When Anthony Joshua made his professional debut against Emmanuel Leo in 2013, fresh from Olympic gold in London, the boxing world treated it like the start of a coronation.

At roughly the same time, a 16-year-old prankster from Ohio named Jake Paul was posting six-second Vine videos - chatting to pineapples in supermarkets and climbing into strangers' shopping trolleys for a laugh.

More than a decade later, through wildly different routes, the pair have arrived at the same place.

This Friday, in Miami, they will share a ring in a professional heavyweight contest that still feels faintly unreal.

https://yewtu.be/watch?v=3nF3j3bK35M

Everyone wants a piece of the Bondi massacre, it seems. I took a look at some of those factions and the things they've done in the wake of the tragedy. After the clown show, I have a chat about the conclusions I've come to.

---

thank you

Tom Tanuki
Shared December 18, 2025

The startling rise in unrest reflects the increasing pressures in China’s economy, particularly on low-paid workers. For decades, people have flocked from China’s countryside to booming cities to chase dreams, opportunities and incomes that could transform their lives and those of their families back home.

But as China’s development enters a new era of slower growth and the country battles “involution” – a downward spiral in the economy that means people have to work longer hours for less pay – many of those internal migrants are giving up on their big city dreams.

The pressure comes from two directions.

Firstly, struggling local governments, which collectively are estimated to be saddled with at least 44tn yuan ($6.2tn) of debt, need money for public services and to pay salaries. This incentivises local officials to seize land. Even though the property sector has plummeted the seized land can still be used as collateral to get new loans – despite their eye-watering levels of existing debt.

Secondly, another trend that has the potential to foment dissatisfaction in China’s rolling countryside is the return of migrant workers from China’s cities. While there is no official data on this trend, anecdotes abound. Hengyang county in south China’s Hunan province saw around 183,000 workers return home for this year’s Spring Festival, with more than 40,000 of them staying there, according to one recently published paper.

Ever since I was a young pig

I pooped upon my balls

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/47560941

Archived

[...]

The Lai verdict represents not merely a continuation of this judicial function [of courts serving an autocratic regime] but a new low. The Court of First Instance departed from political impartiality by adopting politicized language against Lai – and by extension, Hong Kong’s entire pro-democracy movement.

The verdict claims Lai’s trial is not a “trial for his political views and he is free to hold whatever views he likes on politics.” Yet its substance overwhelmingly associates his guilt with political speeches and actions. The opening paragraphs stigmatize Lai’s character with loaded language: his “rabid hatred of the CCP” (Chinese Communist Party), his “deep resentment,” his “obsession to change CCP’s values to those of the Western worlds and counterbalance China’s influence.”

The court describes him as “poisoning the minds of his readers” through “venomous assertions” in the Apple Daily. The verdict traces Lai’s origins in Hong Kong – a story of displacement from mainland China shared by many Hong Kongers – to paint a picture of a man motivated by hatred rather than principle.

[...]

Jimmy Lai’s conviction is not merely a personal tragedy for a man who may die in prison. It declares that in today’s Hong Kong, voices of political dissent will be criminalized, international engagement seeking accountability for the domestic government will be punished, and courts will be deployed to endorse manipulated information and legitimize repression.

Beijing and its proxies have long portrayed Lai as a criminal; now they have a judicial stamp to cite. The global community must recognize this verdict for what it is: not a milestone of justice or common law jurisprudence, but cognitive warfare by judicial means.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/43915876

Web archive link

The government must stop “dragging its heels” over whether to add China to the enhanced tier of its threat regime, the parliamentary intelligence watchdog has warned.

The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) – made up of senior MPs and peers – flagged several areas of the National Security Act where there are “unresolved issues” in its annual report.

The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) came into force in July and requires anyone carrying out “political influence activities” on behalf of a foreign power to register with the government or face prosecution.

...

Russia and Iran are on the enhanced tier, which requires anyone working for those states to declare any activity, not just political work.

Adding China to it would mean people carrying out work in the UK under Beijing’s instruction would need to register with the government.

“Given the extent of the threat posed by China (as identified in the committee’s 2023 China Report), and particularly that of its interference operations, we are concerned to see the government dragging its heels on this decision,” the ISC wrote.

The report acknowledged that “dexterity” is required to “balance the tension between security and prosperity”.

But it said it had previously found the government “reluctant to prioritise security considerations” when it comes to China.

...

Security minister Dan Jarvis said the decision [to add China to the enhanced tier of its threat regime] was under “very close review” when he was asked recently why China had not been placed in the top tier.

...

