's more likely just lazy journalism that is rampant. My headline would have been:
"Prisoners and hostage exchange to occur between IDF and Hamas authorities on Monday, as Trump heads to the middle east"
CDC walks back hundreds of firings as U.S. shutdown persists
In the second week of the U.S. government shutdown, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified some 1,300 employees they would be laid off — then rescinded hundreds of those notices within hours, a person familiar with the matter said.
The Trump administration is set to lay off entire offices and hundreds of CDC workers as part of mass job cuts during the federal shutdown, four sources told Reuters on Saturday.
A crowd-sourced list from CDC employees, reviewed by Reuters, suggested several units, including the entire Washington office, were targeted for termination. Two sources within the CDC and two at other health agencies confirmed the list’s validity.
CDC walks back hundreds of firings as U.S. shutdown persists
Among those initially cut were staff responsible for the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a critical vehicle for disseminating public health findings.Reuters (CNBC)
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adhocfungus e essell like this.
How do I get rid of the large window header in Mint Cinnamon?
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Auster e adhocfungus like this.
I think there is an option if you right click the toolbar and the go to customize toolbar
geeksforgeeks.org/techtips/cus…
How to Customize the Toolbar in Firefox
Want to make Firefox more efficient and personalized to suit your needs? Customizing the toolbar in Firefox is a simple and effective way to organize your browser.GeeksforGeeks
Idk about Mint in particular. There's a way to do this in most de/wm. I would start in the system settings where you can choose light/dark themes. Then just go top to bottom in the system settings.
Sorry I couldn't help more
Edit: If you don't go through settings systematically like this often, it's good practice. You always find things you'll use later.
Ah yes, the ever growing and maintained X11 window system.
The future of security and standardization, with the mostly used feature of transmitting GUI assets over a network.
And to top it all off - the most documented code project, with the users facing easy customization options, that requires almost no programming language knowledge - and the easily compatible feature matrix, with allways up to date patch files.
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Badabinski likes this.
Extreme sarcasm.
The Free Desktop organization essentially stopped all development of their old GUI solution for Linux - named X11 Window System, and went all in on developing Wayland, the successor.
Plus, speaking as a former DWM and suckless tools user, it is elitist, and thinks way too highly of themselves - they think their code explains itself (which it doesn't), features are easy to add (nope), and a readable config file is bloat (it isn't).
Nobel Peace Prize probes insider trading on Polymarket
Organizers of the Nobel Peace Prize, which announced its winner as Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, have been alerted to unusual betting activity favoring Machado as the winner.
The potential insider trading happened on Polymarket, a decentralized predictions marketplace that hit international headlines during the U.S. presidential elections in 2024. Users on the platform can place bets on various events, including politics, sports, and markets.
Odds of Machado winning on the predictions platform had jumped from under 2% to well over 70% in the hours ahead of her victory.
Nobel Peace Prize probes insider trading on Polymarket
Norwegian officials are probing potential insider trading activity on Polymarket, with this related to bets on the Nobel Peace PrizeBenson Toti (crypto.news)
Le Iene, nuovi audio sul caso Asia Vitale: anticipazioni e ospiti di stasera (12 ottobre)
Tornano stasera su Italia 1 le inchieste e i reportage de Le Iene, condotto da Veronica Gentili con Max Angioni. La puntata del 12 ottobre 2025 mette al centro due blocchi forti: i nuovi audio e le nuove dichiarazioni legate al caso Asia Vitale, vicenda che ha scosso l’opinione pubblica, e un viaggio ad alto rischio in Messico sul fentanyl, firmato da Matteo Viviani. In studio, tra gli ospiti, Neffa, Ernia e Beatrice Valli.
