World News

Those of you who haven't blocked the MBFC bot may have noticed it's been updated to include Wikipedia contents:

As you can see on this recent post here:

https://lemmy.world/post/21264585

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We're aware of the size issue, that's something we're working on. I'm also told there are some artifacts like WP:NEWSBLOG etc. that will be fixed. WP:MEDPOP links will be removed soon in an update.

But given the update and the furor the last post on the bot caused, and in the nature of election season, we'll put it up for a vote!

I'll post two comments below, upvote one if you want to keep the bot, upvote the other to ditch the bot.

Voting will be open for one week from today! 11/1!

Why upvote 2 comments? Well, not everbody can see downvotes. I'll only be looking at the upvotes.

On more than 30 occasions, the United Nations Assembly has discussed the blockade against Cuba, which costs the island 5 billion dollars annually, according to some estimates. Every year the resolution is proposed and the whole world, through the vote of the absolute majority of the member countries of the United Nations General Assembly, has condemned the imperialist attitude of the United States towards Cuba.

World leaders and international aid organisations have voiced fears for the delivery of crucial aid in Gaza after the Israeli parliament’s vote to ban the UN relief and works agency (Unrwa), with secretary general Antonio Guterres saying on Monday night: “There is no alternative to Unrwa.”

Guterres said the UN agency would be prevented from doing UN general assembly-mandated work if Israel implemented the laws, which would ban the agency from conducting “any activity” or providing any service inside Israel, including the areas of annexed East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank.

Guterres called on Israel “to act consistently with its obligations” under the UN Charter and international law, saying: “National legislation cannot alter those obligations.”

MBFC Archive

A huge Mayan city has been discovered centuries after it disappeared under jungle canopy in Mexico.

Archaeologists found pyramids, sports fields, causeways connecting districts and amphitheatres in the southeastern state of Campeche.

They found the hidden complex - which they have called Valeriana - using Lidar, a type of radar survey that maps structures buried under vegetation.

They believe it is second in size only to Calakmul, thought to be the largest Mayan site in ancient Latin America.

Hugh Nelson, 27, from Bolton, jailed after transforming normal pictures of children into sexual abuse imagery

A man who used AI to create child abuse images using photographs of real children has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.

In the first prosecution of its kind in the UK, Hugh Nelson, 27, from Bolton, was convicted of 16 child sexual abuse offences in August, after an investigation by Greater Manchester police (GMP).

Nelson had used Daz 3D, a computer programme with an AI function, to transform “normal” images of children into sexual abuse imagery, Greater Manchester police said. In some cases, paedophiles had commissioned the images, supplying photographs of children with whom they had contact in real life.

He was also found guilty of encouraging other offenders to commit rape.

The suspect stole the vehicle after the delivery man left the key in the ignition in the German town of Sinsheim, police said. The employee had to jump out of the vehicle to escape the van's cargo compartment.

The dangers of a collapse of the main Atlantic Ocean circulation, known as Amoc, have been “greatly underestimated” and would have devastating and irreversible impacts, according to an open letter released at the weekend by 44 experts from 15 countries. One of the signatories, Stefan Rahmstorf, an oceanographer and climatologist who heads the Earth system analysis department at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, explains here why he has recently upgraded his risk assessment of an Amoc breakdown as a result of global heating – and what that means for Britain, Europe and the wider world.

Warning: descriptions of sexual violence

The UN commissioner for human rights has documented hundreds of cases of sexual violence perpetrated by Russian troops since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Two-thirds of the victims are men and boys who were tortured in Russian jails.

Russia deploys systematic sexual torture against Ukrainians, both civilians and prisoners of war, in “almost all” detention centres where they are held, the UN found.

That includes “rape, attempted rape, threats of rape and castration, beatings or the administration of electric shocks to genitals, repeated forced nudity and sexualised humiliation”.

“The numbers in Ukraine are quite startling,” said Charu Lata Hogg, the executive director of the All Survivors Project, which supports men and boys who have endured sexual violence.

