NEW YORK (AP) — Days after Ghislaine Maxwell asked a judge to immediately free her from a 20-year prison sentence, the public release of grand jury transcripts from her sex trafficking case returned the spotlight to victims whose allegations helped land her behind bars.

The disclosure of the transcripts as part of the Justice Department’s ongoing release of its investigative files on Maxwell and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein exposed how an FBI agent told grand jurors about Maxwell’s critical role in Epstein’s decades-long sexual abuse of girls and young women.

Archived version

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has warned that Russia's "little green men" who try to cross the border with Estonia will be met with deadly force.

"Little Green Men" refers to Russian soldiers without insignia during Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, who wore green uniforms without insignia to conceal their official involvement, the Telegraph reports.

Commenting on recent border incidents with Russia - including one in October when Russians without insignia were seen at the border - Tsahkna told Polish media outlet o2.pl that Estonian troops would "shoot" them if they crossed the border.

"Let me say it bluntly: If the little green men ever cross our border, we will shoot them. These will be the consequences; there is no question about that. If Russia is not sure that we will really react, they can test us," Tsahkna said, as reported by another Polish media outlet, Onet.

...

Tsahkna also said that similar incidents were reported near Narva, a border settlement near Russia. "It wasn't the first time we saw them. We have been observing them constantly, for example, we have many different reports from Narva, which is a border town," he said.

...

The Narva River marks a narrow strip of land where the incursion took place, extending all the way to the eastern coast of Estonian territory. Estonia and Russia have long failed to ratify a formal border treaty, despite years of negotiations.

...

On December 17, Estonia's border protection agency said three Russian border guards briefly entered Estonian territory near the Narva River and stayed there for about 20 minutes.

...

In November, a Russian border guard ship flying the flag of the Wagner mercenary group was seen patrolling the Narva River.

In early 2025, Tallinn announced plans to establish a military base in Narva.

This post is for seeking some advice on what's the best route to try to help some friends get some of their offline lives back.

This year, a large percent of my friend group from my hometown have stopped interacting much with anyone outside of immediate family such as parents and work. Very noticeable for those that are under 30 (I'm 30) compared to those a few years older than me. For 3 of them that were pretty close, they still send memes and Instagram reels all day almost daily but never respond to any messages nor send any anymore. The only way to get them to do anything is to show up semi unannounced with tickets to go somewhere or with food to get them out of the endless scroll, and even then 2 of them will still scroll no matter what's going on around them, even while driving.

Seeing the reels that get shared since the summer, nearly all of them are AI or extreme (not political, moreso like extreme overeating, extreme overpriced buying/unboxing videos or people fighting past what mma/ufc would allow type content). This seems to have led a few to being scared of the outside while a few others consider outside to be too boring now. When we do hang out I notice my algorithm is completely different than theirs with every reel scroll. We were all very tech focused coming our of school but I'm 1 of 2 that didn't make it into a long term career, a couple of them have been on the AI hype train for a few years now.

Does this seem to be an ongoing trend for you? I know some people here have made mention over the time I've been on Lemmy but it's gotten so apparent in my life these last 2 holidays trying to make plans and soon New Years of the change and the the first time in more than a decade we're all within an hour of each other but majority of them are just socially MIA to do anything outside of scrolling on the couch laughing at nonexistent people and animals in reels. What's worked for you to help combat this within your friends without giving up on them? The best thing I've been able to find has been the bar style arcades and laser tag that's helped make that similar enjoyment while out of the house.

Contrary to concerns about cataclysmic traffic if the intersection of Portage and Main was opened to pedestrians, the actual impact was, well, almost nil.

...

That fear made the intersection focus of countless newspaper columns, radio shows and bar-stool discussions. It made it an issue in the mayoral election of 2014, and the subject of an unsuccessful plebiscite in 2018.

The theme through these years was that change was too risky. Nothing happened until maintenance costs associated with the concourse under the intersection made the status quo too expensive. This past summer, traffic lights were installed in spite of the fear.

