cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/42954242

French President Emmanuel Macron should privately and publicly stress the importance of human rights in Sino-French relations during his visit to China from December 3 to 5, 2025, Human Rights Watch said today. Macron’s visit is one of several top-level engagements between European and Chinese leaders amid the complex and shifting geopolitical relationships among Europe, China, and the United States.

President Macron should signal his commitment to taking concrete action in response to deepening repression by China. Key issues include

• labor rights abuses in China’s supply chains;
• commercial drones produced by China-based companies being used by Russia to attack civilians in Ukraine;
• and China’s use of transnational repression to target critics abroad, including in France.

“China’s disregard for human rights has important implications for France, from weapons used in unlawful Russian attacks in Ukraine to abusive supply chains that hinders fair competition for European industries,” said Bénédicte Jeannerod, France director at Human Rights Watch. “Macron should break the silos between human rights and other issues and show leadership by including rights concerns in high-level policy discussions with China.”

...

French President Emmanuel Macron should privately and publicly stress the importance of human rights in Sino-French relations during his visit to China from December 3 to 5, 2025, Human Rights Watch said today. Macron’s visit is one of several top-level engagements between European and Chinese leaders amid the complex and shifting geopolitical relationships among Europe, China, and the United States.

President Macron should signal his commitment to taking concrete action in response to deepening repression by China. Key issues include

• labor rights abuses in China’s supply chains;
• commercial drones produced by China-based companies being used by Russia to attack civilians in Ukraine;
• and China’s use of transnational repression to target critics abroad, including in France.

“China’s disregard for human rights has important implications for France, from weapons used in unlawful Russian attacks in Ukraine to abusive supply chains that hinders fair competition for European industries,” said Bénédicte Jeannerod, France director at Human Rights Watch. “Macron should break the silos between human rights and other issues and show leadership by including rights concerns in high-level policy discussions with China.”

...

If you like your shmups crusty!

Wanted to do some work on news.abolish.capital today but realized docker isn't part of the Bazzite image and PodMan isn't an exact replacement. What exactly will happen once I rebase to Bazzite-DX?

BAGGAO, Philippines—Black Hawk and ATAK helicopters swooped overhead and began firing into the mountains on an early February afternoon. Farmers tilling crops and tending their water buffalo ran for cover, taking shelter as the helicopters strafed the area. In a nearby town square, onlookers recorded with their phones, gasping as explosions ripped across the horizon. A Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter later made rounds in the area, witnesses said, as soldiers sequestered farmers in shelters. They were kept from their farms for weeks as their harvest wilted and died.

It’s a scene that has become a monthly occurrence in the rural Philippines, beginning in early 2023 and continuing today. The military said it was pursuing rebels from the communist New People’s Army (NPA), a designated terrorist group active since 1969, when Jose Maria Sison founded the New People’s Army—a Maoist group waging an armed rebellion primarily based in rural areas. The military and NPA have been in conflict ever since, despite several rounds of failed peace talks, most recently in 2023.

But since 2023, the Philippine military has started using advanced attack helicopters and fighter jets supplied wholly, or in part, by the United States, in a rapid escalation of counterinsurgency operations that have tormented rural communities and led to numerous potential international humanitarian law violations that could trigger policies preventing U.S. military aid, according to dozens of witnesses and experts who spoke to Drop Site News.

Washington says it is arming its ally to defend against Chinese aggression, but the U.S.-manufactured helicopters have so far been used solely on domestic targets.

(The original article is Japanese, here is the first paragraph translated by Microsoft Copilot.) (Wayback Machine link for geoblocked users)

NEC has developed the world’s first walk-through multimodal biometric authentication technology that combines facial recognition and iris recognition, designed for scenarios requiring strict identity verification such as airports and payment systems. By integrating its facial recognition and iris recognition technologies, NEC enables high-precision, high-speed authentication of users while they are walking, both indoors and outdoors. Since authentication cards and other physical items are unnecessary, users can pass through hands-free, helping to ease congestion and enhance security. NEC plans to conduct demonstration experiments during fiscal year 2026, aiming for practical implementation in fiscal year 2027.

Also: Link to NEC's Japanese Press Release

WE HATE THE ANTICHRIST

WE HATE THE ANTICHRIST

WE HATE THE ANTICHRIST

WE HATE THE ANTICHRIST

WE HATE THE ANTICHRIST

WE HATE THE ANTICHRIST

WE HATE THE ANTICHRIST

Unknown assailants stole thousands of rounds of ammunition from a delivery truck destined for a Bundeswehr barracks in the town of Burg in Saxony-Anhalt, German media reported on Tuesday.

The theft took place on Tuesday, November 25, the Defense Ministry confirmed to public broadcaster MDR and weekly magazine Der Spiegel.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/46642259

Archived

• New data by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows that while China’s arms sales revenues fell, other major producing nations posted significant growth, Japan: +40%, Germany: +36%, and United States: +3.8%

• SIPRI said revenues for the world’s 100 largest defense firms rose by 5.9% to an unprecedented $679 billion in 2024, while China became the only major producer showing a downturn

• SIPRI researchers said revenues for China’s top defense companies dropped 10%, citing a wave of corruption allegations that triggered internal audits, leadership purges and procurement delays across multiple military branches.