MBFC Archive

The first clashes between Ukrainian forces and North Korean troops took place in the Kyiv-controlled Kursk region in Russia on October 25, according to sources available to Jonas Ohman, head of the prominent Lithuanian Blue/Yellow NGO.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4219079

> A heavy police response has stifled Halloween celebrations in Shanghai, in what many have viewed as an attempt by authorities to crack down on large public gatherings and freedom of expression. > > Witnesses [said they] saw police dispersing crowds of costumed revellers on the streets of Shanghai, while photos of apparent arrests have spread on social media. > > Authorities have yet to comment. While there has been no official notice prohibiting Halloween celebrations, rumours of a possible crackdown began circulating online earlier this month. > > It comes a year after Halloween revellers in Shanghai went viral for donning costumes poking fun at the Chinese government and its policies. > > Pictures from last year's Halloween event showed people dressing up as a giant surveillance camera, Covid testers, and a censored Weibo post. > > [...] > > On Friday a large number of police officers and vehicles gathered on Julu Road in downtown Shanghai, and people dressed in costumes were asked to leave the scene. > > On Saturday, police were seen dispersing revellers from the city's Zhongshan Park. > > [...] > > [One] Shanghai resident said the number of police officers taking down the details of people dressed in costumes appeared to exceed the number of revellers themselves. > > [...] > > Rumours of a crackdown have been circulating in recent days. > > Earlier this month, some business owners who run coffeeshops, bookshops and bars in Shanghai received government notices discouraging Halloween events. > > Around the same time, messages from what appeared to be a government work chat group spread online, suggesting there would be a ban on large-scale Halloween activities. > > [...] > > One student at the prestigious Fudan University said they were told by school authorities recently not to participate in gatherings. On Sunday evening, the student received a call from a school counsellor. > > "They called me to ask if I had gone out, if I had taken part [in activities]. And if I did participate, I could not reveal I was a student [of the university]," the person said; > > [...] > > In November 2022 [a] large groups of people, mostly youths, gathered spontaneously one night on a street in Shanghai to mourn the victims of a fire. > > That gathering soon turned into brief - but widespread - demonstrations against the country's Covid policies, in one of the biggest challenges to the Chinese government's authority since the Tiananmen protests.

Hezbollah issued an evacuation order yesterday evening for Israeli settlers in 25 northern settlements, mirroring the occupation forces’ actions in Lebanon. The move follows widespread Israeli evacuation orders targeting areas including Beirut’s Southern Suburb, Southern Lebanon, the Bekaa, and parts of Tyre, with claims of Hezbollah military presence in civilian homes.

Hezbollah stated that the settlements had become military outposts for Israeli forces attacking Lebanon, making them “legitimate military targets” for its air and missile forces. Settlers were told to “evacuate immediately,” as their settlements had become bases for the enemy military. A video issued by Hezbollah’s Military Media reiterated this warning.

Russia sustained more than 10,000 casualties in a week, according to statistics from Ukraine's military, with the fast-approaching winter season unlikely to bring a lull in high numbers of fighters killed and injured in the grinding conflict.

Moscow has suffered a total of 690,720 casualties since February 2022, Ukraine's General Staff said on Monday. This includes 1,680 fighters being killed or injured in the past 24 hours, according to Kyiv.

This figure also brings Moscow's total casualties, per Kyiv's count, to 10,490 in the previous seven days.

Spain’s Interior Ministry said, on Tuesday, it was cancelling a contract to buy ammunition from an Israeli firm, widening a Spanish pledge not to sell weapons to Israel to include purchases, too, Reuters reports.

Cadena Ser radio earlier reported that the Guardia Civil police force had agreed to buy more than 15 million 9-mm rounds for six million Euros ($6.48 million) from Guardian Ltd Israel.

Spain said it would stop arms sales to Israel in October 2023 when Israel’s war with Hamas started in Gaza.

