The EU’s overhaul of pharmaceutical rules will speed up drug approvals but falls short of making Europe more competitive with the US and China, the Dutch Association for Innovative Medicines (VIG) said.

VIG had long warned that, without proper investment incentives, the EU’s pharma package overhaul risks accelerating the outflow of research and capital from Europe.

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/55718561

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/7133519

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/15465

The heads of three left-leaning US Jewish groups on Monday admonished the Anti-Defamation League after the controversial watchdog once again conflated criticism of Israel with antisemitism in its latest report on New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and his transition team.

The Anti-Defamation League noted approvingly in its updated "Mamdani Monitor" that "at least 25 individuals" in the democratic socialist's transition team "have a past relationship with the ADL or partner organizations, or a history of supporting the Jewish community."

The group also appreciated that "Mamdani's team can and will respond appropriately" to actual incidents of antisemitism, pointing to last week's resignation of Catherine Almonte Da Costa, Mamdani's former director of appointments, following the revelation of antisemitic social media posts she published in the early 2010s.

However, the ADL said it remains "deeply concerned" by Mamdani's statements and actions, highlighting what the group claimed were "many examples of individuals who have engaged in some type of antisemitic, anti-Zionist, or anti-Israel activities and/or have ties to groups that engage in such activities" among the mayor-elect's transition team appointees.

"These activities include spreading classic antisemitic tropes, vilifying those who support Jewish self-determination in their ancestral homeland, seeking to undermine the legitimacy and security of the Jewish state, and more," the ADL said, adding that "at least a dozen transition committee appointees expressed support for the anti-Israel campus encampments in the spring of 2024."

The Mamdani Monitor also noted that "at least 20% of the 400-plus appointees have ties to anti-Zionist groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which openly glorifies Hamas’ October 7 attack... Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), a fringe group that advocates for the eradication of Zionism and demonizes Zionists; Within Our Lifetime (WOL), a New York-based radical anti-Zionist organization... and others."

Asked about the report during a Monday press conference, Mamdani said, "We must distinguish between antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli government."

“The ADL’s report oftentimes ignores this distinction, and in doing so it draws attention away from the very real crisis of antisemitism we see not only just in our city but in the country at large,” he continued. “When we’re thinking about critiques of Zionism and different forms of political expression, as much of what this report focuses on, there’s a wide variety of political opinion, even within our own 400-plus transition committee.”

Critics say the ADL's claim in the update that it "has long distinguished between legitimate criticism of Israeli government policies and antisemitism" is belied by not only the Mamdani Monitor's language, but also its own significantly expanded definition of antisemitism and antisemitic incidents, which include protests against Israel’s US-backed genocidal war on Gaza.

Jamie Beran, CEO of the progressive group Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, said in an X thread that "we were disappointed but not surprised to see today’s ADL report continue their conflation of criticism of the Israeli government’s actions with antisemitism" and the group's "favoring of Trumpian tactics over bridge building and its prioritization of fearmongering over the safety of American Jews and our neighbors."

— (@)

Beran continued:

The ADL of today seems to have three interests: keeping their right wing megadonors happy, protecting the current Israeli government’s violent far-right agenda by conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism, and cozying up to [US President Donald] Trump to stay close to power.

None of this fights antisemitism. Their McCarthyist Mamdani Monitor is the first of its kind because the ADL chose not to deploy a similar tactic when their bedfellows offered Nazi salutes, hired and pardoned neo-Nazis, and continued to openly spread dangerous antisemitic conspiracy myths.

"If the ADL truly wanted to fight antisemitism—like we do every day—they would actually confront it at its roots and how it works alongside all forms of bigotry, not instrumentalize it for an unpopular political agenda that has nothing to do with Jewish safety," Beran added.

Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the liberal Jewish group J Street, also rejected the ADL's "continued conflation."

“J Street continues to be deeply concerned by the ADL’s ongoing use of its so-called ‘Mamdani Monitor,’ which goes well beyond combating antisemitism and too often conflates legitimate political speech with hate," Ben-Ami said in a statement Monday.

Ben-Ami asserted that there is "something deeply wrong when major Jewish leaders and institutions focus disproportionate attention on left-of-center activists’ views on Israel while failing to apply the same scrutiny to the Trump administration and MAGA leaders, whose blatant antisemitism and ties to white nationalist movements pose a clear and dangerous threat to American Jews."

