Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's scandal-hit Socialists endured a crushing defeat in a regional election in Extremadura on Sunday, which saw far-right Vox make big gains.

The Socialists, who lead the minority national coalition, have been rocked by corruption and sexual misconduct allegations and the vote in the rural southwestern region was seen as an indicator of the party's wider prospects.

They won just 18 seats in the 65-seat assembly down from 28, their worst-ever regional result in Extremadura.

...

It was the first regional election since a court ordered Jose Luis Abalos, a former top aide to Sanchez, to stand trial over claims he took kickbacks related to the awarding of public contracts.

The prime minister's wife, Begona Gomez, and younger brother, David are also facing graft allegations.

David Sanchez is set to go on trial for influence peddling in May along with 10 other defendants including the Socialist candidate to head Extremadura's government, Miguel Angel Gallardo -- who called Sunday's election results "really bad".

The Socialists have also come under fire in recent weeks for allegedly failing to address sexual harassment by senior male officials.

...

Sunday's vote will be followed by regional elections in Andalusia, Aragon, and Castile and Leon during the first half of 2026.

I have a huge supply of ensure that i want to make a bit less desserty

Edit: Thanks to the feedback I found out that the playback issues are caused by transcoding setting. I had to select QSV instead of VA-API. Now playback is smooth with any bandwidth setting.

If there are any recommendations regarding data storage in my setup, it'd be much appreciated!

So, I am running Proxmox on an old thinkpad (Intel I7 11th gen, 32 gb ram) to host home assistant, nextcloud, npm and jellyfin. I was just able to set up hardware acceleration with the iris xe driver on jellyfin and install the client on my TV, but replay struggles at 4k hdr content. I doubt that this is actually the CPU, but my LAN interface. Buying the laptop I didn't notice that it doesn't have an RJ45 socket so I have to use an USB-C adapter instead.

Additionally, I will definitely run into storage issues before getting anywhere near a reasonable movie database and adding more and more external usb drives does not seem a good idea.

I think I need a NAS. But looking at used prices of a decent 4bay device, makes me wonder if "sidegrading" my PC wouldn't be a better option. I could buy a new mainboard, cpu and memory, install all HDDs in my current case, and move my current hardware to a new, smaller one.

Does that make sense? Or is it more likely that my hardware is just incorrectly configured and a NAS would make more sense? Or should I get a DAS and set up USB pass throughout? Or...? What's your opinion?

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/6254738

Archived version

In almost four years of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it has become evident that Moscow’s technological alliances have reshaped not only the future of the battlefield but also the foundations of international security. The threats no longer lie in the number of tanks or missiles that a given army has. As the war in Ukraine has shown, technological advances in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and advanced radar jamming technologies have allowed for asymmetric application of such technologies, often rendering classical concepts of deterrence, defense, and security architecture obsolete.

At the center of this shift stands a China-enabled drone supply network that is rapidly transforming Russia’s capacity for sustained, cost-effective, and scalable warfare.

...

Chinese-supplied components in Shahed-type and now Geran drones enable longer-range, more cost-effective, and precise strikes. The result is an increasing asymmetric threat to the European continent and beyond. Even more alarming are reverse technological transfers to Moscow’s other Asian allies, such as North Korea, which has been rumored to receive both technology and manufacturing training for the Shahed/Geran drones.

If left unaddressed, this China-enabled supply chain risks becoming the backbone of a new model of warfare that exploits cost asymmetries, sanctions loopholes, and alliance-based technology transfers across multiple domains simultaneously.

...

Chinese-made components is much more substantial [according to] Ukrainian drone specialists [who] indicate that Russia has made significant upgrades to three dimensions of Shahed/Geran drones: maneuverability and controllability, jamming resistance, and tactical versatility. Combined, these upgrades allow Russia to test new asymmetrical tactics that are becoming an increasingly challenging issue for air defenses in Ukraine and could be utilized beyond Ukraine in the future. Russia’s UAV barrages continue playing a successful role in strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as part of Russia’s cognitive warfare as well.

...

Chinese-supplied components that enable Geran’s maneuverability and controllability also allow for other tactical and asymmetric applications. As an example, Ukrainian Air Forces and Army Aviation Forces have been seen utilizing helicopters and Yak-52 trainer aircraft as airborne anti-Geran defenses. To counter this threat, a Geran-2 drone has been fitted with an R-60 air-to-air missile. While currently rumored to be a one-off occurrence, the integration of heat-seeking missiles into the drone makes Geran a fully fledged air-to-air weapons-systems platform.

...

In 2025, Moscow also conducted drone incursions over NATO airspace. Reports from the incident in Poland indicate that the Gerbera decoy drones were used in these provocations. While most of the drones were successfully neutralized, the equipment used to shoot down the drones shows both the asymmetric threat of such barrages and the unprecedented levels of cost-effectiveness that Moscow was able to reach.