“The Spanish government maintains the commitment not to sell weapons to the Israeli state since the armed conflict broke out in the Territory of Gaza,” it said in a statement. “Although in this case it is an acquisition of ammunition, the Interior Ministry has initiated the administrative procedure to cancel the purchase,” it said.

The Ministry said that Israeli companies would also be excluded from any outstanding tenders.

Georgia's election commission plans to recount votes from randomly selected polling stations after the opposition said the recent election was "stolen." But the country's president called for an international probe.

The national election commission in Georgia on Tuesday said it would recount a small share of the votes cast in Saturday's disputed parliamentary elections.

Protesters angered by the results took to the streets of Tbilisi on Monday and another demonstration was planned for Tuesday evening.

Nearly complete results from the election commission, which had previously described the vote as free and fair, point to a rather comfortable win for the ruling Georgian Dream party, with just under 54% of the votes.

The count also puts the union of four different opposition alliances at under 38%. Opposition parties and President Salome Zourabichvili, a staunch critic of Prime Minsiter Irakli Kobakhidze's government, have said the vote was rigged.

Georgian election monitors had also submitted complaints to the commission, saying they had uncovered evidence of "large-scale election fraud."

And the number of signatures has gone up

> Israeli forces have killed nearly 100 Palestinians, including 25 children, in an air raid on homes in north Gaza where displaced people were sheltering.

> The bombing late on Monday targeted a five-storey building in Beit Lahia, a northern town that has been under a severe Israeli siege and ground offensive for 24 days

> The targeted building belonged to the Abu Naser family, which had recently taken in displaced people expelled by Israeli troops from their homes in north Gaza.

> Between 300 and 400 people were sleeping in the building at the time of the strike.

> Local media reported that wounded people were dying due to the lack of functional hospitals in north Gaza, a result of the systematic destruction of health services by Israeli forces.

> Kamal Adwan was the last operational hospital in north Gaza before Israeli forces raided it last week, detaining or expelling all medical staff except Abu Safia and another paediatrician.

> Other hospitals in the area have ceased operations due to Israeli attacks and a blockade preventing fuel, food and medicine from entering.

> Since the war on Gaza began nearly 13 months ago, Israeli forces have killed more than 43,000 Palestinians and wounded over 100,000. More than 10,000 are missing and presumed dead under the rubble.

> At least 17,000 children and nearly 12,000 women are among the deceased, according to the Gaza-based government media office.

> Israel could kill everyone left in Northern Gaza if its assault on the enclave continues, a United Nations relief official warned on Saturday

> “Hospitals have been hit, and health workers have been detained. Shelters have been emptied and burned down. First responders have been prevented from saving people from under the rubble. Families have been separated, and men and boys are being taken away by the truckload,”

> Msuya estimated that Israel’s actions in the north had killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands. According to Al Jazeera, an Israeli siege on the north that began earlier in October has killed around 640.

> “The Biden-Harris administration must stop the flow of U.S. weapons to Israel which constitutes a necessary step to halting Israel’s ongoing war crimes,” IMEU wrote on social media Saturday. “It’s time for an arms embargo now.”

Australia has rejected far-right provocateur Candace Owens’ visa application ahead of a planned national speaking tour, with the immigration minister, Tony Burke, saying she had the “capacity to incite discord”.

The US conservative influencer and podcast host, who has advanced conspiracy theories and antisemitic rhetoric including minimising Nazi medical experiments in concentration camps, will be blocked from coming to Australia after the federal government voiced alarm about her record.

