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● 05.28.23


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● Links 28/05/2023: Linux 6.4 RC4 and MX Linux 23 Beta


Posted in News Roundup at 8:38 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz


GNU/Linux


Kernel Space


↺ LWN ☛ Linux 6.4-rc4


Applications


↺ Linux Links ☛ 11 Best Linux Flashcard Software


Flashcards are one of the best tools for memorizing information. This is partly because of their versatility. They can help teach multiplication skills, learn a foreign language, recall facts, historical dates, in fact anything that can be learned in an intuitive way.


To provide an insight into the quality of software available, we have compiled a list of 11 useful flashcard applications. Hopefully there will be something of interest for anyone who wants to memorize information. Here’s our verdict on each of the open source applications.


↺ OMG Ubuntu ☛ Tube Converter Gets New Backend for Improved Stability


A major update to Tube Converter is now available. If you’re not familiar with this GTK4/libadwaita app, it’s a GUI tool that makes it easy to download videos from YouTube (assuming you have permission, etc) and a number of other popular video streaming sites. Tube Converter is powered by the popular yt-dlp engine, providing a sleek, user-friendly front-end to many of that tool’s features.


Instructionals/Technical


↺ Make Use Of ☛ How to Rebind Middle Mouse Click in Ubuntu [Ed: Article about Ubuntu with… Microsoft mouse. Microsoft laid off the staff and will abandon peripherals like these.]


↺ Make Use Of ☛ How to Rebind Middle Mouse Click in Ubuntu [Ed: Article about Ubuntu with… Microsoft mouse. Microsoft laid off the staff and will abandon peripherals like these.]


Pasting with the middle mouse button is a convenient feature for many Ubuntu users, but you’re not alone if you worry about accidentally pasting private information with an unintentional click. Luckily, rebinding the middle mouse button in Ubuntu is a simple process.


↺ How to Reset IP Address: Mac, Windows, Linux & More


↺ TecAdmin ☛ An In-depth Guide to Using the =~ Operator in Bash


In the world of Bash scripting, there are various operators at our disposal that empower us to manipulate, compare, and test data. One such operator is the `=~` operator. Often overlooked but incredibly powerful, this operator provides us with a means to match string patterns using regular expressions.


↺ How to install Docker CE on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish


Docker is an open-source project that gives us the ability to easily run applications in isolated containers. Those who are using Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and want to install Docker CE to run containers of various Linux apps can follow this tutorial. A


↺ Linux Links ☛ Alternatives to popular CLI tools: cloc


This article spotlights alternative free and open source tools to cloc, a tool which counts lines of source code and comments.


↺ Linux Links ☛ Alternatives to popular CLI tools: mv


This article spotlights alternative tools to mv.


↺ Trend Oceans ☛ [Solved] Getting GOPATH error “go: cannot use path@version syntax in GOPATH mode”


Recently, I tried to install one package using Golang and got an error message claiming that Golang couldn’t load the package, as shown below. In theory, multiple things can generate this error, requiring different solutions.


↺ How to install AWS Toolkit on Linux for IntelliJ IDEA


AWS ToolKit is a set of Tools offered by Amazon Web services that allows developers to interact with its various services from their development environments.


↺ FOSSLinux ☛ Using the Pop!_OS auto-tiling feature for efficient window management


Pop!_OS is a Linux distribution that’s well-known for its user-friendly interface and feature-rich environment. One of its most innovative features is auto-tiling, a functionality that automatically arranges your windows in a grid, helping you manage your workspace more efficiently. With auto-tiling, you no longer have to waste time manually resizing and rearranging windows; instead, you can focus on the tasks at hand.


↺ ID Root ☛ How To Install OpenCV on Rocky Linux 9


In this tutorial, we will show you how to install OpenCV on Rocky Linux 9. For those of you who didn’t know, OpenCV is a popular and widely used computer vision library that offers a vast collection of algorithms and tools. It is designed to provide efficient and real-time image and video processing capabilities.


Desktop Environments/WMs


K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt


↺ Beginning my Open Source Journey with KDE!


Hi! Im Vansh, a third-year CS undergraduate. Ive been looking to start contributing to FOSS projects for a while now, and decided to make use of GSoC as a foray into my open source journey. KDE Plasma on top of various Linux distributions has been my daily-driver of choice for nearly three years, which is why KDE especially appealed to me as a community that I’d love to be a part of. Let’s get started


↺ Volker Krause ☛ April/May in KDE Itinerary


Since the last update two month ago KDE Itinerary got an improved timeline view, new importing and editing capabilities and even more travel document extractors. We also started to explore ways to integrate with Matrix for coordination during group trips.


↺ First blog for GSoC ’23


Hello and welcome to my first-ever blog! This is written as part of my work for KDE for GSoC ’23.


My name is Shivodit Gill, I am a second-year student studying Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) in India. This is my first ever Google Summer of Code, so I’m eager to get started and learn new things.


I’m looking forward to increasing my capabilities and writing code that could (possibly!) find a home in the code repositories of popular apps, and be of use to people around the world. Together with my mentor, Albert Astals Cid (aacid@kde.org), I feel ready to tackle this challenge.


↺ Google Summer of Code Introductory Blog #1


Hello world,


This is my first blog post for Google Summer of Code 2023.


During the Google Summer of Code timeline, I will be working on implementing the admin APIs in Tokodon. These APIs will provide mastodon moderators with a suite of moderation tools within Tokodon. I would like to thank Carl Schwan ❤ for mentoring me during Season of KDE and once again for this project. I am really grateful to work under his guidance.


Distributions and Operating Systems


New Releases


↺ 9to5Linux ☛ MX Linux 23 Is Now Available for Beta Testing Based on Debian 12 “Bookworm”


Based on the upcoming Debian 12 “Bookworm” operating system series, MX Linux 23 is powered by the long-term supported Linux 6.1 LTS kernel series and uses sysVinit as the default init system instead of system, and comes in three editions with the Xfce 4.18, KDE Plasma 5.27 LTS, and Fluxbox 1.3.7 graphical environments.


There’s lots of cool stuff in the MX Linux 23 release, including support for swapfiles in the installer and used by default for the “regular” auto installation method, support for PipeWire and WirePlumber for managing audio instead of PulseAudio, as well as the nala command-line APT frontend as the default backend for MX Updater.


Fedora Family / IBM


↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Red Hat Summit’s first day reveals key themes for the future of cloud computing [Ed: The "rhsummit" at the end of these URLs means it's paid-for SPAM or fluff by Red Hat about Red Hat. Those aren't stories about Red Hat but by Red Hat.]


↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Red Hat’s innovation roadmap goes beyond the hype cycles [Ed: Red Hat’s article about Red Hat; they're literally buying these puff pieces]


↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Running workloads anywhere: Red Hat accelerates the open hybrid cloud [Ed: Another Red Hat-sponsored piece about Red Hat; this is becoming like Microsoft]


↺ Silicon Angle ☛ The future of open source: Red Hat CTO weighs in on acceleration, innovation and integrity [Ed: Red Hat pays "media" to do "interviews" with itself]


↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Harnessing open-source power in a multicloud world: TheCUBE’s final analysis from Red Hat Summit [Ed: An "analysis" of Red Hat, funded by... Red Hat]


↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Accelerating cloud modernization journeys: Inside the AWS, Red Hat and Accenture partnership [Ed: Yet another piece of SPAM creator for and by Red Hat]


Debian Family


↺ Debian ☛ Debian Installer Bookworm RC 4 release


Canonical/Ubuntu Family


↺ OMG Ubuntu ☛ Ubuntu Summit 2023 Date & Location Revealed


Join me in hearing an imaginary drum roll as I reveal the date and location of the next Ubuntu Summit. This year, Riga in Latvia will host Ubuntu’s in-person soirée, from November 3rd to November 5th at the The Radisson Blu Latvija Hotel. Interestingly, the Ubuntu Summit 2023 is not the only is FOSS-focused event Latvia’s capital accommodates this year as GNOME’s annual GUADEC event rolls into town during July. Not sure if this is a coincidence or planned.


Open Hardware/Modding


↺ Andrew Hutchings ☛ Acorn RiscPC #2: Restoration Part 2


With the battery gone, it is time to test the PSU, boards and drives for this RiscPC. Got fingers and everything else crossed?


↺ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Raspberry Pi Pico Controls Wireless Buttons for Bullet Time Video Booth


Sebastian Staacks is using a couple of Picos to drive wireless buttons used in a bullet time video booth project for a wedding.


↺ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Raspberry Pi Mame Boy Advance SP Kit Supports Pi Zero and Zero 2


Zarcadeuk is at it again with his Mame Boy Advance SP project—a specially-made kit that supports the Raspberry Pi Zero and Zero 2.