TUTTE LE ANTICIPAZIONI: Le Iene, nuovi audio sul caso Asia Vitale: anticipazioni e ospiti di stasera (12 ottobre)
Le Iene, anticipazioni 12 ottobre 2025: nuovi audio su Asia Vitale e reportage sul Fentanyl
Stasera su Italia 1 Le Iene: nuovi audio sul caso Asia Vitale e reportage di Matteo Viviani sul fentanyl in Messico. Ospiti Neffa ed Ernia.Redazione (Atom Heart Magazine)
Israeli Soldiers Torched Food, Homes, and a Critical Sewage Treatment Plant in the Wake of Ceasefire Announcement
In the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump’s announcement on Thursday that both Hamas and Israel had signed off on an agreement to stop the fighting, the Israeli military launched an arson spree, setting fire to civilian infrastructure, including the destruction of an essential sanitation plant in Gaza City.
The scope of the arson perpetrated in Gaza City on the night of October 9th and early morning of October 10—Thursday night into Friday, just after the ceasefire was agreed to but before Israel’s cabinet approved it—was broader than at any other time Drop Site has tracked during the assault on the
Israeli Soldiers Torched Food, Homes, and a Critical Sewage Treatment Plant in the Wake of Ceasefire Announcement
Soldiers called the mass arson of Gaza City their “final touches.”Younis Tirawi (Drop Site News)
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Maeve likes this.
AI image blocklist for uBlock Origin & Pi-hole
GitHub - laylavish/uBlockOrigin-HUGE-AI-Blocklist: A huge blocklist of manually curated sites that contain AI generated imagery for uBlock Origin & uBlacklist.
A huge blocklist of manually curated sites that contain AI generated imagery for uBlock Origin & uBlacklist. - laylavish/uBlockOrigin-HUGE-AI-BlocklistGitHub
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ElcaineVolta, Oofnik, adhocfungus e Rozaŭtuno like this.
addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firef…
You'll probably have to sync the last manually but it'll do that.
uBlacklist – Get this Extension for 🦊 Firefox (en-US)
Download uBlacklist for Firefox. Blocks sites you specify from appearing in Google search resultsaddons.mozilla.org
codeberg.org/ArrayPirate/Shitt…
You're welcome.
ShittyAiBlocklist
A Blocklist for Pi-hole or uBlockOrigin to block Ai generated Websites.Codeberg.org
As someone who spends a lot of time searching and is tired of AI slop, tracking, and targeted ads, it's a breath of fresh air.
It provides a level of quality and control you don't get from the Brave/DDGs of the world, and a reliability that's hard to match with the SearXNGs.
It took a bit of mental back and forth to get comfortable paying for something that has historically been "free", but I'm alright with it.
I'd love to see more FOSS competition (or frankly any competition) out there but hosting a reliable search engine is difficult and expensive.
It's cheaper than any of my streaming subscriptions and I use it 10x as much, so I'm good paying the price.
Trump admin is preparing charge the Walrus soon, sources say
Trump critic and former national security adviser John Bolton to be charged soon, sources say
Former Trump national security adviser turned Trump critic John Bolton is expected to be charged with federal crimes soon, according to two federal officials.Ryan J. Reilly (NBC News)
geneva_convenience likes this.
Winded windows become a privacy nightmare?
Really kicked in with Windows 8 though, that's when they started pushing the Microsoft Store app to install programs. If I recall correctly Secure Boot also became the standard requirement to install Windows in 8.1.
In other words, began with 7 but kicked into high gear with 8.
Not a perfect solution by any means but at least it makes Windows more privacy-friendly if you want to.
GitHub - Raphire/Win11Debloat: A simple, lightweight PowerShell script to remove pre-installed apps, disable telemetry, as well as perform various other changes to customize, declutter and improve your Windows experience. Win11Debloat works for both Windo
A simple, lightweight PowerShell script to remove pre-installed apps, disable telemetry, as well as perform various other changes to customize, declutter and improve your Windows experience. Win11D...GitHub
Probably soon they are making it that you can't use Windows offline though lol
And they keep making it harder and harder to not use a Microsoft Account.
