Links 07/10/2023: Fake 'Currencies' and Many Strikes
Contents
- Distributions and Operating Systems
- Leftovers
-
Distributions and Operating Systems
-
Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications
-
Make Tech Easier ☛ How to Use Google to Extract Text from Images on Android
Whether you want to extract text from an image on your phone or in real time, you can do so on your Android phone, thanks to the built-in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature. Once the text is extracted and copied from a picture, you can paste it into any app of your choice. This guide presents the different ways to use Google for image to text conversion on Android.
-
-
-
Leftovers
-
Latvia ☛ Electronic signature upgrade postponed until next year
LSM recently reported that Latvia's electronic signature system, eParaksts, was due to be offline temporarily on October 21 as the system was being given a major upgrade. Well, now it's not happening.
-
The Straits Times ☛ China's cross-border trips beat pre-pandemic level during Golden Week holiday
The average number of inbound and outbound passenger trips a day reached 1.477 million.
-
Ruben Schade ☛ CityNerd on working from coffee shops
From one of his latest videos:
If you follow me on The Apps, you probably know I really like working in coffee shops. I like the buzz and human activity. And something about being under the watchful eye of complete strangers, and imagining they’re judging me rather than completely ignoring me (which is much more likely), well it really helps keep me on task.
-
Science
-
Science Alert ☛ For The First Time, Scientists Have Bent Lightning
"That picture spoke a thousand words."
-
CS Monitor ☛ The power of togetherness: Sharing knowledge, and a meal
Progress roundup: Science gives a woman speech synthesized from her brain signals, and a Paris arrondissement works hard to build community.
-
CS Monitor ☛ Nobel Prize: history, science, controversy, and this year’s winners
Four Nobel Prizes for medicine, physics, chemistry, and literature have been announced this week in Stockholm. The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Oct. 6 in Oslo, Norway.
-
-
Hardware
-
Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel and TSMC to Report on Next-Gen CFET Transistor Progress
Intel and TSMC to discuss transistors that will replace gate-all-around transistors at IEDM conference.
-
Tom's Hardware ☛ China's First 28nm Lithography Tool to Be Delivered This Year
China expects the first 28nm capable domestically produced scanner to be delivered before the end of the year. SMEE's SSA/800-10W lithography tool will be the most advanced scanner made in China to date.
-
Ruben Schade ☛ Daisy-chaining Apple IIe disk drives
I’ve seen a few videos and images of Apple II fans daisy-chaining drives, like those of us with Commodore kit would have with our 1541s. I was especially interested in people who’d chained 5.25 and 3.5 drives.
-
Alan Pope ☛ Alan Pope: Hand over the PCMCIA card, Sir
This is the fifth in a series of Friday Tales From Tech Support. Some stories from the past featuring broken computers and even more broken tech support operatives - mostly me.
This is another story from my time working on the helpdesk for a large accounting & consulting organisation in central London. A slight difference though, this story is second hand, so take it with a pinch of salt. I was there, but I wasn’t responsible for what occured, other people on the team were.
-
Hackaday ☛ Famicom-Inspired NES TV Looks Rad In Red
Take it from us, insomnia is no joke. But the wee hours can have a great effect on creativity, and if you’ve got a project in mind, doing that is way better than just sitting around, zoning out to infomercials and wishing for sleep. Over recent nights, [insomniacfactory] has been working on a Sharp C1 Famicon-inspired NES TV, and the result is simply fabulous.
-
-
Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
-
teleSUR ☛ South Korean Activists Reject Fukushima Nuclear Water Dumping
The process conducted by TEPCO, the IAEA, and Japan was always intended to lead to the discharges, denounced Greenpeace.
-
JURIST ☛ Peru dispatch: the death of the Vice President of Congress demonstrates the precariousness of Peruvians’ right to health care
Peruvian law students from the Facultad de Derecho y Ciencias Políticas, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco are reporting for JURIST on law-related events in and affecting Perú.
-
Science Alert ☛ There's One Predator in Africa That Instils Even More Fear Than Lions
They aren't the only kings of the savannah.
-
Off Guardian ☛ No Jab, No Education? Big Pharma’s influence on Irish and British schools
Last Thursday it was announced that the southern Irish state would roll out Flu jabs to all schoolchildren under its jurisdiction, despite the fact that children are an age group at absolute minute risk of becoming seriously ill from seasonal illnesses such as Flu and colds.
-
New York Times ☛ The Wegovy Shortage Drags On, Leaving Patients in Limbo
The situation has left many patients frustrated and unable to start taking the weight loss drug.
-
Junichi Uekawa: Sick with COVID-19 and flu.
Sick with COVID-19 and flu.
This time around we had two different things going around the household. Failure to isolate the second case in the household resulted in more cases.
-
Pro Publica ☛ Sen. Blumenthal Calls for DOJ Action Against Philips for Keeping CPAP Machine Complaints Secret
A powerful U.S. senator is calling on federal prosecutors to take immediate action against Philips Respironics after revelations the global company withheld thousands of warnings about popular breathing machines capable of spewing hazardous particles and fumes into the masks of patients.
“Philips brazenly turned a blind eye to its dangerous defective machines all in the name of profit,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a statement about the device maker, which has long dominated the market for ventilators and sleep apnea machines.
