cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/38134526

Great journalism from The Guardian

So, uh, i painted my nails (for the first time since i was a kid) last night. They look rough i love it. That's beside the question, i waited patiently for my nails to dry. Right? Hooray me for not Oh! Squirrel!ing. For I don't know how many hours afterward, they stank like ammonia or something. I wanted to pet my cats but my nails were too stinky. They would not allow it. So how do I make my nails stop stinking faster so I can get back to petting my cats?

edit: follow up do they make nail polish that smells like catnip

Archive link: Green MP Tamatha Paul on living with lupus and arthritis while serving in Parliament

Pretty inspiring that she’s achieved so much despite her chronic health conditions. It’s also refreshing to see honesty about needing to properly rest to avoid burnout. Too often we see gung-ho statements from people about pushing through and remaining busy.

There is a flashing underscore beneath this, so it’s not completely frozen. What should I do? Is it safe to just force a reboot?

A rain sensor just tells you if it's raining or not. A rain gauge will give you cumulative rainfall values. I know there are DIY projects to make HA-compatible gauges but I'd rather have something out of the box, at least in terms of hardware.

I found this on Amazon, and it appears to be be a clone of a more expensive station by Ambient Weather. It looks like it could be made to work with HA as it has a web interface, but I'm not sure if an app is required for setup. The rain gauge also doesn't seem super accurate, which is frustrating as that's the only thing I really care about.

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Prize winner Maria Corina Machado said military escalation is the "only" way to remove authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro from power.

"The increase in pressure and the escalation that's taken place is the only way to force Maduro to understand that it's time to go," and "facilitate a peaceful and orderly transition," Machado told Bloomberg.

The comments come as the Trump administration has reportedly made the decision to strike military facilities inside Venezuela, with attacks potentially taking place at any time.

I know this isn't explicitly selfhosting related, but the Venn diagrams do overlap. I've been searching, but for the most part, what I find are 2 year old, defunct subs.

Jeffrey Epstein facilitated efforts to open a backchannel between Israel and the Kremlin during the Syrian civil war, according to leaked emails from former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

On February 21, 2014, Epstein wrote to Barak, “with civil unrest exploding in ukraine syria, somolia [sic], libya, and the desperation of those in power, isn’t this perfect for you.” Barak replied: “You’re right [in] a way. But not simple to transform it into a cash flow. A subject for Saturday.”

These efforts also provided cover for covert diplomacy on behalf of the Israeli government. Together, Barak and Epstein sought to pressure the Obama administration to either intervene directly in the Syrian war, or make concessions to the Kremlin in exchange for Assad’s graceful exit. In their exchanges, Epstein expressed his frustration at the Obama administration’s failures to contain Tehran, as the two men searched for opportunities to promote U.S. strikes on Iran.

Archived

• The EU is also discussing other options, including targeted export restrictions on goods and services that China is dependent on, according to people familiar with the plans.
• The EU is seeking a solution that would provide its importers with a steady flow of supplies and greater certainty, such as a system of longer-term permits, amid concerns over Chinese export controls on critical inputs.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/44964371

Archived

There is growing momentum among Western countries to take stronger action against transnational repression – the overt and covert tactics of some authoritarian governments, including China, to suppress dissent abroad. In June, the leaders of the United States, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, and the EU pledged “to boost G-7 cooperation” to counter a practice that “undermines national security [and] the safety and human rights of victims.” The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Austrian diplomat Volker Turk, also told the Human Rights Council that all states should have “zero tolerance” for such abuses.

However, Europe remains ill-prepared. According to a European Parliament study on the impact of transnational repression on public life, “EU member states are falling short in upholding their obligations to protect human rights defenders at risk.”

Transnational repression has garnered significant attention in recent years due to increasing evidence of Beijing’s systemic targeting of dissidents, ethnic groups, political activists, journalists, students, and others abroad – at times using regular diplomatic and law enforcement channels, but more often relying on covert ones.

[...]

China uses these covert tactics in tandem with overt exploitation of law enforcement mechanisms such as Interpol, extradition treaties, arrest warrants, or counterterrorism efforts. [...] Beijing has used these worldwide requests to co-opt European law enforcement agencies into the provisional arrest of thousands of people it sought to extradite.

[...]

While many European countries maintain law enforcement cooperation and extradition treaties with both China and Hong Kong, European courts have so far acted as crucial safeguards against politically motivated extradition and, since 2019, have increasingly rejected such requests. In 2022, the European Court of Human Rights set a landmark precedent by refusing extraditions based on the “authoritarian nature” of China’s regime.

[...]

