cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5469095

Archived version

Labour has been accused of ignoring Chinese influence at British universities.

Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, wrote to Bridget Phillipson on Monday claiming that failure to tackle Beijing’s influence at universities was “part of a worrying wider pattern with this Government: when China calls, the Government heeds”.

She accused the Education Secretary of turning a blind eye to the issue after an academic was ordered to cease research about human rights abuses.

In her letter to the Education Secretary, Ms Trott said: “Chinese interference is undeniably taking place. Professors are being leant on, and vital research is being silenced. What will you do, beyond implementing the Conservatives’ Free Speech Act in full, to ensure that academic freedom is protected on our campuses?” Sheffield Hallam University was forced to apologise to one of its professors on Monday after it ordered her to halt her work on allegations of forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China.

...

Chinese research institute confirms success of fission-based innovation that is poised to reshape clean, sustainable nuclear power.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5469095

Archived version

Labour has been accused of ignoring Chinese influence at British universities.

Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, wrote to Bridget Phillipson on Monday claiming that failure to tackle Beijing’s influence at universities was “part of a worrying wider pattern with this Government: when China calls, the Government heeds”.

She accused the Education Secretary of turning a blind eye to the issue after an academic was ordered to cease research about human rights abuses.

In her letter to the Education Secretary, Ms Trott said: “Chinese interference is undeniably taking place. Professors are being leant on, and vital research is being silenced. What will you do, beyond implementing the Conservatives’ Free Speech Act in full, to ensure that academic freedom is protected on our campuses?” Sheffield Hallam University was forced to apologise to one of its professors on Monday after it ordered her to halt her work on allegations of forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China.

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5469095

Archived version

Labour has been accused of ignoring Chinese influence at British universities.

Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, wrote to Bridget Phillipson on Monday claiming that failure to tackle Beijing’s influence at universities was “part of a worrying wider pattern with this Government: when China calls, the Government heeds”.

She accused the Education Secretary of turning a blind eye to the issue after an academic was ordered to cease research about human rights abuses.

In her letter to the Education Secretary, Ms Trott said: “Chinese interference is undeniably taking place. Professors are being leant on, and vital research is being silenced. What will you do, beyond implementing the Conservatives’ Free Speech Act in full, to ensure that academic freedom is protected on our campuses?” Sheffield Hallam University was forced to apologise to one of its professors on Monday after it ordered her to halt her work on allegations of forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China.

...

What if you could buy off the shelf a box based on #opensource software and hardware that you could plug into your internet connection. You could connect to via Wifi and it would allow an average person to fairly easily configure, via a guided setup, a self hosted Cloud Drive, Social Media server, home automation service, VPN end point, email server and other commonly useful software?

What if that box allowed that person's friends to authenticate and to that box and link a box they own, either close by or remotely. It could extend connectivity and estabilish a chain of trus, provide a level of encrypted backup of content from that box and make assertions about the users on that box such as - This user account is owned by this person, this user account is over 18?

This is a dream. I know I'm rambling. #openwrt, #yunohost, #seflhost, #chainoftrust, #fediverse

The world-first ban prohibits anyone born after Jan. 1, 2007, from ever buying, using or smoking tobacco.

The Maldives has become the first country in the world to impose a generational smoking ban, barring anyone born after Jan. 1, 2007, from ever smoking, purchasing or using tobacco.

“The ban applies to all forms of tobacco, and retailers are required to verify age prior to sale,” the health ministry said Saturday as the ban came into effect.

The step “makes the Maldives the first country in the world to enforce a nationwide generational tobacco ban,” it added.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/45141913

Archived

[...]

Dr Laura Murphy, of Sheffield Hallam University, has now secured a “pledge to protect her academic freedom” after internal documents revealed the university had banned her from continuing research on forced labour, including into supply chains in China’s critical minerals and advanced technology sectors. 

It came after pressure from the Chinese government which saw the university’s website blocked in the country, limiting its ability to recruit students.

[...]

A professor at the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice at SHU, Professor Murphy has published numerous reports on the links between forced labour in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and global supply chains in industries including cotton, solar panels and car manufacture. Murphy is recognised globally for her work on forced labour and contemporary slavery. 

Professor Laura Murphy said:  “We cannot have UK universities acting as the long arm of the PRC [People's Republic of China] government, assisting it in its attempts to silence criticism of its crimes against the Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hong Kongers, and others. We have to recognise that as long as UK universities are so desperately underfunded, however, they will always be vulnerable to this kind of influence.

“The PRC’s human rights violations in the Uyghur Region continue unabated, and it’s imperative that the academic community persist in conducting rigorous research that sheds light on what is happening.

“Now that the university has given me the greenlight to continue my research, I’m looking forward to pursuing new projects on emerging technology and critical infrastructure supply chains affected by Uyghur forced labour.”

