Notices by R. Scott Pert (raymondpert@mastodon.cloud), page 2

Demanding restrictions: Thousands protest in Spain's Canary Islands against mass tourism

> Thousands of flag-waving demonstrators hit the streets across #Spain's #CanaryIslands on Sunday to demand restrictions to the mass #tourism they say is overwhelming their Atlantic archipelago.
https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/a/2242537.html #tourism

Rick Hasen: Elon Musk Breaking Law With $1 Million Giveaway

> A top election law expert says #ElonMusk is breaking the law by giving away $1 million to a number of registered voters in #Pennsylvania and other swing states who sign his PAC’s petition.
https://www.mediaite.com/news/clearly-illegal-top-election-attorney-accuses-elon-musk-of-breaking-law-with-1-million-lotto-style-giveaway-to-pa-voters/ #Election2024

Jordan on Sunday condemned "the storming" of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound earlier in the day by extremist settlers under the protection of Israeli forces.

> The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said the storming constitutes a blatant breach of international law, the historical and legal status quo in #Jerusalem and its holy sites, and #Israel's obligations as "the occupying power," according to a statement by the ministry.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-10-20/Jordan-condemns-Israeli-settlers-storming-of-Aqsa-Mosque-compound-1xRgVDBKdr2/p.html #Jordan

TSMC likely to reclaim lead in sales over Samsung

> #Samsung Electronics’ chip division is likely to be dethroned by #TSMC, the world's largest foundry company that manufactures #Nvidia #chips, in terms of the latest quarterly sales, according to industry sources on Sunday. https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20241020050100 #semiconductors

Many refugees seeking safety in Canada end up in shelters for months - #Calgary

> Many #refugees seeking safety in #Canada have little money with them and just the clothes on their back. The Centre for Newcomers says it is seeing a large increase in refugee claimants in Calgary. As Jayme Doll reports, some of them – including expectant mothers-- are ending up in homeless shelters. https://globalnews.ca/news/10819061/refugees-shelter-canada/ #migration #housongcrisis #CANpoli #CDNpoli #poverty #homelessness

South Africa asks Taiwan to move embassy out of capital

> South Africa asked Taiwan to move its liaison office out of the administrative capital, Pretoria, in order to emphasize the countries' "non-diplomatic" ties. China claims Taiwan as part of its own territory. https://www.dw.com/en/south-africa-asks-taiwan-to-move-embassy-out-of-capital/a-70539211 #SouthAfrica #Taiwan #China

US to probe Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' system after pedestrian killed in low visibility conditions

> The #US government's road safety agency is investigating #Tesla's “Full Self-Driving” system after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian.

> [..] after the company reported four crashes when Teslas encountered sun glare, fog and airborne dust.
https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/international/2024/10/19/fgn73-us-tesla-ld-probe.html #EV #electricvehicles

A blaze burns down a brand-new fire station in Germany that lacked fire alarms

> A brand-new fire station in #Germany, which was destroyed in a fire, causing millions of euros in damage and destroyed equipment did not have a fire alarm system, local media reported Thursday.
https://apnews.com/article/germany-fire-station-fire-alarm-system-blaze-f5abcb52a75886705a77fca5bc6bfd9b

'Totally illegal': Trump escalates rhetoric on outlawing political dissent and criticism

> “This is out of the autocratic playbook. As autocrats consolidate their power once they’re in office, anything that threatens their power ... becomes illegal,” historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat said.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/totally-illegal-trump-escalates-rhetoric-outlawing-political-dissent-c-rcna174280 #elections #election2024 #DonaldTrump

Russian Soyuz brings crew of three back from International Space Station https://www.reuters.com/science/russian-soyuz-brings-crew-three-back-international-space-station-2024-09-23/ #ISS #soyuz #russia

US Air Force awards $13 billion Doomsday plane contract to Sierra Nevada

> The U.S. Air Force said on Friday that it has awarded a $13 billion contract to Sierra Nevada Corp to develop a successor to the E-4B, known as the Doomsday plane due to its ability to survive a nuclear war. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-air-force-awards-doomsday-plane-contract-sierra-nevada-2024-04-26/ #US #military #aviation #nuclearwar