...

Russia is also rumored to be supplying North Korea with the technology for Shahed/Geran drones and even employing and training up to 12,000 North Korean workers in its Geran drone production lines. Combined with the effectiveness of constant drone innovation and technological transfers within Moscow’s close-knit circle of allies, it is only a matter of time until the spillover effect of the Geran drones reaches the Asia-Pacific and alters the strategic balance in the region.

...

Ukrainian defense specialists emphasize that Russia’s military-industrial sector continues to acquire drone technologies ... often via third countries that re-label and repackage components, making traceability nearly impossible under current sanction frameworks. Recent reports of drones produced entirely from Chinese parts further underscore the selectivity of Beijing’s export restrictions and the vulnerability of current EU and U.S. controls.

Targeting these networks demands coordinated monitoring of Russia’s parallel import hubs in Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkiye, Vietnam, and the Balkan states, alongside penalties for intermediaries and financial institutions supporting these schemes.

...

Equally important is addressing the role of e-commerce platforms, where dual-use components can be purchased in small but continuous volumes and aggregated into a significant industrial supply source for Russia’s drone assembly lines. Restricting these procurement routes is essential for limiting Russia’s ability to sustain its cost-effective asymmetric warfare capabilities and the broader China-enabled military-industrial complex. Sanctions must not only focus on intermediaries directly supplying Russia but also on financial institutions enabling monetary transfers, such as Russian burner banks.

...

Interesting idea but I think it's gotta be made to work without helium to be viable.

Archived version

In almost four years of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it has become evident that Moscow’s technological alliances have reshaped not only the future of the battlefield but also the foundations of international security. The threats no longer lie in the number of tanks or missiles that a given army has. As the war in Ukraine has shown, technological advances in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and advanced radar jamming technologies have allowed for asymmetric application of such technologies, often rendering classical concepts of deterrence, defense, and security architecture obsolete.

At the center of this shift stands a China-enabled drone supply network that is rapidly transforming Russia’s capacity for sustained, cost-effective, and scalable warfare.

...

Chinese-supplied components in Shahed-type and now Geran drones enable longer-range, more cost-effective, and precise strikes. The result is an increasing asymmetric threat to the European continent and beyond. Even more alarming are reverse technological transfers to Moscow’s other Asian allies, such as North Korea, which has been rumored to receive both technology and manufacturing training for the Shahed/Geran drones.

If left unaddressed, this China-enabled supply chain risks becoming the backbone of a new model of warfare that exploits cost asymmetries, sanctions loopholes, and alliance-based technology transfers across multiple domains simultaneously.

...

Chinese-made components is much more substantial [according to] Ukrainian drone specialists [who] indicate that Russia has made significant upgrades to three dimensions of Shahed/Geran drones: maneuverability and controllability, jamming resistance, and tactical versatility. Combined, these upgrades allow Russia to test new asymmetrical tactics that are becoming an increasingly challenging issue for air defenses in Ukraine and could be utilized beyond Ukraine in the future. Russia’s UAV barrages continue playing a successful role in strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as part of Russia’s cognitive warfare as well.

...

Chinese-supplied components that enable Geran’s maneuverability and controllability also allow for other tactical and asymmetric applications. As an example, Ukrainian Air Forces and Army Aviation Forces have been seen utilizing helicopters and Yak-52 trainer aircraft as airborne anti-Geran defenses. To counter this threat, a Geran-2 drone has been fitted with an R-60 air-to-air missile. While currently rumored to be a one-off occurrence, the integration of heat-seeking missiles into the drone makes Geran a fully fledged air-to-air weapons-systems platform.

...

In 2025, Moscow also conducted drone incursions over NATO airspace. Reports from the incident in Poland indicate that the Gerbera decoy drones were used in these provocations. While most of the drones were successfully neutralized, the equipment used to shoot down the drones shows both the asymmetric threat of such barrages and the unprecedented levels of cost-effectiveness that Moscow was able to reach.

...

Russia is also rumored to be supplying North Korea with the technology for Shahed/Geran drones and even employing and training up to 12,000 North Korean workers in its Geran drone production lines. Combined with the effectiveness of constant drone innovation and technological transfers within Moscow’s close-knit circle of allies, it is only a matter of time until the spillover effect of the Geran drones reaches the Asia-Pacific and alters the strategic balance in the region.

...

Ukrainian defense specialists emphasize that Russia’s military-industrial sector continues to acquire drone technologies ... often via third countries that re-label and repackage components, making traceability nearly impossible under current sanction frameworks. Recent reports of drones produced entirely from Chinese parts further underscore the selectivity of Beijing’s export restrictions and the vulnerability of current EU and U.S. controls.

Targeting these networks demands coordinated monitoring of Russia’s parallel import hubs in Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkiye, Vietnam, and the Balkan states, alongside penalties for intermediaries and financial institutions supporting these schemes.

