cross-posted from: lemmy.sdf.org/post/45245084

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China has transformed the Tibetan Plateau, one of the world’s most fragile environments, into a zone of extreme ecological stress under its state‑centric model of infrastructure expansion, militarisation, and resource extraction, reported the IANS new service Oct 6, citing Stockholm Centre for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs at the Institute for Security and Development Policy. The centre has accused China of engaging in ‘extractive colonialism’ in Tibet, with forced relocation of close to one million Tibetans.

The group’s report, published ahead of the UN’s climate change conference COP30 in November in Brazil, has said Tibet must no longer remain the blind spot of global environmental governance as the crisis unfolding on the ‘Roof of the World’ is already shaping the future of water, food, and energy security across the Indo‑Pacific and beyond.

The centre’s new Stockholm Paper, titled as ‘Wither Tibet in the Climate Crisis Agenda?’ has brought together more than 20 international experts to examine the Tibetan Plateau’s accelerating ecological breakdown and its far‑reaching implications for Asia’s water security, regional stability, and global climate governance.

Noting that the Tibetan Plateau, often referred to as the ‘Third Pole’, is warming at more than twice the global average, the report has warned that its glaciers are retreating, permafrost is thawing, and grasslands are degrading, threatening the delicate water systems that sustain nearly two billion people across South and Southeast Asia.

The report has expressed alarm that despite this planetary importance, Tibet remains largely absent from international climate diplomacy, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and successive COP negotiations.

[...]

The report has described this as “extractive colonialism”, a process in which the costs of global sustainability are borne by one of the planet’s most vulnerable ecosystems.

The resulting pollution, deforestation, and cultural displacement is found to undermine both environmental justice and human security, with the human dimension of Tibet’s transformation being equally severe.

The report has found that close to one million Tibetans have been forcibly relocated since the year 2000 under programs justified as ecological protection or poverty alleviation. What is more, many have been resettled multiple times, often without fair compensation or sustainable livelihoods. These relocations, together with demographic engineering and assimilationist education policies, erode cultural identity and weaken the traditional stewardship that has preserved Tibet’s high‑altitude ecology for centuries.

The paper has called for Tibet to be treated as a frontline of the global climate emergency, comparable in urgency to the Arctic or low‑lying island states. It has pointed out that the plateau’s stability is essential to monsoon patterns, biodiversity corridors, and continental climate regulation.

The report has presented a 10‑Point Framework for Global Action designed to embed Tibet within international climate cooperation.

The paper has stressed that protecting Tibet is not a political act but an ecological imperative that transcends national borders. Its degradation threatens Asia’s hydrological balance, undermines global carbon stability, and jeopardizes the livelihoods of nearly one‑third of humanity, the report has noted.

[...]

Ahead of COP30, Stockholm paper raises alarm over lack of global climate diplomacy on environmental devastation in Tibet - Tibetan Review

(TibetanReview.net, Oct07’25) – China has transformed the Tibetan Plateau, one of the world’s most fragile environments, into a zone of extreme ecological stress under its state‑centric model of infrastructure expansion, militarisation, and resource …

^{tibetanreview (Tibetan Review)}

Social media giant Meta is about to start reading users’ conversations, including direct messages (DMs) and chats with its AI, with no option to opt out other than not to use their platforms – which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, which provides no option to turn its AI off. This data access will start in most of the world from 16 December though in the EU and UK, which have stricter data protection laws, it will start later – apparently from 4 March next year.

PC World Magazine reported:

The initiative will begin starting December 16th, 2025, initially outside the EU and UK where stricter data protection laws will force a later introduction. The data will be used to further personalize advertising and content, and it won’t be possible to opt out.

Meta spying

Industry media analyses have tended so far to focus on the issue of AI chats but Facebook, in a privacy update titled “Your activity and information that you provide” includes DMs in the data it can access, gather and use:

Meta has been known to provide ‘near real-time’ data on its users to the authorities since at least 2021, though previously this has not usually – at least officially – included the content of DMs. A report in Israel’s 972 Magazine and analysis by Tech for Palestine last year revealed that Israel’s ‘Lavender’ AI targeting system was using WhatsApp data to target Palestinians for murder, often based on as little as a ‘target’ being in a WhatsApp group with someone else who had been targeted and killed. One of 972’s sources told the magazine that after Lavender identified a victim, Israel:

bombed them in homes without hesitation, as a first option. It’s much easier to bomb a family’s home. The system is built to look for them in these situations.