France threatens new sanctions against West Bank settlers

> PARIS: #France is considering extending #sanctions on Israeli settlers behind violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, President #EmmanuelMacron’s office said he spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

> The two leaders “firmly condemned recent Israeli announcements about settlements” in the #WestBank, “which are contrary to international law,” Macron’s office said in a statement
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2499561/world #Israel

Fed's preferred inflation gauge shows price pressures stayed elevated last month

> A measure of inflation closely tracked by the Federal Reserve remained uncomfortably high in March, likely reinforcing the Fed's reluctance to cut interest rates anytime soon and underscoring a burden for President #JoeBiden's re-election bid.
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/feds-preferred-inflation-gauge-shows-price-pressures-stayed-109688439 #election2024 #inflation #economy #FederalReserve

New North Korean propaganda poster depicts tank crushing South Koreans

> The poster is an almost identical copy of ones released in previous years, such as one from 2017 featuring a tank in the same position but with the words “economic development” and “nuclear weapon development” on treads crushing the words “sanctions” and “pressure.”
https://archive.is/2024.01.22-094633/https://www.nknews.org/2024/01/new-north-korean-propaganda-poster-depicts-tank-crushing-south-koreans/ #NorthKorea #DPRK

In Vietnam, farmers reduce methane emissions by changing how they grow rice

> Using less water and using a drone to fertilize are new techniques that Van is trying and #Vietnam hopes will help solve a paradox at the heart of growing #rice: The finicky crop isn’t just vulnerable to climate change but also contributes uniquely to it.
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/vietnam-farmers-reduce-methane-emissions-changing-grow-rice-109515423 #farming #climatechange #Methane #globalwarming #SouthEastAsia #TootSEA

Trump poised to clinch $1.3 billion social media company stock award

> #DonaldTrump is set to secure on Tuesday a stock bonus worth $1.3 billion from the company that operates his social media app #TruthSocial, equivalent to about half the majority stake he already owns in it, thanks to the wild rally in its shares.
https://www.reuters.com/technology/trump-poised-clinch-13-billion-social-media-company-stock-award-2024-04-23/ #SocialMedia #election2024 #GOP

Ukraine 'ran out' of missiles to defend key plant, Zelensky says

> #Russia was able to destroy a key power plant serving Kyiv because #Ukraine ran out of defensive missiles, President #VolodymyrZelensky said on Tuesday.

> For three-and-a-half weeks, Russia has launched near continuous strikes on Ukraine's power grid, leaving over a million people without electricity.

https://archive.fo/2024.04.17-030647/https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/ukraine-ran-out-of-missiles-to-defend-key-plant-zelensky-says/article68072521.ece #UkraineWar

Venezuela shuts Ecuador diplomatic missions over raid

> #Venezuela's President #NicolasMaduro said Tuesday he had ordered the closure of his country's diplomatic missions in #Ecuador after a raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito.

> Maduro said he had ordered "diplomatic personnel to return to Venezuela immediately... until international law is restored in Ecuador."
https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/a/2187274.html #Mexico

Australia's Great Barrier Reef hit by record bleaching

> Australia's spectacular Great Barrier Reef is experiencing its worst #bleaching event on record, the country's reef authority reported on Wednesday (Apr 17).

> Often dubbed the world's largest living structure, the Great Barrier Reef is a 2,300km-long expanse, home to a stunning array of biodiversity including more than 600 types of coral and 1,625 fish species.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/australias-great-barrier-reef-hit-record-bleaching-4270881 #Australia #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming

UAE witnesses largest amount of rainfall in 75 years

> The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday witnessed the largest amount of #rainfall in its modern history over the past 24 hours, marking the highest since climatic data recording began in 1949, Emirates News Agency WAM reported.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2024/04/17/uae-witnesses-largest-amount-of-rainfall-in-75-years #UAE #climatechange