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/40525859

We successfully plugged the hole in the ozone layer that was discovered in the 1980s by banning ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). But, it seems we might be unintentionally creating another potential atmospheric calamity by using the upper atmosphere to destroy huge constellations of satellites after a very short (i.e. 5 year) lifetime.

According to a new paper by Leonard Schulz of the Technical University of Braunschweig and his co-authors, material from satellites that burn up in the atmosphere, especially transition metals, could have unforeseen consequences on atmospheric chemistry—and we're now the biggest contributor of some of those elements.

It's been a long time coming that we would be though—Earth has plenty of other material spread through its upper atmosphere via meteorites burning up. In fact, even now, according to the paper, the total mass of material injected into the atmosphere from rockets and satellites is only about 7% of the mass of meteors that hit Earth annually. However, since rockets and satellites are primarily made up of metals, whereas meteors are primarily made up of silicates, the amount of metal we inject into the atmosphere is around 16% that of natural causes.

That may not sound like much, but for a few particular elements it's much, much higher. In 2015, anthropogenic (i.e. human-made) sources were the highest contributor to 18 different elements in the atmosphere. In 2024, that number jumped to 24 different elements. That could grow to as many as 30 different elements that will be the primary reason for their increased levels in the atmosphere in the coming decades.

[...]

The paper itself: Space waste: An update of the anthropogenic matter injection into Earth atmosphere

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/43914993

Archive link

Pina Picierno is Italian, but Ukraine is everywhere in her vice president's office at the European Parliament in Brussels. Awards resting on the window ledge recognize her fight "for freedom and democracy in Ukraine," like the one she received in 2022 from the Istituto Affari Internazionali, an Italian think tank. There are books and novels devoted to Russia and its unfortunate neighbor, invaded by Kremlin troops in February 2022 and struggling ever since not to be carved up and subjugated. There is also a curious painting, a gift from Ukrainian army veterans, depicting their country's yellow and blue trident, into which real bullets have been embedded.

But what visitors do not notice at first glance is the small red button beneath the meeting table: a "panic button" meant to alert the Parliament security teams in case of danger or intrusion. The surveillance camera at the entrance, filming comings and goings, is just as discreet. Whenever she leaves the building, the MEP is always accompanied by a police escort. "I can't just wake up and go for a walk or suddenly decide to see a film," she said on Friday, December 12. "But there are people who risk far more than I do. Ukrainians, in their trenches, are under bombardment to defend their freedom."

...

For months, Picierno has lost count of the death threats she has received in the mail and in her email inbox. She has been the target of intimidation near her home in Belgium – incidents she does not want to discuss in detail so as not to interfere with the ongoing investigation. In January, pro-Russian activists distributed leaflets in Bologna, Italy, comparing her to Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler's propaganda minister. Does she see Russia's hand behind these acts? "Yes," she replied simply, her face tense.

One episode in particular has fueled Moscow's anger in recent months. In early March, Vladimir Soloviev, a star host on the Russian state television channel Rossiya 1, was invited to appear on a television program in Italy on the channel Rai 3. Picierno publicly protested against this red-carpet treatment for "one of the Kremlin's main propagandists," who has been under European Union sanctions since 2022. "Italian public broadcasting cannot in any way serve as a megaphone for Russian disinformation," she warned on X.

Her efforts paid off: Soloviev's invitation was revoked. Furious, he lashed out with insults on his show on Rossiya 1. "Her mouth stinks of tyranny," he said – in Italian – referring to the MEP, whom he called a "dirty beast, a disgrace to the human race." Internet trolls then harassed her. The barrage was so relentless that she quickly stopped paying attention. But the escalation reached such a level that in June, the Italian government decided to place her under police protection.

...

The Italian is not the only European lawmaker facing pressure from Moscow since the war in Ukraine began nearly four years ago. "There are several of us being targeted by death threats – I myself regularly receive them on social media or by email," said French MEP Nathalie Loiseau (Renew Europe). She recounted how her hotel room was ransacked earlier this year while she was leading a mission observing the legislative elections in Kosovo. For the former minister for European affairs, a strong critic of Putin's regime, there is no doubt about Russia's involvement. "It was an act of intimidation," she said.

...

Her colleagues at the European Parliament have noticed that the native of the Naples region has lost weight in recent months. Out of fear of being poisoned, she now only eats food she prepares herself. "I'm human; fear is a normal feeling," she said. "But I also have a duty to be courageous. It's the price to pay if you want to try to change things." She quickly understood the seriousness of her commitment when she entered politics at the age of 16 to denounce the Mafia's hold on her country. Journalist Roberto Saviano, known for his work on the Camorra and who also lives under police protection, is a friend of hers.

...

