cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5768140

...

This comes against the backdrop of this year’s supply chain issues, where China, as a dominant producer, has used export restrictions as leverage in its trade conflict with the USA. Against this backdrop, EU Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič outlined how Europe intends to invest more heavily in Australian critical raw material projects in the future – ranging from equity participations and long-term off-take agreements to joint infrastructure initiatives.

Šefčovič made it clear that the EU’s focus is no longer solely on trade in the classical sense. Instead, targeted capital commitments and binding supply agreements are intended to secure the supply of critical raw materials in the long term. For Brussels, Australia is a key partner, possessing large reserves and stable political frameworks, and aiming to expand its role as a supplier of strategically important raw materials.

...

Australia is moving into the spotlight as a reliable supplier of critical raw materials. The country possesses significant deposits, for example of lithium, rare earths, graphite, and other raw materials required for batteries, high technology, and the energy transition. At the same time, Australia is considered a politically stable and legally secure investment location that seeks to expand its cooperation with like-minded partners.

...

For Šefčovič, Japan serves as a reference model for what such a raw materials strategy could look like. For years, Tokyo has been strategically investing in mines and refineries in partner countries to ensure its own industry can be supplied with critical raw materials even in times of crisis. The EU is now pursuing a similar approach: moving away from a purely market-based procurement policy towards strategic participations along the value chain.

...

Against this backdrop, the planned free trade agreement between the EU and Australia is also gaining new significance. An initial attempt failed in 2023, primarily due to differences in agricultural policy, as Canberra demanded greater access for agricultural products to the European market. However, Šefčovič now sees renewed “momentum” for new talks. He expects negotiations to resume early next year.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5768140

...

This comes against the backdrop of this year’s supply chain issues, where China, as a dominant producer, has used export restrictions as leverage in its trade conflict with the USA. Against this backdrop, EU Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič outlined how Europe intends to invest more heavily in Australian critical raw material projects in the future – ranging from equity participations and long-term off-take agreements to joint infrastructure initiatives.

Šefčovič made it clear that the EU’s focus is no longer solely on trade in the classical sense. Instead, targeted capital commitments and binding supply agreements are intended to secure the supply of critical raw materials in the long term. For Brussels, Australia is a key partner, possessing large reserves and stable political frameworks, and aiming to expand its role as a supplier of strategically important raw materials.

...

Australia is moving into the spotlight as a reliable supplier of critical raw materials. The country possesses significant deposits, for example of lithium, rare earths, graphite, and other raw materials required for batteries, high technology, and the energy transition. At the same time, Australia is considered a politically stable and legally secure investment location that seeks to expand its cooperation with like-minded partners.

...

For Šefčovič, Japan serves as a reference model for what such a raw materials strategy could look like. For years, Tokyo has been strategically investing in mines and refineries in partner countries to ensure its own industry can be supplied with critical raw materials even in times of crisis. The EU is now pursuing a similar approach: moving away from a purely market-based procurement policy towards strategic participations along the value chain.

...

Against this backdrop, the planned free trade agreement between the EU and Australia is also gaining new significance. An initial attempt failed in 2023, primarily due to differences in agricultural policy, as Canberra demanded greater access for agricultural products to the European market. However, Šefčovič now sees renewed “momentum” for new talks. He expects negotiations to resume early next year.

...

wired.com/story/europe-bends-u…

Time flies…

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/30590050

• European governments are pushing to delay and weaken the EU Deforestation Regulation, backing a one-year postponement to 2026 and major reductions in due-diligence requirements.
• The political shift is driven largely by Germany and supported by France, despite earlier European Commission rollbacks and opposition from only a few member states.
• Civil society groups warn that further delays would gut the law, punish early-compliant companies, and undermine the EU’s regulatory credibility.
• At COP30, the EU’s silence on deforestation has fueled accusations of hypocrisy as advocates say weakening the EUDR would have severe consequences for tropical forests.
• This story has been updated to include additional comments from Andi Muttaqien, executive director of Satya Bumi, on the implications of a potential EUDR delay for Indonesia.

archived (Wayback Machine)

Welcome again to everybody. Make yourself at home. In the time-honoured tradition of our group, here is the weekly discussion thread.

☭ Matrix homeserver and space
☭ Theory discussion group on /c/theory@lemmygrad.ml
☭ Find theory on ProleWiki, marxists.org, Anna's Archive, libgen

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/15440956

The Liberal International, a global alliance of liberal and progressive democratic political parties, yesterday unanimously passed a resolution proposed by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) to condemn China’s transnational repression against Taiwanese.

The motion was passed on the first day of the Liberal International’s 209th Executive Committee Meeting in The Hague, Netherlands.

Fan, who is the Liberal International’s vice president and attending on behalf of the DPP, proposed an emergency resolution to support DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) and counter transnational repression.

China’s Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” for crimes of “separatism” for promoting “Taiwanese independence.”

[...]

On Nov. 9, the state-run China Central Television aired a segment which suggested that Interpol should pursue Shen.

