...

On 19 November 2025, the Commission is set to propose two new digital laws: the Digital Omnibus, which will amend multiple existing laws in one go. These would be accompanied by a ‘digital fitness check’, an evaluation led by the European Commission that will assess the effectiveness of current EU consumer protection laws in the digital environment. The evaluation will lay out a future roadmap for even more digital deregulation – with dozens of other laws designed to ensure platform accountability and protection people online reportedly being considered for the chop.

...

The cornerstones of human rights in the digital age – the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ePrivacy framework – are set to be significantly weakened exposing all of us to abuses of our personal data and unchecked tracking online. And the AI Act, which hasn’t even fully come into force, would be stripped down of already inadequate protections, whilst vital provisions – like penalties – are delayed. All these steps would punish the companies that want legal certainty and to play by the EU’s rules, while rewarding those that want to ‘innovate’ with our rights, freedoms, and natural resources.

...

Along with 126 civil society and union organisations, [the European Digital Rights Group EDRi] urges the Commission to course-correct by halting the Digital Omnnibus plans. Collectively, we further urge them to respect the EU’s democratic mechanisms and to fight powerful actors who do not want to play by the EU’s rules. “The EU’s tech policy framework is the best defence we have against digital exploitation and surveillance by both domestic and foreign actors”, [EDRi] warns.

...

[Edit for typo.]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/55055391

36-year-old of no fixed address let passengers on and off at bus stops

Andrej Babiš, the self-proclaimed “Trumpist” billionaire who won last month’s Czech election, has refused to sell his huge business empire, but insisted he will resolve a conflict of interest that threatens to bar him from becoming prime minister.

Babiš, whose ANO party finished a comfortable first in the October vote but failed to secure a majority in parliament, said in a social media post on Thursday he would not sell his Agrofert farming, food processing and chemicals conglomerate.

“I have repeatedly said I will never sell Agrofert. I have repeatedly said I will resolve the conflict of interest in accordance with Czech and European laws,” Babiš, whose net worth is estimated $3.9bn (£2.9bn), said. “This is not like selling a roll in a bakery.”

Here what von der Leyen said:

"When the current budget was negotiated, we thought AI would only approach human reasoning around 2050. Now we expect this to happen already next year."

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_25_1284

The letter asks the President to retract the statement, diligently evaluate marketing claims of AI products and seek impartial scientific evidence in the future.

"Citizens already face AI harms: discrimination, privacy-violations, psychological and environmental harms. Instead of effectively addressing these harms and stopping companies from exploiting workers and stealing creative work, the President is promoting AI hype that serves these companies."

“Leaders of EU institutions have a responsibility to citizens. By promoting AI hype in the midst of a dangerous bubble, the European Commission risks proposing harmful policies, wasting public funds and being complicit in AI harms.">

https://amazonrestore.codeberg.page/volunteer/finca-del-soul/

(I've never actually seen a passionfruit vine like this, so I find it fascinating.)

Researchers say they finally understand the connection between the autoimmune disease and Epstein-Barr virus.

One of the most common viruses in the world could be the cause of lupus, an autoimmune disease with wide-ranging symptoms, according to a study published Wednesday.

Until now, lupus was somewhat mysterious: No single root cause of the disease had been found, and there is no designated treatment for it. 

The research, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, suggests that Epstein-Barr virus — which 95% of people acquire at some point in life — could cause lupus by driving the body to attack its own healthy cells.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41719386

"France's BBC reported that Taiwan donated eight billion euros (US$9.2 billion) so the vice president can go up and spout nonsense for 20 minutes," reads a Threads post written in traditional Chinese and shared November 9, 2025.

"Using it for cash handouts would surely be better than just standing there spouting empty words!"

The featured photo shows Hsiao speaking in the European Parliament, overlaid with Chinese text that reads: "Venue: rented by me; conference: sponsored by me; reputation: went to me; expenses: paid for by the people."

...

The post surfaced after Hsiao travelled to Brussels to address the summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an organisation composed of lawmakers from various countries.

Taiwan's Central News Agency called the address "historic", saying Hsiao was the first Taiwanese vice president to deliver a speech in a European parliament while in office (archived link).

During her speech, she urged Europe to boost security and trade ties with the self-ruled island and support its democracy in the face of growing threats from China (archived link).

...

The Chinese mission to the European Union slammed IPAC for letting Hsiao take the stage, saying in a statement on November 8 that her appearance "seriously erodes the political mutual trust" between Beijing and the bloc (archived link).

The claim that Taiwan donated billions to IPAC was also shared on Facebook, with some social media users criticising the Taiwanese government for supposedly wasting public funds.

...

Taiwanese authorities and IPAC separately dismissed the posts, which were earlier debunked by news organisations Taiwan FactCheck Center and MyGoPen (archived here and here).

"This is a malicious rumour and has been handed over to the police for investigation in accordance with the law," Taiwan's presidential office spokesperson Karen Kuo wrote on her Threads account on November 10 (archived link).

"The IPAC invitation was relayed through our foreign mission, and the vice president attended upon invitation."

Two men are under investigation for spreading the claims (archived link).

Taiwan's representative office in France has similarly refuted the allegation in a statement shared on Facebook on November 9 (archived link).

"We appreciate everyone's confidence in Taiwan's financial strength, but the imagination is higher than the Eiffel Tower," the office said, reminding people to fact-check before sharing posts on social media.

...