“From downplaying the impact of the Holocaust with comments about [notorious Nazi doctor Josef] Mengele through to claims that Muslims started slavery, Candace Owens has the capacity to incite discord in almost every direction,” Burke said on Sunday.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4226472

> Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska urged international organisations to take responsibility and called for "tangible answers" to help restore peace in Ukraine. > > The systematic deportation of Ukrainian children has been the most painful thing to watch during Russia's war in Ukraine, Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska said. > > [...] > > "The taking of 19,000 children to Russia is an act witnessed by the world that met with inadequate action," she said. > > "[...] We must critically evaluate the effectiveness of international organisations and their responses, or rather their inaction," said the Ukrainian first lady during her presentation. > > [...] > > Addition: > > Empty Beds: a mural highlights the abduction of Ukrainian children > > >Artist Phil Buehler has constructed a reminder of the almost 20,000 kids taken by Russian forces, on show in Little Ukraine, Manhattan

Johannesburg, South Africa – While South African legal researchers were in an undisclosed location last week, racing against time to finalise hundreds of pages of evidence proving Israel’s intent to commit genocide in Gaza, in Israel, leaders gathering near the Gaza border were calling for the besieged and bombarded Strip to be emptied of Palestinians.

During the “preparing to settle Gaza” conference, held at a restricted military zone in Be’eri last Monday, Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was recorded calling for the “migration” of Gaza’s current inhabitants, and the possibility of future Israeli settlement expansion there – something considered illegal under international law.

“[We will] tell them, ‘we are giving you the chance, leave from here to other countries’,” Ben-Gvir said, while Israeli forces continued their more than yearlong bombardment of Gaza. “The Land of Israel is ours.”

South African diplomats assert that statements like these offer undeniable evidence of Israel’s genocidal intent – something they must prove before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in an ongoing case.

“The problem we have is that we have too much evidence,” Ambassador Vusimuzi Madonsela, South Africa’s representative to The Hague, explained to Al Jazeera.

Linked accounts on X push petrostate’s posts about climate summit and drown out criticism

Scores of apparently fake social media accounts are boosting Azerbaijan's hosting of the Cop29 climate summit, an investigation has revealed.

The accounts were mostly set up after July, at which time seven of the top 10 most engaged posts using the hashtags #COP29 and #COP29Azerbaijan were critical of Azerbaijan's role in the conflict with Armenia, using hashtags such as #stopgreenwashgenocide. By September this had changed, with all of the top 10 most engaged posts coming from the official Cop29 Azerbaijan account.

Global Witness, which conducted the analysis, said artificially inflating the reach of government posts was drowning out independent criticism of the country's record on the climate crisis and repression of human rights.

Azerbaijan's government will oversee the UN climate summit, which starts on 11 November, and where nations will attempt to deliver the urgent cuts in fossil fuel burning that scientists say are imperative to avoid the most destructive impacts of climate breakdown.

Berlin warns of ‘serious consequences’ for ‘inhumane regime’ after 69-year-old Jamshid Sharmahd put to death

Iran has executed a 69-year-old German-Iranian political scientist after years in captivity, sparking outrage in Germany and beyond.

Berlin warned of “serious consequences” for Iran’s “inhumane regime” after Jamshid Sharmahd was put to death on Monday, while a Norway-based human rights group labelled the execution the “extrajudicial killing of a hostage”.

Sharmahd, a German citizen of Iranian descent and a US resident, was seized by Iranian authorities in 2020 while travelling through the United Arab Emirates, according to his family.

Adam Staples knew he'd found something when his metal detector let out a beep. And then another. And another.

Soon "it was just 'beep beep, beep beep, beep beep,'" Staples said.

In a farmer's field in southwest England, Staples and six friends had found a hoard of more than 2,500 silver coins that had lain in the ground for almost 1,000 years. Valued at 4.3 million pounds ($5.6 million) and now bound for a museum, they will help shed light on the turbulent aftermath of the Norman conquest of England.

...

Michael Lewis, head of the Portable Antiquities Scheme — a government-funded project that records archaeological discoveries made by the public – said it is “one of the most spectacular discoveries” of recent years, especially because “its story is yet to be fully unraveled.”

Lewis said the coin hoard will help deepen understanding of the most famous date in English history: 1066, the year William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, replacing England’s Saxon monarchs with Norman French rulers.

Mumbai-based Shreya Life Sciences, known for pharmaceuticals, is reportedly exporting Nvidia AI chips to Russia despite Western sanctions. Trade records reveal Shreya’s role in rerouting Dell servers with Nvidia processors, spotlighting India’s intermediary role in Russia's high-tech imports amid tightening restrictions.