↺ CNX Software ☛ Olimex ESP32-SBC-FabGL board runs DOS, offers VGA , PS/2 keyboard and mouse connectors


Olimex ESP32-SBC-FabGL is an ESP32 single board computer that can serve as the brain of a retro computer with a VGA port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and two PS/2 ports for a keyboard and mouse that are handled by the open-source FabGL graphics library. The board also comes with a microSD card slot, a buzzer, and various expansion interfaces, and can be powered via its USB port or a LiPo battery. FabGL implements several emulators including an Intel 8080 CPU emulator that allows the system to run various versions of DOS among other things.


↺ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Track Overhead Satellites with This QtPy Detector


OkuboHeavyindustries is using a QtPy board to track satellites in real-time as they pass by overhead.


↺ peppe8o ☛ Network monitoring with Raspberry PI and NEMS (Nagios)


In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to install and use NEMS on Raspberry PI…


↺ CNX Software ☛ SenseCAP Indicator D1Pro Review – An ESP32-S3 & RP2040 IoT devkit with a 4-inch display, LoRa connectivity, sensors


SenseCAP Indicator D1Pro Features Dual MCUs and GPIO expansion with the Espressif ESP32-S3 and Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontrollers and support for over 400 Grove-compatible modules.


Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications


↺ Next TV ☛ Google: Malware Infected Streaming Devices Are Built on Android Open Source Project, Not Android TV | Next TV


↺ The Sun ☛ I’m a security expert – two ‘malicious’ Android apps to delete from your phone right away | The US Sun


↺ Giz China ☛ Android Fingerprint Scanners May Have Loopholes – Gizchina.com


↺ SlashGear ☛ How To Use Android’s New App Auto-Archiving Feature


Free, Libre, and Open Source Software


↺ OSI Blog ☛ Regulatory language cannot be the same for all software


In reviewing the language and concepts being used in the various draft bills and directives circulating in Brussels at present, it is clear that the experts crafting the language are using their understanding of proprietary software to build the protections they clearly intend for Open Source.


Web Browsers/Web Servers


Mozilla


↺ TechRepublic ☛ 10 must-know Firefox tips


PURPOSE TechRepublic Premium presents 10 tips for the Firefox open-source browser. Even if you only follow some of these, you’ll find your browser experience to be much improved. From the article: 1. USE CAUTION WITH ADD-ONS AND THEMES This is one of the first tips I always offer.


Programming/Development


↺ Dirk Eddelbuettel ☛ Dirk Eddelbuettel: RcppArmadillo 0.12.4.0.0 on CRAN: New Upstream Minor


Armadillo is a powerful and expressive C++ template library for linear algebra and scientific computing. It aims towards a good balance between speed and ease of use, has a syntax deliberately close to Matlab, and is useful for algorithm development directly in C++, or quick conversion of research code into production environments. RcppArmadillo integrates this library with the R environment and language–and is widely used by (currently) 1074 other packages on CRAN, downloaded 29.3 million times (per the partial logs from the cloud mirrors of CRAN), and the CSDA paper (preprint / vignette) by Conrad and myself has been cited 535 times according to Google Scholar.


↺ Anne van Kesteren: WebKit and web-platform-tests


Let me state upfront that this strategy of keeping WebKit synchronized with parts of web-platform-tests has worked quite well for me, but I’m not at all an expert in this area so you might want to take advice from someone else.


Once I’ve identified what tests will be impacted by my changes to WebKit, including what additional coverage might be needed, I create a branch in my local web-platform-tests checkout to make the necessary changes to increase coverage. I try to be a little careful here so it’ll result in a nice pull request against web-platform-tests later. I’ve been a web-platform-tests contributor quite a while longer than I’ve been a WebKit contributor so perhaps it’s not surprising that my approach to test development starts with web-platform-tests.


↺ Rlang ☛ Exploring Data with TidyDensity: A Guide to Using tidy_empirical() and tidy_four_autoplot() in R


Introduction Yesterday I had the need to see data that had a grouping column in it. I wanted to use the tidy_four_autoplot() function on it from the {TidyDensity} library on it.


Python


↺ Linux Hint ☛ Python Print List Without Brackets


To print the list various methods such as the “for” loop, “join()”, “List Comprehension”, “str()” function, and “asterisk” ‘*’ operators are used in Python.


↺ Linux Hint ☛ Python Remove Spaces from String


To remove spaces from the string various methods such as “replace()”, “translate()”, “Regex Expression”, “strip()”, “isspace()” method, etc. are used in Python.


↺ Linux Hint ☛ Python readlines()


Python “readlines()” method is used to read all lines from a text file and return them as a list. It is used to read specific bytes from a file or whole file.


Leftovers


↺ The Straits Times ☛ Elderly couple in Malaysia robbed three times in three weeks


The couple had personal documents, money and jewellery worth about $7,630 stolen across the break-ins.


↺ Unix Sheikh ☛ One of the most basic requirements for success is also one of the most difficult to get right


Throughout my life I have been involved in many different projects and exciting endeavors, not only computer or technology related, but also within other “spheres of life”. Often a project has many different requirements for success, but one thing is almost a universal constant, you have to surround yourself with the right people.


↺ Tedium ☛ Dress Down


Thoughts on dressing up in a world where members of Congress are trying to get away with wearing sneakers inside the Oval Office. Hoodies in the Senate? Sure!


Science


↺ The Atlantic ☛ The Art of Paying Attention


Distractions can be dangerous, but attention is also a beautiful act in and of itself.


↺ [Older] Teacher equity and maths identity


A new study finds that high school students identify more with math if they see their math teacher treating everyone in the class equitably, especially in racially diverse schools. The study by researchers at Portland State University, Loyola University Chicago and the University of North Texas was published in the journal Sociology of Education. Dara Shifrer, associate professor of sociology at Portland State and former middle school math teacher, led the study.


↺ Vice Media Group ☛ Scientists Discover Time When Our Laws of Physics Didn’t Apply, And We Exist Because of It


The universe was briefly governed by different physical laws than exist today, according to new research.


Education


↺ uni Stanford ☛ President to delay Provost selection until Special Committee’s investigation concludes


The faculty-led advisory committee will solicit feedback from the Stanford community on potential candidates to succeed Persis Drell as provost. Community members have until June 3 to submit their feedback to the advisory committee.


↺ uni Michigan ☛ CSG hears from GEO on final grades, passes budget


The University of Michigan Central Student Government hosted Rackham student Jared Eno, president of the Graduate Employees’ Organization, at their General Assembly Meeting Tuesday evening. The meeting, which also saw the discussion of various resolutions and executive nominations, concluded with a statement from CSG that they will draft a resolution reaffirming their support for GEO.


↺ JURIST ☛ US appeals court upholds high school admissions policy after allegations it discriminates against Asian American students


The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Tuesday overturned a decision from the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia that held the Virginia Fairfax County School Board’s (Board) new admissions policy violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause.


↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong expands criminal checks to more visa schemes, including migrant domestic workers, students


Hong Kong will soon require students, domestic workers and other groups applying for visas to the city to declare their criminal history. The new requirement, which will come into effect from June 19, will not affect those seeking visa extensions.


Hardware


↺ Axios ☛ The best performing stock over the last decade? Nvidia


The stock market’s top story this past week — aside from the will-they, won’t-they debt ceiling drama — was a gargantuan earnings report from chipmaker Nvidia.


↺ CNX Software ☛ 8-inch mini laptop is powered by an Intel Processor N100 Alder Lake-N SoC


A mini laptop with an 8-inch touchscreen display, powered by an Intel Processor N100 Alder Lake-N SoC coupled with 12GB LPDDR5, and an up to 2TB SSD has started to show up on Aliexpress for $350 and up.


↺ CNX Software ☛ Imagination IMG CXM is a small GPU with HDR support for TV boxes, wearables, and Smart Home appliances


Imagination IMG CXM is a power-efficient embedded GPU family with HDR support user interfaces, thus enabling OEMs to provide users the enriching visual experience they have come to expect but at a lower cost and with more design flexibility. The new CXM GPUs also deliver close to 50% performance density improvement over IMG BXM consumer GPUs, offer support for 10-bit RGBA/YUV to deliver a HDR graphical user interface with less visible banding, and integrate well with Imagination RISC-V CPUs.


↺ WhichUK ☛ Major retailers’ online chat functions give dodgy faulty goods advice


We contacted seven popular retailers and were given inconsistent – and often


incorrect – advice on consumer rights for faulty products


Health/Nutrition/Agriculture


↺ New York Times ☛ As Covid Infections Rise, China Rejects a Return to Lockdowns


The authorities say that cases are up, and one doctor estimates that there could soon be 65 million cases a week. But China appears determined to move on.


↺ RFA ☛ Myanmar troops raid Chin state hospital, arresting doctor and nurses


Locals say the 5 were members of the civil disobedience movement.


