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Italian prosecutors have requested a six-year prison sentence for Matteo Salvini, Italy’s far-right deputy prime minister, for leaving 147 migrants at sea for weeks on a ship run by the Open Arms charity.

Salvini, a partner in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition, is on trial for alleged deprivation of liberty and abuse of office after blocking them from disembarking at one of the country’s ports in 2019.

Members of Open Arms have testified that the physical and mental wellbeing of people on the ship reached a crisis point as sanitary conditions onboard became dire, including a scabies outbreak. The vessel had only two toilets.

Open Arms described it at the time as an “extreme humanitarian emergency”.

Some people who were on board went as far as jumping into the sea to try to escape the vessel and reach land but were rescued by crew members.

“The prosecution has asked for former interior minister Salvini to be sentenced to six years,” Open Arms’ lawyer Arturo Salerni told AFP, as the “long and difficult trial” nears an end.

A verdict in the trial, which began in October 2021, could come next month, he said.

> Storm Boris causes four deaths in Romania and swells rivers in the Czech Republic and Poland, forcing thousands to abandon their homes.

All over the world, the far right comes to power through an alliance with the right and part of the business community

> > > To win back the blue-collar vote, the left needs to make a strong case for reindustrialisation, and breaking with the great blindness of the 1990s and 2000s in favour of a factory-free economy. We need to radically transform the production model to make it environmentally sustainable. The same applies to agriculture and food. To respond to the mobilisation of farmers who are demanding to be able to make a living from their work, we need to attack the profit margins of agricultural giants instead of, as the French government has done, calling into question the environmental transition of the agricultural model. > > > > A critical assessment of public services needs to be done. Austerity measures have considerably weakened the quality of care in public schools and hospitals. All those who can afford it are turning to the private sector. This pauperisation of public services is fuelling the “tax bowl”. The middle classes feel they are having to bleed to pay for public services from which they no longer benefit, while at the same time the richest pay no more tax. > >

At least this time it is taken more seriously than in 2002.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/2778064

> Moscow has funnelled billions of dollars to its army, soldiers, their families and weapons makers to sustain its military campaign -- a spending splurge that helped it defy Western hopes that sanctions would push it into economic collapse. > > But after warning for months that the economy was overheating, the country's Central Bank has lately started mentioning the possibility of another, possibly more challenging development: stagflation. > > "The shortage of (labour) resources may lead to a situation where economic growth slows down, despite all the efforts to stimulate demand, with all that stimulus accelerating inflation," Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina said over the summer. > > "In essence, this is a stagflation scenario, which can only be stopped at the cost of a deep recession," she warned. > > 'De-modernising' > > Stagflation -- a period of low or stagnant growth accompanied by high inflation -- would present a fresh headache for the Kremlin, which has until now navigated the economic fallout of its offensive on Ukraine better than most believed possible. > > Moscow has increased government spending by almost 50 percent since sending troops into Ukraine, pushing up growth and wages. > > Unemployment is at a record low and consumer confidence is its highest in 15 years. > > But an exodus of both skilled and unskilled workers -- who fled mobilisation or joined the army -- has created millions of unfilled vacancies. Sanctions on Western technology have also hit productivity and damaged supply chains. > > "In the long-term these demographic factors and technological issues will result in very low economic growth," Ruben Enikolopov, a Russian professor at the Barcelona School of Economics, says. > > "There is a high probability of a stagflation scenario in 2025 and the years after. It's not a certainty, but high likelihood," he added.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine there have been regular reports of Russians reporting neighbours, colleagues and acquaintances to the police over alleged anti-war statements.

Denunciations have led to arrests, prosecutions and, in some cases, long prison sentences.

But why has snitching become commonplace? And what are the implications for Russian society?

[...]

Free speech in Russia was already under attack, but days after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Vladimir Putin took it to a whole new level.

A few days after ordering Russian troops into Ukraine for what he called a “special military operation”, President Putin signed into law repressive legislation designed to silence or punish criticism.

Russians could now be prosecuted for “discrediting the use of the Russian armed forces” and receive long prison sentences for spreading “knowingly false information” about the army.