-
Democracy Now ☛ Kaiser Permanente Workers Give Update from Picket Line in Largest Healthcare Strike in History
In the largest strike of healthcare workers in U.S. history, 75,000 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers across the country walked off the job this week, seeking higher pay, better staffing, improvements in their pension plans and other benefits. We go to the picket line in Clackamas, Oregon, to speak with Meg Niemi, president of SEIU Local 49, and Keven Dardon, a patient access representative and a member of the union local’s bargaining team, on the final day of the strike outside of Kaiser Permanente’s Sunnyside Medical Center. “Kaiser can do better,” says Dardon, explaining how the union’s demands for better working conditions will allow its employees to provide patients with better care. Adds Niemi, “If we cannot reach an agreement, we’ll be out here again.”
-
-
Security
-
Privacy/Surveillance
-
Vice Media Group ☛ Ring Is Cashing In on the UFO Craze to Promote Its Surveillance Dystopia
The 'Million Dollar Sighting' contest will reward people for putting up cameras in their home and capturing irrefutable proof of extraterrestrials.
-
A Quick Guide to OpenTelemetry Demo
OpenTelemetry is a robust framework for collecting observability data from cloud-native applications.
-
RFA ☛ Junta enlists China in changing Myanmar IDs to biometric smart cards
The regime says the switch will improve elections, but critics warn it will ‘further suppress the people.’
-
Security Week ☛ In Other News: Funding Increase, Abuse of Smartphone Location Data, Legal Matters
Noteworthy stories that might have slipped under the radar: cybersecurity funding increases, new laws, and government’s illegal use of smartphone location data.
-
Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog warns against WhatsApp account ‘hijacking’ as data of 900 people exposed in 1 month
Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has warned the public against WhatsApp account hijacking after receiving several reports of data breaches within the past month.
-
La Quadature Du Net ☛ The beginning of the “8 December” trial is also the judgement of the right to privacy and encryption
On October 3, the trial of the so-called “December 8” case will begin. Seven people are prosecuted for “association of terrorist criminals” (“association de malfaiteurs terroristes”).
-
Reason ☛ Schools Are Normalizing Intrusive Surveillance
Kids will grow up to value freedom only if they’re raised in an environment where it’s treated as good.
-
OpenTelemetry is Fundamental to Cloud- and AI-Native Developers
OpenTelemetry is the crux of the observability story when it comes to cloud-native and AI-native applications.
-
-
-
Defence/Aggression
-
Reason ☛ Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro Warns Military Strikes Within Mexico Could 'Be Considered an Act of War'
On Friday, the Texas representative will introduce a resolution rebuking recent pushes to conduct military operations against Mexican cartels without Mexico’s consent or congressional authorization.
-
New York Times ☛ Syria Drone Attack Kills at Least 80, Government Says
Retaliatory shelling by Syrian government forces against towns in the northwest killed at least eight people, according to a rights group.
-
New York Times ☛ U.S. Jet Shoots Down Turkish Drone in Syria
The Pentagon said the drone had been observed carrying out airstrikes shortly before flying within about 550 yards of U.S. forces.
-
BIA Net ☛ Turkey carries out airstrikes in Rojava in response to Ankara attack
The TSK targeted several locations in Syria’s north. The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria condemned the strikes.
-
teleSUR ☛ North Nigeria: At Least 40 Missing After Boat Accident
Local authorities and emergency services have launched a rescue operation to locate and rescue the missing passengers, Salihu Garba, head of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, said in an official statement in the state capital of Minna.
-
YLE ☛ Yle sources: Party office package incidents being investigated as terrorism
Suspicious packages were delivered to various party offices in different cities earlier this year.
-
YLE ☛ IS: 21-year-old woman suspected of snatching newborn
Police suspect a young woman of kidnapping a baby in Huittinen last week, Ilta-Sanomat reports.
-
Chicago group aims to curb youth rioting with Amber Alert-like system
A pressing issue for the Chicago Police Department and its incoming leadership is the downtown teen takeovers, as another gathering has been advertised on social media for this weekend.
But churches and community groups are now stepping up, in partnership with police, to curb the youth rioting.
Community organizations are now doing their part to help stop the teen takeovers that happened last weekend in Chicago.
-
Techdirt ☛ Crime In Minneapolis Continues To Drop Despite The PD Losing Hundreds Of Officers
Former officer/current prisoner Derek Chauvin decided to personify endemic police racism by pressing his knee to the neck of an unarmed black man for nearly ten minutes. This display of power continued for three minutes after another officer told Officer Chauvin he could no longer detect a pulse.
-
France24 ☛ EU leaders meet in Granada to discuss migration and enlargement
The European Union's 27 national leaders meet on Friday to look for ways to avoid a new migration crisis and address a longer-term existential challenge of bringing into their bloc new countries, potentially as big and troubled as Ukraine.
-
Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
-
teleSUR ☛ No One Has the Right To Rule the World for Others, Putin Says
Lasting world peace will not be established until the opinion of all countries is respected and until everyone feels safe, Putin declared.
