"The #EU is ready to agree that immediate #OpenAccess to papers reporting publicly funded research should become the norm, w/o authors having to pay fees & that the bloc should support #nonprofit scholarly publishing models.
The same day that Elon Musk fired the entire Twitter team concerned with fighting election disinformation, he also endorses a post where people are being encouraged to vote for the far-right German AFD party. The AFD thanked him for his endorsement and for disbanding the team that was fighting election disinformation.
A group of 18 European Parliament Members have issued a statement officially calling for #Degrowth.
Here is part of what they wrote...
We believe that the current economic model, based on endless growth, has reached its limits.
Firstly, continuous economic growth, especially based on the consumption of fossil fuels, is leading to catastrophic global warming.
Secondly, the infinite pursuit of growth relies on the depletion of natural resources, the destruction of biodiversity, and the accumulation of waste and pollution. This also poses risks to our health, our economies, and our societies writ large.
Thirdly, the current economic model is contributing to social inequality and exclusion. The emphasis on economic growth has not translated into equal distribution of wealth or opportunities. Instead, it has resulted in a concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few leaving many behind.
Fourthly, the current economic model is inherently unstable and prone to crises, as seen, for example, during the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. The pursuit of growth at all costs has created a global economic system that is fragile and vulnerable to shocks.
We need an economic system that prioritises human well-being and ecological sustainability over GDP growth, one that recognises that infinite growth on a finite planet is impossible.
We also believe we need to find new ways of organising our economies without relying on the continuous exploitation of resources and the constant increase in production and consumption.
We call for more pluralism in economic thinking within EU institutions and for its alignment with the scientific evidence of climate, ecological, and social sciences.
We call for economic models and other decision-support tools to be more diverse, more comprehensive, and more readable for citizens.
We call for decision-making processes to be aligned with our common policy objectives rather than on the basis of the variation of GDP figures.
Names of those who signed on as co-authors: Philippe Lamberts (BE), Bas Eickhout (NL), Ville Niinisto (FI), Manuela Ripa (DE), Marie Toussaint (FR), Ernest Urtasun (ES), Kim Van Sparrentak (NL) — Greens/EFA; Manon Aubry (FR), Petros Kokkalis (EL), Marisa Matias (PT), Helmut Scholz (DE) — The Left (GUE/NGL); Pascal Durand (FR), Aurore Lalucq (FR), Pierre Larrouturou (FR) — Socialists & Democrats (S&D); Sirpa Pietikainen (FI), Maria Walsh (IE) — European People’s Party (EPP); Katalin CSEH (HU) — Renew Europe (RE); and Dino GIARRUSSO (IT) — Non-attached (NI).
Extraordinary that there's virtually no coverage in western media of China's extraordinary expansion of its railway network, and no questions about why we can't or don't do the same #Railway#China#Europe#US
In the latest shocking example of blatant disregard for humanity by western powers, an investigation by Al Jazeera and partners revealed that Frontex, the EU's official border patrol agency, has secretly been handing coordinates of #Europe bound crowded #migrant boats, to a Wagner linked Libyan militia vessel, known for horrendous abuses of migrants.
The militias then arrive at the location to kidnap & return migrants to #Libya.
Norway wants Facebook behavioural advertising banned across Europe.
Norway has told the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) it believes a countrywide ban on Meta harvesting user data to serve up advertising on Facebook and Instagram should be made permanent and extended across Europe.
European governments have “systematically” shrunk their railways and starved them of funding while pouring money into expanding their road network, a report has found.
The length of motorways in Europe grew 60% between 1995 and 2020 while railways shrank 6.5%, according to research from German thinktanks Wuppertal Institute and T3 Transportation. For every €1 governments spent building railways, they spent €1.6 building roads.
🚄 What if you could travel through the EU for a month for free?
This year we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Single Market, which allows us to enjoy free movement of goods, capital, services and people across the #EU.
That’s why we are giving away 10 prizes of two rail passes to explore Europe’s rich cultural heritage for a month.
"The EU has just sent formal letter to Elon Musk over "indications" that Twitter/X is “being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation in the EU" in the wake of Hamas’ attacks on Israel."
You are driving a #germany 🇩🇪 car to an #Italian 🇮🇹 coffeeshop to drink Brazilian 🇧🇷 #coffee and then going home buying #Chinese 🇨🇳 takeaway to sit on a #Swedish 🇸🇪 sofa in front of a #Korean 🇰🇷 TV to watch #us 🇺🇸 shows and all the while being complain your neighbor is an #immigrant
Italy has put 15 cities on red alert for high temperatures, as a severe heatwave continues across much of southern Europe.
The European Space Agency, whose satellites monitor land and sea temperatures, has warned that parts of Italy could experience the highest temperatures ever recorded on the continent.
Sicily and Sardinia could see temperatures climb as high as 49 degrees Celsius.
Spanish Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz has said her ministry will soon reduce the working week by two and a half hours, a decision which will improve the work-life balance of 12 million employees across the country.
EU Parliament adopts Right to Repair law with broad support
The European Parliament endorsed a beefed-up ‘right to repair’ law with a large majority on Tuesday (21 November), setting its position before negotiations with the Council representing the 27 EU countries.
Paris mayor quits X platform, calling it a 'gigantic global sewer'
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on Monday announced she was quitting the X platform formerly known as Twitter, calling it a "gigantic global sewer" that was "destroying our democracies" by spreading abuse and misinformation.
The European Court of Justice declares Meta's GDPR approach largely illegal (noyb.eu)
Meta/Facebook's approach to GDPR compliance is largely insufficient, according to a new ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union....