...

Equally important is addressing the role of e-commerce platforms, where dual-use components can be purchased in small but continuous volumes and aggregated into a significant industrial supply source for Russia’s drone assembly lines. Restricting these procurement routes is essential for limiting Russia’s ability to sustain its cost-effective asymmetric warfare capabilities and the broader China-enabled military-industrial complex. Sanctions must not only focus on intermediaries directly supplying Russia but also on financial institutions enabling monetary transfers, such as Russian burner banks.

...

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/40672174

By Elis Gjevori
Published date: 22 December 2025 12:45 GMT

Two pro-Palestine activists held in British prisons have been transferred to hospital after weeks without food, prompting mounting concern from their families and members of parliament over prison conditions and medical care.

Amu Gib, 30, who is being held on remand at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, entered hospital on Saturday after reaching day 50 of a hunger strike. Kamran Ahmed, 28, who has refused food for 42 days at Pentonville prison in London, has also been hospitalised.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on Monday, Ahmed's sister Shahmina Alam said that “at this point, there’s significant risk of organ damage”.

...

Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) president Holger Münch said the BKA ... described an “acute threat situation”, with sightings concentrated around military facilities and transport hubs, as well as defence companies and port infrastructure.

...

The German government has responded with a new coordination structure. On 17 December, federal and state authorities inaugurated the Joint Drone Defence Centre (Gemeinsames Drohnenabwehrzentrum, GDAZ) in Berlin, intended to improve detection and the coordination of countermeasures. Until now, drone defence in Germany had been spread across multiple agencies; the new centre is designed to close gaps while leaving decision-making powers with the participating bodies.

...

Alongside the new centre, Germany is expanding specialist capacity. A Federal Police counter-drone unit has been established and is expected to grow to 130 personnel. It will be deployed at airports, in Berlin and around security-sensitive sites nationwide, using equipment including AI-assisted jamming systems and automated interceptor drones.

...

Industry has also reported rising demand for counter-drone systems. The German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) had recorded increased interest in detection and defence technology, with a survey indicating enquiries from civilian security actors and the Bundeswehr. The association called for clearer legal rules for both defensive measures and the use of drones by security authorities.

...

Investigators have stopped short of attributing the flights to a specific country in every case. Münch said the authorities could not say with full certainty whether the activity was linked to Russian actors, citing the practical difficulty of identifying drone pilots and proving control or direction. In many incidents, he said, the pattern appeared consistent with state-directed operations.

...

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in October that the German government believes Russia is behind many of the drone sightings over German territory.

...

My current favorite is

spoiler

You (the poster reading this) X theory it's time you Pokemon go read some theory

Are we going to let a bunch of clankers read more obscure theory than us?!

Apple was hit with a $115 million fine Monday after Italy’s competition authority alleged the tech giant was abusing its dominant position to harm third-party developers in its App Store.

In a press release, the Italian Competition Authority said that an “App Tracking Transparency” (ATT) privacy policy that Apple introduced in 2021 forced third-party developers to seek consent twice for the same data collection.

Requiring such “double consent” was “extremely burdensome” and “harmful” to some developers—especially the smallest developers, the regulator said. Many developers struggled to earn ad revenue after the policy was introduced, as users increasingly declined to opt into personalized ads.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/44109748

...

“According to information available to us, since November 2023, Belarus has been implementing a classified state project codenamed Uchastok, which involves the creation of full-cycle production of Soviet-caliber artillery and rocket ammunition – 122 mm and 152 mm," said Vladimir Zhihar, an official representative of the Belarusian opposition initiative BELPOL.

"The project is strategically linked to the interests of Russia’s Ministry of Defense, as the final products are intended for export and use in the war against Ukraine,” Zhihar said.

According to him, the project is expected to be completed by December 2026 and could significantly strengthen the material and technical support of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine. Its implementation is based on a secret order by Aleksandr Lukashenko.

...

The plant was founded by VolatAvto and the state-owned Precision Electromechanics Plant, and is overseen by the State Military-Industrial Committee of Belarus.

...

Zhihar also noted that Belarus does not produce any of the critical components required for explosives, making the plant dependent on imported technologies and materials. The main partners in the project are Russia and China.

“Russia supplies production lines and components, is involved in personnel training, and will evidently be the main supplier of explosives and propellants. China, according to our information, is supplying filling lines for 122 mm warheads, participating in personnel training, and providing explosives. Negotiations are also underway with Iran and Pakistan,” Zhihar said.

...

Additional facts, documents, and visual materials confirming the implementation of this project are presented in a BELPOL investigation published on the organization’s YouTube channel on Sunday.

...