[...]

The authorities also signalled a hunt for internal enemies. President Putin declared:

“…any nation, and even more so the Russian people, will always be able to distinguish true patriots from scum and traitors and will simply spit them out like an insect in their mouth, spit them onto the pavement. I am convinced that a natural and necessary self-detoxification of society like this will strengthen our country, our solidarity and cohesion…”

In this atmosphere of “us” against “them”, reports started coming in of Russians snitching on Russians for opposing the war in Ukraine - of students informing on teachers, professors on students, work colleagues on each other.

[...]

This has revived memories of the Soviet past when denunciation was actively encouraged by the authorities. Under dictator Joseph Stalin, the prison camps, or Gulag, were full of victims who had been snitched on by their fellow citizens.

The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region.

The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait.

Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the one issued on Wednesday and another in April 2022.

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday.

New EU #ChatControl proposal leaked +++ Governments to position themselves by 23 September, will be very tight... +++ Will messenger services be blocked in Europe? https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/new-eu-push-for-chat-control-will-messenger-services-be-blocked-in-europe/

Help pressure your government now to defend privacy and secure encryption: https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/take-action-to-stop-chat-control-now/

Archived link

** While the diesel, petrol and electricity used for rail and road transport is heavily taxed, airlines and maritime transport – from fishing boats to cruise ships – continue to enjoy a free ride – a situation that may encourage environmentally harmful travel choices.**

A leaked document suggests Budapest wants to abandon the idea of setting a minimum levy on the kerosene that powers the booming airline industry before mid-century, in an apparent bid to unblock a stalled reform of European energy taxation rules that has sparked outrage among environmentalists.

The European Commission proposed three years ago a reform to the 2003 Energy Taxation Directive as part of a package of measures to achieve the new target of a 55% cut in CO2 emissions by 2030, including a proposal to scrap the blanket exemption for aviation and maritime fuels.

But the bill has been subject to repeated delay, exacerbated by the fact that tax is one of a handful of policy areas where EU legislation can only be enacted if backed unanimously by all 27 member states.

In a compromise proposal seen by Euronews that looks to break a deadlock in intergovernmental talks, current EU Council presidency holder Hungary has suggested minimum tax rates for aviation and maritime fuels should be postponed until 2049.

> > > BEUC [the European Consumer Organisation] and 22 of its member organisations from 17 countries have filed a complaint on 12 September 2024 to the European Commission and the network of consumer protection Authorities (CPC-Network) to denounce several deceptive practices by leading video game companies (Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Mojang Studios, Roblox Corporation, Supercell and Ubisoft) marketing popular games (such as Fortnite, EA Sports FC 24, Minecraft, Clash of Clans and others) and affecting millions of European consumers. > >

The Norwegian Consumer Council's @finnmyrstad posted a thread about it on Mastodon:

> > > 2/ 🕹 According to our analysis, these companies are using misleading tactics that do not comply with the EU rules on unfair commercial practices. In particular we identified that: > > > > 🎰 Gamers cannot see the real cost of digital items, leading to overspending. > > > > 💵 Companies’ claims that gamers prefer in-game premium currencies are wrong. > > > > ⚖ Consumers are often denied their rights when using premium in-game currencies. > > > > 🚸 Children are vulnerable to these manipulative tactics. > >

Demand for new Estonian government bonds totalled EUR 821mn, which was four times more than the EUR 200mn offered, the Ministry of Finance announced, ERR reports.

Altogether 28 professional investors and 7,304 retail investors participated in the public bond offering. Retail investors subscribed to bonds worth EUR 29mn and will receive 100% of the amount subscribed to. Estonian professional investors will receive 26% and international investors 13% on average.

Trading in Estonian bonds will begin on the Nasdaq Tallinn stock exchange on 17 September 2024. The bonds will mature on 16 September 2026, yielding a fixed annual interest rate of 3.3%.