[...]

“A host of corruption allegations in Chinese arms procurement led to major arms contracts being postponed or cancelled in 2024,” said Nan Tian, director of SIPRI’s Military Expenditure and Arms Production Program. “This deepens uncertainty around the status of China’s military modernization efforts and when new capabilities will materialize.”

[...]

In October 2025, eight senior generals — including former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission He Weidong, China’s second-highest-ranking officer — were expelled from the Communist Party on corruption charges. Analysts say the scale of the purge has few precedents in recent military history.

China’s downturn occurred despite Beijing’s defense budget rising annually for 30 consecutive years, driven by strategic competition with the United States, tensions over Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

[...]

Several of China’s largest defense conglomerates were affected, Norinco, the leading land-systems developer, reported a dramatic 31% drop to $14 billion, SIPRI said — the steepest fall among China’s top firms. CASC, China’s major aerospace and missile manufacturer, also saw declines after corruption-related leadership reshuffles triggered internal reviews and project delays. AVIC, the state-owned aviation giant responsible for fighter jets and military aircraft, recorded slowed deliveries, particularly in the PLA Air Force.

[...]

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic PBC today announced it had made its first acquisition in acquiring developer tools startup Bun for an undisclosed price.

Founded in 2019, Bun offers an all-in-one JavaScript/TypeScript toolkit that aims to simplify and accelerate full-stack development. The company’s offering is similar in purpose to Node.js but also includes tools developers usually pull in separately, including a package manager, a bundler, a test runner and script runner, all shipped as a single executable.

Bun is built using the Zig programming language and leverages Apple’s JavaScriptCore under the hood to yield much faster startup times and lower memory usage compared with runtimes based on the V8 engine, the engine used by Node.js and others. Bun is often significantly faster in key developer workflows, such as package installation, build/bundling, test execution and runtime, making it appealing to Anthropic.

https://archive.is/1c4y0

The masked burglar broke into the closed Virginia liquor store early on Saturday and hit the bottom shelf, where the scotch and whisky were stored. The bandit was something of a nocturnal menace: bottles were smashed, a ceiling tile collapsed and alcohol pooled on the floor.

The suspect acted like an animal because, in fact, he’s a raccoon.

On Saturday morning, an employee at the Ashland, Virginia-area liquor store found the trash panda passed out on the bathroom floor at the end of his drunken escapade.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/54256500

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/39664905

Lieutenant General Christian Freuding fears the longstanding military partnership between the two allies is unravelling under President Trump’s administration

The Pentagon has “cut off contact” between American defence officials and their German counterparts, according to the head of Germany’s army.

The United States has traditionally treated Germany as one of its most important European allies. It is thought to have about 35,000 soldiers stationed at German bases such as Ramstein and Stuttgart, which serve as staging posts for American operations across Africa and the Middle East.

Since President Trump’s return to power in January, the relationship between the countries has become markedly cooler.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5917960

Archived version

• Emmanuel Macron is visiting China amidst controversy over Taiwan, with China seeking support from France in its dispute with Japan over the island's status.
• Macron's visit comes after Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested a potential conflict over Taiwan could pose an existential risk for Japan, prompting China to lash out and condemn her "provocative remarks".
• Macron will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other senior leaders to discuss issues including economic ties, trade tensions, and the war in Ukraine, with the French president aiming to address "global imbalances" and convince Xi to use his influence to end the conflict.

...

The French president’s last visit to China, two-and-a-half years ago, was overshadowed by remarks that appeared to put limits on his commitment to supporting Taiwan. A three-day visit that kicks off Wednesday comes as the democratically-ruled island claimed by Beijing is back in the spotlight. China has been seeking back up from France — one of five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — in its recent dispute with Japan over Taiwan’s status. Beijing lashed out after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last month suggested that a potential conflict over the island could pose an existential risk for Japan.

China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, used a Thursday call with Macron’s diplomatic adviser Emmanuel Bonne to say the two sides needed to support each other and to condemn Takaichi’s “provocative remarks.” An official at Macron’s Elysee Palace on Thursday called for the status quo to be respected, and for an easing of tensions.

The new Japanese leader’s comments are problematic for China in two ways. On the most basic level, they imply Taiwan’s future could become an international dispute — while Beijing’s One-China policy insists the island’s future is a domestic issue. Beyond that, Takaichi’s remarks suggest any conflict would be serious enough for Japan to legally justify deploying its military in support of the Taiwanese.

...

Macron was instrumental in persuading the European Union to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles last year, prompting Beijing to retaliate with minimum price requirements on French cognac makers. Since then, Macron has pushed the EU to deploy its toughest trade tools in response to Chinese restrictions on the supply of rare earths.

...

For France, a key goal will be to address what Macron has called “global imbalances,” including over-production in China and Beijing’s dependence on exports, which he says leads to trade tensions.

...

Another key point for Macron will be his long-running push to convince Xi to use his influence on Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. Despite their regular contact since the full invasion in 2022, the French leader hasn’t been able to prevent China from exporting dual goods to Russia.

...