Notices by kim_harding ✅ (kim_harding@mastodon.scot), page 4

Tory ‘dark money’ trust fined £1,800 by Electoral Commission
https://theferret.scot/suat-electoral-commission-decision/
A “dark money” trust that gave £364,000 to the Scottish Conservatives has been fined £1,800 by the UK Electoral Commission for failing to properly report donations.

This was from 2019, but how much has changed?

Farage and an ‘Extraordinary Lack of Curiosity’ from UK Government and Intelligence Services Over Possible Russian Interference in Brexit
https://bylinetimes.com/2024/06/11/nigel-farage-and-an-extraordinary-lack-of-curiosity-from-uk-government-and-intelligence-services-over-possible-russian-interference-in-brexit/
“It did strike me as ridiculous that, given the overt nationalism of the Leave.EU campaign, it was involved in discussions with representatives of the Russian Government”

My friend Shannon is trying to
evacuate 3 Afghan Athletes to France https://fundly.com/evacuate-3-afghan-athletes-to-france https://fundly.com/evacuate-3-afghan-athletes-to-france
Please help if you can

Climate and health benefits of wind and solar dwarf all subsidies
https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/05/climate-and-health-benefits-of-wind-and-solar-dwarf-all-subsidies/
By displacing fossil fuels, wind and solar saved the US $250 billion over 4 years.

Indigenous community in the heart of Peru's Amazon hosts film festival celebrating tropical forests
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/peru-ap-amazon-families-people-b2551801.html
In the heart of Peru’s Amazon region, a poor Indigenous community put aside the trials and tribulations of everyday life and celebrated an international film festival with works from countries with tropical forests

ClientEarth have won in court against the UK government for the second time https://www.clientearth.org/latest/news/we-re-taking-the-uk-government-over-its-net-zero-strategy
The High Court has again ruled in our favour that the UK government’s climate strategy is not fit-for-purpose, and therefore breaches the UK Climate Change Act.

Wow, this map (nicked from Amazing Maps on another place) really shows how different the Road traffic death rate in the US is vs Europe

Android’s AI era includes eavesdropping on phone calls, warning you about scams
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/05/google-wants-ai-to-listen-to-your-phone-calls-detect-scam-callers/
A scammer says "transfer the money in your bank account," but Android is listening.

Is this actually something that people want? I wouldn't' be happy with Android listening in...

Acclaimed Film Director Flees Iran On Foot Through Mountainous Area After Being Sentenced To Eight Years In Prison
https://www.thereset.news/p/breaking-acclaimed-film-director
Mohammad Rasoulof, the acclaimed Iranian film director who was just sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging by the Islamic Republic's Revolutionary Court, has fled Iran on foot.

Google makes it a little bit harder to find deepfake porn amid backlash
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/05/downranking-wont-stop-googles-deepfake-porn-problem-victims-say/
Delisting non-consensual deepfake porn on Google is "draining," victim says.

2023 temperatures were warmest we’ve seen for at least 2,000 years https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/05/this-past-summers-heat-was-an-extreme-outlier-in-past-2000-years/
Northern Hemisphere temperatures well beyond natural variability seen in tree rings.

#ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis

Let’s leave the era of plastics behind in 2024 https://www.clientearth.org/earth-day-appeal-2024
Plastic threatens the environment, climate and puts human health at risk. Future generations should inherit a healthy planet.

We must tell companies and governments to stem the flow of plastics and address plastic pollution.

You can help us stand up to plastic polluters and use the power of the law to protect our planet for future generations.

Microsoft employees spent years fighting the tech giant’s oil ties. Now, they’re speaking out.
https://grist.org/accountability/microsoft-employees-spent-years-fighting-the-tech-giants-oil-ties-now-theyre-speaking-out/
Inside the worker-led effort to get the world's most valuable company to stop helping the oil and gas industry drill.

Remember this is just one of the ways that Gates got rich, and like the rest of the Billionaires he is actively destroying the planet...

#ClimateCrisis #Microsoft #tech #ClimateChange

MPs warn that Brits could be blocked from entering Gibraltar because of Brexit deal
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-gibraltar-european-union-border-b2542485.html
A Commons committee has warned that a post-Brexit deal for Gibraltar could have “serious” consequences.

Only 823 people in Gibraltar voted Leave... as a posed to the 19,322 who voted to Remain in the EU.

@ariadne Meanwhile in Edinburgh https://theferret.scot/edinburgh-university-denies-surveillance-claims/

Europeans see natural disasters as a bigger threat than armed conflict, study reveals https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/05/07/europeans-see-natural-disasters-as-a-bigger-threat-than-armed-conflict-study-reveals

Green leader sees ‘huge danger’ to climate policy as elections loom https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/05/02/green-leader-sees-huge-danger-to-climate-policy-as-elections-loom A trio of leading Green MEPs have presented a proposal for a Green Industrial Deal supported by a trillion-euro EU fund and preferential interest rates from the European Central Bank, while warning a swing to the right in June could see five years of climate legislation begin to unravel.

Student Reporters Offer a Lesson on World Press Freedom Day
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/campus-protests-student-journalism-press-freedoms
The escalating authoritarianism we’re witnessing in the crackdown on college campuses is, in part, a by-product of a media system that fails to hold powerful interests accountable for the lies they tell.
#WorldPressFreedomDay

Gaza war surgeon feels ‘criminalised’ after being denied entry to France

Prof Ghassan Abu-Sitta says Schengen-wide ban imposed by Germany appears to be attempt to silence witness testimony

UNESCO report reveals 70% of environmental journalists have been attacked for their work
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-report-reveals-70-environmental-journalists-have-been-attacked-their-work
A new report published by UNESCO on World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, warns of increasing violence against, and intimidation of journalists reporting on the environment and climate disruption.