And in early December, about six months later, the city reported that … the traffic is fine.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-cities-reform-change-winnipeg-portage-main-toronto-bike-lanes/

The rules-based global order, its institutions and value system face a crisis of legitimacy and credibility as the US turns away

‘The old world is dying,” Antonio Gramsci once wrote. “And the new world struggles to be born.” In such interregnums, the Italian Marxist philosopher suggested, “every act, even the smallest, may acquire decisive weight”.

In 2025, western leaders appeared convinced they – and we – were living through one such transitional period, as the world of international relations established after the second world war crashed to a halt.

During such eras, Gramsci more famously wrote, “morbid phenomena of the most varied kind come to pass”. And at present there is no more morbid phenomenon than the crisis of legitimacy for the networks of rules and laws on which the international order was based – the world that the US was central in creating in 1945.

No one can say they were not warned about the wrecking ball that was about to be inflicted on the global order by Donald Trump.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/47914524

• Chinese media platform NetEase ran a Dec. 14 article urging Beijing to “prepare for the worst” if Russia fractures, arguing the Russian Far East’s 7 million square kilometers should not be “lost.”

• The piece frames the region as a resource treasure for China and a burden for Moscow, then outlines an annexation by stealth” playbook: deepen investment, move people and money in, lock long contracts, promote pro-China local elites, introduce the yuan, and finance infrastructure with loans that create dependence.

• It also cites “unequal treaties” from 1858–1860 to revive territorial claims as Russian security officials quietly warn Beijing is encroaching.

Archived

[...]

For more than 25 years, the great fear of many Russian national security strategists has been the increasing vulnerability Moscow faces vis-à-vis the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Nowhere is that anxiety more pronounced than in the Russian Far East and Pacific coast regions.

[...]

That region is home to a number of strategic industries, including the massive Komsomolsk-na-Amure aviation production plant that manufactures the most advanced Sukhoi fighter aircraft, most notably the Su-35 and Su-57.

The PRC has already purchased the first of those two models. The second is loaded with technologies and on-board systems that Beijing would like to have.

Therefore, Moscow’s “China nightmare” has been, for years, that as Russia’s population in the East continues to decline and its economic prowess declines, the combined weakness could prompt the PRC to begin seizing some of the most valuable areas of that territory. According to a classified document leaked from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) earlier this year, even Russian President Vladimir Putin fears that Beijing is already “trying to encroach” on this territory.

[...]

[Russia's] nightmare is now coming close to becoming a reality—a very bad daydream.

On December 14, NetEase, one of China’s largest media platforms and officially listed with hundreds of millions of users, published an article with a headline that telegraphed intentions Russia has long feared. “China Must Prepare for the Worst: If Russia Collapses, This 7 Million Square Kilometer Territory Must Not Be Lost” is the title of the Chinese-language article.

The subject, of course, is Russia’s Far East. The irony is that the PRC is the very nation that Putin so defiantly “pivoted” to in the wake of Western sanctions after his invasion of Ukraine.

[...]

And it is that same nation he was counting on to evade Western sanctions that is now talking openly about beginning to devour one of the most strategically important regions that he rules over.

The Chinese authors do not even attempt to clothe Beijing’s ambitions in any diplomatic or circuitous language. The Far East is like a “chicken rib” for Russia, they write, an enormous but useless region, because “there’s no money for development, no people, and the war in the west is draining the last resources.”

For China, however, it’s a “treasure”—teeming with gold, diamonds, oil, gas, and timber. In other words, everything Beijing desperately needs.

[...]

The Chinese language article reads:

“One should not attempt to seize it by force; this would lead to global encirclement, as happened with Crimea. The smart approach is to be more accommodating, continue investing money and human resources, sign long-term contracts, and support pro-Chinese forces in the region. Nominally independent, but practically dependent on Chinese support."