Beijing additionally uses proxies to harass individuals, spread intimidation and fear, and ultimately silence dissent. Recent cases have shed light on the rising risks of co-optation and espionage. For instance, U.S. authorities in March arrested two foreign nationals for allegedly hiring people to intimidate a U.S. resident for criticizing Xi Jinping. These kinds of operations fracture trust within communities, fuel self-censorship, and undermine the pool of diaspora expertise that European societies could otherwise benefit from. Low trust in local authorities further compounds the problem, as communities often attribute their reluctance to report intimidation to a prevailing “climate of fear.”

[...]

The European Parliament study recommends that EU agencies formally integrate combating transnational repression into their human rights protection frameworks, ensuring that exiled activists or minorities abroad can be officially recognized as at risk and entitled to protection. It also urges the adoption of an official definition of the phenomenon, allowing EU institutions and member states to share a common understanding and respond consistently.

[...]

Europe can look to other countries for examples. Canada, for instance, has taken significant steps after identifying transnational repression as “one of the greatest strategic challenges to Canada’s sovereignty and democracy.” It created a foreign interference watchdog, announced the introduction of a foreign agent registry, and passed new legislation following a major public inquiry. These measures reflect a recognition that tackling repression requires both domestic safeguards and international coordination. It was no coincidence that the G-7 pledge on transnational repression was signed at the Kananaskis Summit during Canada’s G-7 presidency.

[...]

For Europe, the challenge is significant but not insurmountable, as many member states now recognize the complexity of the issue. However, they must be prepared to take political heat and invest in the necessary resources.

[...]

Archived

There is growing momentum among Western countries to take stronger action against transnational repression – the overt and covert tactics of some authoritarian governments, including China, to suppress dissent abroad. In June, the leaders of the United States, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, and the EU pledged “to boost G-7 cooperation” to counter a practice that “undermines national security [and] the safety and human rights of victims.” The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Austrian diplomat Volker Turk, also told the Human Rights Council that all states should have “zero tolerance” for such abuses.

However, Europe remains ill-prepared. According to a European Parliament study on the impact of transnational repression on public life, “EU member states are falling short in upholding their obligations to protect human rights defenders at risk.”

Transnational repression has garnered significant attention in recent years due to increasing evidence of Beijing’s systemic targeting of dissidents, ethnic groups, political activists, journalists, students, and others abroad – at times using regular diplomatic and law enforcement channels, but more often relying on covert ones.

[...]

China uses these covert tactics in tandem with overt exploitation of law enforcement mechanisms such as Interpol, extradition treaties, arrest warrants, or counterterrorism efforts. [...] Beijing has used these worldwide requests to co-opt European law enforcement agencies into the provisional arrest of thousands of people it sought to extradite.

[...]

While many European countries maintain law enforcement cooperation and extradition treaties with both China and Hong Kong, European courts have so far acted as crucial safeguards against politically motivated extradition and, since 2019, have increasingly rejected such requests. In 2022, the European Court of Human Rights set a landmark precedent by refusing extraditions based on the “authoritarian nature” of China’s regime.

[...]

Beijing additionally uses proxies to harass individuals, spread intimidation and fear, and ultimately silence dissent. Recent cases have shed light on the rising risks of co-optation and espionage. For instance, U.S. authorities in March arrested two foreign nationals for allegedly hiring people to intimidate a U.S. resident for criticizing Xi Jinping. These kinds of operations fracture trust within communities, fuel self-censorship, and undermine the pool of diaspora expertise that European societies could otherwise benefit from. Low trust in local authorities further compounds the problem, as communities often attribute their reluctance to report intimidation to a prevailing “climate of fear.”

[...]

The European Parliament study recommends that EU agencies formally integrate combating transnational repression into their human rights protection frameworks, ensuring that exiled activists or minorities abroad can be officially recognized as at risk and entitled to protection. It also urges the adoption of an official definition of the phenomenon, allowing EU institutions and member states to share a common understanding and respond consistently.

[...]

Europe can look to other countries for examples. Canada, for instance, has taken significant steps after identifying transnational repression as “one of the greatest strategic challenges to Canada’s sovereignty and democracy.” It created a foreign interference watchdog, announced the introduction of a foreign agent registry, and passed new legislation following a major public inquiry. These measures reflect a recognition that tackling repression requires both domestic safeguards and international coordination. It was no coincidence that the G-7 pledge on transnational repression was signed at the Kananaskis Summit during Canada’s G-7 presidency.

[...]

For Europe, the challenge is significant but not insurmountable, as many member states now recognize the complexity of the issue. However, they must be prepared to take political heat and invest in the necessary resources.

[...]

Routers are about to get a whole lot more expensive.

More monetization is on the way, including cuts to free AI video allowances.

Tinkerer explains this was ‘a fun proof of concept’ but hints work may be done to make it usable for retro enthusiasts.

Prusa channels Steve Jobs for new launch.