[...]

A spokesperson for Sheffield Hallam University said: “The University’s decision to not continue with Professor Laura Murphy’s research was taken based on our understanding of a complex set of circumstances at the time, including being unable to secure the necessary professional indemnity insurance.

“Following a review, we have since approved Professor Murphy’s latest research and are committed to supporting her to undertake and disseminate this important work.

“We have apologised to Professor Murphy and wish to make clear our commitment to supporting her research and to securing and promoting freedom of speech and academic freedom within the law. Professor Murphy’s research remains available on our website.

“We will uphold and, where required, robustly defend the academic freedom of our staff in accordance with legislation.

A very interesting, take on the past and present of the ALP from John Menadue.

Government ministers have confirmed they are considering measures to move homeless people out of Auckland's city centre - but the exact details remain unclear.

Asked for more details, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said he had been tasked with ensuring police had the tools they needed to tackle public disorder.

"It's blindingly obvious to everybody that the CBD, particularly of Auckland, but a lot of places, have been characterised by disorder and real concern around public safety," Goldsmith said. "We're open to some new suggestions in that area."

Asked specifically whether he would consider a ban on rough sleeping, Goldsmith said: "We're working our way through those issues... when we've got something to announce, we'll announce that."

DHS rule would expand biometric collection to immigrants and some citizens linked to them

Microsoft has deprecated SmartScreen on Internet Explorer and IE Mode within Windows 11. It has also issued some recommendations for administrators about the issue.

Chat of comment suggestions in reddit's relationship advice sub. Shows break up increasing over years

My Ducks are back

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/45138397

Online retail platforms Shein, Temu, AliExpress and Wish are being investigated in France for alleged rule breaches that include minors being able to access pornographic content via their marketplaces, the Paris prosecutor said on Tuesday.

China's Shein will open its first-ever permanent shop in the BHV department store in central Paris on Wednesday, but French Finance Minister Roland Lescure threatened a countrywide ban of the brand after a consumer watchdog spotted child-like sex dolls sold on its marketplace.

[...]

Online retail platforms Shein, Temu, AliExpress and Wish are being investigated in France for alleged rule breaches that include minors being able to access pornographic content via their marketplaces, the Paris prosecutor said on Tuesday.

China's Shein will open its first-ever permanent shop in the BHV department store in central Paris on Wednesday, but French Finance Minister Roland Lescure threatened a countrywide ban of the brand after a consumer watchdog spotted child-like sex dolls sold on its marketplace.

[...]

I have set an Arr stack with qBittorrent utilizing SOCKS5 server set in another country. Am I still under surveillance if I use my local IP address to download .torrent files or use magnet links?

The investor who bet against the US housing market in the run-up to the 2007 financial crisis has now placed a significant wager on the collapse of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5467408

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general Mike Burgess used the 2025 Lowy Lecture to reveal how the nation was facing an unprecedented number of threats to social cohesion, including Russian trolls, neo-Nazis, Islamists, extreme anti-Israel activists and hostile state actors.

...

While Mr Burgess would not identify which countries were capable of carrying out a domestic assassination plot, he said they were effectively "on notice".

Asked why he did not mention Beijing specifically in his speech as he did in previous appearances, Mr Burgess quipped: "How do you know I wasn't talking about things China did in my remarks today?"

"[My] second response is, we all spy on each other, but we don't conduct wholesale intellectual property theft. We don't actually interfere in political systems and we don't undertake high-harm activity."

Mr Burgess went on to say he found it strange that when he had previously publicly identified China, Beijing's representatives had often complained to numerous members of government but never to him directly.

"[I] will continue to call them out when I need to," he said.

"This evening I didn't, primarily because I was talking about things that tear at our social fabric. And at the extreme end of that, that isn't China, although we do have some concerns there too."

...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/5467471

Archived version

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos in Brussels on Tuesday presented the European Commission’s annual Enlargement Package, its report on the progress of EU candidate countries, which contained strong criticism for Serbia but praise for its Balkan neighbour Montenegro.

“In Serbia, the authorities continue to declare EU membership as their strategic goal but the actual pace of implementation of reforms has slowed down significantly. While some recent positive developments are noted, Serbia needs to deliver on credible reforms, most importantly in the area of fundamentals,” Kos said.

She said that in order to progress towards membership, Serbia needs “urgently reverse the backsliding on freedom of expression, on freedom of academia, as well as ensure progress on the electoral framework”.

She added that Serbian politicains needs to curb hostile rhetoric against the EU and the European Parliament, saying that disinformation about the EU being behind the current anti-government protests in the country could cost Serbia dear.

“I can’t hear any more politicians from Serbia accusing the EU of standing behind what’s happening in Serbia. I will fight so that this disinformation stops. Otherwise, there will be consequences,” she said during the debate that followed the presentation of the Enlargement Package.