"Our communal institutions should fight antisemitism consistently and credibly, wherever it appears—not selectively, and not in ways that inflame fear or deepen division," he added.

Another liberal Jewish antisemitism watchdog, Nexus Project, also decried the ADL update, which it said "repeatedly blurs the line between antisemitism and anti-Zionism."

— (@)

J Street among the groups supporting the Antisemitism Response and Prevention Act (ARPA), legislation introduced last week by US Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) in the wake of the Sydney Hanukkah massacre.

According to Nadler's office, the bill "clearly states that it is against the policy of the United States to use antisemitism as grounds to pursue ulterior political agendas, including attacks on educational institutions, suppressing constitutionally protected speech, or any other enforcement of ideological conformity."

ARPA stands in stark contrast with the Antisemitism Awareness Act (ARA), which was introduced in 2023 by Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ, Max Miller (R-Ohio), and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) in the House of Representatives and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) in the Senate.

The bill would require the Department of Education to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism when determining whether alleged harassment is motivated by anti-Jewish animus.

The ADL has pushed a wide range of governments, institutions, and organizations to adopt the IRHA definition, which conflates legitimate criticism and condemnation of Israeli policies and practices with anti-Jewish bigotry, and forces people to accept the legitimacy of a settler-colonial apartheid state engaged in illegal occupation and colonization, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.

House lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the legislation last year; however, the bill remains stalled in the Senate.

Zionism—the settler-colonial movement for the reestablishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine—is being rejected by a growing number of Jewish Americans due to the racism, settler-colonialism, illegal occupation, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and genocide perpetrated by Israel and rooted in claims of divine right and favor.

Jewish-led groups like JVP, IfNotNow, and Jews for Economic and Racial Justice (JERJ) have been at the forefront of pro-Palestine demonstrations since the start of Israel's war and siege on Gaza, which have left more than 250,000 Palestinians dead, maimed, or missing; 2 million others displaced, starved, and sickened; and most of the coastal strip in ruins.

From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.

Article translation to English:

It is "in the interest of the United States and Europe" that the European Union be dissolved". That is what Nile Gardiner, director of the European branch of the Heritage Foundation, says to Nieuwsuur. That conservative think tank is known as the main shaper of the policies of US President Donald Trump's second term.

The Trump administration supports "movements and political leaders in Europe" who are "pro-American and believe that Europe should take a different direction," Gardiner says. This concerns leaders of Italy, Poland and Hungary, who see the conservative thinker as "important allies."

In February, Vice President J.D. Already sharply criticized Europe. This summer , further indications came to light that the U.S. is out on a change of power.

According to the new U.S. security strategy, which was published this month, Europe is in danger of "losing its civilization through immigration and the disappearance of national identities." The document praises nationalist parties "who want to preserve the individual character and history of European countries" and supports patriotic parties in their struggle to dismantle the EU from within.

In response, European Commissioner for Human Rights called on Michael O'Flaherty to take courage against US criticism of the EU. European heads of government reacted remarkably little. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was fierce and called the plan "unacceptable and unacceptable."

The chairman of the committee in the European Parliament that maintains contact with the US called the security strategy "a frontal attack on the EU." The words of the White House, according to him, amount to interference in European elections. 'Warning for Europe'

From right-wing parties, there is also a positive reaction to the American policy paper. Member of the European Parliament Mieke Andriese (PVV) calls it a "clear strategic warning for Europe" this week. "Mass immigration threatens our European identity."

Member of the European Parliament Sander Smit (BBB), a member of a committee for strengthening European democracy, can also agree with parts of the American criticism. "BBB does not support the abolition of the EU, but believes that the EU urgently needs internal reforms because of a democratic deficit, diminishing legitimacy and too much bureaucracy," he tells Nieuwsuur. Read his entire response here.

Nile Gardiner is now going a step further with his plea for the abolition of the EU. "I don't see any future scenario where Europe is better off with the survival of the European Union than without."

There are "deep-rooted concerns in the US capital Washington about what is seen as the suppression of freedom of expression within the European Union," says Gardiner. The EU would have too much power over the member states.

The conservative thinker points, among other things, to the fines that the European Commission handed out to the social medium X, owned by tech billionaire and ex-Trump adviser Elon Musk. The fines totalled 120 million euros and were imposed for violations of an internet law. With these types of "attacks on U.S. tech companies," the EU would undermine US security.