Far beyond overreach

Journalist Jamal Khashoggi was also murdered in a Saudi embassy after his family’s WhatsApp messages were hacked by Israel’s ‘Pegasus’ spyware, which has also been used to spy on human rights activists, journalists, political opponents and Western government ministers.

Meta denies that its products contain backdoors and that it is (currently) reading messages. However, the company is now being sued in the US by its former head of security, who alleges that it allows thousands of its engineers to access sensitive user data and has not adequately tackled issues allowing the hacking of over 100,000 accounts a day. Complainant Attaullah Baig claims that the company ignored his warnings and sacked him for raising concerns. Meta denies the allegations.

The Meta issue comes on top of wider concerns over online security after digital rights group SMEX revealed that all Samsung mid-range handsets in large parts of the world come pre-installed with ‘unremovable’ Israeli spyware.

Oggi ho scoperto che anche io, nonostante io non sia una pianta, faccio la fotosintesi!!! Almeno, così mi è stato suggerito, e direi che potrebbe avere un senso — nel senso, si parlerà di “fotosintesi octofiliana” per un motivo, sennò credo che il meccanismo si chiamerebbe diversamente — nel momento in cui mi sono banalmente […]

octospacc.altervista.org/2025/…

minioctt

2025-11-07 17:19:40

fotosintesi octofiliana e nuove scoperte naturali (evidentemente faccio la fotosintesi come le piante e perciò sono triste se mi manca il sole)

Oggi ho scoperto che anche io, nonostante io non sia una pianta, faccio la fotosintesi!!! Almeno, così mi è stato suggerito, e direi che potrebbe avere un senso — nel senso, si parlerà di “fotosintesi octofiliana” per un motivo, sennò credo che il meccanismo si chiamerebbe diversamente — nel momento in cui mi sono banalmente lamentata che, con il cielo nuvoloso che c’è oggi, nella mia stanzetta al primo pomeriggio non entrava la quantità di luce di cui io necessito per… boh, per vedere qualsiasi oggetto in modo soddisfacente senza accendere la luce della scrivania, inclusa la vibrantezza dei colori di ogni cosa, come la mia fragile anima desidera e anzi, no, necessita. Non ho mai capito perché la mancanza del sole mi rende, a parte gli scherzi, un pochino più triste, ma forse questa spiegazione è la più logica (beh, non che io ne abbia altre da parte). 🌱

È comunque molto particolare il meteo oggi, perché pareva minacciare pioggia, ma alla fine non l’ha fatta… quindi, cosa c’erano a fare queste nuvole tutte sopra l’intero cielo a me scorgibile? Poi, se è per questo, stamattina pareva sereno e tranquillo, quindi è veramente bastato che mi distraessi per qualche ora (che stessi lontana da casa per qualche ora) per ritrovarmi poi questa sorpresa al mio altrimenti solenne risveglio (ritorno dal luogo lontano). Un po’ mi sento di fregare, che queste nuvole proprio oggi pomeriggio dovevano esserci, proprio quando io sono a casa, quando almeno qui in altri casi il sole c’è a quest’ora… al contrario della solita università, dove sono dovuta stare gli ultimi 3 pomeriggi di fila, dove è invece impossibile prendere sole di pomeriggio nella zona in cui devo stare io; ma su questo fatto servirà forse quasi un discorso specifico, perché quella situazione è ancora più particolare, e le vibe possono pericolosamente ricordare Gotham City. 😱
Vabbè, comunque: per me ci sta un botto, l’idea che ho bisogno anche della luce solare decisa, e non solo delle mie distrazioni, per stare tranquilla e felice, perché ho un requisito biologico simile alle piante… certamente è un ennesimo puntino che si aggiunge nel disegno della mia intricata lore. A proposito di disegno, però: ho approfittato di questa nuova rivelazione scientifica per disegnare una piccola rappresentazione di me, credo sufficientemente accurata, nel momento in cui sono in astinenza da fotosintesi, proprio come oggi pomeriggio… la mia piantina in testa si affloscia e potrebbe marcire, quindi attenzione. (Oppure, in realtà, è già marcia da sempre… nel senso che quella è in realtà muffa che mi è cresciuta nella testa, ed è uscita, e non una vera pianta? Quanta altra mia lore ci sarà ancora da scoprire???) Speriamo che almeno domani pomeriggio il sole mi cuocia allora, dai, che sennò vedete come sto… 🌻
#lore

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^Telegram

Describing the Trump administration’s depiction of Chicago as “untrue” and “simply not credible,” a federal judge has again ordered federal immigration authorities to limit their use of force during their crackdown in the area.