• Russia started producing new long-range attack drone last year, intelligence sources say
• More than 2,500 Garpiya drones were produced in the year to July, intelligence shows
• New Russian-made drone has Chinese engines and parts, documents indicate
• Garpiya would reduce Russian reliance on Iranian drones, expert says

Russia started producing a new long-range attack drone called the Garpiya-A1 last year using Chinese engines and parts, which it has deployed in the war in Ukraine, according to two sources from a European intelligence agency.

The intelligence – which included a production contract for the new drone, company correspondence on the manufacturing process and financial documents - indicated that IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned weapons maker Almaz-Antey, produced more than 2,500 Garpiyas from July 2023 to July 2024.

The existence of the new Russian drone incorporating Chinese technology has not been previously reported. IEMZ Kupol and Almaz-Antey did not respond to requests for comment.

The two intelligence sources said that the Garpiya, which means Harpy in Russian, has been deployed against military and civilian targets in Ukraine, causing damage to critical infrastructure as well as both civilian and military casualties.

Loreto Gesualdo, the president of the Italian Federation of Medical-Scientific Societies (Fism), has proposed legislation to suspend free access to medical care for three years for those who assault healthcare workers or damage health facilities.

Fism reported more than 16,000 verbal and physical attacks against doctors and nurses in Italian hospitals in 2023 alone.

KEY QUOTES

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry: "In Kyiv, there is disappointment regarding the statement made by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico towards Ukrainian soldiers, which goes against the existing level of trust and cooperation between Ukraine and Slovakia."

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico: "We all talk about fascism, Nazism, and yet we tacitly tolerate the fact that there are units running around Ukraine which have a very clear designation, which are linked to movements that we now consider dangerous and forbidden."

Russia routinely refers to Ukraine's leaders as Nazis. President Vladimir Putin cited the need to rid the country of Nazis from the very first day of the invasion in February 2022.

Since the outbreak of war, Ukraine has pressed a drive to join the European Union and NATO but Fico and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban have bucked a consensus on those efforts.

> Philippe Close tells Euronews that Brussels will not be 'held hostage' by Viktor Orbán’s government.

Archived link

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has castigated fellow EU member states that do business with China, saying his own country is an example of surviving “without Russian gas and Chinese contracts”.

[...]

“As we see our partners and friends in Europe signing new contracts with China, we warn of the dangers of those contracts... We are an example that it is possible to survive without Russian gas and Chinese contracts,” the Lithuanian foreign minister told a press conference.

[...]

According to Landsbergis, the EU should have a common strategy towards China. “As is often the case in Europe, 27 states create 27 different interests. Our opponents are able to exploit this,” he insisted.

[...]

“Our team is carrying a message of concern to Europe about increasing partnership between China and Russia. China’s support for Russian defence industrial base, its efforts behind the scenes to support Russia in its battlefield aims in Ukraine have been devastating and concerning,” Campbell said.

[...]

Meanwhile, [United States Deputy Secretary of State Kurt] Campbell said that Lithuania was the country that had come under the most pressure from China when it allowed Taipei to open a representative office under the name of “Taiwan”.

[...]

[Edit typo.]

Archived link

China must reprioritize economic growth and reforms and boost investor confidence by leveling the playing field for all companies in the country, a European business group said Wednesday.

With “business confidence now at an all-time low” over lagging domestic demand and overcapacity in certain industries, the annual European Business in China Position Paper called on China to open its economy and allow a more free market to determine resource allocation. It also recommended introducing policies to boost domestic demand.

Profit margins in China are at or below the global average for two-thirds of the companies surveyed earlier in the year, according to the paper published Wednesday by the European Chamber of Commerce in China.

[...]

Many European businesses are deciding that the returns on investments in the world’s second-largest economy are not worth the risks, due to issues including China’s economic slowdown and a politicized business environment.

“For some European headquarters and shareholders, the risks of investing in China are beginning to outright the returns, a trend that will only intensify if key business concerns are left unaddressed,” Jens Eskelund, president of China’s European Union Chamber of Commerce, said in a message at the beginning of the paper.

[...]