-
Meduza ☛ Young boy and grandmother dead, over 20 injured in Russian attack on Kharkiv — Meduza
-
Meduza ☛ From the New World Order to coke and hand grenades Here’s what Putin said at Russia’s annual Valdai Discussion Club — Meduza
-
Meduza ☛ Russian State Duma to discuss withdrawing ratification of Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty — Meduza
-
New York Times ☛ Sweden Offers Ukraine Warplanes — If It Is Allowed Into NATO
The offer appeared to be the latest move in an ongoing diplomatic effort to persuade Turkey to drop its objection to Sweden joining the military alliance.
-
New York Times ☛ U.S. Aid to Ukraine, and When It Might Run Out, Explained
President Biden has said the United States will assist Ukraine’s fight against Russia “for as long as it takes.” But Republican support for continuing aid has declined.
-
New York Times ☛ Russian Nobel Winner and Other Laureates Ask for $100 Million in Aid
Dmitri A. Muratov, who shared the prize in 2021, has used the honor to raise funds for people affected by the war in Ukraine.
-
New York Times ☛ Russian Strike on Hroza Killed 1 in 6 of Village’s Residents, Ukraine Officials Say
The population of Hroza, near Kharkiv, had dwindled to 300 before Thursday’s strike, which hit people gathered for a memorial service.
-
Latvia ☛ Another average speed camera section set up in eastern Latvia
During the night to Monday, October 9, the road A13 (Russian border-Rēzekne-Daugavpils-Lithuanian border) will have an average speed camera section introduced from Kovališki to Rušeņica (km 81.8-88.5), Latvian State Roads (LVC) said.
-
RFERL ☛ Moldovan President Accuses Wagner Mercenary Group Of Plotting Coup In Chisinau Earlier This Year
Moldovan President Maia Sandu said in an interview published on October 6 that the Wagner mercenary group founded by the now-deceased Yevgeny Prigozhin had planned a coup in Moldova.
-
European Commission ☛ State aid: Commission approves €1.2 billion Polish scheme to support energy-intensive companies in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine
European Commission Press release Brussels, 06 Oct 2023 The European Commission has approved a €1.2 billion (PLN 5.5 billion) Polish scheme to support energy-intensive companies facing increased energy costs in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine.
-
France24 ☛ Boy killed, dozens wounded in Russian strike on Ukraine's Kharkiv region
A strike by Russian forces hit residential buildings in the eastern region of Kharkiv, killing a 10-year-old boy and injuring nearly two dozen others, Ukrainian officials said Friday. The strike comes a day after a Russian missile strike on the eastern Ukrainian village of Hroza on Thursday, killing at least 52 people who had gathered for a wake.
-
France24 ☛ Russian propaganda falsely blames Ukrainian refugees for Paris bedbug outbreak
Russian propaganda is linking the current bedbug outbreak in Paris to Ukrainian refugees. To "prove" this false narrative, pro-Russian accounts on social media are sharing fabricated French media publications from Le Figaro, Libération and Contrepoints, falsely claiming that "parasite experts believe that the bedbug epidemic in Paris is linked to the influx of Ukrainian refugees in the capital". We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.
-
JURIST ☛ Russia rocket kills at least 51 civilians in Eastern Ukraine
A Russian rocket attack Thursday destroyed a cafe and grocery store in Hroza, Ukraine, killing at least 51 civilians, according to Ukrainian authorities. Ukranian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko stated on Telegram that a six-year-old child was among the dead in Hroza, a village of around 300 people.
-
LRT ☛ Lithuanian president calls on Poland to step up cooperation on Ukrainian grain exports
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on the sidelines of an informal EU summit in Granada, Spain, and called on him to step up cooperation on Ukrainian grain exports, making maximum use of the Lithuanian Port of Klaipėda capacity.
-
LRT ☛ Lithuanian president hopes EU will start Ukraine membership talks in December
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said on Thursday he hopes that the European Union will open negotiations with Kyiv on Ukraine’s accession to the bloc in December.
-
RFA ☛ Did Russia destroy US ship bearing uranium munitions to Ukraine?
Verdict: False
-
RFERL ☛ Russian-Installed Crimea Court Sentences Ukrainian To 13 Years In Prison On Espionage Charge
The Russian-installed Supreme Court in Moscow-annexed Crimea said on October 6 that it sentenced Ukrainian national Serhiy Tsyhypa to 13 years in prison on a charge of spying for Ukraine's Security Service.
-
RFERL ☛ Ukraine Repatriates Bodies Of 64 Fallen Combatants
The bodies of 64 Ukrainian personnel killed in the war have been returned in an exchange with Russia, Ukraine's Coordinating Agency for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported on October 6.
-
RFERL ☛ EU Summit To Look At Changes Needed To Welcome Ukraine, Others As New Members
A day after pledging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy their unwavering support, EU leaders on October 6 will face one of their worst political headaches on a key commitment -- how and when to welcome debt-laden and battered Ukraine into the bloc.
-
RFERL ☛ Sweden Announces $200 Million Military Aid Package To Ukraine
Sweden will send Ukraine a new military support package worth 2.2 billion crowns ($199 million), consisting mainly of ammunition and spare parts to earlier donated systems, Defense Minister Pal Jonson said on October 6.
-
RFERL ☛ Russia Will Target Ukraine's Power Grid Again, Zelenskiy Says As Deadly Strikes Hit Kharkiv Region
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned Russia will try in the coming winter to destroy Ukraine's power grid as it did during the last cold season, leaving thousands of Ukrainian civilians to face freezing temperatures.