In a discreet office building in Mumbai’s Andheri district, Shreya Life Sciences, a mid-sized pharmaceutical company, has emerged as an unexpected player in Russia's access to high-tech equipment amid US and European Union sanctions.

According to a Bloomberg investigation, Shreya Life Sciences has become a significant intermediary in the supply of Nvidia chips to Russia, raising concerns among Western nations about India’s growing role in facilitating Moscow's access to dual-use technology.

Analysing data from ImportGenius and NBD, Bloomberg News found that Shreya exported over 1,000 Dell PowerEdge XE9680 servers — each equipped with Nvidia’s H100 processors optimised for artificial intelligence — between April and August 2024.

These advanced servers, valued at approximately $300 million, were shipped to Russian trading firms Main Chain Ltd. and IS LLC, despite being on Western export restriction lists due to their potential military applications.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine will be forced to fight against North Korean troops should they enter the conflict.

In an evening address posted on Telegram, Zelenskyy said North Korean forces could appear on the battlefield "any day now."

"Ukraine will be forced to actually fight against North Korea in Europe," he said, adding: "These are the conditions when the lack of partners' stronger decisions in support of Ukraine only encourages Putin to invest further in terror."

Zelenskyy also called on Western allies to ramp up pressure on Russia, saying he expected more support.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4197518

> Historically, China’s government influenced family planning, enforcing the one-child policy. This policy involved harsh fines and forced abortions. Today, the focus has shifted, encouraging families to have more children. As China faces an aging population, the government sees this as an economic necessity. > > Officials have begun knocking on doors, asking women about their family planning intentions. Many report being questioned about personal details. These questions reflect the shift from limiting families to promoting larger ones. > > [...] > > The government is collaborating with universities to promote marriage and childbirth. Leaders also stress this message at political gatherings, urging women to have children. This push makes it harder for women to ignore state pressure. > > In many cases, officials visit homes to track women’s progress after childbirth. Some are even asked to pose for photographs with their babies for official records. These actions make many women uncomfortable, crossing into personal boundaries. > > [...] > > Many women feel these efforts are disconnected from reality. The cost of raising children is high in urban China, making large families unrealistic for most. Career demands and personal goals further complicate the decision to have children. > > [...] > > China is not only trying to increase birth rates. The government also wants to change the culture around family. They promote a “new marriage and childbearing culture.” Once tasked with limiting births, family planning associations are now encouraging families to grow. > > Health and Government Surveillance > > For many women, government involvement begins even before marriage. Officials often monitor couples’ plans after free health screenings. During these appointments, women receive advice on when to have children. Many women later receive calls encouraging them to pick up free prenatal supplements. > > This monitoring doesn’t end with marriage. Government websites advise pregnant women to register at community health centers, which are run by local officials and keep track of pregnancies. Some women appreciate the support, but others find it intrusive. The constant check-ins feel like surveillance rather than care. > > [...]

German carmaker warns of stagnation in the European sector amid news of deeper-than-expected action

The German carmaker Volkswagen is planning to shut at least three factories in its home country, lay off thousands of workers and cut pay by 10%, according to the company’s union.

The deeper-than-expected cuts come as the company faces weak sales and slow expansion in the electric vehicle (EV) sector amid tough competition from Chinese manufacturers.

“The board wants to close at least three factories in Germany,” the works council chief, Daniela Cavallo, told employees at VW’s headquarters in Wolfsburg on Monday. Its remaining manufacturing sites will reduce capacity, she said, citing information provided by management.

