The International Criminal Court (ICC) will switch its internal work environment away from Microsoft Office to Open Desk, a European open source alternative, the institution confirmed to Euractiv.

German newspaper Handelsblatt first reported on the plans. The switch comes amid rising concerns about public bodies being reliant on US tech companies to run their services, which have stepped up sharply since the start of US President Donald Trump’s second administration.

For the ICC, such concerns are not abstract: Trump has repeatedly lashed out at the court and slapped sanctions on its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan.

Holy shit! How I have not heard of this?

In Nepal, the government was dissolved and a new one was proposed after a public vote on Discord.

@technology Memes and Flames: The Aesthetics of the Gen Z Uprising

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Archived

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In 2018, Serbia chose the Chinese Zijin Mining Group as its strategic partner, and the mining giant took over 63 per cent of RTB [a Serbian mining company that was formerly 100% state-owned].

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Since 2018, Zijin has taken over the Bor [a city in Serbia] mining complex and invested 2.3 billion euros to expand operations. This enlargement is not just industrial – it is reshaping the landscape and the lives of local communities. Entire families are witnessing their homes, land, and memories vanish as the mine swallows settlements. Meanwhile, the Serbian government has offered no real options for resettlement.

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The environmental consequences of the mining rush are also severe: forests, rivers, and wildlife have been devastated, and residents breathe some of the most polluted air in Europe.

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The Borska Reka River is one of the most polluted waterways in Europe. [...] Sediment analysis has shown high concentrations of copper, arsenic, and nickel, exceeding remediation thresholds, particularly near mining areas. As a result, the Borska Reka is considered a “dead river,” devoid of aquatic life, with severe environmental impacts that extend to the Danube via the Timok.

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The fact that Chinese contractors were responsible for renovating the canopy in Novi Sad’s rail station – which later collapsed, killing 16 people and sparking the largest protests in Serbia’s history – only adds to the complexity of China’s presence in Serbia. In [the cities of] Bor and Majdanpek, this engagement is at the same time both significant and invisible. Thousands of workers brought from China live in isolated camps, rarely interacting with the local population.

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Although Chinese presence is barely visible in the city –Chinese workers live in camps inside the mining complexes, which are inaccessible to the local population – several Chinese-operated betting shops have opened in recent years. These venues signage in Chinese and are intended to attract company managers and senior staff, who are allowed to leave the camps, unlike the regular workers from China.

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While [Serbian] president Aleksandar Vučić’s authoritarian government claims lithium extraction would respect strict environmental norms, the experience of local communities in [the cities of] Bor and Majdanpek tells a different story.

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A report published in January 2024 revealed frequent spikes of sulphur dioxide (SO2) in the Bor area, responsible for both acute and chronic respiratory problems as well as acid rain. The study also detected PM10 fine particles containing heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, nickel, and arsenic. Despite the proven adverse effects of mining, no systematic assessment of public health has been carried out since Zijin took over operations. However, the Batut Institute of Public Health has published a study showing an increased mortality risk for both men and women in Bor across all age groups.

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RISC-V is an industry standard, like USB or Wi-Fi. The specifications are publicly available under the Creative Commons license and every engineer, wherever they are in the world, can use them to design their products locally, while engaging with the global RISC-V ecosystem.

This standard is defined by RISC-V International and its members. Decisions are voted upon collectively, ensuring every member is heard. It’s a model that has worked for us for many years, ensuring any updates to the RISC-V ISA happen transparently, without breaking existing designs, and always in service of the broader ecosystem.

The RISC-V ISA is already an industry standard and the next step is impartial recognition from a trusted international organization.

Today, I’m excited to announce that we have taken that first step. RISC-V International has been approved as a recognized PAS (that’s publicly available specification) Submitter by the ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee (JTC 1).

This means we’re able to submit draft international papers, starting with the The RISC-V Instruction Set Manual, for consideration as true, international standards.

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Because Microsoft blocked chief prosecutor Karim Khan account, the ICC is moving away from Microsoft to Open Desk.

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cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/48838029

Today, in things I'd read on a fading screen in a half destroyed building in a Fallout game...

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U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz was interrupted during a speech this week and called out for his involvement in a leaked Signal group chat.

Waltz spoke to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, ahead of a vote on a resolution to condemn the U.S.’s economic restrictions on Cuba. As Waltz defended his nation’s position, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez interrupted his speech with a “point of order,” and slammed the ambassador’s remarks as “uncivilized, crude and gross.”

He then appeared to call out Waltz’s involvement in a group chat with other Trump administration officials on the messaging app Signal, which was leaked earlier this year.

“Mr. Waltz, this is the United Nations General Assembly,” he said. “It is not a Signal chat. Nor is it the House of Representatives.”

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/38267171

RISC-V is an industry standard, like USB or Wi-Fi. The specifications are publicly available under the Creative Commons license and every engineer, wherever they are in the world, can use them to design their products locally, while engaging with the global RISC-V ecosystem.

This standard is defined by RISC-V International and its members. Decisions are voted upon collectively, ensuring every member is heard. It’s a model that has worked for us for many years, ensuring any updates to the RISC-V ISA happen transparently, without breaking existing designs, and always in service of the broader ecosystem.

The RISC-V ISA is already an industry standard and the next step is impartial recognition from a trusted international organization.

Today, I’m excited to announce that we have taken that first step. RISC-V International has been approved as a recognized PAS (that’s publicly available specification) Submitter by the ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee (JTC 1).

This means we’re able to submit draft international papers, starting with the The RISC-V Instruction Set Manual, for consideration as true, international standards.

Comments

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Motherland_Calls

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