-
CS Monitor ☛ As GOP faction challenges Ukraine policy, does Biden have an answer?
Amid weakening support for the Ukraine war effort, it’s a dramatic shift in Washington that has Kyiv and Western leaders most concerned.
-
New York Times ☛ House Speaker, Ukraine War, Border Wall: Trump’s Influence Reaches a Post-Presidency Peak
A Republican leadership vacuum has allowed the former president to exert power over his party — and in the country — in a way that lacks much historical precedent.
-
New York Times ☛ The Hroza Missile Strike in Ukraine Killed a Family in Mourning
A missile strike on the Ukrainian village of Hroza killed at least 52 people, including every known member of one immediate family. As much as a third of the population was killed in the strike. “Everybody died,” one resident said.
-
New York Times ☛ Russia-Ukraine War: Pressure Grows on Germany to Give Ukraine Long-Range Missiles
Britain and France have already provided them, and a U.S. announcement is expected soon.
-
France24 ☛ ‘The Ghosts of Bakhmut’: Ukraine’s crack sniper unit on the front lines
In an undisclosed location close to the city of Bakhmut, a group of elite Ukrainian snipers are about to go into battle. With 558 kills between them, according to their commander, they have been dubbed the "Ghosts of Bakhmut" due to their many days spent close to the front line in and around the devastated eastern Ukrainian city. One of their members, known by the call sign Kuzya, says he is looking forward to the day he can hang up his rifle once and for all.
-
LRT ☛ Lithuania’s defence chief studied in Russia, president was unaware
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda was not aware during the nomination phase of the fact that Chief of Defence General Valdemaras Rupšys had studied in Russia, the presidential office has said.
-
RFA ☛ US blacklists 42 Chinese firms for selling microchips to Russia
The US-origin microchips have been banned from export to Russia for more than a year.
-
RFERL ☛ U.S. Expels Two Russian Diplomats In Reciprocal Step
The United States said on October 6 it was expelling two Russian diplomats in a retaliatory step after Moscow kicked out two Americans last month.
-
RFERL ☛ Explosion At Rail Line Used By Russian Soldiers Near Minsk, Belarusian Opposition Group Says
An opposition group called the Community of Railway Workers of Belarus said on October 6 that an explosion damaged a segment of a rail link close to the Azyaryshcha station -- a main hub for Russian military personnel, ammunition, and equipment.
-
RFERL ☛ Russian Anti-War Activist In Kazakh Custody To Reportedly Be Extradited
The Sota Telegram channel said on October 5 that Russian anti-war activist Natalya Narskaya, arrested in Kazakhstan in July at Moscow's request, will reportedly be extradited to Russia soon.
-
RFERL ☛ Russian State Duma To Consider 'De-Ratifying' 1996 Nuclear-Test Treaty
The chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, wrote on Telegram on October 6 that the Russian parliament's lower chamber at its "nearest" session will discuss revoking Moscow's ratification of the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
-
RFERL ☛ Armenia Not Taking Part In Russian-Led CSTO's Military Maneuvers In Kyrgyzstan
Armenian troops are not taking part in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization's (CSTO) one-week military maneuvers that kicked off near Kyrgyzstan's northern town of Balykchy on October 6.
-
The Straits Times ☛ Train cars massing at North Korea, Russia border: Report
The move indicates a 'likely' transfer of arms, according to a report by Washington-based analysts Beyond Parallel.
-
New York Times ☛ Russia Bids to Rejoin U.N. Human Rights Council
The vote scheduled for Tuesday in the U.N. General Assembly could be close, in part because of Russia’s support among some countries of the global south.
-
New York Times ☛ Recent fighting in the House has highlighted a drop in Republican support for aid to Kyiv.
-
Latvia ☛ Latvia's Interior Minister: Migrant smuggling tactics have changed
People smugglers who illegally help to cross the Latvian-Belarusian border have changed tactics – they do not move on immediately, but remain on the territory of Latvia for some time, Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis said in an interview with Latvian Radio on October 6.
-
Meduza ☛ Ramzan Kadyrov’s 15-year-old son Adam awarded Hero of Chechnya title after assaulting defenseless detainee in jail — Meduza
-
Meduza ☛ ‘I’m used to walking among corpses’ How Mariupol residents search for their dead under Russian occupation — Meduza
-
Meduza ☛ One month before Prigozhin’s mutiny, Wagner Group reportedly used proxy company to buy Chinese satellite images of Russian territory — Meduza
-
-
-
Transparency/Investigative Reporting
-
LRT ☛ ‘Our duty is to protect whistleblowers’ – Lithuanian PM on London ambassador situation
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė says the duty of the country’s institutions in charge of foreign policy is to protect the people who reported problems at the Lithuanian Embassy in London.
-
Marcy Wheeler ☛ “Nefarious”: Chuck Grassley Panics at Possibility that Gary Shapley’s Allegations Might Be Scrutinized
Chuck Grassley seems to be panicked that a very carefully orchestrated effort to retroactively pitch Gary Shapley as a whistleblower using formal channels might face real scrutiny.