Apple has been told to pay €13bn (£11bn; $14bn) in unpaid taxes to Ireland by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

The European Commission accused Ireland of giving Apple illegal tax advantages eight years ago but the Irish government has consistently argued against the need for the tax to be paid.

The ECJ said its decision on the matter was final and that "Ireland granted Apple unlawful aid which Ireland is required to recover".

The Irish government said it would respect the ruling, while Apple said it was disappointed with the decision and accused the European Commission of "trying to retroactively change the rules".

A separate ECJ ruling on Tuesday also brought an end to a long-running case with Google, with the company ordered to pay a fine of €2.4bn (£2bn) fine for market dominance abuse.

[...]

Archived link

According to the Hungarian media outlet Válasz Online, Father Gergő Bese, the “star priest” of the Orbán regime, there were a series of documents proving that Mr Bese participated in gay parties and maintained intimate relationships with other men.

Things like that are, of course, part of private life, and should remain so. However, the case of Gergő Bese is different. He is one of the flag-bearers of Orbán’s political Christianity, a strong protector of Fidesz from critics from inside the church, an influencer regularly publishing pro-government writings, a public figure, and it seems a financial beneficiary of the Orbán cabinet.

Moreover, he kept slamming the LGBTQ movement, supporting and authenticating the government’s campaign by wearing a cassock.

He blessed PM Orbán’s office in Buda Castle’s Carmelite Monastery and the government-close Megafon Centre. He campaigned for the government during the 2022 general elections, writing that those voting for the opposition choose tuition fees in schools, unbearable payments in social institutes and the lockdown of village temples.

He slammed Hungarian singer Gabi Tóth because of her divorce and the drag queens performing at the 2024 Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony. Bese wrote about the LGBTQ ideology and its aim to conquer the world and how difficult it was for a kid living in a single-parent family to find an identity. That is when LGBTQ propaganda can find and “change” them, he argued.

He slammed the demonstration of church school teachers, Péter Magyar, whom he called the Judas of Fidesz, accepting the 30 pieces of silver.

In the last six years, Bese and his family received HUF 41 million (EUR 101 thousand) from a civil fund supporting almost only the Fidesz-close NGOs. Even though the two NGOs applying are officially led by Bese’s mother and sibling, his email address and phone number were given under the contact details. Apart from the subvention, they received more than HUF 60 million (EUR 152 thousand) through different programmes from the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office, the Cultural Ministry and the Bethlen Gábor Fund. Moreover, he is renting the Regina Hungarorum in Medjugorje.

The Archbishop of Kalocsa-Kecskemét suspended Bese today.

cross-posted from: https://lazysoci.al/post/17405067

Turns out Abbé Pierre was a creep... This is like learning Mohter Theresa was a sexual predator.

Archived link

Poland: Investigation into previous government’s use of Pegasus spyware could be blocked

The probe, which was supposed to be conducted by a parliamentary commission, was one of the promises of Poland’s new ruling coalition led by Donald Tusk when it came to power in December 2023.

In February 2024, a special parliamentary commission was established to investigate the use of Pegasus, which, according to Poland’s current justice minister, was used on almost 600 people between 2017 and 2022. Those targets included opponents of the Law and Justice (PiS) government.

Subsequently, Zbigniew Bogucki, a Polish MP and member of PiS, led a group of MPs to introduce a resolution against the probe.

In their motion, the PiS MPs claimed that the vaguely defined scope of the commission’s activities rendered the investigation unconstitutional.

On September 10, 2024, Bogucki announced that the Constitutional Tribunal (TK), Poland’s Supreme Court, ruled the investigation unconstitutional.

“Therefore from the moment the judgment is announced, this commission must cease its activities,” Bogucki said on X.

[...]

However, Magdalena Sroka, the head of the commission and member of the Polish People's Party, quickly rejected the ruling, arguing that it lacks legal validity.

She claims this is due to the involvement of a judge appointed illegally during the previous PiS government and because the TK operates under the influence of the former ruling party's political agenda.

“We all knew what the tribunal's ruling would be before it was made. This means that the Constitutional Tribunal has once again carried out a political order. The attempt to block the commission's work is dictated by the fear of liability. Rulings involving understudy judges are not binding,” she added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy have arrived in Kyiv on a joint visit as Ukraine continues to press for the right to use US and British long-range missiles against Russia.

