I've always read and been told that sleeping on your stomach is bad for your spine and neck but after a workout or long day at work, I find that laying on my stomach for an hour or so while I read or scroll on my phone makes my back feel so much better. Am I doing more long-term harm than good with this? Why does it feel so good on my back but is bad for it? Is it just not recommended for long periods of time but beneficial for shorter periods?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/46718686

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/46718683

China's economy is in a bad way and President Xi Jinping should focus on improving the lives of his people and not "territorial expansion", Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said in an interview with the New York Times.

[...]

Speaking to the New York Times' DealBook Summit, Lai said Taiwan's economy is forecast to grow 7.37% this year, "while international financial institutions estimate China's growth to be only a little above 4%".

"China's economy is indeed struggling," Lai said, according to a transcript released by his office on Thursday.

"We sincerely hope that as China faces economic pressures, President Xi Jinping will focus not on territorial expansion but on improving the well-being of the Chinese people," he added.

"Taiwan is willing to help and to cooperate in addressing these economic challenges," Lai said, without elaborating.

[...]

[China's] economic imbalances have worsened this year as factory output outpaces demand, and analysts expect deflationary pressures to linger next year, even as the government steps up efforts to curb overcapacity and price wars among firms.

Taiwan's tech-heavy economy is expected to grow at its fastest pace in 15 years, riding the wave of demand for artificial intelligence technology, its statistics office said last week.

Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands will boycott next year’s Eurovision after Israel was given the all-clear to compete in the 2026 song contest despite calls by several participating broadcasters for its exclusion over the war in Gaza.

No vote on Israel’s participation was held on Thursday at the general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the body that organises the hugely popular international annual singing competition.

Instead, participating broadcasters voted only to introduce new rules designed to stop governments and third parties from disproportionately promoting songs to influence voters.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/46718326

Archived

Nineteen warships of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) were monitored roaming the country’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea last month, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported.

[...]

“These monitoring efforts reflect the Navy’s continuous maritime domain awareness, presence operations and commitment to safeguarding territory, sovereignty and sovereign rights,” he said.

“The AFP remains resolute in upholding international law, protecting national interests and sustaining a credible and disciplined presence across all key maritime areas of the archipelago,” he added.

Trinidad noted that the 19 Chinese military vessels were spotted mostly in the vicinity of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) and Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc.

Regarding Chinese maritime militia vessels, Trinidad said “we do not report them anymore considering that it’s quite a challenge to monitor them.”

He added, “We are still synchronizing our data on their monitored numbers,” referring to China Coast Guard ships.

He also noted issuing radio challenges to Chinese frigates and destroyers but got no responses.

“Their illegal presence, their coercive and aggressive actions, the deceptive messaging have been there for quite some time,” he said.

[...]

Trinidad said more vessels would be added to the Philippine Navy’s assets, including six more offshore patrol vessels, two more landing docks from PT Pal of Indonesia and two more frigates.

Web archive link

...

The carbon border tax, which comes into force from January, was behind an attempt by the big exporters to scupper wider negotiations on climate action at the latest UN summit in Brazil.

Speaking in the aftermath at COP30, Wopke Hoekstra told the Financial Times that the petrostates had also been “more assertive” across the board in a bid to thwart climate agreements as the shift to cleaner energy systems accelerates.

“Some of those making money out of [fossil fuels] are seeking to prolong that process. We have seen this quite explicitly,” he said. “Some of the petrostates are seeking to at least slow down rather than speed up [the energy transition].”

He added: “I have sensed a certain sense of assertiveness that might not have been there five or 10 years ago.”

...

During public and closed-door meetings at the two-week talks, some of the developing countries argued the tax, or carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), was a unilateral measure that would drive up costs, restrict trade and hinder their ability to grow their economies.

The tax will initially apply to products such as steel, cement and fertilisers, and aims to ensure imported goods meet similar green standards to those produced inside the EU or face an additional charge.

...

Hoekstra said the criticism was “clearly not very credible”, adding that in one-on-one conversations many countries “acknowledge it is clearly a climate tool” rather than a trade measure.

...

More than 80 countries had rallied around a proposal at COP30 for a so-called road map to help countries wean their economies off fossil fuels. But the plan failed to appear in the final agreement after objection from more than 30 other countries [particularly China, Russia, and petro-states in the Middle East].

...

Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia will boycott next year's Eurovision Song Contest, after Israel was allowed to compete.

They were among a number of countries who had called for Israel to be excluded over the humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza, and accusations of unfair voting practices.

Despite calls for a vote on Israel's participation, members instead approved a new set of rules intended to protect the integrity of the contest.

Ireland's national broadcaster RTE said it felt that its "participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk."

In a statement, Dutch broadcaster Avrotros said that "participation under the current circumstances is incompatible with the public values ​​that are essential to us".

Spanish broadcaster RTVE added: "The board of directors of RTVE agreed last September that Spain would withdraw from Eurovision if Israel was part of it."

"This withdrawal also means that RTVE will not broadcast the Eurovision 2026 final... nor the preliminary semi-finals."

Continue reading here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cde6d8wyp79o

cross-posted from: https://lemmings.world/post/37882472

Web archive link

...

[Prada was among] 13 brands asked to hand over documents about their work practices this week as [Italian] investigators lift the lid on the widespread use of Chinese-run sweatshops in Italy. Workers put in 90-hour weeks for as little as €3.5 an hour to produce some of the world’s top fashion wear.

One investigator said: “We’ve seen squalid dormitories set up in sweatshops so workers are forced to sleep where they work, and safety protection removed from machinery to accelerate work. This means bags and clothes can be turned out for €50 before selling them for up to €1,000.”

...

The top cashmere maker Loro Piana was also placed on the list after a Chinese workshop owner near Milan was shut down due to accusations he beat up a worker who asked for unpaid wages.

...

While discreetly supplying low-cost fashion to Italy’s big firms, the Chinese-run sweat shop industry in Prato has also attracted the attention of Chinese mafia groups which have muscled into the lucrative business of trucking clothing from the city across Europe.

...

In April, Zhang Dayong, an alleged extortionist for a Prato-based mob boss, was shot in Rome in an alleged inter-clan war. Marco Wong, a former city councillor in Prato, said that conditions for workers may slowly improve, although the process would not be driven by prosecutions or corporate codes of conduct.

He said: “What could make the difference is the growing use by Chinese sweatshop owners of Pakistani workers since fewer Chinese are now migrating from China. As opposed to the Chinese, the Pakistanis are protesting about working conditions and holding strikes backed by assertive unions.”

...

I have watched a few of his videos on China and do think they're actually one of the only few China video on Youtube and Western social media that aren't anti-China. While he isn't explicitly pro-China and doesn't seem to be a socialist (unless he's hiding that well), the videos "lack" the usual anti-Chinese propaganda points that you usually see on anything related to China online. Of course there's some criticisms in there, but some of them are valid and none seem to be made from any anti-Chinese stance. And he does go more in-depth to explain why something you might criticise is a thing in China currently.

The channel isn't focused only on China, but broadly Eastern Asia in general. The account, at least according to the description, is based in Australia though.

A CNN investigation based on video footage, satellite imagery and eyewitness accounts found a 'pattern' of mishandling bodies

I have never posted anything there before.

The internet was made by us, for us, and we can take it back from the noise.

This is Part 1 of a new series I'm starting to help make the internet quieter, break free of doomscrolling, and bring intentionality to how we use our devices. If you enjoyed this piece, please share your feedback or share it! Thank you!