It's the Skype A Scientist SciComm hotline. :)

Heist heads absolutely feasting this year !

Reuters-

Thieves drill into German bank vault and make off with millions

BERLIN, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Thieves used the quiet Christmas period to drill their way into the vault of a German retail bank and make off with at least 10 million euros' worth of money and valuables from customers' deposit boxes, police said on Tuesday.

The perpetrators drilled through a thick concrete wall at a branch of Sparkasse bank in the western city of Gelsenkirchen and then broke into several thousand safe deposit boxes and stole a sum estimated in the double-digit millions of euros, the police said in a statement.

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Most shops and banks close in Germany over the Christmas period starting from the evening of December 24, and police only discovered the hole after a fire alarm went off in the early hours of Monday, December 29.

Dozens of angry customers gathered in front of the bank on Tuesday loudly chanting "Let us in!".

A hole gapes in a wall after thieves drilled into the vault of a Sparkasse savings bank in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, December 29, 2025, in this image released December 30, 2025, by the police.... Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more

"I couldn't sleep last night. We're getting no information," one man told the Welt broadcaster as he waited outside the branch, adding that he had been using the safe for 25 years and that it contained his savings for old age.

Another man said he used his deposit box to store cash and jewellery for his family.

A spokesperson for the Sparkasse bank in Gelsenkirchen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Police said witnesses have reported that they saw several men on Saturday night carrying large bags in the stairwell of an adjacent parking garage.

There were also reports of a black Audi RS 6 leaving the garage early on Monday morning with masked men inside. The vehicle's licence plate was that of a car stolen in Hanover, more than 200 kilometres to the northeast of Gelsenkirchen, police said.

Reporting by Rachel More; Editing by Hugh Lawson

This year I cleaned out my family's old PS2 and got really into playing tons of games from the era I missed! The PS1/PS2 lineup is truly spectacular & has so many heavy hitters from big names & super unknown developers. Here are some of my favorites.

God of War (2005)

I've only ever played God of War 2018 so I really had no idea what to expect from this one. The opening hydra level is an amazing intro, and the game manages to use its dynamic camera to always show the most exciting angle of the action.

The story is a lot somber than I expected, leaning into it as a proper greek tragedy. Kratos is more introspective than purely angry, and I love how the story teased out reveals. The only real disappointment of the game was the 2nd to last area before the final boss. Some truly maddening platforming that felt more like a test of luck than skill. 8.5/10

Parasite Eve

One of my favorite games I've played this year, and easily one of the best PS1 games for me alongside RE2 and MGS. The game tells an engaging story at a quick pace, and manages to deliver new combat challenges you'd typically see in a full length JRPG at a lightning fast rate. The soundtrack alone is one of my favorites from Yoko Shimomura, with the police station theme "Out of Phase" being a highlight. If you enjoy JRPGs or Survival Horror, you gotta check out Parasite Eve. 9/10

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal

My first Ratchet & Clank was a lot of fun. My partner knew more about the series than I did, so it was fun to see her relive & recognize iconic moments from this game. The shooting is a ton of fun, though some of the grindy challenges for upgrades got tiring after a bit. Also a huge difficulty spike at the final boss caught me off guard. Still, I enjoyed the experience. 7.5/10

Disaster Report

This game really surprised me! I went in expecting a light hearted survival game, and what I got were some genuinely meaningful character moments, branching decisions that matter, and tons of exciting real-time setpieces that would make Uncharted jealous. This is an earthquake survival game where you play as Keith, a reporter investigating an ongoing disaster in Capital City. Through your adventure you'll meet other survivors, uncover a conspiracy, and make some narrow escapes. Unfortunately this game does have a frustrating gameplay shakeup near the end that you'll want a guide to get through, but other than that it was a great time. 8/10

Raw Danger!

Okay I gotta tell y'all about Raw Danger, because I'm convinced this is the PS2 hidden gem. Holy shit. The developers took everything they learned from Disaster Report to deliver one of the most interesting survival games I've ever played. This game features six playable characters experiencing a massive flood in the city of Del Ray over the Christmas Holidays. You start as a waiter, Joshua Harwell, staffing a bigwig event held by the mayor when the disaster starts.

The game does an astounding job putting you into the shoes of your character experiencing the signs of disaster to come. Seeing water slowly trickle into the venue, increasingly nervous fellow staff as you tend to your duties, electrical problems, and soon ankle deep water begins to seep in! The survival is a lot more in-depth than Disaster Report, allowing you to customize your character's whole outfit to maximise staying dry & warm (or looking goofy as hell). Heat management is crucial, and staying out in the rain too long can be deadly. The same real-time setpieces from Disaster Report return, with even greater scale.