Ellis did not give an end date for her order, and no trial date has been set for the case. In the meantime, the parties will appear in court periodically for status updates.

Before announcing her latest order, Ellis described Chicago as a place “brimming with vitality and hope” as it works to move past a history that includes segregation and violence, with “everyday people standing watch to protect the most vulnerable among us.”

“The government would have people believe, instead, that the Chicagoland area is in a vise-hold of violence, ransacked by rioters and attacked by agitators,” Ellis said. “That simply is untrue. And the government’s own evidence in this case belies that assertion.

“After reviewing all of the evidence submitted and listening to the testimony, I find the defendants’ evidence simply not credible.”

The government has said agents have used justified force to respond to “rioters” and violence.

“Describing rapid-response networks [and] moms as professional agitators shows just how out of touch these agents are, and how incredible their views are,” Ellis said.

Federal Judge Blasts Border Patrol Boss For Lying, Extends Order Restricting Use Of Force

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis called the Trump administration's depiction of Chicago as besieged by violence "untrue" and "simply not credible."

^{Mina Bloom (Block Club Chicago)}

In case you’re wondering how the Senate was able to vote on this during a government shutdown, it’s because the Congressional Review Act remains a legislative function during a funding lapse.

The USFWS first introduced the plan under Biden, but the Trump administration is supporting it under pressure from loggers who argue that scrapping the plan could affect existing land-use plans, thus jeopardizing GOP efforts to increase logging, Politico reports.

The Senate vote on October 29 revealed an unusual divide between the Trump administration and certain Republicans. According to The Guardian, officials had encouraged Kennedy and other GOP members to support the proposal. And yet, the majority of votes in favor of Kennedy’s resolution were Republican, C-SPAN reports.

Activists have been similarly split on the issue. Some say the barred owl cull is a necessary measure to prevent extinction of the northern spotted owl, while others argue the plan is cruel and impractical and could have unintended consequences for the ecosystem.

Controversial Plan to Kill 500,000 Barred Owls in U.S. Clears Major Hurdle

A controversial conservation strategy that has sparked division among both lawmakers and environmentalists will move forward.

^{Ellyn Lapointe (Gizmodo)}

Some called for him to step down. Roberts, who holds a PhD in history and spearheaded the rightwing manifesto Project 2025, has moved the foundation into more of a Trumpian stance since he joined in 2021.

He has said he will not resign his position, writing on X: “I’m staying. I’m all in.”

The Washington Post reports that “at least” five members of an antisemitism taskforce at the organization have resigned in protest. One staffer in the internal meeting called the issue her “final straw”.

Roberts previously called those speaking out against Carlson a “venomous coalition”, a loaded phrase he subsequently said was a “terrible choice of words” that caused “justified concern” among those who worry about rising antisemitism.

Heritage Foundation leader apologizes for backing Tucker Carlson’s interview with white nationalist

Kevin Roberts, whose group pushed Project 2025, had defended ex-Fox News host’s talk with Nick Fuentes

^{Rachel Leingang (The Guardian)}

For all the headlines about an on-off relationship with Donald Trump, baiting liberals and erratic behaviour, Tesla shareholders are loath to part with Elon Musk.

Investors in the electric vehicle maker voted on Thursday to put the world’s richest person on the path to become the world’s first trillionaire, despite the controversy that is now seemingly intrinsic to his public profile.

Shareholders approved the $1tn compensation plan, which could yield the largest corporate payout in history if he meets a series of tough-looking goals, not least pushing Tesla from its current market value of $1.4tn to $8.5tn (£1.06tn to £6.4tn). Musk’s fortune, which includes a stake of about 12.5% in Tesla, is already worth $461bn.

“Musk is Tesla and Tesla is Musk,” says Dan Ives, a managing director at the US financial firm Wedbush. “Despite some of the brand damage Musk has caused to Tesla during his political stint, the AI future at Tesla depends on Elon.”

