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Elon Musk's company hit with $139 million fine despite 'garbage' tough talk from JD Vance
Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, has received a $139 million fine by the European Commission. The penalty is the first-ever issued under the content moderation laws and was issued today (December 5) to the social media site, Politico confirmed. Plans to fine X were aired earlier this year, which prompted vice president JD Vance to suggest the EU should not follow through with a "garbage" notion of fining "free speech". The EU Commission confirmed that X was in breach of their transparency obligations, with the fine sent to X because of a "deceptive" change of how blue check verification worked. The European Commission’s Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty Henna Virkkunen said it was not about the highest fines possible, but about making sure appropriate changes were considered and made. Virkkunen said, "We’re not here to impose the highest fines, we’re here to make sure that our digital legislation is enforced. If you comply with our rules, you don’t get a fine." They added the fine was "proportionate" to the value of the company, with DSA regulations meaning a maximum fine of 6% of a company's worth can be issued. While the fine may not come as a surprise to X, vice president JD Vance warned the EU Commission that they should not be taking aim at Musk's website, something the tech billionaire made clear he did not appreciate.Vance wrote, "Rumors swirling that the EU commission will fine X hundreds of millions of dollars for not engaging in censorship. The EU should be supporting free speech not attacking American companies over garbage." Musk replied, "Much appreciated."Virkkunen would respond to Vance's comments, saying, "The DSA is having not to do with censorship, this decision is about the transparency of X. On this subject, we have agreed to disagree with the way that some people in the U.S. look at our legislation." "It's not about censorship, and we have repeated several times from this podium, so on this we really agree to disagree on how it is perceived."
US airstrike survivors clung to boat wreckage for an hour before second deadly attack, video shows
Footage seen by US senators shows two unarmed, shirtless men struggling to stay afloat before they were killed, sources sayExperts say Trump’s ‘drug boat’ war is legally shakyTwo men who survived a US airstrike on a suspected drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean clung to the wreckage for an hour before they were killed in a second attack, according to a video of the episode shown to senators in Washington.The men were shirtless, unarmed and carried no visible radio or other communications equipment. They also appeared to have no idea what had just hit them, or that the US military was weighing whether to finish them off, two sources familiar with the recording told Reuters. Continue reading...
US leader of global neo-Nazi terrorist group signals retribution for arrests
Rinaldo Nazzaro says detention of suspected Base members in Spain justifies ‘resistance … by any means necessary’After Spanish police and Europol’s counter-terrorism section arrested three suspected members of the Base – a globally proscribed neo-Nazi terrorist group – in the eastern province of Castellón, its American leader living in Russia was defiant and signaled further actions.In a text message to the Guardian, Rinaldo Nazzaro called the arrests another “example of political persecution” by world governments that are “further justifying our resistance to its hegemonic rule by any means necessary”. Continue reading...
Burkina Faso plans to restore death penalty for treason, terrorism, espionage
Burkina Faso's Council of Ministers has adopted a bill to restore the death penalty, targeting offenses such as treason, terrorism and espionage, authorities said.
Pakistan army labels imprisoned ex-leader Imran Khan 'mentally ill' after he criticizes army chief
Pakistan's military pushed back Friday after imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan called the country's army chief "mentally unstable." The army labeled Khan "mentally ill" and accused him of using family visits and social media posts to attack the armed forces and sow division.
WATCH: A baby fur seal galumphs into a bar, the bartender says 'Grab the salmon!'
It was a wet, lazy Sunday evening when the baby fur seal waddled into the Sprig + Fern The Meadows craft beer bar in Richmond, at the top of New Zealand's South Island. Accustomed to seeing animals in the pet-friendly bar, co-owner Bella Evans assumed the visitor was a dog before she took a closer look.
“This is war”: Is Trump about to invade Venezuela? – podcast
Donald Trump has in recent months turned his attention to ousting Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro. But the US president and his secretary of war, Pete Hegseth, are under scrutiny over military strikes on suspected drug boats from Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea.This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to the Guardian’s Tom Phillips about why people are accusing Trump of war crimesArchive: 60 Minutes, CBS News, ABC News, PBS Newshour, C-SPAN, Al Jazeera English, CBS Miami, City News, CBC, Reuters Continue reading...
Police recover a swallowed Fabergé pendant after a 6-day wait for it to reappear
Police have recovered a James Bond-inspired Fabergé pendant after six days of waiting for it to exit a suspect's gastrointestinal tract
Putin and Modi to discuss Russia-India trade and defense ties amid US pressure
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an annual summit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties
Patient police say they have recovered Fabergé pendant from man accused of swallowing it
Six days after alleged incident, evidence emerges without requiring medical intervention, New Zealand police sayPolice say they have recovered a Fabergé egg pendant from a man accused of swallowing the item in a jewellery story.New Zealand police have spent six days monitoring every bowel movement of the suspect, a spokesperson said, and the NZ$33,000 ($19,000) James Bond Octopussy pendant was recovered from his gastrointestinal tract on Thursday night by natural means, without requiring medical intervention. Continue reading...
Pentagon announces it has killed four men in another boat strike in Pacific
Strike comes amid congressional turmoil over legality of US attacks on suspected drug smugglersThe Pentagon announced on Thursday that the US military had conducted another deadly strike on a boat suspected of carrying illegal narcotics, killing four men in the eastern Pacific, as questions mount over the legality of the attacks.Video of the new strike was posted on social media by the US southern command, based in Florida, with a statement saying that, at the direction of Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, “Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization”. Continue reading...
Baby fur seal wanders into a bar in New Zealand
The surprise visitor waddled around the pub during what’s known as ‘silly season’ where seals pop up in unexpected placesOn a wet, lazy Sunday evening a baby fur seal waddled into a craft beer bar in Richmond, at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. Accustomed to seeing animals in the pet-friendly bar, co-owner Bella Evans initially assumed the visitor was a dog before she took a closer look.“Everyone was in shock,” Evans said. “Oh my gosh. What do we do? What’s going on?” Continue reading...