As a Russian commentator points out, this plan is not some conspiracy theory or wild speculation. It’s a direct quote from Chinese media. One step after another is spelled out: create economic dependence, introduce the Chinese currency (the yuan) as a local legal tender; build infrastructure, bind the locals to Beijing with loans (that are used to pay for the infrastructure), and wait for the “political landscape to change.”

[...]

The Chinese could also give the Russians lessons on historical grievances and how to play the victimization card. Like Putin in a Tucker Carlson interview, the article reaches back more than a century and a half to remind readers that, in 1858, Russia used the Treaty of Aigun to annex 600,000 square kilometers north of the Amur from a weakened and corrupt Qing Empire.

[...]

For China, these territories being part of Russia are the consequence of “unequal treaties”, the term that Beijing officially uses to describe these 19th-century agreements. In China’s eyes, the agreements are not binding, Russia still “owes” this territory back to the PRC, and the debt remains unpaid.

Chinese intent is clear. When Russia collapses from the strains caused by the Ukraine war, this issue will be dealt with.

[...]

Russia is bogged down in this war, write the authors, and now its GDP is “smaller than a single Chinese province,” and thanks to that war [in Ukraine], Russia now has fewer than “50,000 troops remaining in the Far East—essentially an empty shell”, as Chinese media openly writes.

[...]

The Public Health Agency of Canada is reporting a fifth hospitalization in an E. coli outbreak linked to recalled Pillsbury brand Pizza Pops.

The federal agency says 23 people in seven provinces got sick with the bacterial illness after eating or handling certain flavours of the frozen snack between early October and late November.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled several pepperoni and bacon Pizza Pops on Sunday due to an E. coli contamination that is under investigation.

The outbreak has now reached Alberta, Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador.

It began 70 years ago when a five-year-old called a top-secret emergency line reserved for the U.S. president and four-star generals and asked, "Hello, is this Santa?"

It was December 1955 — the height of the Cold War. The phone that rang was big and red, only to be used during an international emergency.

That wrong number — and many others that followed because of a simple typo in a newspaper ad — ended up launching a mission like none other for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD: to develop a tracking system allowing families to follow Santa's journey around the world.

Since then, the Santa Tracker has become a source of joy for millions of children.

When an airstrike tore through the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater in Mariupol on March 16, 2022, hundreds of people were in and around the building at the time, including civilians seeking shelter from Moscow’s deadly invasion.

There are conflicting reports on how many were killed in the blast, but legal experts say there is overwhelming evidence that the strike constituted a war crime. Investigations based on witness testimony point to a Russian strike on the theatre. Moscow denies destroying it, and instead blames Ukraine.

Now, nearly four years later, Russian-appointed officials say the theatre, now under their control, has been rebuilt, modernized and is nearly ready to host audiences of nearly 500.

“There were so many people in the theatre during the bombing and a lot of people were killed there,” said Ihor Kytrysh, an actor who had been performing at the Mariupol theatre since 2000, and is now living in western Ukraine.

“It’s like performing a play on the bones of the dead."

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/44277012

Chinese satellites recorded Ukrainian energy infrastructure sites ahead of Russian strikes, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following a report by Oleh Ivashchenko, Head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, on December 24.

Ukrainian intelligence has identified an increase in Russia’s cooperation with “entities in China that may be providing space reconnaissance data,” according to the president.

...

“In particular, we are recording an increase in Russia’s ties with entities in China that may be providing space reconnaissance data. Unfortunately, there were correlations between Chinese satellite imaging of Ukrainian territory and Russian strikes on corresponding energy infrastructure facilities,” Zelenskyy said.

“We view such cases as activities that enable Russia to prolong the war and make diplomatic efforts less serious. We will also discuss this issue with our partners,” he concluded.

...

Chinese satellites recorded Ukrainian energy infrastructure sites ahead of Russian strikes, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following a report by Oleh Ivashchenko, Head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, on December 24.

Ukrainian intelligence has identified an increase in Russia’s cooperation with “entities in China that may be providing space reconnaissance data,” according to the president.