The most mechanically interesting part of this game is how it handles its 6 playable characters. Each character has tons of dialogue with those around them, and key decisions they make or say can end up influencing what happens in other playthroughs hours later. You might shove some rubble out of the way, desperate to save your companion - only to curse yourself a couple hours later when that rubble you pushed causes a massive flood to sweep away your current character into a desperate situation. The game delivers on some genuine emotion, while also capturing some truly truly off the walls insane dialogue (shoutout Amber Brazil, my favorite character for this). If you have any interest in adventure or survival games on the PS2, Raw Danger is an absolute must play. 9.5/10 (The graphics/water can look real jank at times)

Palestinian journalist Saga Hamdan: ‘The world chose not to see us’ - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-JG_Chd2SQ

If the past two years have taught anything, it is that Gaza is finished. No one is willing to defy the US to take the steps required to end the genocide. This is abject cowardice. And journalists and the media are fully complicit in mass murder.

What a disgusting, world we live in.

#Palestine #Gaza #Israel #USA
@palestine@lemmy.ml @palestine@fedibird.com

https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/125960048

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/16380

At an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday regarding Israel's recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland, 14 of 15 member states joined Somalia's permanent representative to the UN in condemning what the ambassador called an “act of aggression"—and at least one denounced the Trump administration's defense of Israel's move.

The emergency summit was called days after Israel announced its formal recognition of the region, which declared independence in 1991 after a civil war, but which has not been acknowledged by any other country. Somalia continues to claim Somaliland as part of the country while the region's leaders say the state is the successor to the former British protectorate.

Israel announced its decision months after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with leaders in Somaliland about a potential deal to trade formal recognition of the region for help with illegally deporting Palestinians from Gaza, and as Israeli policy advisers have argued that Somaliland could be used as a base for military operations against the Houthis in Yemen.

Despite evidence that Israel formally acknowledged Somaliland to further its own military and territorial interests, Israeli Deputy Permanent Representative Jonathan Miller arrived at the meeting Monday with the aim of explaining the "historical context" for the country's decision.

"Entire cities were destroyed," said Miller. "Civilians were deliberately targeted. These crimes are now widely recognized as a genocide... Israel's then-acting permanent representative, Yohanan Bein, submitted this letter to this very council warning of grave human rights violations in Somalia... That history provides essential context for the discussion surrounding Israel's recognition of Somaliland today."

Abukar Dahir Osman, Somalia's permanent representative to the UN, suggested Miller's comments only added insult to injury, considering Israel has been assaulting Gaza for more than two years—with attacks continuing despite a "ceasefire"—and has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians in what numerous human rights groups and experts have called a genocide.

"If we want to talk about genocide, it's Israel that's committed this to our own eyes every day," said Osman. "[Miller] represents a government that killed more than 70,000 people. Civilians, including children, women, elderly, doctors and other health workers, and patients in hospitals. Destroying infrastructures, deliberately starving people of Gaza."

“To come to this place, and lecture us [on] humanity and genocide and human rights and independence and democracy. And we know what you’re doing on a daily basis," said Osman. "It’s just an insult.”

Somalia’s representative at the United Nations had a history lesson to share with Israel’s envoy today. “To come to this place, and lecture us [on] humanity & genocide & human rights & independence & democracy. And we know what you’re doing on a daily basis. It’s just an insult.” pic.twitter.com/dcg3NnGKI4
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) December 30, 2025

Warning that the recognition of the breakaway region could destabilize Somalia as well as the broader Horn of Africa, the ambassador also expressed concern that Israel plans to “relocate the Palestinian population from Gaza to the northwestern region of Somalia."

"This utter disdain for law and morality must be stopped now,” said Osman.

Other representatives expressed similar outrage, with the UN envoy for the 22-member Arab League, Maged Abdelfattah Abdelaziz, saying the group would reject “any measures arising from this illegitimate recognition aimed at facilitating forced displacement of the Palestinian people, or exploiting northern Somali ports to establish military bases."

Muhammad Usman Iqbal Jadoon, deputy UN ambassador for Pakistan, said Israel's move following its previous comments on potentially deporting Palestinians to Somaliland was "deeply troubling."

Tammy Bruce, who was sworn in Monday as deputy US representative to the United Nations, was alone in backing Israel's recognition of Somaliland, though she noted that US policy on the region has not changed.

"Israel has the same right to conduct diplomatic relations as any other sovereign state," said Bruce. "Earlier this year, several countries, including members of this council, made the unilateral decision to recognize a nonexistent Palestinian state. And yet, no emergency meeting was called to express this council’s outrage."

More than 150 countries, including a number of major US allies, have recognized Palestinian statehood, with nearly two dozen governments announcing their recognition since Israel began its assault on Gaza in 2023.

Samuel Zbogar, Slovenia's UN ambassador, pushed back against Bruce's comparison.

"Slovenia recognized Palestine as an independent state," he said. "We did so in response to undeniable right of Palestinian people to self-determination. Palestine is not part of any state. It is an illegally occupied territory as declared by the [International Court of Justice], among others. Palestine is also an observer state in this organization."

"Somaliland, on the other hand, is part of a UN member state and recognizing it goes against Article 2, paragraph 4 of the UN Charter," he said.

On Tuesday, protests erupted in cities across Somalia, including the capital of Mogadishu, with demonstrators calling for national unity.

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