-
-
Environment
-
BIA Net ☛ Expert discovery postponed in İliç Gold Mine: Experts deemed inadequate
Objections raised against the selected experts for the upcoming expert discovery in the lawsuit regarding the capacity increase of the gold mine in İliç, Erzincan, have been accepted by the court.
-
The Straits Times ☛ Death toll from Indian Himalayan flash floods rises to 42, scores still missing
At least 42 people were killed after a glacial lake burst its banks and triggered flash floods in the Indian Himalayas this week, government officials said on Friday as rescuers kept searching for almost 150 missing.
-
Energy/Transportation
-
New York Times ☛ Crypto Goes on Trial, as Sam Bankman-Fried Faces His Reckoning
The FTX founder’s uphill court battle starts Tuesday, after he has come to symbolize everything that went wrong with the cryptocurrency industry.
-
New York Times ☛ Who’s Rooting Hardest for a Sam Bankman-Fried Conviction? The Crypto Industry.
Crypto insiders, who have been trying to distance themselves from the FTX founder, are united in their zeal to see Mr. Bankman-Fried held to account.
-
BIA Net ☛ BOTAŞ hikes natural gas prices for industrial use, electricity production
Prices for household consumption have remained steady.
-
New Yorker ☛ Al Gore on the Climate Crisis: “We Have a Switch We Can Flip”
The self-described “recovering politician” explains the stakes and the clear and present solution to our ongoing climate crisis. Plus, Rubén Blades on the transformative power of salsa.
-
YLE ☛ Finnair taps taxpayer, other shareholders for €600m cash
The airline's strategy had to be rethought after Russia banned it from flying the shortest route to Asia.
-
DeSmog ☛ How Efforts to Restrict Democracy in Ohio Make It Harder to Fight Climate Change
Ohio’s adoption of gerrymandered voting district maps last week is the latest in a series of anti-democratic measures that thwart action to address climate change, critics say.
-
-
-
Finance
-
The Straits Times ☛ Former Goldman banker Roger Ng to be returned to Malaysia in 1MDB case
Ng was convicted in the US of helping loot billions of dollars from 1MDB, and faces similar charges in Malaysia.
-
New York Times ☛ New U.A.W. Chief Has a Nonnegotiable Demand: Eat the Rich
Shawn Fain’s disdain for the “billionaire class” informs his showdown with Detroit’s automakers. Now he must prove that his hard-core tactics pay off.
-
New York Times ☛ A Start-Up’s Alternative to Uber: Employing Its Own Drivers
Alto is trying to fill a more expensive niche, especially as politicians and labor groups argue that the contractor model exploits drivers.
-
New York Times ☛ Redfin, the Online Real Estate Broker, Leaves the National Association of Realtors
The brokerage said it would require many of its brokers and real estate agents to cancel their memberships with the National Association of Realtors, prompted by allegations of sexual harassment within the group.
-
YLE ☛ Jobs minister vows labour market reforms will go ahead despite recession; unions announce more walkouts
Minister of Employment Arto Satonen (NCP) expressed confidence that the economy will return to growth by the time the government's planned reforms take effect.
-
New York Times ☛ TikTok Shop Feature is Shuttered in Indonesia After Ban
TikTok’s retail ambitions have confronted an obstacle in Indonesia, which views the app as a threat to local businesses.
-
Federal News Network ☛ Auto workers stop expanding strikes against Detroit Three after GM makes battery plant concession
The United Auto Workers union says it will not expand its strikes against Detroit’s three automakers after General Motors made a breakthrough concession on unionizing electric vehicle battery plants. Union President Shawn Fain told workers in a video appearance Friday that additional plants could be added later. The delay came shortly after GM agreed to bring electric vehicle battery plants into the UAW’s national contract, essentially assuring that they will be unionized. Fain said GM’s move will change the future of the union and the auto industry.
-
Mexico News Daily ☛ Strike ends at Mexico’s largest gold mine after 4 months
Miners at Peñasquito, led by union leader Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, achieved a pay raise and a bonus from U.S. employer Newmont Corporation.
-
RFERL ☛ Jailed Azerbaijani Activist Starts New Hunger Strike As Pretrial Detention Prolonged
Jailed Azerbaijani activist Baxtiyar Haciyev’s has launched a new hunger strike to protest against the extension of his pretrial detention over charges of hooliganism and contempt of court.
-
teleSUR ☛ UAW Strike Enters 21st Day as GM Produces New Counteroffer
Despite the progress made in the negotiations between the Big Three and UAW, significant gaps remained. Disparities between temporary and permanent workers are a highlight.
-
Latvia ☛ Latvian central bank reveals annual conference agenda
Latvijas Banka, the Latvian central bank, has released details of its annual conference, which will be held in early November and optimistically titled: 'A Recipe for Economic Growth'.
-
-
AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
-
JURIST ☛ Ghana dispatch: more street demonstrations reflect growing discontent with government
Lana Osei is a JURIST staff correspondent in Ghana and a recent graduate of the GIMPA (Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration) Faculty of Law. She files this dispatch from Accra.
-
YLE ☛ Mental Health Finland reduces staff due to government budget cuts
The number of calls to the Mieli helpline has soared in recent years as people in Finland grapple with mental health issues.