I am standing on the corner of Harris Road and Young Street outside of the Crossroads Business Park in Bakersfield, California, looking up at a Flock surveillance camera bolted high above a traffic signal. On my phone, I am watching myself in real time as the camera records and livestreams me—without any password or login—to the open internet. I wander into the intersection, stare at the camera and wave. On the livestream, I can see myself clearly. Hundreds of miles away, my colleagues are remotely watching me too through the exposed feed.

Flock left livestreams and administrator control panels for at least 60 of its AI-enabled Condor cameras around the country exposed to the open internet, where anyone could watch them, download 30 days worth of video archive, and change settings, see log files, and run diagnostics.

Archive: http://archive.today/IWMKe

...

“According to information available to us, since November 2023, Belarus has been implementing a classified state project codenamed Uchastok, which involves the creation of full-cycle production of Soviet-caliber artillery and rocket ammunition – 122 mm and 152 mm," said Vladimir Zhihar, an official representative of the Belarusian opposition initiative BELPOL.

"The project is strategically linked to the interests of Russia’s Ministry of Defense, as the final products are intended for export and use in the war against Ukraine,” Zhihar said.

According to him, the project is expected to be completed by December 2026 and could significantly strengthen the material and technical support of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine. Its implementation is based on a secret order by Aleksandr Lukashenko.

...

The plant was founded by VolatAvto and the state-owned Precision Electromechanics Plant, and is overseen by the State Military-Industrial Committee of Belarus.

...

Zhihar also noted that Belarus does not produce any of the critical components required for explosives, making the plant dependent on imported technologies and materials. The main partners in the project are Russia and China.

“Russia supplies production lines and components, is involved in personnel training, and will evidently be the main supplier of explosives and propellants. China, according to our information, is supplying filling lines for 122 mm warheads, participating in personnel training, and providing explosives. Negotiations are also underway with Iran and Pakistan,” Zhihar said.

...

Additional facts, documents, and visual materials confirming the implementation of this project are presented in a BELPOL investigation published on the organization’s YouTube channel on Sunday.

...

A Russian military district court in Yekaterinburg has convicted five members of a Marxist circle in Ufa to draconian sentences of between 16 to 22 years in prison and high-security penal colonies for allegedly plotting to overthrow the Russian government through terrorist means. The case marks a significant intensification of the crackdown on democratic rights in Russia and attempts to vilify Marxism and any left-wing opposition to the Putin regime.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.bestiver.se/post/814627

Comments

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• Price: $14.99 ($11.24 till 8 Jan)
• Link: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/cast-n-chill-switch/
• Platform: Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2

China is likely to have loaded more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles across three silo fields and has no desire for arms control talks, according to a draft Pentagon report which highlighted Beijing's growing military ambitions.

China is expanding and modernizing its weapons stockpile faster than any other nuclear-armed power. Beijing has described reports of a military buildup as efforts to "smear and defame China and deliberately mislead the international community."

A St Petersburg court has sentenced a 19-year-old woman to nearly three years in a penal colony after she was accused of repeatedly “discrediting” the Russian army, including by gluing a quotation on a statue of a Ukrainian poet.

Darya Kozyreva was sentenced to two years and eight months, the Joint Press Service of Courts in St. Petersburg said in statement Friday.

Kozyreva was arrested on February 24, 2024, after she glued a verse by Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko onto his monument in St Petersburg, according to OVD-Info, an independent Russian human rights group.

China will impose provisional duties of up to 42.7% on dairy products imported from the European Union, the latest in a series of measures against EU exports widely seen as retaliation for the bloc's electric vehicle tariffs.

The duties, to be collected from Tuesday, will range from 21.9% to 42.7%, although most companies will pay just under 30%. They target unsweetened milk and cream and fresh and processed cheeses, including the iconic French Roquefort and Camembert.

China's Ministry of Commerce said it had found evidence that EU dairy imports were subsidised and hurting Chinese producers.

The European Commission, which oversees EU trade policy, said the investigation was based on "questionable allegations and insufficient evidence" and called the measures "unjustified and unwarranted".

Change in attitudes has been stoked by disinformation, viral videos and the election of rightwing populist president

Valeriia Kholkina was out buying ice-cream with her husband and four-year-old daughter when a man overheard them speaking Ukrainian. “Teach your daughter to speak Polish,” said the stranger. Then he physically assaulted both parents.

The incident, which happened in the city of Szczecin in north-west Poland, reflects an increasingly hostile atmosphere for Ukrainians in the country, a dramatic turnaround from the mood in 2022. Then, in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion, hundreds of thousands of Poles put on a show of support and hospitality for their neighbours, volunteering at the border and offering up their homes to refugees.

Now, that outpouring of goodwill is wearing thin, as the war approaches its fourth anniversary, and surveys show an increasingly negative perception of Ukrainians in Poland, stoked by a political debate that has moved further to the right on migration and the resurfacing of historical grievances.