Leftovers

• Defence/Aggression

  • RFA ☛ Talks between Myanmar rebel alliance and junta focus on Chinese interests

    Unlike previous meetings, parties didn’t send top representatives, a source close to the alliance said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Ulu Tiram attack: Cop-killer linked to JI but acted alone, says Malaysia’s home minister

    hE said that the suspect had connections to Jemaah Islamiah (JI) but was believed to have acted on his own.

  • RFA ☛ Philippines blasts Beijing’s new trespass rule in contested waters as ‘illegal’

    A Philippine lawmaker urges Manila to take Beijing again to an international court over its new policy.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Explainer: Why UK authorities arrested 3 men linked to Hong Kong’s trade office

    The arrests of three men connected to a Hong Kong government trade office in London marked the first time Hongkongers have been prosecuted under the UK’s new national security legislation.

  • JURIST ☛ US House passes bill forcing Biden to send weapons to Israel

    The US House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that would restrict President Joe Biden’s ability to withhold weapons transfers to Israel, aiming to force the president to deliver certain weapons after he previously placed shipments on hold.

  • RFERL ☛ At Least 4 Killed In Attack On Foreign Tourists In Afghanistan

    At least four people were killed in an armed attack on a group of foreign tourists at a market in Bamiyan Province in central Afghanistan on May 17, according to government and security sources.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Resists Grand Bargain as U.S. and Saudis Work on Security Pact

    President Biden is pushing for a broad deal that would get Israel to approve a Palestinian nation in return for Saudi recognition of Israel. But officials need to overcome Israeli opposition.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Dispatch from Estonia and Romania: How NATO burden sharing works on the ground

      European-led missions on NATO’s eastern flank represent tangible and significant contributions to the Alliance’s security.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • CS Monitor ☛ What China’s renewable energy boom means for the world

      China’s booming renewable energy industry may be stirring trade tensions, but it could also accelerate a green transition – in China and elsewhere.

• Finance

  • RFA ☛ China starts selling ultra-long bonds to raise 1 trillion yuan

    Sales of bonds maturing in up to 50 years is aimed at shoring up the economy and addressing its aging population.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania posts lowest inflation rate in EU – Eurostat

    Lithuania’s EU-harmonised annual inflation rate was the lowest in the EU in April, the latest figures from Eurostat, the bloc’s statistics office, showed on Friday.

  • NYPost ☛ Pint-sized inflation critics rage against rising price of ice cream in sweetest cost-of-living rant yet

    Two treat-seeking misses were knocked seriously off course by the skyrocketing cost of a cone at their local park.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • JURIST ☛ Arkansas Supreme Court upholds 4 voting restriction laws

    The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday upheld four voting restriction laws passed in 2021. The laws were challenged for violating five provisions of the Arkansas Constitution. Arkansas law already required county clerks to find sufficient similarity in the signatures of the absentee ballot application and the voter registration.

  • New Yorker ☛ Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Isn’t Going Away

    David Remnick asks R.F.K., Jr., where his run for President and his beliefs are coming from. Plus, Miranda July’s new novel explores marriage, desire, and perimenopause.

  • New Yorker ☛ The Most Profoundly Not-Normal Facts About Trump’s 2024 Campaign

    In Donald Trump’s run for the White House, the former President is, again, breaking political norms.

  • New York Times ☛ Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jasmine Crockett’s Appearance-Based Insults Reflect an Ugly New Norm in Politics

    A recent congressional meeting devolved into a back-and-forth that reflects a changing norm in politics — one that rarely makes anybody look good.

  • New York Times ☛ ‘Oversight After Dark’: Lawmakers Hurl Insults at Session

    In an after-hours session on Capitol Hill, insults by the right-wing Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene led to a raucous exchange with Democrats, featuring insults about personal appearance, intellect and more.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ #AtlanticDebrief – What was the outcome of Xi’s visit to Europe?

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan’s Lai Ching-te to take reins under close scrutiny from Beijing

    Taiwan’s president-elect Lai Ching-te, a staunch defender of the island’s democracy, will be sworn into office Monday as Beijing ratchets up military and diplomatic pressure on Taipei. China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has branded Lai a “dangerous separatist” who will bring “war and decline” to the self-ruled island.

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Jim Risch Demands that Avril Haines Formally Tell Us He Is Lying

    Jim Risch thinks Avril Haines should come forward and formally debunk false claims that those with privileged intelligence access make, which must include the false claims he made about 51 private individuals who expressed an expert opinion.

  • Gizmodo ☛ 2024-05-17 [Older] How to Turn Off YouTube Ads for Alcohol, Gambling, Weight Loss and More

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Reason ☛ "After Edokobi's Employees Left, Smith Cast 'Evil Curses" upon Edokobi's Life and Business"—But Not Libelous Ones

    More usefully, the case is a reminder that insults and other expressions of opinion aren't libelous.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Al Jazeera Gaza correspondent accuses international journalists of not doing enough

    Journalist says Western journalists "not covering the war like they should".

  • Press Gazette ☛ CNN’s Christiane Amanpour: ‘We are not impartial…we should be truthful’

    BBC News CEO Deborah Turness and CNN's Amanpour disagree over need for impartiality.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Relaunched Q magazine shut down in same week Loaded revival goes live

    Six full-time staff affected by Empire Media Group's closure of Q.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Emily Maitlis: Journalists who think they lead conversation around Trump ‘kidding’ themselves

    And Kara Swisher says NYT editor is "living in another era" over his Trump coverage comments.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Digital Music News ☛ Spotify Immediately Responds to the MLC’s Lawsuit — And They’re Not Backing Down

    Late yesterday, Digital Music News first reported on the Mechanical Licensing Collective’s lawsuit against Spotify over allegedly underpaid publishing royalties. Now, Spotify is pushing back and seriously questioning the merits of the MLC’s claims. Here’s what they relayed to DMN early this morning.

  • Digital Music News ☛ What Are the MLC’s Arguments Against Spotify’s Bundling Reclassification? Here’s a Quick Breakdown

    Yesterday, the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) sued Spotify over an alleged royalties underpayment resulting from bundling. As the much-publicized action itself continues to command coverage – and spur legal threats from the likes of Sony Music Publishing – here’s a closer look at the MLC’s actual arguments.

Monopolies/Monopsonies