...

“In particular, we are recording an increase in Russia’s ties with entities in China that may be providing space reconnaissance data. Unfortunately, there were correlations between Chinese satellite imaging of Ukrainian territory and Russian strikes on corresponding energy infrastructure facilities,” Zelenskyy said.

“We view such cases as activities that enable Russia to prolong the war and make diplomatic efforts less serious. We will also discuss this issue with our partners,” he concluded.

...

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/40789835

TATA Advanced Systems on 24 December, 2025 has announced and declared regarding its delievery of first batch of TATA Whap to Royal Moroccan Army, out of 150.

This batch was manufactured in TASL's newly established facility in Berrechid, Morocco, which was inaugarated by Indian Defense Minister himself. This shows rising Indian-Moroccan defense partnership.

The Whap has around 50 percent of local moroccan components, which is said to enhance employment and other opportunities in Morocco for moroccan people.

The real thing to discuss is the issue with Indian Army. Despite such success of Tata Whap, Indian Army still does not operate Tata Whap in a large scale, despite being indigenous and capable. 105 units are planned, but until now, only 15 are operational and 9 are on order.

The real reason for this is said to be US Stryker. Despite the capabilities of Stryker being busted by Indian Army during testings, India mainly to improve and enhance diplomatic defense relations with US to control China, has not yet ordered neither Tata Whap nor Stryker in large numbers.

Tata Whap nonethless is better in high-altitude warfare, the problem is for how long will Indian Army keep doubting Indigenous Content like it did with ATAGS and Self-propelled Artillary (MGS) despite being the best in their respective classes and terrains.

Lets see. What do you think about it, let me know. Join "BharatDefense" to support us.

Jai Hind

Jai Bharat

1. Family member has 720p webcam
2. Family member buys shiny new 1080p webcam
3. Family member plugs in shiny new webcam and gives me a videocall to test it
4. New camera works flawlessly. I get to keep the old 720p cam. Yippee!!

...BUT THEN

5. Family member goes to the website listed on camera's packaging and clicks the big blue download button
6. download button installs custom usb driver and companion app
7. companion app has twenty quadrillion toggles and dials spread across fifty billion tabs and sub menus. Family member spends all evening twiddling with it.
8. No matter what, the image looks like crap. Too bright, but not enough contrast. Worse than it did originally.
9. next day family member asks for his old 720p webcam back, I get to keep the 1080p webcam

I'm happy with my new webcam so I'm not complaining, but why do people do this?? Why do manufacturers make these shitty custom driver? The whole point of USB is to be plug-and-play without any custom software.

had to make this thread bc too many are hating on my husbando

I have been trying to get into writing short stories as a hobby. I have a couple of good ideas. But I tend to struggle when actually putting my thoughts to words.

Some issues I struggle with are as follows:

• Inability to settle on the right words: I'll write something and think that what I wrote could be written better or differently and then I keep on writing and deleting and rephrasing with different words. Thus making very slow progress.

• Problems with continuity: I might think up a somewhat long plot line. But I have to write the whole thing in one go because if I don't then my brain will splinter the story into multiple possible story branches when I stop and I am unable to choose the path to follow.

• Lose interest in continuing if I take a break: If I stop writing mid way and take a break from writing for an extended period of time, I am unable to find the motivation to resume. Mostly because trying to catchup with the story up to that point feels hard. I have this same tendency with video games as well where I don't feel like picking up a game after an extended period of absence.

So is anyone here who does writing as either a hobby or professionally? If so how do you cope with your condition?

What I've found that works for me is to just make up the story as I go without much planning. The issue with this is approach I've found is that it's hard to find a conclusion to end the story.

He was a bad conductor.

Woke: Transcendentistry

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/6301143

Archived link

Australian infrastructure and property developer Goodman Group has teamed up with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) to establish a EUR 8 billion (CAD 12.9bn, AUD 14.1bn) European data center partnership.

...