The two men travelled together to the Ukrainian capital after talks in London. They are due to meet President Volodymr Zelensky, who has repeatedly called on Washington to loosen the limits on US-supplied weapons.

Blinken said one of their goals was to "hear directly from the Ukrainian leadership" about their "objectives and what we can do to support those needs".

Earlier, US President Joe Biden said his administration was "working" on whether to lift the restrictions.

The policy will come under further scrutiny when UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer meets Biden at the White House on Friday.

Ukraine's Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, thanked Lammy for the UK’s military support for Ukraine throughout the war.

But he added: “We hope that long-range equipment for strikes on the territory of our enemy will be reached and we will have it and we hope for your help and support in this issue.”

[...]

> > > If a social media account is spreading Russian disinformation - does sharing content from the account give it legitimacy? > > > > No, says Carl-Oskar Bohlin, Minister for Civil Defence. But at the authority the minister is responsible for, the answer sounds different. > > > > — In any case, you spread something that a foreign power might intend to spread to make us worried, says Mikael Östlund, press officer at the authority. > > > > It was a year ago that Carl-Oskar Bohlin shared a tweet from the American influencer Lauren Southern, known for her far-right advocacy. The original video warned of how AI is used in influence operations, something the minister forwarded to his around 45,000 followers. "The ability and height of the impact operations risk increasing avalanche-like with disruptive technology shifts," wrote Carl-Oskar Bohlin on X. > > > > Now, an American indictment against two Russian government employees shows that the production company Tenet media, where Lauren Southern is employed, must have been secretly financed by the Russian news agency RT. A total of just over SEK 100 million is said to have been transferred from the Russian state employees to the American company. In turn, influencers would push specific issues—such as questioning support for Ukraine—to their millions of followers. On YouTube alone, the videos have received more than 16 million views. > > > > In light of the American indictment, Carl-Oskar Bohlin has been criticized for not checking his sources better. But the Minister of Civil Defense lets the tweet stay on X. > > > > "For the simple reason that it is difficult to misunderstand." writes Bohlin to DN. > > > > "One should of course refrain from spreading harmful narratives from foreign powers. However, it is a somewhat strange indictment that my warning about deepfakes and doctored videos would in itself constitute Russian disinformation. With such a threshold, it will be difficult to talk about or warn about the phenomenon at all," continues the minister. > > > > Carl-Oskar Bohlin is responsible for the agency for psychological defence, MPF. Countering misdirection and misinformation, including rumor spreading and propaganda, is one of the agency's main missions. > >

In case you wonder, mr. Bohlin is from the conservative party (Moderaterna).

Archived link

Russia's naval activity near undersea cables is reportedly drawing the scrutiny of US officials, further sparking concerns that the Kremlin may be plotting to "sabotage" underwater infrastructure via a secretive, dedicated military unit called the General Staff Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research (GUGI).

[...]

Knocking out internet and telecommunications traffic traveling across these fiber-optic cables would have a devastating effect on government, military, and private-sector communications.

More than 95 percent of international data flows through those submarine cables, which puts them at increasing risk of both cyber and physical attacks .

[...]

Last year, public broadcasters of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland uncovered a Russian fleet of suspected spy ships operating in Nordic waters, reportedly for purposes of sabotaging both submarine cables and wind farms.

**In addition to communications, the cables also carry electricity between European countries. **

[...]

"Any activities that damaged seabed infrastructure including undersea cables especially during periods of heightened tensions risks misunderstandings and misperceptions that could lead to unintended escalation," [said an] US official. "The US would be especially concerned about damage to our or our allies' critical undersea infrastructure."

A new regulation has shaken up the industry

Borrowed from that other site...

New EU report: “Europe is stuck in a static industrial structure… [N]o EU company with a market capitalisation over EUR 100 billion that has been set up from scratch in the last fifty years, while all six US companies with a valuation above EUR 1 trillion have been created in this period.”