The meeting in The Hague gathered nearly 170 representatives of liberal parties and democracy advocates from 48 countries across Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia, Fan said.

All representatives supported her motion of “countering transnational repression,” she said, adding that what is more important is that another representative motioned to change the wording from “transnational repression” to “transnational repression by the People’s Republic of China’s on Taiwanese nationals,” explicitly pointing out China’s threat toward Taiwan.

The eight points in the resolution include: condemning ongoing transnational repression by China, urging all member parties and governments to strengthen their laws to protect people from such transnational repression, and calling all members to counter China’s political coercion aimed to silence Taiwanese.

The resolution also includes supporting Taiwan’s democratic resilience and its important role as a partner defending global democratic values, and encouraging the development of international mechanisms to monitor, prevent and respond to transnational repression.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/46147523

Archived

UN Special Procedures experts warn of an escalating wave of transnational repression by or linked to authorities in China and several Southeast Asian countries.

In joint communications to China, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), they detail at least 150 cases in which human rights defenders, dissidents, members of marginalised groups, and their family members were subjected to violence, refoulement, harassment, and intimidation by States or their proxies outside their territories.

[...]

Patterns of repression include:

Physical attacks, assassinations, and enforced disappearances: At least nine political exiles from Thailand, Cambodia and Laos have been assassinated or forcibly disappeared in neighbouring countries. Cases cited include the killing of Cambodian opposition figure Lim Kim Ya in Thailand, and the enforced disappearances of Thai dissidents Wanchalearm Satsaksit in Cambodia and Surachai Darnwattananusorn in Laos.

Refugees and dissents refouled: In violation of the principle of non-refoulement, authorities have forcibly returned refugees and asylum seekers to places where they face persecution. Thailand returned 40 Uyghur men to China after nearly 11 years in detention, and seven United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)‑recognised Cambodian opposition activists and family members to Cambodia. Laos returned Chinese human rights lawyer Lu Siwei to China, and Malaysia returned Thai dissident and asylum seeker Praphan Pipithnamporn to Thailand; both were subsequently imprisoned.

Legal harassment: Hong Kong authorities issued National Security Law arrest warrants and HKD 1 million (approximately USD 128,000) bounties for at least eight overseas activists in exile, including Anna Kwok, Carmen Lau, Ted Hui, Frances Hui, and Chloe Cheung. Vietnam further criminalised civil society by designating Montagnards Stand for Justice and Boat People SOS as terrorist entities.

Surveillance and intimidation: In the United Kingdom, associates of Hong Kong activist Carmen Lau received flyers urging them to report her to Hong Kong authorities or bring her to the Chinese Embassy, citing the bounty on her head. In Thailand, a Vietnamese security delegation, accompanied by Thai police, reportedly entered refugee communities near Bangkok to pressure Montagnard refugees to return to Vietnam.

Retaliation against families: As Hong Kong activists such as Anna Kwok, Carmen Lau, and Ted Hui continued their advocacy overseas, their relatives in Hong Kong were interrogated, arrested, or publicly shamed in state media. In Cambodia, the father of France‑based activist Sorn Dara was imprisoned on fabricated charges.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5765839

Russia has transferred a group of Ukrainian schoolchildren from the occupied town of Shakhtarsk in Donetsk region to Sakhalin Island under the pretext of “university exchange programs,” according to the Center for National Resistance (CNS) on November 23.

According to CNS, a Ukrainian government-affiliated body, the Russian authorities have launched a campaign to transport children from temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia’s Far East regions, particularly Sakhalin. The CNS claims that the initiative is aimed at cultural assimilation and demographic manipulation.

The CNS stated that the children were selected based on specific criteria, including high academic performance, participation in pro-Kremlin youth groups, and family ties to Russian military personnel.

“Russia brought a group of schoolchildren from Shakhtarsk to Sakhalin region under the guise of a ‘university session,’” the Center noted in a statement, adding that the initiative is “part of a structured colonial policy.”

Russian state media reportedly presented the trip as a form of educational exposure, introducing children to local universities and career prospects on the island. They also reported that the students attended “integration sessions” and were familiarized with the “Sakhalin mentality.”

The children, described by CNS as “handpicked for loyalty,” were given campus tours, cultural excursions, and career guidance sessions. Russian organizers reportedly framed the visit as a reward for the children of service members and a “chance to see their future.”

...

The Center also highlighted that Sakhalin and the neighboring Kuril Islands have long struggled with population decline, economic stagnation, and youth outmigration. According to CNS, this makes them strategic targets for relocation efforts.

Earlier in November, Ukraine’s Centre for National Resistance warned that Russia had launched a so-called “Siberian Development Program” to facilitate the forced relocation of Ukrainian civilians from occupied territories.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5765952

Archived version

...

[The] training is part of a longer, international training effort. It is a two-year project aimed at strengthening cybersecurity and AI skills. The majority of funding comes from the European Commission, amounting to nearly €465,000, with Estonia as a key partner contributing around €200,000. The entire project is run with Estonia's TalTech (Tallinn University of Technology) experts on site.