...

In contrast to her tough words for Serbia, Kos said Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine had made “significant advances on the EU path”, adding that Montenegro “could be the first [of them] in the EU.

“Montenegro is the most advanced and has made significant progress towards EU accession, and it is at the same time, the most prepared country,” Kos said.

Albania has also made clear progress in harmonising its laws with the EU’s body of legislation over the past year, she added.

“This outstanding result is a clear recognition of the firm political commitment of Albania and the clear EU aspirations of its society – 91 per cent of citizens are supporting EU membership,” she said.

Regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kos noted that it faced political tensions and a stalemate in the reform process. However, on September 25, Bosnia submitted its reform agenda to the Commission, following recent changes in the Serb-led Republika Srpska entity.

“The country now has an opportunity to progress on its EU path with, in the first place, the adoption of judicial reform laws and a department of chief negotiator,” Kos said.

She noted that North Macedonia had kept its full alignment with EU foreign policy but “has not taken decisive steps to advance in the accession negotiations process over the last year”. Required constitutional amendments have not been adopted yet.

Kosovo, meanwhile, remained committed to its European future, Kos said. “But progress was stalled by domestic politics, notably by elections [in February] and a protracted political deadlock afterwards.” Kosovo still does not have a government, nearly nine months on.

...

Archived version

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos in Brussels on Tuesday presented the European Commission’s annual Enlargement Package, its report on the progress of EU candidate countries, which contained strong criticism for Serbia but praise for its Balkan neighbour Montenegro.

“In Serbia, the authorities continue to declare EU membership as their strategic goal but the actual pace of implementation of reforms has slowed down significantly. While some recent positive developments are noted, Serbia needs to deliver on credible reforms, most importantly in the area of fundamentals,” Kos said.

She said that in order to progress towards membership, Serbia needs “urgently reverse the backsliding on freedom of expression, on freedom of academia, as well as ensure progress on the electoral framework”.

She added that Serbian politicains needs to curb hostile rhetoric against the EU and the European Parliament, saying that disinformation about the EU being behind the current anti-government protests in the country could cost Serbia dear.

“I can’t hear any more politicians from Serbia accusing the EU of standing behind what’s happening in Serbia. I will fight so that this disinformation stops. Otherwise, there will be consequences,” she said during the debate that followed the presentation of the Enlargement Package.

...

In contrast to her tough words for Serbia, Kos said Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine had made “significant advances on the EU path”, adding that Montenegro “could be the first [of them] in the EU.

“Montenegro is the most advanced and has made significant progress towards EU accession, and it is at the same time, the most prepared country,” Kos said.

Albania has also made clear progress in harmonising its laws with the EU’s body of legislation over the past year, she added.

“This outstanding result is a clear recognition of the firm political commitment of Albania and the clear EU aspirations of its society – 91 per cent of citizens are supporting EU membership,” she said.

Regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kos noted that it faced political tensions and a stalemate in the reform process. However, on September 25, Bosnia submitted its reform agenda to the Commission, following recent changes in the Serb-led Republika Srpska entity.

“The country now has an opportunity to progress on its EU path with, in the first place, the adoption of judicial reform laws and a department of chief negotiator,” Kos said.

She noted that North Macedonia had kept its full alignment with EU foreign policy but “has not taken decisive steps to advance in the accession negotiations process over the last year”. Required constitutional amendments have not been adopted yet.

Kosovo, meanwhile, remained committed to its European future, Kos said. “But progress was stalled by domestic politics, notably by elections [in February] and a protracted political deadlock afterwards.” Kosovo still does not have a government, nearly nine months on.

...

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general Mike Burgess used the 2025 Lowy Lecture to reveal how the nation was facing an unprecedented number of threats to social cohesion, including Russian trolls, neo-Nazis, Islamists, extreme anti-Israel activists and hostile state actors.

...

While Mr Burgess would not identify which countries were capable of carrying out a domestic assassination plot, he said they were effectively "on notice".

Asked why he did not mention Beijing specifically in his speech as he did in previous appearances, Mr Burgess quipped: "How do you know I wasn't talking about things China did in my remarks today?"

"[My] second response is, we all spy on each other, but we don't conduct wholesale intellectual property theft. We don't actually interfere in political systems and we don't undertake high-harm activity."

Mr Burgess went on to say he found it strange that when he had previously publicly identified China, Beijing's representatives had often complained to numerous members of government but never to him directly.

"[I] will continue to call them out when I need to," he said.

"This evening I didn't, primarily because I was talking about things that tear at our social fabric. And at the extreme end of that, that isn't China, although we do have some concerns there too."

...

By authorizing this assessment, Walters signed off on a conservative and far-right political organization having a say in which prospective teachers from out of state receive their Oklahoma teaching licenses.