-
Federal News Network ☛ US regulators seek to compel Elon Musk to testify in their investigation of his Twitter acquisition
The Securities and Exchange Commission says it is seeking a court order that would compel Elon Musk to testify as part of an investigation into his purchase of Twitter, now called X. The SEC said in a Thursday filing in a San Francisco federal court that Musk failed to appear for testimony on Sept. 15. The agency said that was despite Musk being served an investigative subpoena by the SEC and having raised no objections at the time it was served. Musk’s attorney, Alex Spiro, said that the SEC has already taken Musk’s testimony multiple times.
-
New York Times ☛ S.E.C. Sues Elon Musk to Compel Him to Testify on Twitter Purchase
The agency said Mr. Musk was subpoenaed to testify last month about his purchases of Twitter’s stock last year, but he failed to appear.
-
Reason ☛ No California Bar Discipline for Lawyer Who Tweeted "They Should Be Shooting the Looters" and "Shoot the Protesters"
"Respondent presented this court with a credible and reasonable interpretation of the meaning behind her words, i.e., that she posted the above-noted tweets as an expression of her anger, fear, and frustration with the violence taking place around her and in disagreement with some of the sentiments she saw being expressed by others on Twitter."
-
NYPost ☛ Biden admin waived 26 federal laws to build new section of border wall
26 federal laws have been swept aside for a new section of border wall to be built - right through a wildlife preserve, farmland, and small towns which will likely be affected by the project.
-
Federal News Network ☛ Biden administration is resuming deportation flights for Venezuelan migrants as arrivals grow
The Biden administration is going to resume deporting migrants to Venezuela. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, speaking in Mexico City Thursday, cited the new measure as one of the “strict consequences” the Biden administration is pairing with the expansion of legal pathways for asylum seekers. The process is expected to begin shortly, two U.S. officials tell The Associated Press, though they did not provide specific details on when the flights would begin taking off. The resumption of deportation comes not long after the administration increased protected status for Venezuelans who arrive to the U.S., so if someone arrived to the U.S. before July 31 of this year, but not after, they’d be eligible for protections.
-
France24 ☛ Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine says he is under house arrest after returning from overseas
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine said Thursday he was under house arrest after being seized by security officials on his return home from a trip abroad.
-
JURIST ☛ UN Security Council authorizes 1-year deployment to quell gang violence in Haiti
The UN Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution Monday which authorizes UN member states to undertake a stabilization mission to Haiti.
-
New York Times ☛ Protests to Egypt’s Presidential Elections Grow as Sisi Announces Campaign
Voters will choose a leader in December. It will likely be President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, though with the economy in dire straits, protests are gaining momentum.
-
Atlantic Council ☛ Menendez’s case coverage is relatively muted in Egypt. That might be intentional
Egypt's predominantly pro-government media has chosen to either dismiss altogether or downplay the allegations against Senator Bob Menendez.
-
teleSUR ☛ Egypt Signs Currency Swap Agreement With UAE
UAE Central Bank Governor Khaled Mohamed Balama said the agreement reflects the depth and strength of bilateral relations between the UAE and Egypt, and constitutes an important step to boost economic and financial ties.
-
ACLU ☛ Why Access to Voting is Key to Systemic Equality
Voting is a fundamental civil right and it shouldn’t be infringed upon, no matter your race or zip code. Although the Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits racially discriminatory voting tactics and policies, including diluting the voting strength of racial minorities, Black people and communities of color in particular continue to face numerous obstacles to voting.
Let’s break down why equal access to voting is critical to the fight for systemic equality.
-
Techdirt ☛ Elon Musk Decides ‘Who Needs Headlines, When We Can Just Have Pretty Pictures?’; Suspends Account That Made Fun Of Him
In August we wrote about a rumored plan of Elon Musk to remove headlines from the TwitterCards (are they now X-cards? who the hell knows?), basically making the site completely useless for news consumption. At the time Musk claimed it was somehow more aesthetically pleasing. Because that’s what everyone looks for in their news links: are they aesthetically pleasing?
-
Techdirt ☛ ExTwitter Ad Revenue Continues To Be In Free Fall
Last week, exTwitter’s CEO-in-name-only Linda Yaccarino gave what is the cringiest interviews I’ve ever seen at the Code Conference. Multiple people told me they couldn’t watch more than a few minutes of it. It’s so bad. She is barely listening, extremely dismissive of important questions, and acting as if people are lucky to hear her. It’s awful.
-
Insight Hungary ☛ Orban welcomes Fico's victory amid growing concenrs for Ukraine aid
“Guess who's back! Congratulations to Robert Fico on his undisputable victory in the Slovak parliamentary elections. Always good to work together with a patriot. Looking forward to it!”, Viktor Orbán posted on X (previously Twitter). Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó joined Orban with a Facebook post saying: “We are pleased that the people of Slovakia have made a clear choice in an unquestionably democratic election… Robert Fico also thinks about war, migration, and gender in the same way as we do. His victory offers a strong chance to strengthen the V4 alliance.”
Orban’s political director Balázs Orbán ( no relation to the Prime Minister) wrote that Hungary’s position could strengthen in Brussels following the Slovak elections. Fico, a former prime minister, is known for his pro-Putin stance. There are growing concerns that after Fico's victory, Slovakia could join Hungary in blocking EU aid to Ukraine.