Proprietary


↺ JURIST ☛ Canada federal and provincial privacy authorities investigate ChatGPT use of personal information


The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) announced Thursday that it will jointly investigate OpenAI, the company behind the artificial intelligence chatbot “ChatGPT,” with provincial privacy authorities in British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec.


↺ New York Times ☛ Canada Needs to Hurry on A.I. Oversight, Experts Warn


The measures of an artificial intelligence bill won’t go into effect until 2025. For some, that’s too late.


↺ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Google’s AI Search Feels Like a Content Farm on Steroids


Google’s new SGE offers outdated or generic advice with no authority behind it. Still, it pushes legitimate content down in favor of Google’s answer.


↺ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Windows XP Offline Activation Enabled With This New Tool


Windows XP rides again thanks to a new phone activation tool. Just be careful of you are considering taking this ancient OS online.


↺ DroidGazzette ☛ Meta Lays Off Another 5000, Including From AR/VR Teams


Reportedly, around 5000 staff are affected in this round. Two policy managers from the Reality Labs AR/VR division confirmed on LinkedIn that they were let go today, as did many more employees from other parts of the company. Unlike the previous two waves, however, we haven’t yet seen any reports of AR/VR layoffs from technical roles.


The first round of major layoffs took place back in November, cutting 11,000 employees – 13 percent of its workforce at the time – including some Reality Labs engineers and designers.


Security


↺ Duo ☛ New Ransomware Group Uses Repurposed LockBit, Babuk Variants | Decipher


Researchers with Symantec said the threat actor behind the campaign, Blacktail, hasn’t been linked to any existing cybercrime group.


↺ Security Week ☛ Industrial Giant ABB Confirms Ransomware Attack, Data Theft


Industrial giant ABB has confirmed that it has been targeted in a ransomware attack, with the cybercriminals stealing some data.


↺ Michael West Media ☛ Australia-US compact to help keep up with the bad guys


A recently signed pact with the United States is expected to deliver benefits beyond clean energy or new mines by also boosting national security. Company bosses and policymakers are still coming to grips with what the deal signed last weekend will mean.


↺ High-Severity ntfs-3g Buffer Overflow Vulns Fixed


Several buffer overflow vulnerabilities have been identified in ntfs-3g. With a low attack complexity and a high confidentiality, integrity and availability impact, these vulnerabilities have received a National Vulnerability Database (NVD) severity rating of ”High”.


↺ EIN Presswire ☛ Linux Kodachi: Celebrating Four Years of Recognition in Techradar’s Privacy and Security Category


Linux Kodachi, the brainchild of Warith Al Maawali, has once again secured the top spot in Techradar magazine’s Privacy and Security category for the fourth consecutive year from 2020 to 2023. This significant achievement underscores the unwavering commitment to advancing cybersecurity that Linux Kodachi embodies.


Since its inception in 2013, Linux Kodachi has been steadfast in its mission to provide a secure operating system that prioritizes user privacy. As digital threats become increasingly prevalent, Linux Kodachi continues to serve as a safe haven in the digital landscape.


The secret to Linux Kodachi’s success lies in its harmonious integration of features. The built-in VPN/Tor functions as a robust shield against digital threats. Simultaneously, the DNS control maintains system stability, and the user-friendly interface simplifies navigation. This blend of features has facilitated a smooth transition to Linux for numerous users worldwide.


↺ USENIX ☛ Bcrypt at 25: A Retrospective on Password Security


As one of the creators of bcrypt back in 1997, I find it somewhat surprising that, 25 years later, we still rely heavily on passwords. My initial encounter with password security took place in 1993 at the University of Hamburg. Having just discovered Unix, I was fascinated by a service called Yellow Pages that allowed anyone to dump encrypted password databases. When I reached out to my friends at other universities, requesting their password dumps to run crack on them, some of the system administrators were quite displeased with me. They found themselves victims of weak system security and an insecure password hashing algorithm. While I can’t claim that this directly inspired my future work, it’s clear that bcrypt ultimately helped to rectify some of the wrongs committed during my innocent youth.


↺ LWN ☛ Provos: Bcrypt at 25


Niels Provos reflects on 25 years of experience with Bcrypt and ponders the future of password security in a ;login article.


↺ Attorney General James Secures $300,000 from Online Sporting Goods Retailers for Failing to Protect Consumers’ Personal Information


New York Attorney General Letitia James secured $300,000 from Sports Warehouse Inc. (Sports Warehouse), an online sporting goods retailer for failing to protect 2.5 million consumers’ personal data. Sports Warehouse, which owns the online sporting goods websites Tennis Warehouse, Running Warehouse, Skate Warehouse, and Tackle Warehouse, had poor data security that left it vulnerable to a data breach in 2021 which compromised consumers’ private information, including credit card information and email addresses for more than 136,000 New Yorkers. As a result of this agreement, Sports Warehouse must pay $300,000 in penalties to the state and strengthen their cybersecurity measures to protect consumers’ private information.


Integrity/Availability/Authenticity


↺ Federal News Network ☛ Travelers to UK face long waits amid systems problem affecting electronic gates


The British government is working to fix a technical problem that caused electronic border gates at airports around the country to stop working, leading to hourslong waits for travelers entering the U.K. at the start of a busy holiday weekend. Travelers posted photos of long lines at airports around the country as all passengers were forced to use manned passport desks. The Home Office, which is responsible for border control, says it is working to correct the problem.


Privacy/Surveillance


↺ RFERL ☛ Tehran Police Issue Warning As Drivers Cover Up License Plates


Police in Tehran issued a stern warning to road users amid an increase in the number of people covering up the number plates of mopeds with face masks, plastic covers, and badges.


↺ uni Stanford ☛ Honor code proctoring pilot unanimously approved by Undergraduate Senate


After twice rejecting the C12’s proposed changes to the Honor Code, the Undergraduate Senate (UGS) voted in its Tuesday meeting to accept the changes and a small-scale proctoring study. Their approval is expected to supersede the Faculty Senate’s motion for full-scale proctoring.


↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Legal bid launched against Hong Kong gov’t over real-name SIM card registration


An attempt to challenge the Hong Kong government’s real-name registration requirement for SIM cards has been launched at the city’s High Court.


↺ Off Guardian ☛ WATCH: Thwarting Facial Recognition – #SolutionsWatch


We all know about the danger of a future society where we’re all tracked everywhere we go every single day in real time by our phones or devices…but actually, it’s worse than that! You’re already being tracked everywhere you go, every day, and it doesn’t matter whether you leave your phone at home…


↺ The Prince And The Spy


Erik Prince, the man behind Blackwater, recently teamed up with an Israeli spy, creating a front company with her to help Israeli defense technology providers exploit loopholes and sell their products to the American military.


↺ WhichUK ☛ Morrisons brings back ‘More’ loyalty card with exclusive prices [Ed: 'More' loyalty card = MOAR surveillance. You pay MOAR if you don't identity yourself and give a list of all the goods you eat. Companies that build extensive databases of all the stuff you purchases have a product that is you. They sell data about you.]


Find out how much you could save on your food shopping by signing up


↺ OpenRightsGroup ☛ George Floyd’s Murder, Three Years On: Insitutional Racism Hardwired in Police Tech


Three years ago today, rumblings of a global reckoning on racial injustice took place that led many people to reconsider their own experiences and roles when it came to anti-Blackness and racial discrimination.


↺ Scoop News Group ☛ Broad coalition of advocacy groups urges Slack to protect users’ messages from eavesdropping [Ed: Slack itself is eavesdropping]


Tech, civil liberties and reproductive justice groups want the company to offer end-to-end encryption so users’ messages remain private.


↺ Bitcoin and the Plot to Destroy Financial Privacy


↺ Meta slapped with a record-breaking $1.3 billion fine by the EU


Hello there! Welcome to another weekly roundup of global tech news.


The European Union slapped Meta with a record $1.3 billion fine and ordered it to stop transferring users’ personal information from Europe to the US where it is headquartered by October. While we are not certain if this might be the cause, the parent company of Facebook will be carrying out its third round of layoffs soon.


Defence/Aggression


↺ RFERL ☛ Pakistan’s Imran Khan Calls For Immediate Talks Amid Standoff With Military


Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on May 26 appealed for immediate talks with state officials, as pressure increased on him amid a crackdown on his top aides and supporters that has seen thousands arrested, as well as many leaving his party.


↺ RFERL ☛ Sarajevo Ex-Mayor Ordered Held Pending Trial On Criminal Charges


Former Sarajevo Mayor Abdulah Skaka, who is currently Bosnia-Herzegovina’s ambassador to Qatar, has been ordered held in pretrial detention for one month as he faces multiple criminal charges, the Sarajevo Municipal Court confirmed to RFE/RL on May 26.