Moreover, the Union would not listen to the voice of the people and restrict the power of right-wing radical parties such as the AfD. And the EU would open the gates for mass migration. Gardiner fears the increasing influence of Islam. "All this makes the EU doomed." 'Europe reacts too weakly'

According to the leading Irish researcher Judy Dempsey (Carnegie Institute), the European Union is responding too weakly and too slowly to the Trump administration's lashing out. "The Europeans don't look at themselves, but just say: don't you dare criticize our democracy."

Dempsey, who is researching international relations, argues that the EU does not use its large internal market sufficiently as a geopolitical instrument. "The EU is not confident and knows how to sell itself poorly."

Trump is responding to this by politically influencing and dividing Europe, the researcher says. "The idea that a divided EU would be in US favour is at odds with the transatlantic view that has been in place since 1945."

"The weakness of Europeans is that they do not confront far-right populist parties, whether in France, the Netherlands, Germany or Italy."

According to Gardiner, the plan to turn the EU into a defense force clashes with US interests. "This undermines the NATO alliance, while it pulls military resources away," he says. "NATO will hopefully exist for centuries to come, but the EU will eventually disappear."

The U.S. under Trump supports right-wing nationalist parties in Europe that "insist on more sovereignty and self-determination," Gardiner says. He mentions, among others, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish President Karol Nawrocki and the party president of France's Rassemblement National, Jordan Bardella. Gardiner emphasizes that it is about political support; there would be no question of financial aid. Discussion within the Heritage Foundation

The Heritage Foundation is an independent right-wing conservative think tank in Washington. They developed 'Project 2025', policy proposals that the government is now implementing. Nile Gardiner is the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, the European branch of The Heritage Foundation.

The extreme course that the Heritage Foundation has been pursuing since this year leads to ideological discussions within the institute: in recent weeks, some fifteen employees left the institute. Disagreements included stopping support for Ukraine and the controversial tariff policy that President Trump is pursuing. Heritage director Kevin Roberts also initially refused to condemn statements by the far-right, anti-Semitic influencer Nick Fuentes.

Discussions on Reddit about the Heritage Foundation with one saying that the think tank was founded by former Nazis or at least has remote connections to Nazis.

Why is he doing this?

Good essay exploring the impacts of imperialism and uneven and combined development in social relations comparing Haiti to North America.

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.

How liquid is gold in terms of turnaround if you randomly cash it it (where?)?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/40779528

By Fleur Hargreaves
24 December 2025 15:47 GMT

Insurance companies Allianz and Aviva have reportedly ended their coverage of Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems, according to campaigners.

Pro-Palestine activists said on Tuesday that the two insurers no longer provide policies to Elbit Systems following months of direct action and protests. The campaign was initially organised by the group Palestine Action in October 2024, before it was proscribed as a terrorist group in July.

Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, told Novara Media that “this victory is testament to the power of direct action, and also exemplifies why Palestine Action was proscribed”, adding that “it was banned because it was effective at disrupting the Israeli weapons industry”.

CBS News says it’s issuing takedown orders for a shelved “60 Minutes” segment after it was posted on Global TV’s app on Monday and then spread online.

A representative for the network says its Canadian broadcast partner had “mistakenly published” the segment, dubbed “Inside CECOT,” after CBS News decided to delay it for a future broadcast.

Though Global has since removed the episode, the segment has been shared widely on social media.

I always wonder what these places look like in terms of everyday life for its patients/prisoners that were found to be Insane or Not Criminally Responsible (NCR)?

Since many times there is an indetermanite sentence, for some who never get better it could very well be a life sentence; its also often colloquially refered to as Worse Than Prison (WTP) or, at very least, No Cake Walk (NCW)

Russia are never going to agree to this...

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/40805422

https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/disco-elysium

Washington accused of ‘coercion and intimidation’ after five Europeans behind campaign to regulate US tech giants targeted

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the European Union have accused Washington of “coercion and intimidation”, after the US imposed a visa ban on five prominent European figures who have been at heart of the campaign to introduce laws regulating American tech giants.

The visa bans were imposed on Tuesday on Thierry Breton, a former EU commissioner and one of the architects of the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), and four anti-disinformation campaigners, including two in Germany and two in the UK.

The move also targeted Imran Ahmed, the British chief executive of the US-based Center for Countering Digital Hate; Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of the German non-profit HateAid; and Clare Melford, co-founder of the Global Disinformation Index.

Justifying the visa bans, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, wrote on X: “For far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organised efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose. The Trump administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship.”

He was a bad conductor.