The 50/50 venture ... will comprise four projects totalling 435MW of primary power and 282MW of IT load, including two in Paris (PAR01 and PAR02), one in Frankfurt (FRA02), and one in Amsterdam (AMS01).

...

According to the partners, all projects have secured power connections, planning permits, and have substantially progressed site infrastructure works, which they claim will enable construction commencement by 30 June 2026.

...

“A portfolio of this size and quality – located in Europe’s FLAP markets [FLAP is acronym of “Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Paris”] – is rare. These powered locations are highly sought after to meet the rapidly growing requirement for cloud computing and AI adoption, particularly when they offer speed to market and delivery certainty. The quality and scale of this partnership make it ideal for our long-term relationship with CPP Investments. We’re pleased to be investing alongside them for their entry into the European data center market,” said Greg Goodman, CEO of Goodman Group.

The transaction will follow a phased approach with completion expected by March 2026, subject to closing conditions. The two companies have had a relationship since 2009, with investments across Australia, Asia, the Americas, and Europe.

CPP has made several significant investments in the digital infrastructure space. Most recently, in August, it announced an investment of C$225m (US$160m) to facilitate the expansion of a data center in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.

...

[Edit typo.]

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/6301143

Archived link

Australian infrastructure and property developer Goodman Group has teamed up with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) to establish a EUR 8 billion (CAD 12.9bn, AUD 14.1bn) European data center partnership.

...

The 50/50 venture ... will comprise four projects totalling 435MW of primary power and 282MW of IT load, including two in Paris (PAR01 and PAR02), one in Frankfurt (FRA02), and one in Amsterdam (AMS01).

...

According to the partners, all projects have secured power connections, planning permits, and have substantially progressed site infrastructure works, which they claim will enable construction commencement by 30 June 2026.

...

“A portfolio of this size and quality – located in Europe’s FLAP markets [FLAP is acronym of “Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Paris”] – is rare. These powered locations are highly sought after to meet the rapidly growing requirement for cloud computing and AI adoption, particularly when they offer speed to market and delivery certainty. The quality and scale of this partnership make it ideal for our long-term relationship with CPP Investments. We’re pleased to be investing alongside them for their entry into the European data center market,” said Greg Goodman, CEO of Goodman Group.

The transaction will follow a phased approach with completion expected by March 2026, subject to closing conditions. The two companies have had a relationship since 2009, with investments across Australia, Asia, the Americas, and Europe.

CPP has made several significant investments in the digital infrastructure space. Most recently, in August, it announced an investment of C$225m (US$160m) to facilitate the expansion of a data center in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.

...

[Edit typo.]

Archived link

Australian infrastructure and property developer Goodman Group has teamed up with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) to establish a EUR 8 billion (CAD 12.9bn, AUD 14.1bn) European data center partnership.

...

The 50/50 venture ... will comprise four projects totalling 435MW of primary power and 282MW of IT load, including two in Paris (PAR01 and PAR02), one in Frankfurt (FRA02), and one in Amsterdam (AMS01).

...

According to the partners, all projects have secured power connections, planning permits, and have substantially progressed site infrastructure works, which they claim will enable construction commencement by 30 June 2026.

...

“A portfolio of this size and quality – located in Europe’s FLAP markets [FLAP is acronym of “Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Paris”] – is rare. These powered locations are highly sought after to meet the rapidly growing requirement for cloud computing and AI adoption, particularly when they offer speed to market and delivery certainty. The quality and scale of this partnership make it ideal for our long-term relationship with CPP Investments. We’re pleased to be investing alongside them for their entry into the European data center market,” said Greg Goodman, CEO of Goodman Group.

The transaction will follow a phased approach with completion expected by March 2026, subject to closing conditions. The two companies have had a relationship since 2009, with investments across Australia, Asia, the Americas, and Europe.

CPP has made several significant investments in the digital infrastructure space. Most recently, in August, it announced an investment of C$225m (US$160m) to facilitate the expansion of a data center in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.

...

[Edit typo.]