As Europe’s top economy suffers a crisis in manufacturing and fears of mass unemployment, VW is aiming for a fundamental restructuring to cut costs. It had initially warned last month that it had the equivalent of two factories of extra capacity in Germany.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4157628

> cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/4157529 > > > James Robinson, along with Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, has been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Economics for his research on the critical role institutions play in fostering national prosperity. In [this Q&A session]l with EL PAÍS, he explains that his work also seeks to highlight how the legacy of colonialism has impeded economic development in certain regions, particularly in Latin America and Africa. > > > > James Robinson: [...] we make a simple division, focusing on the presence of inclusive institutions or extractive institutions. Inclusive institutions create broad incentives and opportunities for all people equally, while extractive institutions concentrate benefits and incentives in the hands of a few. Many economists say that development comes from entrepreneurship and innovation, but in reality it comes from people’s dreams, creativity and aspirations. To be prosperous, you have to create a series of institutions that can cultivate this talent. However, if you look at countries like Colombia or Nigeria, talent is wasted because people do not have opportunities. > > > > [...] > > > > Institutions can be an obstacle to competitiveness. However, one should consider the impact that European integration had on countries such as Spain, Portugal or the former Soviet countries. These are remarkable success stories. There has been an almost unprecedented transition. It is true that there may be too much regulation or inefficient rules, but broadly speaking the effects of European institutions has been largely positive over the past 50 years. > > > > [...] > > > > [Immigration] is one of the big questions we have to solve. [...] it can be difficult. It is not easy to quickly incorporate the millions of people who cross the Mediterranean [trying to reach Europe]. One of the possible ways is to help them develop in order to improve the terrible situation in their own countries. However, one of the biggest complications is that the policies recommended by Western institutions are not in tune with what is happening in these [developing] countries. At the World Bank, for example, you cannot talk about politics. How do we expect them to solve real problems when you cannot talk about them? Frankly, it doesn’t make sense. If we really want to change the world, we have to have honest conversations. I see that as a long way off. > > > > [...] > > > > The reality is that democratic countries have shown that they are better at managing public services and achieving rapid growth. You can find impressive examples like China among autocratic countries, but you cannot achieve an inclusive economy with an authoritarian regime and a model like the Chinese one. > > > > [...] > > > > I don’t think the Chinese model can continue. If you look at other authoritarian regimes, like Iran or Russia, they are incredibly weak economically and technologically. The economy cannot flourish in an authoritarian regime. Right now, technological dynamism is concentrated in one such country and in the Western world. However, one has to consider that, with Donald Trump, the institutions that have made the United States great are being seriously questioned. This could affect the context, and that is why the European Union and NATO are so important. > > > > [...] > > > > [Populism is linked to the growing disconnect between governments and citizens] and an example of this is Latin America. Democracy promised too much and did not always deliver. People’s lives did not change, and they sought new alternatives. There are various factors why democracy has not achieved transformations, such as clientelism and corruption. [...] Venezuela was governed in a deeply corrupt manner, and Hugo Chávez was clever in taking advantage of it. You also see this with Donald Trump, who has gone far because he realized there was widespread dissatisfaction with traditional politics. The failures of democratic institutions are real, and that is why we have to think about how to make them more empathetic to what people need. > > > > [...] > > > > Artificial intelligence can be wonderful, but like all technologies, it depends on how it is used. If artificial intelligence is used to create replacements for humans, that could be devastating. [...] It is all about how it is used, and that depends on our governments. I think that these decisions should not be left to the tech gurus. They only think about what makes them the most money, even if this is not related to the general well-being of society. In the case of artificial intelligence, it is very important, because it could have a tectonic impact on the world.

> Over 1,000 authors and literary industry workers have signed a letter vowing to boycott any Israeli literary institutions that are complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza and occupation of Palestine, in an effort that organizers say is the largest cultural boycott of Israel in history.

> In the open letter, signatories say they “cannot in good conscience” work with Israeli institutions that have contributed to the genocide and displacement, likening the campaign to the nearly three decade boycott of South African institutions that has been credited with helping to bring down the apartheid state.

> “This is a genocide, as leading expert scholars and institutions have been saying for months,” the group says. “Culture has played an integral role in normalizing these injustices. Israeli cultural institutions, often working directly with the state, have been crucial in obfuscating, disguising and artwashing the dispossession and oppression of millions of Palestinians for decades.”