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41718801

Archived link

• The EU lacks a clear “China conditionality” in its enlargement policy with Western Balkan countries—that is, defining and implementing conditions for candidates to engage with China—and the topic of China remains largely absent from accession talks.
• The EU’s own hesitant China policy is in part to blame. The union’s official stance of balancing cooperation and rivalry no longer reflects EU actions in practice, which lean towards confrontation.
• As membership talks stall, China’s influence in the Western Balkans grows, raising fears that new member states could act as promoters of Chinese interests and veto actions against Beijing in the EU.
• The EU must clarify its China policy and embed it as a clear conditionality in the accession process.

...

In 2021, one instance of China’s involvement in the Western Balkans set off the EU’s alarm bells: Montenegro was heading towards financial collapse after a huge loan from China’s Exim Bank for a controversial highway project swelled into a debt mountain—at one point topping a third of the country’s annual budget. The EU sprang into action. It rapidly mapped developments on the ground, strengthened its China teams and eventually stepped in to prevent Montenegro from falling into debt bondage with China.

The episode was a wake-up call for the EU on Beijing’s expanding footprint in the bloc’s periphery. Yet, four years later, the EU still does not have a clear “China conditionality” for EU aspirant countries, and the topic of China remains noticeably absent from formal accession talks. The void is made larger by the EU’s own hesitant and ambiguous China policy.

More than two decades since the EU granted a perspective for membership to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, accession seems to have drifted ever farther from sight. What was once a time-bound political and institutional effort with a clear goal has shifted into an open-ended, multi-generational journey buffeted by geopolitical headwinds and mounting frustration.

...

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41718801

Archived link

• The EU lacks a clear “China conditionality” in its enlargement policy with Western Balkan countries—that is, defining and implementing conditions for candidates to engage with China—and the topic of China remains largely absent from accession talks.
• The EU’s own hesitant China policy is in part to blame. The union’s official stance of balancing cooperation and rivalry no longer reflects EU actions in practice, which lean towards confrontation.
• As membership talks stall, China’s influence in the Western Balkans grows, raising fears that new member states could act as promoters of Chinese interests and veto actions against Beijing in the EU.
• The EU must clarify its China policy and embed it as a clear conditionality in the accession process.

...

In 2021, one instance of China’s involvement in the Western Balkans set off the EU’s alarm bells: Montenegro was heading towards financial collapse after a huge loan from China’s Exim Bank for a controversial highway project swelled into a debt mountain—at one point topping a third of the country’s annual budget. The EU sprang into action. It rapidly mapped developments on the ground, strengthened its China teams and eventually stepped in to prevent Montenegro from falling into debt bondage with China.

The episode was a wake-up call for the EU on Beijing’s expanding footprint in the bloc’s periphery. Yet, four years later, the EU still does not have a clear “China conditionality” for EU aspirant countries, and the topic of China remains noticeably absent from formal accession talks. The void is made larger by the EU’s own hesitant and ambiguous China policy.

More than two decades since the EU granted a perspective for membership to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, accession seems to have drifted ever farther from sight. What was once a time-bound political and institutional effort with a clear goal has shifted into an open-ended, multi-generational journey buffeted by geopolitical headwinds and mounting frustration.

...

People who can't get laid because they fall asleep too easily

MARVEL Cosmic Invasion launches December 1st on Steam, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox consoles!

In this new devlog, the team at Tribute Games discusses how they built on Marvel’s legacy with arcade games, and  modernized the classic Beat Em Up gameplay while preserving the retro pixel art style that defines their signature look to craft a fresh and dynamic experience for players of all generations!

Je ne peux pas oublier les photos des otages palestiniens morts sous la torture

Où sont l’indignation et même la couverture médiatique des corps mutilés de Palestiniens, aux jambes broyées et à la tête criblée de balles, que les Israéliens ont finalement rendus dans le cadre de cet accord de « cessez-le-feu » ?

extrait:
"J’ai obtenu des photos de certains des corps palestiniens qui ont été rendus – des photos que j’aurais préféré ne pas voir et que je ne peux plus oublier.

Il était clair qu’Israël avait torturé, maltraité et exécuté de nombreux Palestiniens qu’il avait enlevés à Gaza. Sur une photo, les jambes d’un homme étaient écrasées, probablement par un char israélien, tandis que son cou portait des traces de pendaison.

Cela correspond à ce que les soldats israéliens ont ouvertement déclaré avoir fait pendant plus d’un an. "

suite ici:

https://www.chroniquepalestine.com/je-ne-peux-pas-oublier-photos-otages-palestiniens-morts-sous-torture/

#palestine
#gaza
#genocideInGaza
#stopTorture
#zionistsTorturePalestinianPrisoners

@fedipourgaza
@palestine

As Keir Starmer announces SMRs to be built in Wales, US ambassador says Britain should choose ‘a different path’

Keir Starmer has announced that the UK’s first small modular nuclear reactors will be built in north Wales – but immediately faced a backlash from Donald Trump’s administration after it pushed for a US manufacturer to be chosen.

Wylfa on the island of Anglesey, or Ynys Môn, will be home to three small modular reactors (SMRs) to be built by British manufacturer Rolls-Royce SMR. The government said it will invest £2.5bn.

SMRs are a new – and untested – technology aiming to produce nuclear power stations in factories to drive down costs and speed up installation. Rolls-Royce plans to build reactors, each capable of generating 470 megawatts of power, mainly in Derby.

Summary

-Ethiopia wins backing of African nations, seeing off Nigeria

-Host role gives Ethiopia influence over outcomes and agenda

-COP31 remains a contest between Turkey and Australia with Pacific Islands

If you're 21 you're straight busted. If you're 22 you're complete chopped unc