↺ LRT ☛ NATO forces in Baltics vow to step up coordination


NATO forces deployed in the Baltic states and representatives of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia vow to step up coordination, the Lithuanian Armed Forces said on Wednesday.


↺ France24 ☛ Tens of thousands rally in Belgrade to protest against government rule


Huge crowds of anti-government protesters on Saturday encircled the Serbian state television building in downtown Belgrade to press their demand for autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic to ease his tight grip on the mainstream media and allow alternative voices.


↺ RFERL ☛ Tens Of Thousands Take To The Streets Of Belgrade To Protest Mass Shootings, Government Response


Tens of thousands of Serbian citizens took to the streets of the capital, Belgrade, on May 27 to protest against the government’s response to two mass shootings earlier in the month that killed 18.


↺ RFERL ☛ Tens Of Thousands Gather For Pro-Government Rallies In Serbian Capital


Tens of thousands of supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) took the streets of the capital, Belgrade, on May 26 in support of President Aleksandar Vucic.


↺ RFERL ☛ Kosovar Albanian Mayors Sworn In To Lead Serb-Majority Areas In North


Three ethnic Albanian mayors were sworn in on May 25 to lead municipalities with ethnic Serbian majorities in northern Kosovo where Serbs boycotted by-elections sparked by resignations over a cross-border dispute between Pristina and Belgrade.


↺ France24 ☛ Serbian border police on high alert amid ethnic clashes inside Kosovo


Serbian troops on the border with Kosovo were put on high alert Friday following clashes inside Kosovo between police and ethnic Serbs that injured more than a dozen people.


↺ France24 ☛ Pro-president rally in spite of ongoing shock at deadly shootings in Serbia


Tens of thousands of people converged on the Serbian capital on Friday for a major rally in support of President Aleksandar Vucic, who is facing an unprecedented revolt against his autocratic rule amid the crisis triggered by two mass shootings that stunned the nation.


↺ RFERL ☛ Serbia’s President Vucic Steps Down As Head Of Ruling Party


Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stepped down as leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) at a party congress on May 27, saying a new approach was needed to unite the country, but said he would remain head of state.


↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong man jailed for 5 years and 8 months over bomb plots, 3 others sent to training centre


A Hong Kong man has been jailed for five years and eight months over plans to place bombs at courthouses and public infrastructure. His three co-defendants aged under 21 were sent to training centres, where they could be detained for up to three years.


↺ New York Times ☛ Man Arrested in Downing Street Car Crash in London


A man was arrested on “suspicion of criminal damage and dangerous driving,” but the police later said the episode was not being treated as “terror related.”


↺ New York Times ☛ The Search for Madeleine McCann in Portugal Is Over, Police Say


A search of a reservoir in Portugal that came more than 16 years after the British girl went missing resulted in the collection of some material but did not solve the mystery of her disappearance.


↺ teleSUR ☛ Serbia Puts Army On High Combat Alert Over Kosovo Clashes


The president’s decision involves the displacement of troops to the administrative border with Kosovo and Metohija.


↺ RFERL ☛ NATO Urges Kosovo To ‘Immediately De-escalate’ Tensions After Police Clash With Protesters In Serb-Majority North


NATO called on Kosovar authorities to take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions in the Serb-majority northern towns after security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse crowds in three towns and enter municipal buildings in support of recently elected ethnic Albanian mayors.


↺ The Straits Times ☛ ‘Our blood is Chinese’: The Taiwanese who want unification with China


There is a small group of Taiwanese who want Taiwan to be unified with the Chinese mainland as they think this is beneficial to the island.


↺ RFERL ☛ Iran Unveils Ballistic Missile With Range Of 2,000 Kilometers, Says State Media


Iran unveiled the fourth generation of its Khorramshahr ballistic missile under the name Khaibar, with a range of 2,000 kilometers and a 1,500-kilogram warhead, the official IRNA news agency reported on May 25.


↺ France24 ☛ Oath founder sentenced to 18 years in prison in Jan. 6 sedition case


The founder of the far-right militant Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Thursday for seditious conspiracy, the longest sentence imposed to date over the Jan. 6 US Capitol riot that sought to keep Donald Trump in the White House.


↺ JURIST ☛ Far-right Oath Keepers founder sentenced to 18 years in prison over role in US Capitol riot


A federal judge sentenced leader of the Oath Keepers militia Stewart Rhodes to 18 years in prison on Thursday for his role in the January 6, 2021 US Capitol riot. Rhodes’ sentence is now the longest handed down in connection with the plot to disrupt the certification of the 2020 US presidential election.


↺ Marcy Wheeler ☛ Stewart Rhodes: Yale Law Grad, Seditionist, Terrorist, and Ongoing Threat to Democracy


In sentencing Stewart Rhodes, Judge Mehta called him an ongoing peril to the very fabric of democracy.


↺ The Atlantic ☛ The Far Right Is Splintering


In his trial, the Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes turned against other extremists.


↺ France24 ☛ US militia leader sentenced to 18 years in prison for Jan. 6 Capitol riot


The founder of the far-right militant Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Thursday for seditious conspiracy, the longest sentence imposed to date over the Jan. 6 US Capitol riot that sought to keep Donald Trump in the White House.


↺ JURIST ☛ HRW: Chad government owes millions in compensation to victims of former war-criminal president


Human Rights Watch (HRW), as well as several Chadian organizations and news outlets, Friday announced that victims of the late President of Chad, Hissène Habré, have still not received their court-ordered reparations.


↺ The Straits Times ☛ Hong Kongers immigrating to Taiwan could face tighter controls over national security fears


There are concerns that China might try to infiltrate Taiwan through Hong Kong.


↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US, China wrangle on trade in rare talks amid soaring tensions


The United States and China sparred over trade issues Friday but promised to keep lines of communication open as Beijing’s commerce minister paid a rare visit after a period of soaring tensions.


↺ France24 ☛ Thirty women abducted by Cameroon’s English-speaking separatists freed


Thirty elderly women kidnapped by separatists in Cameroon’s restive anglophone region a week ago after protesting against taxes levied by them have been freed, a government official told AFP Saturday.


↺ France24 ☛ Sudan army urges former soldiers to re-enlist as fighting persists


Sudan’s army called on Friday for reservists and retired soldiers to re-enlist amid a deadly conflict with a rival paramilitary and asked the United Nations to change its envoy to the country.


↺ JURIST ☛ Doctors Without Borders raises alarm over continuing humanitarian crisis in South Sudan


Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has raised alarms about the worsening conditions for internally displaced persons in South Sudan across Twic County, Warrap State.


↺ teleSUR ☛ Sudan Calls on Retired Soldiers to Get Arms for Self-Defense


Minister Yassin described the clashes with the RSF as a “cities war” which has no time limits.


↺ France24 ☛ Senegal opposition leader Sonko faces backlash over ‘monkey’ comment about alleged rape victim


Senegalese women’s groups and dozens of well-known figures on Friday accused opposition leader Ousmane Sonko of insulting a woman who has accused him of rape, saying his comments showed he was unfit for higher office.


↺ France24 ☛ Iconic museum in Beirut reopens three years after damages from port blast


Lebanon’s Sursock Museum has reopened to the public, three years after a deadly explosion in Beirut’s port – set off by tons of improperly stored chemicals – reduced many of its treasured paintings and collections to ashes.


↺ Michael West Media ☛ At least three killed in clash on Iran-Afghan border


Two Iranian border guards and one Taliban fighter were killed after shooting broke out near a border post between Iran and Afghanistan, a Taliban spokesman and Iran’s state media say.


↺ RFERL ☛ Three Killed In Border Clashes Between Iranian Forces And The Taliban


Iranian forces and the Taliban have exchanged fire on the Islamic republic’s borders with Afghanistan amid rising tensions over water rights between the two countries, Iranian and Afghan media reported on May 27.


↺ RFERL ☛ Suicide Attack Wounds 23 Pakistani Troops In Tribal Area, Officials Say


A suicide attacker slammed his explosives-laden motorcycle into a convoy of military vehicles in Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal region that borders Afghanistan on June 27, wounding 23 troops.


↺ The Strategist ☛ How the Middle East is adapting to a polarised world


The Middle East’s strategic equation is rapidly changing against the global backdrop of polarisation between democracies and autocracies.


↺ The Strategist ☛ Getting Australia’s war powers right


The definitive choice for a nation is sending its troops to war, so the surprise in the parliamentary review of Australia’s war powers is the questioning of the legal process used to go to war…


↺ RFA ☛ Myanmar’s junta increasingly relying on airstrikes, research group says


Report found more than 1,400 airstrikes since the 2021 coup, including almost 500 just this year.


↺ The Strategist ☛ Impactful mateship: strengthening the US–Australia defence relationship


The Pentagon’s 2022 national defence strategy defines allies as the US’s ‘greatest strategic advantage’ and ‘a center of gravity’ for the strategy.