"We need a Europe that is more courageous, stronger and more ambitious," said the MEP. A Europe that takes risks, so as not to run the risk of disappearing.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/43914993

Archive link

Pina Picierno is Italian, but Ukraine is everywhere in her vice president's office at the European Parliament in Brussels. Awards resting on the window ledge recognize her fight "for freedom and democracy in Ukraine," like the one she received in 2022 from the Istituto Affari Internazionali, an Italian think tank. There are books and novels devoted to Russia and its unfortunate neighbor, invaded by Kremlin troops in February 2022 and struggling ever since not to be carved up and subjugated. There is also a curious painting, a gift from Ukrainian army veterans, depicting their country's yellow and blue trident, into which real bullets have been embedded.

But what visitors do not notice at first glance is the small red button beneath the meeting table: a "panic button" meant to alert the Parliament security teams in case of danger or intrusion. The surveillance camera at the entrance, filming comings and goings, is just as discreet. Whenever she leaves the building, the MEP is always accompanied by a police escort. "I can't just wake up and go for a walk or suddenly decide to see a film," she said on Friday, December 12. "But there are people who risk far more than I do. Ukrainians, in their trenches, are under bombardment to defend their freedom."

...

For months, Picierno has lost count of the death threats she has received in the mail and in her email inbox. She has been the target of intimidation near her home in Belgium – incidents she does not want to discuss in detail so as not to interfere with the ongoing investigation. In January, pro-Russian activists distributed leaflets in Bologna, Italy, comparing her to Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler's propaganda minister. Does she see Russia's hand behind these acts? "Yes," she replied simply, her face tense.

One episode in particular has fueled Moscow's anger in recent months. In early March, Vladimir Soloviev, a star host on the Russian state television channel Rossiya 1, was invited to appear on a television program in Italy on the channel Rai 3. Picierno publicly protested against this red-carpet treatment for "one of the Kremlin's main propagandists," who has been under European Union sanctions since 2022. "Italian public broadcasting cannot in any way serve as a megaphone for Russian disinformation," she warned on X.

Her efforts paid off: Soloviev's invitation was revoked. Furious, he lashed out with insults on his show on Rossiya 1. "Her mouth stinks of tyranny," he said – in Italian – referring to the MEP, whom he called a "dirty beast, a disgrace to the human race." Internet trolls then harassed her. The barrage was so relentless that she quickly stopped paying attention. But the escalation reached such a level that in June, the Italian government decided to place her under police protection.

...

The Italian is not the only European lawmaker facing pressure from Moscow since the war in Ukraine began nearly four years ago. "There are several of us being targeted by death threats – I myself regularly receive them on social media or by email," said French MEP Nathalie Loiseau (Renew Europe). She recounted how her hotel room was ransacked earlier this year while she was leading a mission observing the legislative elections in Kosovo. For the former minister for European affairs, a strong critic of Putin's regime, there is no doubt about Russia's involvement. "It was an act of intimidation," she said.

...

Her colleagues at the European Parliament have noticed that the native of the Naples region has lost weight in recent months. Out of fear of being poisoned, she now only eats food she prepares herself. "I'm human; fear is a normal feeling," she said. "But I also have a duty to be courageous. It's the price to pay if you want to try to change things." She quickly understood the seriousness of her commitment when she entered politics at the age of 16 to denounce the Mafia's hold on her country. Journalist Roberto Saviano, known for his work on the Camorra and who also lives under police protection, is a friend of hers.

...

"We need a Europe that is more courageous, stronger and more ambitious," said the MEP. A Europe that takes risks, so as not to run the risk of disappearing.

Although the Danish law aims to integrate society, the EU's top court found that it could amount to ethnic discrimination.

Law and JusticeDenmark Denmark's 'ghetto law' faces scrutiny after EU court ruling Although the Danish law aims to integrate society, the EU's top court found that it could amount to ethnic discrimination.

Tenants on the Mjolnerparken estate in Copenhagen challenged the legality of development plans based on Danish social housing law The European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Thursday found that Denmark's so-called "ghetto law" could be discriminatory, but said that the country's own courts need to decide if it goes too far.

The law, passed in 2018, allows the government to reduce public housing in neighborhoods where most residents are from "non-Western" backgrounds.

Denmark's government says the law was meant to help people integrate better by breaking up "parallel societies."

What does Denmark's 'ghetto' law say? Danish law categorizes neighborhoods based on unemployment, crime, education, income, and immigrant population. Areas where more than half the residents are "non-Western" and have at least two social problems are called "transformation areas." A government list defines which countries are considered "Western," including all EU member states. Public housing groups must cut social housing by 40% in "transformation areas" by 2030. They do this by selling, tearing down, converting, or ending leases on the homes. The policy has sparked criticism from rights groups, affected residents, and the United Nations. What did the ECJ find? Residents of Copenhagen's Mjolnerparken estate challenged the measure in 2020, arguing it unfairly targets ethnic minorities. Danish courts then sought guidance from the European Court of Justice.