...

This strategic investment positions Moldova as a regional hub for training.

"Cybersecurity today is about national sovereignty," said Andres Ääremaa, ESTDEV's program manager for e-Governance and Cybersecurity. "States rely on digital data; being able to detect intrusions and defend systems is crucial for IT professionals and for a country's ability to exist independently."

...

By 2027, organizers aim to have about 100 trained specialists within national systems and dozens of young practitioners who can already apply AI tools in defense. The goal is to build capacity among students, government employees and critical-infrastructure operators.

...

I've been dabbling with selfhosting for a bit now (home assistant and nextcloud), but it's clear that I lack a fundamental understanding of networking. For example:

• I've got OpenWRT on my router, but no idea what I'm doing when it comes to firewall settings, DNS, DHCP, etc.
• I've got a domain thru Porkbun, but no idea how to properly setup my DNS settings there to route to my local machine.
• I've got NGINX running in a docker container in a VM and can get to the UI on my local network, but no idea what I'm doing wrong with my attempts at a reverse proxy.

Does anyone here have links to a good in-depth tutorial series for learning about securely selfhosting?

Russia has transferred a group of Ukrainian schoolchildren from the occupied town of Shakhtarsk in Donetsk region to Sakhalin Island under the pretext of “university exchange programs,” according to the Center for National Resistance (CNS) on November 23.

According to CNS, a Ukrainian government-affiliated body, the Russian authorities have launched a campaign to transport children from temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia’s Far East regions, particularly Sakhalin. The CNS claims that the initiative is aimed at cultural assimilation and demographic manipulation.

The CNS stated that the children were selected based on specific criteria, including high academic performance, participation in pro-Kremlin youth groups, and family ties to Russian military personnel.

“Russia brought a group of schoolchildren from Shakhtarsk to Sakhalin region under the guise of a ‘university session,’” the Center noted in a statement, adding that the initiative is “part of a structured colonial policy.”

Russian state media reportedly presented the trip as a form of educational exposure, introducing children to local universities and career prospects on the island. They also reported that the students attended “integration sessions” and were familiarized with the “Sakhalin mentality.”

The children, described by CNS as “handpicked for loyalty,” were given campus tours, cultural excursions, and career guidance sessions. Russian organizers reportedly framed the visit as a reward for the children of service members and a “chance to see their future.”

...

The Center also highlighted that Sakhalin and the neighboring Kuril Islands have long struggled with population decline, economic stagnation, and youth outmigration. According to CNS, this makes them strategic targets for relocation efforts.

Earlier in November, Ukraine’s Centre for National Resistance warned that Russia had launched a so-called “Siberian Development Program” to facilitate the forced relocation of Ukrainian civilians from occupied territories.

...

Elon Musk’s social media site X has rolled out a new feature in an effort to increase transparency—and unwittingly revealed that many of the site’s top MAGA influencers are actually foreign actors.

As the Chinese regime becomes ever more authoritarian under the leadership of Xi Jinping, Chinese nationals critical of his policies have come under increasing threat.

...

There have been two major destinations with two major journeys: one towards the US is the dangerous Darien Gap, and another into the EU through the Balkan corridor. With the closing of the Darien route, even more turn towards the EU and the Balkans.

Reasons to Leave China: Unemployment and Surveillance

Since [Xi Jinping became the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party -CCP- and thus China’s president in 2012], his increasingly hawkish leadership has expanded surveillance, which became especially extensive during the lockdowns implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The lockdowns created a sense that ordinary people who were just living their lives could somehow find themselves under heavy observation of the state or subjected to long arbitrary periods of lockdown and confinement,” says David Stroup, a lecturer of Chinese politics at the University of Manchester. He, like many other experts, argues that the repressive political climate, a worsening economy, and invasive surveillance all contribute to the new trend. Online, the term “runxue” became code for emigrating due to these issues.

...

Even after leaving, many Chinese migrants are scared to detail their lives, use their names, or seek help from Chinese embassies out of fear that their families back home would suffer the consequences of their ‘betrayal’ of the party.

...

As wealthier Chinese emigrants can afford legal routes ...those with less money and fewer options take the illegal routes; to Europe, the most popular is the Western Balkans, flying into non-EU states with looser rules and crossing illegally into Croatia or Hungary.

Most attempt crossing through Bosnia and Herzegovina, which offers 90-day visa-free stays and shares a long border with Croatia. Serbia is also a popular stopover, offering 30 days visa-free but since recognizing the pattern of migrants utilizing the visa discrepancy with the EU’s policy, it has taken steps to counter it.

Frontex recorded 10 493 illegal crossings between January and October 2025 on the Western Balkan Route. The top five nationalities crossing were Turkish (3184), Syrian (1374), Afghan (1213), Egyptian (954), and Chinese (555). The number of Chinese nationals crossing is already higher than it was for the same period last year, when the spike was first observed, and is expected to rise further.

...