It was the switch to Microsoft accounts. Everyone started using online accounts to login and when people complained apple said “okay, you don’t need to and here’s some ways to make it safer” after some high profile leaks, google said “we’ll anonymize your data so when we use it for tracking it’s not tied to you, also here’s some ways to make it safer” after everyone realized they weren’t not being evil and Microsoft said “are you fucking stupid? It says right there in the tos that we’re gonna take and use everything!”.
Go to massgrave.dev and start reading. Convert your Microsoft account to a local user account. You will still have a Microsoft account but you won’t use it to login. You will lose access to stuff you bought under your Microsoft account until you sign in. This may or may not be acceptable to you.
Use your knowledge from massgrave to convert your windows edition to enterprise iot ltsc if you’re on 21h2, otherwise either downgrade or flatten and reinstall that edition. You will now be able to receive security updates and stay on windows 10.
Korkki
in reply to mistermodal • • •The most convincing argument of why nothing will happen is that an another forever war would basically sacrifice Taiwan, Ukraine and Iran project. US is peaceful when all the warhawks can't agree on what country they should coup or bomb next.
This Gaza seize fire could however mean that they want to give themselves some space to either go after Iran again or attempt to do Venezuela quickly.
mistermodal
in reply to Korkki • • •commander
in reply to mistermodal • • •HobbitFoot
in reply to commander • • •I think it would look more like Iraq or Afghanistan than Vietnam. The USA would destroy the existing regime within days, but it isn't going to be able to snuff out the various post war factions to create a viable country for years to come.
The war would be won, but the occupation would be lost. Even if other countries don't fund the resistance, there is always cocaine and that funded FARC for decades.
Joe
in reply to HobbitFoot • • •You need boots on the ground if you want a change in regime.
They'll otherwise just move underground like Iran did, and keep hold of power through gangs (which they already control).
I'm sure the opposition won't live long in the country if the US attacked, so as to make sure no one's able to lead a revolution.
HobbitFoot
in reply to Joe • • •wurzelgummidge
in reply to HobbitFoot • • •frongt
in reply to commander • • •FranklyIGiveADarn
in reply to commander • • •What? It'll be worse than Vietnam because the enemy is even closer.
commander
in reply to FranklyIGiveADarn • • •The US portion of the Vietnam war killed ~3 million Vietnamese, Lao, and Cambodian people. US bombings in Cambodia during the war lead to the fall of the neutral Cambodian government and the rise of the Khmer Rouge. Immediately before the US portion of the Vietnam war, the French killed hundreds of thousands more. Immediately before that was fighting against Japan and France during WW2. Immediately before that, fighting France for freedom. The Vietnam war was incredibly long and killed millions and set Cambodia towards a genocidal regime.
For Venezuela to be worse, millions would have to killed. Hundreds of thousands killed in neighboring countries. Chemical warfare employed that would lead to birth defects for decades to come. A neighboring country be bombed to civil war where a genocidal dictator rises power and commits a genocide. Venezuela then be successfully sanctioned to an extreme level of poverty for nearly 20+ years
The sanctioning power is already falling apart and non-US centric trade routes are a lot more mature than the 50-90s. The US military runs with extremely expensive equipment compared to the 60s/70s. Slow to build. War in Venezuela means it can't sustain a war in Europe, the west Pacific, or the Middle East. Russia-Ukraine, Iraq and Afghanistan, Ethiopia-Tigray civil war, Sudan civil war. Got to add up numerous wars to compare to just the US portion of the Vietnam war
Also the US lost like 60,000 people in Vietnami believe France lost a similar amount as the US in the post-WW2 portion of the war
Going back to the Korean war, that too was far more brutal than people bother to learn
The Internet and the large Latin American population in the US may also lead to far more unrest in the US compared to Vietnam war American unrest. Venezuelan immigrants are substantial in the US compared to Viet people in the US during the Vietnam war
The brutality of Vietnam and Korea is like taking the European portion of WW2 and putting them in single countries. Carpet bombing, fire bombing, massacre after massacre. There's been nothing comparable since. The wars in Africa have had way less difference in killing equipment between the factions compared to Vietnam and Korea and strategy has shifted from destroying everything to being more economical with military equipment. Recall that the US had major factions pushing to use nukes in both Korea and Vietnam. I doubt that'll be the case for Venezuela
European and by extension American, Australian, South African, etc colonialism were far more genocidal than people get taught. By the 50s it was a lot less genocidal and look how that went. The previous centuries, elimination and replacement of local populations weren't unpopular ideas, just impractical and not understood how to yet
☂️-
in reply to commander • • •"significant" can somewhat describe it yeah, but it somehow feels a little generous. taurus makes notoriously shit weapons and i doubt there is any political will from this admin to support venezuela on this.
