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I think they should grant asylum to people with legitimate asylum claims.

Some "non-spy Russians" have legitimate asylum claims. Some do not.

Why is he wearing gloves, in this sculpture?

Fair point. Alphabet may even have decided it was a cost-effective way to generate publicity for Google Earth, which has been out of the headlines for a decade or more.

Thanks, looked it up but IBEW only operates in North America, not in the UK.

For a beautiful moment after reading the headline, I thought this must be an uplifting piece about European weather systems.

Then reality set in 🫠

International coverage: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-accuses-russia-war-crime-after-video-shows-drone-hunting-market-vendor-2026-08-04/

It's still an instructive case:

1. It was foreseeable (and, probably, foreseen by many people at Google) that the tool would be used in harmful ways.
2. Google released it anyway

This is textbook negligence. Unjustified refusal to avoid a foreseeable harm.

That pattern of negligence is the AI boom in a nutshell.

What are your main issues with Matrix?

I feel the same way, but can you explain how a VPN would help achieve that in the face of Google’s proposed developer verification scheme?

How would that help you?

The article says, "unverified apps will only be easily installable in the sanctioned countries where verification doesn’t exist."

So even if you used a VPN to trick Google into thinking you live in a sanctioned country, you wouldn't be able to distribute apps to those countries without breaking sanctions.

For 20+ years. Fixed in 2019.

it'd be like saying we should disarm Ukraine, 'cause then Russia doesn't have a reason to invade them

Putin's All-Russia People's Front's policies toward Ukraine have many similarities to Netanyahu's Likud party's policies toward Gaza. Both sets of policies are tragic, causing many innocent people's deaths.

Nevertheless, Ukraine and Gaza are different enough for one to reasonably reach different conclusions about how best peace can be achieved in each place:

• Ukraine's weapons are protecting Ukraine against Russian attacks and invasion attempts. Therefore, it is in Ukraine's interests to have them. Hamas's weapons are not protecting Gaza against Israeli attacks or invasion. There is no obvious benefit from Hamas having them.
• Servant of the People, and Ukraine, do recognise Russia, and have not seriously proposed eliminating it. Hamas does not officially recognise Israel, and has seriously proposed eliminating it.
• Argentina, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Paraguay, Philippines, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, the UK, the USA, the EU, and the Organization of American States, all designate Hamas a terrorist organisation. This reduces the aid Gaza receives. They seem unlikely to reverse the designation unless Hamas disarms. None of them designate Servant of the People, or Ukraine, a terrorist organisation.

Those points lead me to believe Hamas should disarm.

I also believe countries giving aid to Israel should make it formally contingent on Israel withdrawing from Gaza and the West Bank, to pre-1967 borders, and recognising Palestinian statehood. However, it looks like the US is going to stop aid to Israel regardless.