New Australia Institute polling research shows most Australians, regardless of who they vote for, think cash-for access payments represent corrupt conduct. Cash-for-access describes exclusive fundraising events where companies and lobbyists pay to meet with senior party leaders.

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Japan's Finance Ministry aims to eliminate a tax break on imports for personal use as domestic retailers are undercut by the stream of shipments through Chinese e-commerce sites such as Shein and Temu.

Under an exemption adopted in 1980, the taxable value of imports for personal use is 40% lower than that of imports for sale. This means imported products covered by the provision face lower consumption taxes and tariffs compared with the same items imported by retailers.

An imported overseas product priced at 30,000 yen ($195) and declared for personal use would be subject to taxes for only 18,000 yen of the value. With Japan's consumption tax rate of 10%, the importer would pay 1,800 yen. But a domestic retailer importing the item would face a consumption tax of 3,000 yen.

This exemption also applies when individuals in Japan buy products from overseas through e-commerce sites. The exemption is considered one reason that e-retailers such as Temu and Shein are able to sell products at low prices.

[...]

Scary shit

Do you and your human family have interest in sharing an exciting IRL experience supporting your [team of choice] with other human fans at The Big Game? In that case, don the chosen color of your [team of choice] and head to the local [iconic stadium]; Ticketmaster has exciting ticket deals, and soon you and your human family can look as happy and excited as these virtual avatars:

Ticketmaster's personalized AI slop ads are a glimpse at the future of social media advertising, a harbinger of system that Mark Zuckerberg described last week in a Meta earnings call. This future is one where AI is used both for ad targeting and for ad generation; eventually ads are going to be hyperpersonalized to individual users, further siloing the social media experience: "Advertisers are increasingly just going to be able to give us a business objective and give us a credit card or bank account, and have the AI system basically figure out everything else that’s necessary, including generating video or different types of creative that might resonate with different people that are personalized in different ways, finding who the right customers are,” Zuckerberg said.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/52372344

https://archive.is/gpak6

Changxing facility is now the world’s biggest purified terephthalic acid (PTA) producer. China, meanwhile, has gone from being a net importer of the stuff a decade ago to being the dominant supplier, accounting for more than 60% of global production. Faced with stiff competition, companies in Canada, Europe and Japan have all reduced their PTA output, or stopped making it.

The chemicals sector is known as “the industry of industries” because its products feed into all manner of goods. PTA is just one chemical, but China’s dominance spreads across many more. And it is only increasing. Officials from Washington to Brussels are focused on rare earths; they overlook chemicals at their peril. Changxing, meanwhile, is moving ahead: a new government plan calls for the island to upgrade into more specialised chemical products. Catching up with China is hard enough—and it is not a stationary target.

Precise locations and revealing movement patterns: the mobile phone location data of millions of people in the EU is up for sale. Collected supposedly only for advertising purposes, this data can also be used for espionage. European data protection is failing – even top EU officials in Brussels are affected. The EU Commission says: ‚We are concerned.“

Even AI has doubts about the claim that '80% of ransomware attacks are AI-driven'

Yes, that's Cotton.

cross-posted from: https://discuss.tchncs.de/post/48228755

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/52371229

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/52371229

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/52369939

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/45104818

An investigation into allegations that Sheffield Hallam University faced sustained pressure from China to shut down human rights research has been referred to counter-terrorism police.

[Media have] been reporting that documents show that China had waged a two-year campaign of intimidation and harassment, including demands the university stop sensitive research by one of its professors into claims of forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said the force has referred the investigation on because the "allegations fall under Section 3 of the National Security Act".

Section 3 of the act deals with "assisting a foreign intelligence service".

An offence is committed if someone behaves in a way that "intends that conduct to materially assist a foreign intelligence service in carrying out UK-related activities," or in conduct likely to assist that service.

Internal documents from Sheffield Hallam University were released under a Subject Access Request to Professor Laura Murphy, whose research is alleged to have been targeted.

They showed university staff in China had been threatened by individuals identified as being from China's National Security Service, who demanded the research by Prof Murphy taking place in Sheffield be shut down.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/45104818

An investigation into allegations that Sheffield Hallam University faced sustained pressure from China to shut down human rights research has been referred to counter-terrorism police.

[Media have] been reporting that documents show that China had waged a two-year campaign of intimidation and harassment, including demands the university stop sensitive research by one of its professors into claims of forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said the force has referred the investigation on because the "allegations fall under Section 3 of the National Security Act".

Section 3 of the act deals with "assisting a foreign intelligence service".

An offence is committed if someone behaves in a way that "intends that conduct to materially assist a foreign intelligence service in carrying out UK-related activities," or in conduct likely to assist that service.

Internal documents from Sheffield Hallam University were released under a Subject Access Request to Professor Laura Murphy, whose research is alleged to have been targeted.

They showed university staff in China had been threatened by individuals identified as being from China's National Security Service, who demanded the research by Prof Murphy taking place in Sheffield be shut down.

[...]

Do I look like I know what a gay peg jizz?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/52368806

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/45104150

Sarah El Haïry, the French government’s High Commissioner for Children, said on Monday that she wanted authorities to investigate whether any children might be at risk in the homes of buyers of what she called “paedocriminal objects”.

“These dolls are training tools for predators – and unfortunately, sometimes the first step before moving on to actual abuse,” she said in an interview with BFMTV.

“When you buy something as vile as this, there’s a heightened risk of acting out. That means children nearby could be in danger, and they must be protected.”

El Haïry urged online platforms to share information about customers who have purchased such dolls, to allow authorities to carry out checks where needed. “We need to follow the chain right through – from suppliers to the men who keep these horrors in their homes, sometimes with children sleeping in the next room,” she said. “Enough is enough. These are not ordinary objects.”

[...]

Sarah El Haïry, the French government’s High Commissioner for Children, said on Monday that she wanted authorities to investigate whether any children might be at risk in the homes of buyers of what she called “paedocriminal objects”.

“These dolls are training tools for predators – and unfortunately, sometimes the first step before moving on to actual abuse,” she said in an interview with BFMTV.

“When you buy something as vile as this, there’s a heightened risk of acting out. That means children nearby could be in danger, and they must be protected.”

El Haïry urged online platforms to share information about customers who have purchased such dolls, to allow authorities to carry out checks where needed. “We need to follow the chain right through – from suppliers to the men who keep these horrors in their homes, sometimes with children sleeping in the next room,” she said. “Enough is enough. These are not ordinary objects.”

[...]