for once we can hope our moguls get that greedy but they will do what they can to stop as much help from crossing that border as they possibly can.
i'm curious but i do NOT want to find out on this one.
☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆
in reply to mistermodal • • •MisterOwl
in reply to mistermodal • • •queermunist she/her
in reply to MisterOwl • • •mistermodal
in reply to queermunist she/her • • •mistermodal
in reply to MisterOwl • • •Every day I wish for the ability to go back in time to stop the release of that idiotic movie Wag thr Dog. This is not a cohesive explanation. It's clear he will face no consequences for being a child rapist. Which should make sense considering he is overseeing the largest modern day rape and genocide opetation possible, why would his hogs draw a line there?
You follow my reasoning here? There's so much more to what producrs the jingoistic US leadership ideology than accomplishing petty personal goals. The US lives off of predating on poor countries like this, and their development is a fundamental threat to its way of life.
Marshezezz
in reply to mistermodal • • •mistermodal
in reply to Marshezezz • • •Marshezezz
in reply to mistermodal • • •journalism-related adage
Contributors to Wikimedia projects (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.)Marshezezz
in reply to mistermodal • • •mistermodal
in reply to Marshezezz • • •Marshezezz
in reply to mistermodal • • •mistermodal
in reply to Marshezezz • • •Marshezezz
in reply to mistermodal • • •mistermodal
in reply to Marshezezz • • •Marshezezz
in reply to mistermodal • • •mistermodal
in reply to Marshezezz • • •Marshezezz
in reply to mistermodal • • •mistermodal
in reply to Marshezezz • • •Marshezezz
in reply to mistermodal • • •WanderWisley
in reply to mistermodal • • •Jaximus
in reply to mistermodal • • •BeMoreCareful
in reply to Jaximus • • •Not declined military, but there have been a real significant shift to special forces. I think these groups will still be utilized for foreign industry interest. It's pretty effective.
Ironically, assuming we don't destroy our own infrastructure, a modern police state might better fit for the lionshare of US military. Lack of infrastructure and basic services were a huge part of the reconstruction or whatever failing in both states. Plus air superiority just comes free.
Anti-insurgency and occupation are really the only thing the military at large has proved itself capable of supporting.
I don't think we have the capacity to invade hold, and strip mine Venezuela, but with Europe looking East, I guess we could shift to a wartime economy and make it a project.
Jaximus
in reply to BeMoreCareful • • •☂️-
in reply to Jaximus • • •I like the optimism, but they have been manufacturing consent for a war against Venezuela for a long time now, even here in south america. they have also been preparing the opposition for a long time. Honestly, Venezuela is probably happening in a way closer to the customary coups in latin america.
I also doubt they would let their military decline so much when it's one of the only things they have an upper hand on these days. I guess we will see how they do in a full blown direct invasion like this in a country that can defend itself.
Jaximus
in reply to ☂️- • • •SlartyBartFast
in reply to mistermodal • • •electric_nan
in reply to mistermodal • • •