The ECJ said Danish courts must decide if the criteria specified in the law on public housing are based on people's ethnic origin and thereby place them at a disadvantage. The ECJ emphasized that under EU law, neither nationality nor country of birth alone is sufficient to determine ethnic origin. Rather, this is assessed on the basis of several factors.

A lawyer for the Mjolnerparken residents facing eviction, Eddie Khawaja, noted that the ruling showed the criterion of 50% "non-Western" residents may seem "neutral on paper, but does not prevent residents from being subjected to direct or indirect discrimination."

The Danish Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing said the case would now return to Denmark's Eastern High Court and that the ministry would read the European court's verdict carefully.

Germany's foreign intelligence service is to be given far more scope for taking decisive action in threatening situations under plans of the office of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to media reports on Thursday. The proposals would allow sabotage operations to weaken hostile forces, according to public broadcasters WDR and NDR as well as the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, citing a new draft law on the country's Federal Intelligence Service BND.

A BND spokesman said that out of respect for the work of the government and the legislature, he would not comment on the amendment of the law or on any interim results.

According to the reports, the BND will no longer be limited to espionage, gathering and evaluating information, but will in future also carry out operational actions to protect the country. This would require a "special intelligence situation."

Such a threat level would have to be determined by the National Security Council comprised of key ministers, with approval from two-thirds of the members of the control panel of the Bundestag lower chamber of parliament.

The involvement of this secret committee - which monitors the work of the BND as well as the domestic intelligence service and military counter-intelligence - in such decisions would be new for the country.

Observers believe the proposed greater parliamentary involvement may be intended to reassure members of the legislature who are sceptical about expanding the BND's powers.

A special intelligence situation would reportedly be defined as one where a threat to Germany or its allies is identified, for example through another country's preparations for war or increased hybrid attacks.

In this scenario, the agency would also be allowed to actively retaliate against cyberattacks and redirect data streams or shut down IT infrastructure from which attacks are launched.

The BND will reportedly also be permitted to evaluate data using artificial intelligence and to use facial recognition software.

Agency personnel will be allowed to enter homes to install espionage technology and to secretly manipulate and sabotage equipment, such as weapon parts, to render them harmless.

The amendment to the BND Act is still in its early stages, according to the media outlets.

One aim of the planned reform is to enable the agency to act more quickly and decisively against significant increases in hybrid threats, particularly from Russia.

Along the International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC) - the route carrying everything from automotive components to electronics and chemical products between western China and Southeast Asia - container volumes have surged nearly tenfold since 2019.

In the first nine months of 2025 alone, 31 cross-border financing projects were completed for enterprises in Chongqing and western China through Singapore, bringing the cumulative total to US$21.8 billion.

Air connectivity between Singapore and Chongqing has also surpassed pre-pandemic levels, with 24 weekly flights now operating between both cities as compared to having no direct connecting services a decade ago.

https://archive.is/EobFz

Pressure continues to mount to curtail asylum arrivals, with over a dozen EU members states hoping to maintain a momentum to limit rights.

The speed of those agreements suggests intense political pressure, amid wider efforts to also deport unwanted and rejected migrants to possible holding pens in foreign states.

The letter, dated 16 December, demands that the EU commission come up with specialised funding schemes for so-called 'innovation solutions' to migration.

Such aspects typically seek to offshore responsibilities to countries like Uganda, where the Dutch are hoping to set up a deportation facility for nationalities from the region.

We all know the classics, Mine Craft, Rust, Stardew Valley, etc. What are some one's you see people less aware of are self hostable?

https://archive.is/L2wmn

EU leaders decided to use joint borrowing instead of Russian frozen assets to support Ukraine, in a big win for Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever, who had long opposed the idea of a reparations loan amid fears of retaliation from Russia.

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/55281941

EU ministers have agreed to launch negotiations on an agreement that would grant US border agencies direct access to personal data stored in EU member state databases, and give EU agencies similar access to US data. The US is demanding access to the databases of all states that are part of its Visa Waiver Programme, for “immigration screening and vetting activities.” This is part of a broader plan to massively increase the amount of sensitive data gathered on travellers.

Reclaiming Migration - Joint Statement

cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/55281391

The world-first policy would ban imports into the EU of cocoa, palm oil and other commodities linked to forest destruction, requiring foreign exporters of these commodities to provide due diligence statements proving their products did not contribute to forest destruction.

Brazil, Indonesia and the U.S., which said complying with the rules would be costly and hurt their exports to Europe.