↺ The Strategist ☛ When is a corvette not a corvette?


The defence strategic review highlighted the need for the Royal Australian Navy to have two levels of surface combatants to provide ‘increased strike, air defence, presence operations and anti-submarine warfare’.


↺ France24 ☛ France charges military personnel over migrant deaths in 2021 English Channel tragedy


French magistrates on Thursday filed preliminary charges against five French maritime rescue personnel in a probe of the deadly sinking of a flimsy migrant craft in the English Channel in 2021 that killed 27 people.


↺ France24 ☛ Belgian aid worker, Iranian diplomat freed in prisoner exchange


Iran freed Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele after almost 15 months in custody on Friday, in a prisoner exchange for Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, who had been convicted of terrorism. Vandecasteele landed in Belgium late Friday after being repatriated in a military aircraft, according to images broadcast on television.


War in Ukraine


↺ RFERL ☛ Ukraine Asks Germany To Provide Taurus Long-Range Missiles


Ukraine has asked Germany to supply it with Taurus cruise missiles, an air-launched weapon with a range of some 500 kilometers, a spokeswoman for the Defense Ministry in Berlin said on May 27.


↺ Federal News Network ☛ Ukraine claims Russia is plotting ‘a provocation’ at nuclear plant, offers no evidence


Ukraine’s military intelligence claims that Russia is plotting a “large-scale provocation” at a nuclear power plant designed to put hostilities on pause and give Moscow’s forces a respite they badly need to regroup ahead of the looming Ukrainian counteroffensive. A statement by the intelligence directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry claimed that Russian forces would strike the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and report a radioactive leak in order to trigger an international probe that would stop the fighting. It didn’t offer evidence to back up any of the claims. The International Atomic Energy Agency and Russian officials did not immediately comment on the allegations.


↺ RFERL ☛ Ukraine Claims Russia Plotting ‘Provocation’ At Nuclear Plant, Offers No Evidence


Ukraine’s military intelligence has claimed, without offering evidence, that Russia is plotting a “large-scale provocation” at a nuclear power plant it occupies in the southeast of the country with the aim of disrupting a looming Ukrainian counteroffensive.


↺ Atlantic Council ☛ Exploring the secrets of Ukraine’s successful wartime diplomacy


Over the past 15 months, Ukraine has built an international coalition of partners prepared to arm the country against Russia’s invasion. This unprecedented diplomatic success offers important lessons, writes Yuna Potomkina.


↺ Atlantic Council ☛ Ukraine must reduce role of state in the economy to boost EU integration


Ukraine has conducted a number of nationalizations as part of the war effort but the state should now be looking to reduce its role in the Ukrainian economy in order to advance the process of EU integration, writes David Clark.


↺ France24 ☛ 🔴 Live: Kyiv targeted by ‘record number’ of Russian drones overnight


Russia unleashed multiple waves of air strikes on Kyiv overnight in what officials said appeared to be the largest drone attack on the city since the start of the war, as the Ukrainian capital prepared to celebrate the anniversary of its founding on Sunday. Read our live blog for all the latest developments in the war in Ukraine. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).


↺ France24 ☛ Russian forces temporarily ease attacks on Bakhmut to regroup, says Kyiv


Russian forces have temporarily eased their attacks on the besieged eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut to regroup and strengthen their capabilities, a senior Kyiv official said on Saturday. This comes as Ukraine struck oil pipeline installations deep inside Russia on Saturday with a series of drone attacks. Read our live blog for all the latest developments in the war in Ukraine. Follow our blog to see how the day’s events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).


↺ RFERL ☛ Russia Targets Ukrainian Capital With ‘Largest’ Drone Attack As City Marks Kyiv Day


Russian forces targeted Kyiv with multiple waves of air strikes early on May 28, Ukrainian officials said, describing the air raid as the “largest” drone attack on the city since the start of the war.


↺ RFERL ☛ Wagner Mercenaries Reportedly Start Withdrawal From Bakhmut As Russia Launches Fresh Attacks, Air Strikes


Russian mercenaries from the private Wagner Group have reportedly begun relocating from some of their positions in and around the eastern city of Bakhmut, the epicenter of the war in Ukraine’s eastern region of Donetsk, according to senior Ukrainian officials and British intelligence.


↺ YLE ☛ Finnish president approves 16th arms package for Ukraine


Finland’s defence aid packages for Ukraine now total 1.1 billion euros.


↺ New York Times ☛ A Wagner Fighter’s Escape to Norway Creates a Problem for His Host


Andrei Medvedev fought with Russia’s Wagner mercenaries in Ukraine, then requested asylum in Norway. The authorities there must now weigh his plea against solidarity with Ukraine.


↺ New York Times ☛ Putin’s Ukraine Strategy: Ignore War in Public and Outlast Foes


Vladimir V. Putin of Russia looks like a commander in absentia, treating the war in Ukraine as unfortunate but distant. His options have narrowed, but he is still betting on outlasting his foes.


↺ New York Times ☛ Russian Attack Leaves at Least 1 Dead in Kyiv


Debris from an intercepted drone killed a man overnight Saturday as Ukraine said it shot down more than 40 drones over the capital.


↺ New York Times ☛ Ukraine’s Top Commander Signals Counteroffensive Could Be Imminent


A blunt statement, accompanied by a slickly produced video of Ukrainian troops preparing for battle, appeared designed to rally the nation and to spread anxiety among Russian forces.


↺ JURIST ☛ Russia and Belarus agree to deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus


Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin signed documents Thursday allowing Russian tactical nuclear weapons to be deployed on Belarusian territory. Russia will maintain control of the weapons in Belarus.


↺ JURIST ☛ Russia Supreme Court liquidates oldest opposition party after justice ministry request


The Supreme Court of Russia ordered the liquidation of the People’s Freedom Party (PARNAS) as requested by the country’s justice ministry, according to Russian state news agency TASS.


↺ RFERL ☛ Russia Thwarts Drone Attack On Krasnodar Oil Refinery, Officials Say


Russia’s air-defense systems destroyed several drones as they approached the Ilsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region near the Black Sea, local officials said on May 28.


Transparency/Investigative Reporting


↺ American Oversight ☛ ICE Lifts Redactions on Records Related to Migrant Deaths in Custody


↺ American Oversight ☛ News Roundup: Eyes on Texas


Environment


↺ New York Times ☛ Emilia-Romagna, Italy, May Face More Violent and Frequent Storms


Experts have linked recent deadly rains in the north of the country to climate change, but decades of urbanization and neglect helped lay the groundwork for a calamity.


↺ France24 ☛ More than 1,500 climate activists arrested in the Netherlands amid protests


More than 1,500 people were arrested during a protest by the Extinction Rebellion climate group in The Hague on Saturday, Dutch police said.


↺ RFA ☛ Cyclone Mocha: Before and After


Residents of Sittwe are struggling to rebuild after Cyclone Mocha hammered western Myanmar.


↺ JURIST ☛ US Supreme Court ruling against EPA limits wetland protections


The US Supreme Court ruled Thursday that wetlands must be adjacent to and “indistinguishable” from protected waters in order to qualify for protection under the Clean Water Act (CWA).


↺ RFERL ☛ At Least Nine People Killed In Avalanche In Northern Pakistan


At least nine people were killed in an avalanche that occurred in northern Pakistan close to the border with China, officials said on May 27.


↺ The Straits Times ☛ Vietnam battles plastic blight in idyllic Ha Long Bay and its famed limestone karsts


Since March, 10,000 cu m of rubbish – enough to fill four Olympic swimming pools – have been collected around the bay.


↺ New York Times ☛ Mawar Becomes a Super Typhoon After Lashing Guam


Island residents experienced howling winds and periods of intense rainfall, which left most of Guam without power. Officials had yet to assess the damage, but typhoon warnings remained in effect.


↺ Federal News Network ☛ Day after Typhoon Mawar hit Guam, ‘what used to be a jungle looks like toothpicks’


Guam residents and officials are assessing the damage the day after Typhoon Mawar smashed the U.S. Pacific territory, lashing the island with wind and rain, tearing down trees, walls and power lines, flipping cars and pushing a dangerous storm surge ashore. The typhoon is the strongest to hit the territory of roughly 150,000 people since 2002. It briefly made landfall Wednesday night as a Category 4 storm, according to the National Weather Service. Videos posted on social media showed fallen trees, a flipped pickup truck, solar panels flying through the air, and storm surge and waves crashing through coastal reefs. An island meteorologist says the aftermath “looks like toothpicks.”


Energy/Transportation


↺ The Atlantic ☛ The Hottest Trend in Investing Is Mostly a Sham


Republicans portray ESG as the epitome of “woke capital.” The truth is closer to the opposite.


↺ Ruben Schade ☛ What detractors get wrong about induced demand


I’m heartened to see all the interest in public transport and urban design lately. These discussions have shifted the public debate away from arguing whether car dependency exists, to what alternatives we want for urban spaces. It also crosses political lines, from progressives who want a more equitable, healthy, and environmentally friendly alternatives, to fiscal conservatives who demonstrate that car-centric infrastructure is financially unsustainable, to humans who want to live in a functional biosphere.


↺ Michael West Media ☛ AGL has ‘time tunnel’ to Australia’s energy transition


Standing on the roof of the old Torrens Island power station, workers can witness Australia’s energy transition being mapped out as far as the eye can see. The old gas plant – one half shuttered and the other partly mothballed – stands tall alongside a more compact 21st-century version a few hundred metres away.


↺ The Atlantic ☛ How America Can Avoid the Next Debt-Ceiling Showdown


Lessons from 1879, when the U.S. government almost shut down but didn’t


↺ Axios ☛ Sen. Kyrsten Sinema enters debt ceiling talks to try to resolve split on energy permitting


Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) has inserted herself into the debt ceiling negotiations, working with both sides to try to bridge differences on permitting reform, according to people familiar with the matter.


↺ The Straits Times ☛ China’s first home-grown passenger jet, C919, marks first commercial flight


The European Union Aviation Safety Agency and Federal Aviation Administration have not certificated the aircraft.


↺ Vice Media Group ☛ Major Transit Official Compares Building Bike and Bus Lanes to Bulldozing Neighborhoods for Freeways


“How can we say we’re going to do better than our predecessors who bulldozed black and brown neighborhoods to put in the freeway system…just because what we’re trying to build is a bus lane or a bike lane?” An LA transit official said on a podcast.


↺ New York Times ☛ Airports With the Worst Records for Cancellations and Delays


If you can, avoiding destinations with the worst records for delays and cancellations may be wise. Or at least time your arrival right.


↺ H2 View ☛ New York unveils $10m funding for hydrogen research and development


New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a $10m initiative to advance clean hydrogen research, development and demonstration projects that address the challenge of replacing fossil fuel usage in hard-to-electrify sectors.


↺ H2 View ☛ UK Minister of State supports the UK Government’s hydrogen economy plans


Lord Dominic Johnson, the Minister of State has reinforced his pledge to work in partnership to deliver the UK Government’s ambition of establishing a hydrogen economy.


Wildlife/Nature


↺ RFA ☛ 5-year Pacific expedition hopes to find new species, establish marine protected areas


The National Geographic’s ‘unprecedented’ tour hopes to solve some of the ocean’s problems.


↺ NYPost ☛ Australian influencer’s teary video about ‘cruel’ Thailand ‘Monkey Show’ goes viral


Australian influencer Rory Eliza has shared a tearful video about a “cruel” tourist activity in Thailand, warning others not to make the mistake of participating like she did.


Finance


↺ France24 ☛ The unlikely rise of orange juice as a stock market darling


Orange juice has become the most profitable raw material for investors, according to French daily newspaper Les Échos. While average prices for many raw materials have fallen, stocks for the popular breakfast drink have seen a spectacular rise since the start of the year that shows no signs of slowing.


↺ France24 ☛ French prosecutors charge ex-FIFA vice president with corruption in Qatar World Cup probe


FIFA’s disgraced former vice-president Reynald Temarii of Tahiti has been charged with corruption by French prosecutors probing Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid process.


↺ Axios ☛ White House and GOP reach tentative debt ceiling deal


President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) have reached a tentative deal to raise the debt ceiling to 2025, Axios has learned from sources in both parties.


↺ Axios ☛ Despite high prices, international travel is on the rise


Even as travelers gripe about sky-high ticket prices, air travel — especially the international variety — is way up as we head into summer.


↺ Michael West Media ☛ Senators to grill RBA boss ahead of June cash rate call


The head of the central bank will face a grilling this week on all the financial issues facing Australian households, including rampant price inflation and rising borrowing rates. Philip Lowe will field questions from senators at an estimates committee hearing in Parliament House alongside his financial system assistant governor Brad Jones on Wednesday.


↺ teleSUR ☛ US Urges Debt Ceiling Agreement


The U.S. government may run out of money to pay its bills by June 5.


↺ Helsinki Times ☛ Hypo: Finnish house prices to drop this year at rate not seen since 1993


HOUSE PRICES in Finland will decline this year at a rate not seen since 1993, forecasts the Mortgage Society of Finland (Hypo).


Hypo on Thursday published its latest real estate market review, revealing that it expects house prices to fall by seven per cent year-on-year nationwide – to the level of 2016 – and by eight per cent in the capital region – to the level of 2019.


↺ France24 ☛ Biden says US debt deal ‘very close’ as default deadline set at June 5


Work requirements for federal food aid recipients have emerged as a final sticking point in negotiations over the looming debt crisis, even as President Joe Biden said Friday that a deal is “very close.”


↺ Michael West Media ☛ Agreement reached on US debt ceiling: McCarthy


US President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy have reached a tentative deal to raise the federal government’s $US31.4 trillion debt ceiling, ending a months-long stalemate.


↺ ACLU ☛ Quiz: What You Need to Know About Fair Housing


Access to housing is a right that should be equally accessible to everyone in the country — but this is sadly far from reality. Although federal protections have been established to eliminate bias-driven hurdles, many practices still exist today that make it harder for Black people and other people of color, women, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and many others to access stable housing.


To create a more just society in which everyone’s civil rights are recognized, we must work to end discriminatory housing policies and practices. Test your knowledge and learn more about how the ACLU is advocating to ensure access to housing for all by taking our quiz.


↺ JURIST ☛ US Supreme Court rules that government cannot keep profit from properties sold to satisfy tax debt


The US Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the government cannot keep the profits of properties sold to pay off tax debts. The court reached this decision in the case of Tyler v. Hennepin County, Minnesota, et al., wherein a local Minnesota government sold off a woman’s condo to satisfy her tax bill.


↺ TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ With his first veto ever, Walz nixes Uber/Lyft driver pay-raise bill, citing cost and service concerns


Uber had threatened to offer only premium-priced service in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and cut off service altogether in the rest of Minnesota if Walz signed the legislation.


↺ Michael West Media ☛ Economic momentum starting to ebb across all states


Economic growth is starting to pull back across all Australian states and territories. ANZ’s “stateometer”, which measures economic momentum across Australia’s states and territories, found activity across all states was slowing and that Victoria and Queensland were performing below average.


AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics


↺ France24 ☛ Symbolism, history and nationalism put Erdogan in strong position ahead of presidential runoff


Emotion trumped economics in the 2023 Turkish presidential campaign, forcing the opposition to embrace nationalism ahead of Sunday’s runoff. But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was ahead of the curve, using a mix of nationalist rhetoric, pan-Islamic heroism and historical references in a bid to enter his third decade in power.


↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Civic Party votes to dissolve


Hong Kong pro-democracy political party Civic Party has voted to dissolve. The decision came after the party’s executive committee posts were left vacant as no members filed nominations to take up positions.


↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Explainer: A history of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Civic Party


The Civic Party, Hong Kong’s second-largest pro-democracy party, voted to dissolve on Saturday. HKFP takes a look at the party’s history. The Civic Party was founded in March 2006 by key members of the Article 45 Concern Group, previously the Article 23 Concern Group.


↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Uyghur student missing after texting that he was being interrogated by Hong Kong police – Amnesty


A Uyghur student has been missing for over a fortnight after text messaging a friend to say he was being interrogated by Hong Kong police, according to Amnesty International. On Friday, the rights NGO urged the local authorities to explain the disappearance.


↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong blasts Amnesty over missing Uyghur man allegation


Hong Kong on Saturday “strongly condemned” rights group Amnesty International for alleging that a Uyghur man had gone missing after he arrived at the city’s airport.


↺ teleSUR ☛ Spain to Hold Municipal and Autonomous Elections


“…the PSOE currently holds the largest number of regional presidencies…”


↺ Michael West Media ☛ Vic Nats to oppose voice as Reconciliation Week begins


The Victorian Nationals have fallen into line with their federal counterparts and formally voted to oppose the Indigenous voice to parliament, at the start of National Reconciliation Week. Victorian party members made the decision at a conference in Ballarat on Saturday attended by state and federal Nationals MPs.


↺ teleSUR ☛ House Panel Recommends Impeachment of Texas Attorney General


Ken Paxton was reelected in the 2022 midterm elections despite being under indictment on felony securities fraud charges.


↺ Michael West Media ☛ Liberal MP urges coalition colleagues to back voice


The Liberal MP who quit the frontbench due to his stance on the Indigenous voice has urged his coalition colleagues to back the proposal. Julian Leeser called for a respectful debate on the Indigenous voice and said the body was much needed to help fix a broken system.


↺ Spiegel ☛ Isabel Díaz Ayuso: Meet The Woman Spain Can’t Stop Listening To


Isabel Díaz Ayuso has risen out of nowhere to political stardom. In Madrid, the regional president is on the verge of her next triumph, a success story that could pull Spanish conservatives to the right.


↺ RFERL ☛ Russian Orthodox Church Fires Archpriest For ‘Obstruction’ Of Trinity Icon Transfer


Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, fired archpriest Leonid Kalinin, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s expert council on church art, architecture, and restoration for “obstructing” the transfer of the historic 15th-century Trinity icon to the church from a museum in Moscow.


↺ RFERL ☛ Germany Says Russia Set To Expel German Diplomats, Teachers, Cultural Staff


Russia will start expelling German diplomats, teachers and employees of German cultural institutions next month, the German Foreign Office said on May 27.


↺ RFERL ☛ Governor Says Oil Pipeline Building Damaged In Drone Attack In Russia’s Pskov Region


At least one administrative building of an oil pipeline in Russia’s Pskov region was damaged early on May 27 in an explosion caused by the attack of two drones, regional governor Mikhail Vedernikov said on Telegram, without saying where the drones came from.


↺ France24 ☛ Voting begins in historic Turkey presidential runoff election


Turks began voting on Sunday in a presidential runoff that could see Tayyip Erdogan extend his rule into a third decade and persist with Turkey’s increasingly authoritarian path, muscular foreign policy and unorthodox economic governance.


↺ teleSUR ☛ Türkiye: Runoff Vote to Elect President


“…Over 60 million people have officially registered to vote…”


↺ New York Times ☛ Mar-a-Lago Worker Provided Prosecutors New Details in Trump Documents Case


A maintenance worker for the former president recounted helping to move boxes into a storage room a day before a Justice Department official came seeking the return of classified material.


↺ France24 ☛ Nationalism is ‘definitely a winner’ in Turkey’s presidential elections


Nationalism has been one of the major themes of the Turkish presidential elections, with both President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and opposition challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu using its rhetoric as both sides draw on nationalist parties’ support.


↺ [Repeat] New York Times ☛ Turkey’s Presidential Runoff Election on Sunday: What to Know


President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had an edge on his challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, ahead of a critical vote to shape Turkey’s future.


↺ [Repeat] New York Times ☛ Burhan Sönmez on the Tensions Between Politics and Art in Turkey


Burhan Sönmez, who is president of PEN International, discusses the tension between politics and art and the role of literature in authoritarian societies.


↺ The runoff day for presidency


Turkey is experiencing the second round of presidential elections for the first time. Incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu are competing in today’s polls.


↺ CHP İstanbul’s chairperson cautions balloting committee members about police officers


Canan Kaftancıoğlu made a warning before the runoff voting and said, “Police officers can cast their votes with the original of document number 142, and they have to submit the document to the balloting committee chairperson! Examine the document carefully. Do not allow the people who want to cast a vote in your ballot box with a photocopy or with another document.”


↺ Axios ☛ Texas House impeaches Ken Paxton for abuse of office


The GOP-dominated Texas House voted 121-23 Saturday to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton, a historic decision that immediately removes him from office as he awaits a Senate trial.


Why it matters: Paxton becomes the third state official in Texas history to be impeached, following Gov. James “Pa” Ferguson in 1917 and a district judge in 1975.


Catch up quick: A Republican-led House General Investigating Committee filed 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton earlier this week after months of secret deliberation.


↺ Michael West Media ☛ Greens ‘no different’ on racism: Lidia Thorpe


Independent senator Lidia Thorpe has accused the Greens of racism, and will lodge a case with the Australian Human Rights Commission.


↺ The Straits Times ☛ Modi inaugurates India’s new Parliament building as part of New Delhi’s makeover


The event was boycotted by 20 opposition parties that said Modi had violated protocol to grab the spotlight.


↺ Atlantic Council ☛ Have Greek politics finally settled down?


Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s party secured 40 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections on May 21. After more than a decade of economic troubles, Greece may be entering a new era of stability.


↺ teleSUR ☛ Ioannis Sarmas to Lead a Caretaker Government in Greece


Elected-lawmakers will be sworn in on Sunday. Then on Monday the parliament will be dissolved as date of new legislature elections are to be declared.


↺ Off Guardian ☛ OffG’s Quick Take: Mizzy, the walking strawman


Another day, another quick take. This one is about “Mizzy”. For anyone out of the loop, “Mizzy” is UK-based Tik-Toker who has enjoyed a somewhat meteoric rise to fame. Too meteoric to be natural, you might say.


↺ The Strategist ☛ Where are the women in Chinese politics?


The 20th Chinese Communist Party National Congress, held in October 2022, caught the world’s attention—not least because there wasn’t a single woman among the politburo’s 24 members, breaking a tradition of two decades.


↺ JURIST ☛ Alabama state representative takes plea deal for criminal charges, resigns


Alabama State House Representative Fred Plump Jr. agreed to resign from the Alabama House of Representatives on Tuesday as part of a plea deal for federal criminal charges. Plump was charged with wire fraud and obstruction of justice under 18 U.S.C. § 1349 and 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2), respectively.


↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Vocational courses under gov’t subsidy scheme barred from targeting Hong Kong leavers


Government-subsidised vocational programmes could face de-registration if they promote their courses as being useful for emigrating Hongkongers after lawmakers complained that such courses were being marketed to people moving to the UK.


↺ JURIST ☛ Voters sue Arkansas state government officials over alleged voter dilution


The Christian Ministerial Alliance joined three voters Tuesday to file a lawsuit against the Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners and Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston over alleged voter dilution arising from Arkansas’ 2021 redistricting plan. The state adopted new legislative redistricting maps for both its Senate and House in 2021.


↺ LRT ☛ Lithuanians are gaining foothold in European migrant smuggling networks – LRT Investigation


A number of Lithuanians have been jailed across Europe for smuggling migrants. Most were low-level cogs enticed by generous pay in exchanged for hiding migrants in their trucks, but some have had ambition to establish themselves in European human smuggling networks.


Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda


↺ Press Gazette ☛ What reporters can learn from a Fleet Street legend who challenged a famous explorer’s North Pole claim


Richard Evans, author of The Explorer and the Journalist, on the story of Philip Gibbs and Frederick Cook.


Censorship/Free Speech


↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Chinese comedy group punishment sends chills through arts sphere


By Matthew Walsh and Rebecca Bailey China’s recent punishment of a comedy studio has sent a chill through the country’s cultural sphere — a striking reminder of the increasingly limited public space for artistic expression under President Xi Jinping.


↺ NYPost ☛ Roger Waters defends Nazi-style costume after Berlin police launch investigation


The bassist defended his costume choice by claiming that it was a clear statement “in opposition to fascism, injustice, bigotry in all its forms.”


Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press


↺ Press Gazette ☛ Audience up but revenue down at for-profit independent news publishers


Most of the UK population read independent news publishers, although revenue remains a challenge for the sector.


↺ RFERL ☛ Polish Interior Minister Vows Sanctions on Belarus After Court Upholds Eight-Year Sentence On Journalist


Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said he will introduce new sanctions on representatives of Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s regime after Belarus’s Supreme Court upheld an eight-year prison term handed to Andrzej Poczobut, a noted journalist and leader of the Polish-Belarusian community.


↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Lifestyle editor to head Hong Kong foreign press club, after running as sole candidate


A lifestyle editor who is not from a traditional news correspondent background has been elected as president of the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC), after he ran unopposed in the leadership race.


Civil Rights/Policing


↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 20% of Hong Kong’s unpaid caregivers spend at least 16 hours a day looking after close ones, survey reveals


Twenty per cent of unpaid caregivers spend 16 hours or more each day taking care of old or disabled family members, while more than a half said they struggled or lacked rest, according to a survey published by the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) on Thursday.


↺ JURIST ☛ South Carolina judge temporarily blocks new six-week abortion ban


A South Carolina state judge Friday temporarily blocked a newly-signed abortion ban that went into effect Thursday after being signed by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster. The ban would have prohibited most abortions in the state from being performed after six weeks of pregnancy.


↺ JURIST ☛ South Carolina governor signs law banning most abortions after 6 weeks


South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed a bill into law Thursday banning most abortions in the state after 6 weeks. The bill passed South Carolina’s Senate on Tuesday after defeating five senators’—all women—filibuster to block its passage.


↺ JURIST ☛ Steve Bannon receives trial date in New York state criminal case


A New York state court Thursday set a trial date for former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon. On May 27, 2024, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr. will begin his trial against Bannon, in which Bannon is accused of wrongly collecting more than $15 million from US political donors for his “We Build the Wall”…


↺ JURIST ☛ Texas legislature files articles of impeachment against state attorney general


The Texas state House of Representatives filed articles of impeachment Thursday against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The articles alleges Paxton has committed 20 counts of criminal misconduct since he assumed office in 2015.


↺ RFERL ☛ Prosecutor Seeks More Than Seven Years In Prison For Tajik Journalist


The prosecutor in a high-profile trial in Tajikistan has asked a court to convict and sentence journalist Khurshed Fozilov to 7 1/2 years in prison on a charge of involvement in the activities of a banned group.


↺ JURIST ☛ Taliban treatment of Afghanistan women violates international law, new NGO report says


Amnesty International and the International Commission for Jurists (ICJ) highlighted in a report released Friday that the Taliban crackdown on Afghan women’s rights could amount to gender persecution under international law.


↺ France24 ☛ Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or wraps up vintage year for women in Cannes


Justine Triet won a richly deserved Palme d’Or on Saturday for her French Alps courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall”, becoming only the third female director to win cinema’s most prestigious prize. But it was a bittersweet win for the home country’s government, whose “repression” of pension protests she blasted in her acceptance speech.


↺ The Straits Times ☛ India cracks down on entertainment industry’s abuse of children


The authorities have released a set of rules to protect minors, but observers say enforcing them would be tough.


↺ New York Times ☛ The Precarious, Terrifying Hours After a Woman Was Shoved Into a Train


Emine Yilmaz Ozsoy has been partially paralyzed and is in critical condition, surrounded by an improvised web of support. Her story embodies New York’s post-pandemic fears and challenges.


↺ NYPost ☛ More than a quarter of Americans live alone and number is on the rise: census data


The number of couples who lived with children under age 18 decreased by about 6% from the decade before and single-person households accounted for nearly 28% of all US homes, according to the data.


↺ Federal News Network ☛ Hong Kong denies knowledge about Uyghur student, slams Amnesty for saying he disappeared at airport


Hong Kong has criticized Amnesty International’s accusation that a Uyghur student disappeared after being interrogated at the airport. It says government records show he had not entered or been refused entry to the city. Amnesty International says the student who was born in Xinjiang in western China had traveled to Hong Kong from South Korea to visit a friend on May 10 but has since gone missing after texting the friend about being interrogated after his arrival. He spent the last seven years studying in Seoul. The Hong Kong government says Amnesty’s “groundless and unfounded remarks” are an attempt to smear it. Uyghur activists have criticized Hong Kong’s denial of its role in the student’s whereabouts.


↺ RFERL ☛ Siberian University Rector Rejects Reports About Mass Beating Of Tajik Students


The rector of the Technical University in the Siberian city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur has rejected reports about the beating of almost 100 Tajik students on campus by police last week.


↺ RFERL ☛ Rights Group Urges Global Governments To ‘Radically’ Increase Pressure On Iran Over Executions


The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) says it has sent a letter to 75 governments around the world asking them to “radically increase” pressure on Tehran to cease the “flagrantly unlawful executions” of protesters and others that are surging in the country.


↺ RFERL ☛ Nobel Peace Laureate Ales Byalyatski Transferred To Brutal Prison In Belarus, Wife Says


Peace Prize laureate Ales Byalyatski, 60, has been transferred to a notoriously brutal prison in Belarus and hasn’t been heard from in a month, his wife said on May 24.


↺ RFERL ☛ Armenia Asks ICJ To Order Azerbaijan To Open Key Road


Armenia on May 24 called on the UN’s top judicial body, the International Court of Justice, to order its archrival Azerbaijan to withdraw a blockade from a key road connecting Yerevan to the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.


↺ JURIST ☛ Minnesota governor vetos bill ensuring minimum wage and benefits for rideshare drivers


Minnesota Governor Tim Walz vetoed a bill Thursday mandating rideshare companies provide their drivers a minimum wage and other benefits. The Governor’s Office did not offer specific reasons for the veto.


↺ AccessNow ☛ What you need to know about generative AI and human rights [Ed: Now that everything gets rebranded or marketed as "HEY HI"]


Generative AI has been all over the headlines. But what are the human rights implications? Get the facts in our generative AI FAQ.


↺ RFA ☛ Looting and destroying, junta declares war on Myanmar’s cultural sites and artifacts


Churches, temples are destroyed, jewelry and other artifacts are stolen


↺ RFA ☛ Uyghur motorcycle repairman’s corpse released by prison in Kashgar prefecture


Memettursun Metniyaz was jailed in 2017 for making a religious pilgrimage years earlier.


↺ Digital Music News ☛ Gap Sues Kanye West for $2 Million as Ugly Fallout Continues


The failed partnership between clothing brand Gap and disgraced rapper Kanye West continues stewing beef — now with a new $2 million lawsuit over a modified storefront in downtown Los Angeles.


↺ Digital Music News ☛ Yeezy Faced $75M Frozen Asset Order from Adidas Last Year


Adidas filed legal action to freeze $75 million in assets held by Kanye West’s Yeezy brand last year. Nearly unsealed court documents first discovered by Law360 revealed the finding.


↺ New York Times ☛ How Geena Davis Continues to Tackle Gender Bias in Hollywood


When it comes to quantifying bias in popular entertainment, the Academy Award winner’s in a league of her own.


↺ teleSUR ☛ NYC Prohibits Discrimination Based on Weight or Height


“We all deserve equal access to employment, housing, and public spaces, regardless of our appearance,” Mayor Adams stressed.


↺ France24 ☛ Mahsa Amini’s grave vandalised in Iran, family lawyer says


The grave of Mahsa Amini, the young Iranian Kurdish woman whose death sparked a protest movement that rattled Iran’s clerical leadership, has been vandalised, according to activists and the family lawyer.


↺ France24 ☛ Swiss court acquits Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan on charges of rape, sexual coercion


A Swiss court on Wednesday acquitted Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan on charges of rape and sexual coercion, finding no evidence against the former Oxford University professor.


↺ France24 ☛ France to try 19 suspected human smugglers over 2019 migrant lorry deaths


France is to try 19 men over a people-smuggling plot that led to the 2019 deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants in the back of a lorry, a source familiar with the matter said Wednesday.


Digital Restrictions (DRM)


↺ Ruben Schade ☛ Remembering how the Nintendo Wii was cracked


Modern Vintage Computing


Nintendo’s RSA implementation contained a critical flaw. They used the C strncmp() [string compare] function that has the side-effect of terminating when null is found. Nintendo was passing byte values to the strncmp(), so in the event of null bytes found early in the hash, brute-forcing the SHA1 hash could be performed in minutes. That, in turn, meant that digital signatures could be easily faked.


… they could [now] run code unsigned …


↺ WhichUK ☛ Netflix sharing crackdown: should you cancel your Netflix account? [Ed: Netflix lets you keep nothing, so Netflix should have been avoided all along, right from the very start.]


The streaming giant is clamping down on subscribers that share accounts with


different households – we run through your options


Monopolies


↺ AccessNow ☛ Alphabet shareholders want more transparency, less complacency


Alphabet is a pioneer of tech sector transparency. But it has made a number of business decisions that raise serious red flags about its human rights commitments.


Patents


↺ UPC clarifies conditions necessary for filing opt-out applications in hard copy [Ed: UPC is illegal, but Bristows continues tarnishing the EU by imposing illegal things and then distracting from the illegality. UPC is being set up by criminals, to be controlled by the same criminals. It is a total disaster in the making for the EU's legitimacy.]


↺ EPO and ASTP sign Memorandum of Understanding [Ed: EPO is just organised crime disguised as "law"; it won't "strengthen European and global innovation networks." It's actively undermining that. When will public officials realise this and do something about it?]


Future collaboration to strengthen European and global innovation networks.


Copyrights


↺ Public Domain Review ☛ Medieval Illustrations of Bonnacons


To ward off attackers this mythical animal was said to expel excrement with a devastating explosive force.


↺ Spiegel ☛ Shadows of World War II: A New Look at the Great Quedlinburg Art Robbery


In 1945, an American officer pilfered valuable pieces from Germany’s most important art collection and sent them to Texas, setting off a long search for the items. Now, experts are wondering: Was he just a simple thief? Or was he trying to save the treasure from the Nazis?


↺ Digital Music News ☛ Harry Styles Fans in Edinburgh Told They Must Print Their Tickets After Mobile Ticketing Meltdowns


Harry Styles concert attendees in Edinburgh have been told to print their tickets before arriving at the venue following Beyonce’s mobile ticket meltdowns last weekend. Concertgoers in Edinburgh have been told they must print their tickets before Harry Styles’ performances at BT Murrayfield on Friday, May 26, and Saturday, May 27, to gain entry.


↺ New Yorker ☛ How Andy Warhol Turned the Supreme Court Justices Into Art Critics


Justice Elena Kagan’s dissent reads as strenuously as a vintage piece by, say, Clement Greenberg, slamming Harold Rosenberg.


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