-
Common Dreams ☛ Politics As A Glad and Noble Profession (Just Not In This Country Right Now)
Huh. In weird synchronicity, the same day America's truculent, backbiting GOP pols ousted Disorder in the House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a pointless act of animus, Canada's diverse pols elected their new House Speaker on, evidently, another planet. He's black, a first. He got a standing ovation. There were hugs, grins, high-fives. Everyone laughed as the country's leader ceremonially mock-dragged him to the podium where he vowed his focus would be on mutual respect, and good will reigned. Unfathomable.
-
Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda
-
Michael Geist ☛ Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge’s Internet Regulation Misinformation Problem
The temperature over the government’s Internet legislation has increased this week as many Canadians wake up to the consequences of Bills C-11 and C-18. CRTC regulations on mandated registration requirements arising from the Online Streaming Act and the possibility that Google will follow Meta’s lead and remove news links for search results in Canada due to the Online News Act have placed the spotlight on harmful effects of the government’s approach.
-
-
-
Censorship/Free Speech
-
Reason ☛ California Court of Appeal Publishes Decision on Lawyer v. Lawyer Harassment Restraining Order and the First Amendment
I blogged two weeks ago about Hansen v. Volkov, a then-nonprecedential decision on the subject (I quote that post below). Last Friday, Prof. Aaron Caplan (Loyola) and I—who have both written about First Amendment limits on harassment restraining orders—filed a letter asking the California Court of Appeal to "publish" the decision...
-
-
Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
-
RFA ☛ North Korean journalists use status and travel freedom to cash-in
Some accept favors for good stories, others trade gold and other commodities.
-
-
Civil Rights/Policing
-
France24 ☛ More than 75,000 US health care workers begin three-day strike
Tens of thousands of health care workers in the United States walked off the job Wednesday, beginning one of the sector's largest strikes in recent history, as America's year of labor discontent rolled on.
-
teleSUR ☛ Over 75,000 Workers to Strike at Health Facilities Across US
The striking workers re demanding safer working environments, as they argue that the shortage of personnel is compromising patient care.
-
teleSUR ☛ Strike Against Big Three US Automakers Spreading
Currently, about 25,300 workers represented by the UAW are on strike across the United States.
-
Federal News Network ☛ Criminal charges lodged against Hartford ex-officer accused of lying to get warrant and faking stats
A former Hartford police officer accused by his own department of lying to get an arrest warrant and inflating his traffic enforcement stats has been criminally charged with perjury, forgery and computer crime. A police spokesperson said Thursday that Michael Fallon turned himself in Tuesday at the department. He was released on a promise to appear in court next Wednesday. A phone message was left for Fallon, and court records do not list a lawyer for him. Police Chief Jason Thody has said Fallon admitted to falsifying records and an internal affairs investigation substantiated the allegations. Fallon resigned in March before the investigation was complete, avoiding potential discipline.
-
RFA ☛ Laos lied about repatriation of Chinese rights lawyer, wife says
Case shows how Laos feels ‘in debt’ to China under the Belt & Road initiative, activist says.
-
RFA ☛ China bans Mongolian-medium classes, cuts language hours in schools
The move completes the ban on Mongolian-medium education that sparked mass protests across the region in 2020.
-
RFA ☛ Does the US adhere to the ‘One China principle’?
Verdict: False
-
Atlantic Council ☛ Gender apartheid is a horror. Now the United Nations can make it a crime against humanity.
The international community has an opportunity to codify the crime of gender apartheid in the United Nations’ crimes against humanity treaty. Learn more about gender apartheid from the Atlantic Council’s Gissou Nia.
-
YLE ☛ Helsinki Airport braces for delays as workers walk out
The walkout is a protest against planned labour market changes proposed by the government.
-
New York Times ☛ Abortion Bans by Any Other Name Are Still Abortion Bans
With post-Roe outrage showing no sign of waning, strategists on the right are pushing a new lexicon on abortion.
-
Reason ☛ Aella: Is Porn Too Pervasive?
The former OnlyFans star and outspoken libertarian defender of sex workers considers the acceleration of government crackdowns on online porn, the sexual revolution, and sex work.
-
Democracy Now ☛ Woman, Life, Freedom: Narges Mohammadi, Imprisoned Iranian Activist, Awarded 2023 Nobel Peace Prize
Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi has been awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for her work fighting against women’s oppression in Iran. Mohammadi will not be able to personally receive the prize because she is currently incarcerated in Iran for her protest activities. To share more about Mohammadi, the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement and the potential impact of the Nobel on Mohammadi’s imprisonment, we speak with Negar Mortazavi, an Iranian American journalist, host of The Iran Podcast and senior fellow at the Center for International Policy.
-
-
Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
-
AccessNow ☛ We’re headed to South Korea: the when, where, and why of our next convening
We’re excited to announce that the 13th edition of the RightsCon Summit Series will be held in South Korea and online in February 2025!
-
-
Monopolies
-
CCIA ☛ The Digital Search Playing Field Is Larger Than the DoJ Believes
There is no doubt that Google is the most popular search engine with many Internet users.
-
Patents
-
Unified Patents ☛ $4,000 for Empire IP entity, Fleet Connect Solutions, patents prior art
Unified added 2 new PATROLL contests, with a $2,000 cash prize for each, seeking prior art on the list below. The patents are owned by Fleet Connect Solutions, LLC, an NPE and entity of Empire IP.