‘Musk is Tesla and Tesla is Musk’ – why investors are happy to pay him $1tn

Making Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire appears to fit a US investment culture of backing high-flying innovators

^{Dan Milmo (The Guardian)}

The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces responsibilities, including 5,000 existing case, have been transferred to a new set of task forces under the Department of Homeland Security.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-11-07/reagan-era-crime-unit-officially-shut-down-by-doj?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc2MjUzMzcwOSwiZXhwIjoxNzYzMTM4NTA5LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUNUQ0RTVHUTFZUUIwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIyQjE3NzFFOTlEODc0QzRDOTY1Njg1RTZBQkJGM0QwRCJ9.r5LTJMmoxuOn1iwH8egZAYdGk-dMrIj3Mmnk-Nt9UUw

“I’ll tell you right, as God as my witness, if we lose the midterms and we lose 2028, some in this room are going to prison,” Bannon told the crowd Wednesday at an awards event hosted by the Conservative Partnership Academy. This group offers training and certifications to aspiring right-wing ideologues working in politics and government.

“They’re not gonna stop,” Bannon said of Democrats and progressives aligned against Trump’s authoritarian push and Republican economic policies that have focused on lavishing ever-larger tax cuts for corporations and the rich while gutting government programs, including cuts to Medicaid, food assistance for the poor, devastating environmental policies, and dismantling of healthcare subsidies leading to a surge in monthly premiums for millions of families.

Bannon Tells GOP: 'Seize the Institutions' of Government Now or We're 'Going to Prison' After 2028

"Steve Bannon motivating Democratic voters," said one historian in response to comments by the former Trump White House advisor.

^{jon-queally (Common Dreams)}

https://bmymarketer.com/

An immigration enforcement officer who shot a US citizen in Chicago last month bragged about the incident in texts afterwards, according to court documents filed in federal court on Wednesday. It’s just one of the latest examples of how, contrary to the Trump administration’s own narrative, the agents helping the supposedly terrified residents of American cities are posing a danger to residents themselves.

The texts were released in court at a hearing requested by the lawyer for the woman, Marimar Martinez, who is facing federal charges of assaulting an officer. According to the government’s account, Martinez allegedly rammed her car into a vehicle driven by Charles Exum, a supervisory Border Patrol agent, on October 4 in Chicago. When Exum got out of the car, Martinez allegedly drove her car “at” him, and the officer then fired five shots at her.

Martinez has pled not guilty, and contests the government’s allegations. In her account, Exum sideswiped her car, and fired the five gunshots at her “within two seconds” of exiting his vehicle, according to court documents filed by her lawyer. After driving about a mile from the scene, Martinez took an ambulance to a hospital, where she was treated for gunshot wounds and later arrested. She has been released from custody on $10,000 bond; a jury trial is scheduled for February.

A Border Patrol agent bragged about shooting someone, texts show

"Sweet. My fifteen mins of fame. Lmao."

^{Mother Jones}

More than 2,000 flights in the US are cancelled or delayed on Friday after airlines were told to cut traffic during the government shutdown

Airports have been grappling with air traffic controller shortages, who are either calling in sick or taking side jobs as they work without pay during the federal government shutdown

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says reductions will start at 4% of internal flights before rising to the full 10% by the end of next week - it warns up to 4,000 flights per day could be affected

Several of the largest US airlines are assuring customers they'll be able to get full refunds for the cancelled flights - here's what some, including United and Delta, are saying

Live updates: US flights cancelled as government shutdown leaves air traffic controllers unpaid

Domestic air travel will be cut by up to 10% at 40 major airports, resulting in thousands of cancelled flights in the coming days.

^{BBC News}

The so-called ‘manosphere’ has existed for several years now, and in that time the personality types we’re subjected to have diversified. Dale Partridge is known for being a misogynist of the Christian persuasion, and he’s specifically famous for shaming women. The shoe is now on the other foot, however, as Derek Guy the menswear expert […]

By Willem Moore

From Canary via This RSS Feed.

Willem Moore, Author at Canary

Articles by Willem Moore for Canary

^{Willem Moore (The Canary)}

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/11/06/chinas-clean-energy-revolution-will-reshape-markets-and-politics

From Sierra Leone to Milan, cities are introducing their own rules and innovations in the face of rising temperatures

‘Politicians actually taking action’: six world mayors defying climate-sceptic populist leaders

From Sierra Leone to Milan, cities are crafting their own rules and innovations in the face of rising temperatures

^{Daniel Boffey (The Guardian)}

The Trump administration is using lobbying and economic threats to thwart emissions-cutting and environmental initiatives around the world.

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The environmental group gave up its singular focus on climate change for a broader agenda. The ensuing internal strife left it weakened as it takes on the Trump administration.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/us/politics/sierra-club-social-justice.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zU8.6c9-._hOAFanZfAkE