-
JUVE ☛ Forresters hires CII and electronics specialist as partner in Munich [Ed: CII is a lying term for software patents. JUVE is a corrupt, fake publication that onboards bribes from aggressive litigation firms to lie for them and lobby for patently illegal and unconstitutional agenda. This one is SPAM.]
-
JUVE ☛ Moderna, Pfizer and BioNTech head to The Hague for first mRNA patent dispute [Ed: They made worthless shots that barely work (they hadn't tested for efficacy, by their own admission) and now they bicker over patent monopoly, years after the heist]
One of Europe’s first big vaccine technology hearing is underway, as the parties convene at 9.30am at the District Court of The Hague to deliberate Moderna’s claims that Pfizer and BioNTech have infringed two of its patents for mRNA (case ID: C/09/643000).
-
Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Sisvel v. Sierra Wireless – Useful Guidance for Prosecutors on Motivation to Combine and Means-Plus-Function Claims [Ed: Sisvel is a horrfic patent bully and troll proxy; funny how patent maximalists intentionally fail to point this out.]
Today’s post introduces the new decision in Sisvel International S. A. v. Sierra Wireless, Inc., No. 22-1493 (Fed. Cir. Oct. 6, 2023). Here, I focus on two distinct issues. The first part has to do with motivation-to-combine, with the decision offering some good language for patent prosecutors attempting to overcome weakly worded office actions. The second part focuses on means-plus-function language and concludes with my rant about the court’s unduly complicated layers of tests. The case also upholds a single-reference obviousness holding, but I didn’t write about that portion of the decision.
-
-
Trademarks
-
TTAB Blog ☛ TTAB Tosses Out SUNKIST's Confusion and Dilution Opposition to "KIST" for Soft Drinks
The Board dismissed this opposition to registration of the mark KIST, in standard character and stylized form, for "Soft drinks, namely, sodas and sparkling water; concentrates and syrups for making soft drinks," finding neither likelihood of confusion with, nor likely dilution of, the mark SUNKIST, registered in standard character and design form for fresh fruits and various beverages and concentrates. Sunkist Growers, Inc. v. Intrastate Distributors, Inc., Opposition No. 91254647 (September 30, 2023) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Cheryl S. Goodman).
-
TTAB Blog ☛ In First Stage of Cancellation Proceeding, TTAB Finds Discontinuance of Use of RASCAL HOUSE for Restaurant Services
The parties to this cancellation proceeding opted to litigate the case under the Accelerated Case Resolution (ACR) regime. In accordance with the parties' stipulation, the case was divided into two stages, the first stage addressing the issue of whether Respondent Jerry's Famous Deli had ceased use (for purposes of Section 45) of the registered marks RASCAL HOUSE, WOLFIE COHEN’S RASCAL HOUSE, and the word-and-design mark shown below, for restaurant services. The Board concluded that Jerry's had indeed stopped using the mark. The case will now proceed to the second stage, in which the Board will consider whether Jerry's intended to resume use of the mark, in which case Jerry's will avoid abandonment. Rascal House, Inc. v. Jerry’s Famous Deli, Inc., Cancellation Nos. 92075125, 92075180, and 92075185 (September 30, 2023) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge David K. Heasley).
-
-
Copyrights
-
Public Domain Review ☛ The Presentation of Sources and Rights Labelling Gets a Big Overhaul
Details of a whole raft of important changes aimed at improving how we communicate rights labelling and championing those institutions openly sharing public domain works.
-
The Kent Stater ☛ OPINION: TikTok culture is ruining concerts
Last week, Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS Tour got more registrations for pre-sale tickets than the amount of tickets even left available. In November of last year, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour broke Ticketmaster as fans flooded to purchase tickets.
-
Digital Music News ☛ AI Discord Server Ripped Down Over Voice AI Clones
Discord has taken action against a server with over 500,000 members for generative AI voice modeling. The move comes after the RIAA prompted action. In June 2023, the RIAA contacted Discord and asked it to shut down a server called ‘AI Hub,’ at the time a place where 145,000 members shared and distributed copyrighted music.
-
Public Domain Review ☛ Käthe Kollwitz’s Peasants’ War Series (ca. 1901–1908)
Käthe Kollwitz's etchings based on the German Peasants’ War and a mysterious woman called Black Anna.
-
Torrent Freak ☛ Encrypted Client Hello (ECH) Effectively Defeats Pirate Site Blocking
Cloudflare has enabled Encrypted Client Hello for all customers on free plans, which includes many pirate sites. The new privacy feature makes it impossible for Internet providers to track which websites subscribers visit. As a result, it also renders pirate site-blocking efforts useless, if both the site and the visitor have ECH enabled.
-
Torrent Freak ☛ ACE Applauds 'SVICLOUD' Raids But IPTV Juggernaut Will Take Some Stopping
Global anti-piracy coalition Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment is celebrating action by Taiwanese Police after they carried out a raid against distributors of pirate set-top boxes and made several arrests. The devices provided access to SVICLOUD, an Asia-based manufacturer and streaming platform that polishes plain piracy to levels rarely seen elsewhere.
-
-
-
* Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It's like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter.