Links 02/06/2024: Workers' Strikes and a Warming World
Contents
- Leftovers
- Science
- Education
- Hardware
- Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
- Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Security
- Defence/Aggression
- Environment
- Finance
- AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
- Censorship/Free Speech
- Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
- Civil Rights/Policing
- Digital Restrictions (DRM) Monopolies/Monopsonies
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Leftovers
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Chris ☛ Fermi, Majorana and Mental Maths
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Hackaday ☛ Sometimes It’s Not The Solution
Watching a video about a scratch-built ultra-precise switch for metrology last week reminded me that it’s not always the projects that are the most elegant solutions that I enjoy reading about the most. Sometimes I like reading about hackers’ projects more for the description of the problem they’re facing.
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Hackaday ☛ An Ingenious Blu-Ray Mini-Disk Player
[befi] brings us a project as impressive as it is reminiscent of older times, a Blu-Ray mini disk player. Easily fitting inside a pocket like a 8 cm CD player would, this is a labour of love and, thanks to [befi]’s skills both in electronics and in using a dremel tool.
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Michael Burkhardt ☛ Adobe Create Now Columbus
I milled around like a human Roomba for a few more minutes before discovering the macaroni and cheese bar. Where has this been all my life? My masterpiece comprised sriracha, sautéed onions, and bacon crumbles. (chef’s kiss)
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Standards/Consortia
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[Old] Sumit Khanna ☛ How Google and Microsoft made E-mail Unreliable
E-mail is completely broken and unreliable thanks to big players like Google, Microsoft and Facebook. Shortly after the NSA spying revelations, I decided to move off of Gmail and back onto my own e-mail server. It wasn’t for privacy, as e-mail is often transmitted plain-text and has no more security than a postcard, but just a general desire to distance myself from Google services. I had run an e-mail server in the past using Postfix and Courier-IMAP back around 2005 (as well as Amavis-new, Spamassassin and ClamAV for spam and viruses). When I attempted to setup an e-mail server in 2013, the stack was pretty much identical except Dovecot now replaces Courier and additional tools such as DKIM, DMARC and SPF are now necessary for outgoing e-mail validation. However the largest challenge I faced wasn’t from my own technology stack, but with my e-mails becoming unreliable against both Google’s and Microsoft’s over-aggressive spam filters.
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Science
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Futurism ☛ Scientist Terrified Astronauts Might Be Shredded by Sandblasts on the Moon
In his latest theory, which was published in two parts by the journal Icarus, Metzger proposed that instead of stirring up dust and eroding the lunar surface away, the massive speed from rocket exhaust running parallel to the ground creates a sort of kinetic force that kicks dust up and out in a way more complicated way than previously thought.
As such, the tiny accelerated rocks that make up Moon dust may be moving at speeds four to ten times faster than scientists previously thought, which would mean that spacesuits and spacecraft would need to have extra reinforcements.
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Futurism ☛ Fish on Board China's Space Station Are Doing Swimmingly, Confused as Hell
Eventually, the fish oriented their backs to the lights inside the Skylab, using light as a way to direct themselves. And the hatchlings that came on board as eggs also used light to orient themselves.
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Science Alert ☛ The Time You Take Blood Pressure Drugs May Lower Heart Attack Risk
"A paradigm shift in the treatment of hypertension."
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Science Alert ☛ Reversible Molecular Changes Can Cause Cancer, Study Shows
This could change the way we treat cancer.
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Science Alert ☛ Astonishing Study Shows Evolution Really Does Repeat Itself
Can evolution actually be predicted?
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Science Alert ☛ Surprise Discovery Reveals Ozempic Lowers Risk of Diabetic Kidney Disease
"We would be saving kidneys, hearts, and lives."
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Science Alert ☛ Are Frozen Vegetables as Healthy as Fresh? You Might Be Surprised.
Here's the science.
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Education
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Thorsten Ball ☛ Be findable
It’s not about screaming “I am the greatest” from the rooftops, it’s about saying, hey, I did something, I think it’s neat, you might find this interesting.
It’s not about playing up something that isn’t there, it’s about making sure that you and your good work are findable.
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Devon Dundee ☛ Wallflower Creative
I tend to be most comfortable working behind-the-scenes. At my job, I spend the majority of my time in the sound booth, at the back of the room, doing my best to stay invisible because that means I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. It’s the same way with my creative work: the parts of the process I enjoy most are often the ones most people will never notice.
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Hardware
- [Old]
Sumit Khanna ☛ W-Ergo Split Keyboard
Overall, I’m satisfied with the W-Ergo as a split keyboard. Except for the key switch socket I repaired, I haven’t had any other major issues with it. The software works well, and the case is well designed. I was able to get this kit fully setup on the day I received it. I realize I’m on my own for customer support, but the board seems easy to work on. Hopefully it will be solid for years to come.
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Hackaday ☛ Inside A Mystery Aerospace Computer With [Ken Shirriff]
When life hands you a mysterious bit of vintage avionics, your best bet to identifying it might just be to get it in front of the biggest bunch of hardware hounds on the planet. After doing a teardown and some of your own investigation first, of course.
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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European Commission ☛ Commission welcomes agreement on stronger global health security rules
European Commission Statement Geneva, 01 Jun 2024 The Commission welcomes the agreement on the revised International Health Regulations, which was reached at the World Health Assembly in Geneva today
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The Hill ☛ Nearly 1 in 3 Americans have reported losing someone to a drug overdose: Study
The poll, conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, found that 32 percent of people have known someone who has died of a drug overdose. Those who reported knowing someone who has passed away from drug use were also more likely to support policy aimed at curbing addition, per the poll.
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Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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MIT Technology Review ☛ Why Google’s AI Overviews gets things wrong
Unfortunately, AI systems are inherently unreliable. Within days of AI Overviews’ release in the US, users were sharing examples of responses that were strange at best. It suggested that users add glue to pizza or eat at least one small rock a day, and that former US president Andrew Johnson earned university degrees between 1947 and 2012, despite dying in 1875.
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Futurism ☛ CEOs Could Easily Be Replaced With AI, Experts Argue
The idea of subbing bosses for bots is the flipside to all those fears about AI causing widespread job destruction, which often focus on the fact — quite justifiably — that it'll be regular grunts being shown the door in favor of intelligent automation.
But since c-suite execs tend to command high salaries, there's ample financial incentive to replace them, too.
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Silicon Angle ☛ Google details AI Overviews changes designed to tackle inaccurate content
Google LLC has updated its recently launched AI Overviews feature to reduce the likelihood that it will display inaccurate information in search results.
Liz Reid, the head of Google Search, detailed the changes in a Thursday blog post. The update follows a series of highly publicized user reports about nonsensical results in AI Overviews.
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Ars Technica ☛ Mystery malware destroys 600,000 routers from a single ISP during 72-hour span
“The routers now just sit there with a steady red light on the front,” one user wrote, referring to the ActionTec T3200 router models Windstream provided to both them and a next door neighbor. “They won't even respond to a RESET.”
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The Record ☛ More than 600,000 routers knocked out in October by Chalubo malware
A survey of complaints on internet forums and outage detectors revealed that most people were complaining about issues with router models Sagemcom F5380, ActionTec T3200s and ActionTec T3260s.
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The Record ☛ Thousands of internet-facing devices vulnerable to Check Point VPN zero-day
Check Point released a fix for the bug on Monday but noted in an update on Friday that exploitation attempts began on April 7. The bug, CVE-2024-24919, allows hackers to access sensitive information on Check Point’s Security Gateway. In certain scenarios, hackers could move laterally and gain further network privileges, the company said.
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Derek Kędziora ☛ AI and deskilling
I’ve been thinking a lot about deskilling lately. I was having a conversation the other day about how not many younger front-end developers don’t know much about the fundamentals of HTML, weird characters, accessibility, and just the basics of web typography. This skill is mostly gone with designers picking up some of the crumbs.
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Federal News Network ☛ VA looking at AI tools to reduce workforce burdens, anticipate veterans’ needs
The VA last week concluded a 90-day AI Tech Sprint. The department recognized six finalist teams — out of 150 teams that participated in the pilot — for projects focused on reducing administrative burdens for employees.
The projects include “ambient dictation,” or AI-powered note-taking that would take place during and after a veteran’s appointment with a VA clinician.
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New York Times ☛ Google Rolls Back Hey Hi (AI) Search Feature After Flubs and Flaws
Google appears to have turned off its new Hey Hi (AI) Overviews for a number of searches as it works to minimize errors.
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New York Times ☛ Google’s Hey Hi (AI) Search Leaves Publishers Scrambling
Since Surveillance Giant Google overhauled its search engine, publishers have tried to assess the danger to their brittle business models while calling for government intervention.
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Security
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JURIST ☛ US Department of Justice dismantles massive botnet in major cybercrime crackdown
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday reported the arrest of Chinese national YunHe Wang on charges of creating and using malware that was used in cyber attacks, large-scale fraud and child exploitation.
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Integrity/Availability/Authenticity
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Federal News Network ☛ Army turning up cyber protections of network, data access
Starting on June 11, the Army is shutting down the network port that lets users pull data through commercial internet providers onto their laptops or cell phones.
Maj. Gen. Chris Eubank, commander of the Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM), said the decision to turn off what is commonly known as “Flow 3” came down to two factors. One is basic cybersecurity and protecting data and networks. The second, however, was the maturity of the Army’s virtual desktop initiative (VDI) and overall network architecture.
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Privacy/Surveillance
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India Times ☛ UPI transactions scale 14 billion peak in May
This also coincides with growing concern over dominance of two players on the network — Walmart-backed PhonePe and Google Pay. As of April, PhonePe had a market share of 48.86% by volume, followed by Google Pay, which has a market share of 37.7%. NPCI is yet to release the market share data for May.
ET reported on April 17 that NPCI is encouraging several new third-party payment apps to invest and incentivise consumers, aiming to diversify usage and reduce the high concentration risk posed by PhonePe and Google Pay, which together control around 85% of the market.
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India Times ☛ Temu will have to comply with tougher EU online content rules, EU says
Under the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA), companies with more than 45 million users are designated very large online platforms (VLOPs) and are required to do more to fight illegal and harmful content as well as counterfeit products on their platforms.
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India Times ☛ Meta's Facebook says it is attracting most young adults in 3 years
More than 40 million U.S. and Canadian adults aged 18 to 29 now check Facebook daily, the social media company said, in its first-ever release of such demographic information. Facebook, whose founder Mark Zuckerberg turned 40 last month, marked its 20th anniversary this year.
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Netzpolitik ☛ Interview on location trackers: Google and Apple „are hoping to avoid being banned“
Mallory Knodel is the Chief Technology Officer of the Center for Democracy & Technology and co-chair of the Human Rights Protocol Considerations Research Group of the Internet Research Task Force. She is involved in the development of a standard for location trackers, which was recently announced by Google and Apple.
The idea of the new standard is to make it possible to recognize trackers such as Apple’s AirTags with devices by other companies. We spoke to Knodel about the different interests surrounding the topic of location trackers and whether the new standard will actually benefit stalking victims.
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[Old] Sumit Khanna ☛ Tennessee Emergency Alerts Redirect to a Facebook Page
On February 9th, 2024, I got a Blue Alert on my cellphone. In the past, the details of the alert were typically in the message itself. However, this time I got a link to tbi.pub/alert. Upon tapping on the link, the tbi.pub/alert redirected me to a Facebook page. My phone then prompted me to download the Facebook app. After clicking no, I was then asked to login, where it appeared that I couldn’t continue without an account. I had to go through two modals just to get to an alert. If the state of Tennessee is going through the trouble of having a web server with a redirect, why not just serve the alert information themselves, instead of directing everyone to a page with a terrible user experience, and third party data tracking?
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Don Marti: cheese or woodstain?
It has come to my attention that any blog that mentions advertising must do a post including the expression Does Exactly What it Says on the Tin, so here is mine. Following up on the 30-40-30 rule, why are some people so fired up about personalized advertising, while others aren’t? Maybe it goes back to what kind of shopping use cases they’re optimizing for.
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Defence/Aggression
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India Times ☛ TikTok preparing a US copy of the app's core algorithm
The work on splitting the source code ordered by TikTok's Chinese parent ByteDance late last year predated a bill to force a sale of TikTok's U.S. operations that began gaining steam in Congress this year. The bill was signed into law in April.
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ANF News ☛ A terrorist involved in smuggling ISIS families captured in Tal Hamis
On May 30th, the SDF Military Operations Teams (MOT) captured an ISIS terrorist in the village of Abu Jern, Tal Hamis. The terrorist, Abdullah Muhammad Ibrahim (aka Abu Hisham), was actively smuggling ISIS members and families out of the al-Hol camp.
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Lou Plummer ☛ Stand In the Place Where You Live | Living Out Loud
My hometown, Fayetteville, NC, has a bad reputation in our state because of its association with the military. People may profess to love and support "our troops" but they do not want to live near them. It's all hogwash. While I totally think the US military budget is a crime against humanity, I don't have any hostility towards soldiers, most of whom joined up as part of an economic draft. I served in the military and so did two of my kids, though none of us made it a career.
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Scheerpost ☛ ‘Historic Win for Accountability’: New York Jury Finds Trump Guilty on 34 Felony Counts
“Falsification of business records is a serious crime, and Trump is finally being held accountable like any other American would,” he continued. “This verdict is not just about ‘hush money payments.’ It’s about an illegal attempt to hide the truth from voters just days before the 2016 election, and it’s part of Trump’s clear pattern of doing anything—including breaking the law—in order to cling to power.”
“Despite this monumental verdict, one trial isn’t going to keep Trump out of the White House,” Eldridge added. “The jurors have done their duty, and now it’s up to the American people to protect our democracy by holding Trump accountable at the ballot box and ensuring that a convicted fraudster never steps foot in the Oval Office again.”
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New York Times ☛ Scenes From a Historic Verdict
A photographer captured the crowds outside the courthouse during Trump’s trial — and as the historic verdict came down.
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The Hill ☛ Why does Iran still have operatives in Washington?
Today, the Iranian Interests Section is far exceeding its mandate, with its employees apparently helping to organize commemorations with regime-linked mosques of the deceased Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, known by Iranian dissidents as the Butcher of Tehran.
On May 22, an employee of the Interests Section, Ramezan Soltan-Mohammadi, was recorded making death-threat gestures to members of the Iranian-American diaspora protesting at one such gathering in Potomac, Md.
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The Atlantic ☛ The MAGA Internet Calls for War
The MAGA faithful are once again on the internet threatening violence. Lots of Republicans, of course, responded to Trump’s felony verdict with simple outrage rather than calls for a “neutralization operation.” But more extreme language has appeared all across the right-wing posting ecosystem. Some Proud Boys chapters responded with the word “war” on their Telegram channels, as reported by Wired, and Reuters found instances of Trump supporters calling for violence against jurors and the judge in the case, as well as calls for civil war and insurrection. An anonymous right-wing X account went viral by posting “Third World Problems Require Third World Solutions” on top of a video of the 2020 military coup in Myanmar.
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CS Monitor ☛ Trump conviction sets up another verdict – from voters on Election Day
The “new normal’’ is settling in. Former President Donald Trump is now a convicted felon, pending appeal, after Thursday’s verdict in the New York trial centering on hush money payments. But there are no easy assumptions about the impact of Mr. Trump’s conviction, and both campaigns in the Trump-Biden rematch agree that the “real verdict” will come on Election Day, Nov. 5.
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The Nation ☛ Donald Trump Was Convicted Because of Democracy—Not in Spite of It
Trump was not convicted in spite of democracy. He was convicted because of democracy.
Alvin Bragg pursued Trump as an elected prosecutor, a popularly chosen law enforcement officer who did the job that voters assigned him.
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BIA Net ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] Turkey continues trade with Israel despite 'Gaza' sanctions, official data shows
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-05-31 [Older] Turkey’s Trade Ban on Israel: A Critical Appraisal
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-31 [Older] Turkey: Saturday Mothers’ long struggle for the disappeared
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Ban on TikTok Lifted on French Overseas Territory of New Caledonia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-28 [Older] U.S. Presses TikTok, Meta and X to Crack Down on Antisemitic Posts, Bloomberg News Reports
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NL Times ☛ 2024-05-26 [Older] Woman on TikTok fries chicken on the train and claims it is allowed
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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New York Times ☛ She’s 98, and Walked Past Corpses to Escape Russian Attacks
“If only everything would stop,” said Lidiia Lomikovska, who walked to safety after her town was attacked. But for civilians in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, it is not stopping.
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New York Times ☛ Russian Missiles Hit Ukraine’s Energy System, Again
The large-scale air assault struck several sites in western Ukraine, including places near the borders with NATO member countries.
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JURIST ☛ UN Security Council extends sanctions against South Sudan for one year
The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2731 (2024) on Thursday, extending for one year the sanctions regime imposed on South Sudan that includes asset freezes, travel bans and an arms embargo. The Resolution received nine votes in favor, none against and six abstentions from Algeria, China, Guyana, Mozambique, Russian Federation and Sierra Leone.
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RFERL ☛ Moldovan Opposition Leader Calls For Better Ties With Russia, China
The pro-Russian leader of Moldova's largest opposition party has called for better relations with Russia and China and urged other groups to join forces in fielding a single challenger to pro-European President Maia Sandu in the country's October election.
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RFERL ☛ Statue Of Wagner Founder Prigozhin Unveiled At His Grave In St. Petersburg
A statue of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the deceased founder of the Wagner mercenary group, was unveiled on June 1 at his grave in St. Petersburg.
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France24 ☛ NATO chief Stoltenberg seeks 'at least' 40 billion euros in yearly Ukraine aid
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Friday urged members to commit to providing Ukraine at least 40 billion euros ($43 billion) a year in military aid, seeking to ensure long-term support as war with Russia grinds on.
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RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Meets With U.S. Lawmakers Ahead Of Speech At Shangri-La Dialogue
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with a delegation of U.S. lawmakers in Singapore on June 1 to discuss further military assistance to Ukraine.
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RFERL ☛ Russia Targets Ukraine's Energy Infrastructure In Latest Air Strikes
Energy infrastructure in five regions across Ukraine was damaged in the latest Russian attack, Ukrainian officials said on June 1, causing injuries and prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to appeal for the delivery of more air defenses.
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-31 [Older] Blocked Russian Presidential Hopeful Put on 'Foreign Agent' Register
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] Russia Is Finalising Work on 'Retaliatory Measures' Against EU Over Ban on Some Russian Media
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Counter Punch ☛ 2024-05-31 [Older] Boris Kagarlitsky and the Future of the Russian Left
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-31 [Older] NATO chief says Russia can't 'wait out' alliance in Ukraine
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-31 [Older] Ukraine updates: Kyiv can now hit Russia with German weapons
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-31 [Older] Five Killed in Ukrainian Shelling of Donetsk, Says Russian-Installed Governor
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-31 [Older] US Says It Could Act Against China Firms, Banks Over Russian War Support
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] Russian Economic Growth Despite Global Sanctions and War
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] Biden allows Ukraine's use of US arms to hit Russia: reports
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The Local DK ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] Liberal candidate withdraws from EU elections over Russia links
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] Blinken Assails Russian Misinformation After Hinting US May Allow Ukraine to Strike Inside Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] US Military Defends Africa Strategy in Light of Coups and a Drift Toward Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] Colombo and Moscow Discuss the Issue of Sri Lankans Fighting Alongside Russians in Ukraine
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] Finland's Proposed Ban on Asylum Via Russia Should Be Rejected, Ombudsman Says
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CPJ ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Russia confirms detention of Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchina
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-05-28 [Older] EU: New sanctions on Russia over Navalny
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Copenhagen Post ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Defence Minister proposes EU cyber force to fight Russian troll army
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] Russia Not Invited to D-Day 80th Anniversary, Diplomats Say
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] World Bank Says 1.8 Million Additional Ukrainians in Poverty as Russia's War Drags On
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] China-Russia partnership based on strategic consensus not expediency
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NL Times ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Raids: Investigators focusing on Dutch far-right MEP's staffer in Russian influence case
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Police search European Parliament offices in Russia probe
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HRW ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Ukraine: Russia’s Odesa Cluster Munition Attack Harms Civilians
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The Local DK ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Police search European parliament over possible Russian meddling
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The Local SE ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Police search European parliament over possible Russian meddling
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] US Treasury Official Visits Ukraine to Discuss Sanctions on Russia and Seizing Russian Assets
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Belgium Raids EU Lawmaker Aide's Home, Offices on Russia Propaganda Suspicions
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Blinken Visits Moldova as Tensions With Russia Build
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] France's Macron Urges a Green Light for Ukraine to Strike Targets Inside Russia With Western Weapons
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Police Search the European Parliament Over Suspected Russian Interference, Prosecutors Say
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Prisoner Swaps Between Russia and Ukraine Are on Pause, Says TASS Citing Russian Official
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Ukraine Military Says It Shot Down 13 Out of 14 Drones Launched by Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Ukrainian Drones Can Strike Deep Into Russia but Moscow Is Safe, Russian Official Says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] U.S. Treasury's No. 2 Adeyemo Visits Ukraine for Talks on Tighter Russia Sanctions
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-28 [Older] Macron, Scholz: Ukraine can strike some targets in Russia
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-28 [Older] Russian bombs force Kharkiv schoolchildren underground
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-28 [Older] Russian bombs force Ukrainian schoolchildren underground
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-28 [Older] Russian bombs forcing Kharkiv schoolchildren underground
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The Local SE ☛ 2024-05-28 [Older] Sweden to help keep Ukraine's power plants running in face of Russian attacks
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-28 [Older] French, German Leaders Say Ukraine Allowed to Strike Inside Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-28 [Older] Putin Warns West Not to Let Ukraine Use Its Missiles to Hit Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-28 [Older] US Weighs Additional Sanction Steps as Russia Shifts War Footing, White House Says
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Vox ☛ 2024-05-28 [Older] Why we need a Memorial Day for civilian victims of war
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NL Times ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Dutch counterterrorism agency on high alert for signs of Russian sabotage
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] EU foreign ministers set to adopt new Russia sanctions
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Germany: Ex-military officer sentenced for Russia spying
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Poland presents plan to fortify border to Russia, Belarus
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] The oligarch behind Georgia's pivot to Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] German Ex-Officer Convicted of Handing Procurement Secrets to Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Kremlin Condemns NATO Boss's Appeal for Ukraine to Use Western Arms in Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Poland to Introduce Restrictions on Movement of Russian Diplomats
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Russia Invites Afghanistan's Taliban to Major Economic Forum
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Russian Court Keeps General Popov in Custody
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Russia to Build Central Asia's First Nuclear Power Plant in Uzbekistan
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Ukraine Drone Targets Second Russian Long-Range Military Radar, Kyiv Source Says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Ukraine's Zelenskyy Visits Spain in Pursuit of More Weapons to Fight Russia With
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] U.S. Soldier Held in Russia Charged With Threatening to Kill Girlfriend, Media Report Says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-26 [Older] Lithuanians Vote in Presidential Election Overshadowed by Russia
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-26 [Older] The Death Toll in Kharkiv Attack Rises to 14 as Zelenskyy Warns of Russian Troop Movements
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Modern Diplomacy ☛ 2024-05-31 [Older] Together to Victory: How the Belarusian Democratic Forces Support Ukraine and Why it Matters
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The Local SE ☛ 2024-05-31 [Older] Zelensky arrives in Stockholm for Ukraine-Nordic summit
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-31 [Older] Analysis-Biden Tip-Toes Deeper Into Ukraine Conflict With Arms Decision
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-31 [Older] US Extends Temporary Suspension of Tariffs on Ukraine Steel for Another Year
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] Germany pledges €500 million in arms support for Ukraine
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] NATO chief: Time to rethink restrictions on Ukraine weaponry
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] Troops in Ukraine — will the West break its own taboo?
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] Money, Not Capacity, Main Issue for Ammo Supplies to Ukraine, Czech Official Says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] NATO Boss Seeks 40 Billion Euros Per Year for Ukraine Military Aid, Source Says
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] NATO Chief Calls for Discussion on Restrictions for Arms Supplied to Ukraine
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] Sri Lanka Tightens Controls to Stop Men Being Duped Into Ukraine Fighting
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] US Close to Completing Ukraine Bilateral Security Deal Talks, US Official Says
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Ukraine updates: Ukrainian air force says drones shot down
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The Local SE ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Sweden doesn't rule out sending Gripen jets to Ukraine 'at a later stage'
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The Local SE ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Sweden pledges more than 13 billion kronor in military aid to Ukraine
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Poland Arrests Man Suspected of Seeking Intelligence on Ukraine Aid
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-29 [Older] Sweden Gives Radar Surveillance Planes to Ukraine Air Force
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-28 [Older] Ukraine updates: Belgium to deliver 30 F-16 fighter aircraft
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-28 [Older] EU Debates Training Troops in Ukraine, No Common View Yet
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Ukraine updates: Spain pledges €1.1 billion in defense aid
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy on first official visit to Spain
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Lithuania Raps Hungary Over Hold-Ups in EU Military Aid to Ukraine
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Spain to Grant 1 Billion Euros Worth of Weapons to Ukraine This Year
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Ukraine's Zelenskiy Signs Bilateral Defence Deal With Spain
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US News And World Report ☛ 2024-05-27 [Older] Ukraine to Maximise Energy Import Capacity From EU on Monday
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Deutsche Welle ☛ 2024-05-26 [Older] Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy invites Biden, Xi to peace summit
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Environment
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Omicron Limited ☛ The Delhi heat wave is testing the limits of human endurance: Other hot countries should beware and prepare
Delhi is reeling from the most extreme heat wave India has ever seen. While the record-breaking maximum recorded temperature of 52.9°C has been called into question by India's Meteorological Department, it's entirely possible. The city has been sweltering, with top temperatures ranging from 45.2°C to 49.1°C, at the limit of human endurance.
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CS Monitor ☛ Climate Change and rising seas forces relocation of Panama's island villages
This island village is the first of Panama’s 63 island villages expected to relocate due to rising sea levels in the coming decades. Generations have adapted their lifestyles to the ocean, but now the village is relocating into a housing community built by the government on the mainland.
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Oskar van Rijswijk ☛ Threat and prevention
The climate crisis is bringing a series of wet low pressure areas here in Germany, that are causing locally extreme rainfall. Earlier this month we had floods in Saarland. Today NINA is warning of Starkregen, a nice German word, and flooding in the south and east of the country.
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Energy/Transportation
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JURIST ☛ Argentina train drivers announce strike due to inability to reach salary agreement
The Brotherhood labor union announced on Thursday that it is going to decrease the speed of all trains to 19 miles per hour for 24 hours as a strike measure on Sunday.
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Futurism ☛ Supercapacitor Discovery Could Allow Laptops to be Charged in Just 1 Minute, Engineer Claims
Supercapacitors have long been proposed as a means of charging electronics lightning-fast, but until now, figuring out how to increase the energy density to match or exceed those of lithium-ion batteries has, for the most part, eluded scientists. Compared to conventional batteries, which can store as much as ten times more energy than today's supercapacitors, this technology has remained in the realm of the possible but not yet practical.
But to chemical and biological engineer Ankur Gupta, lead author of a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that could soon change.
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CarMax Inc ☛ Electric Vehicle Batteries: Capacity, Charging, Cost and More | Edmunds
In this article, we'll cover what an electric car battery is, how much capacity it has, how long it takes to charge one, how much it costs to charge, and what kind of driving range a battery provides. You'll also learn how long electric car batteries last, how much they cost to replace, and what happens to them at the end of their life.
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Bridge Michigan ☛ Mass transit wins big in new plan to retool Michigan corporate subsidies
Instead of mega grants to corporations, a new job-growth spending plan by House Democrats would pair a smaller incentive pool with priorities closer to home for many Michiganders: Mass transit, affordable housing and community-based spending on child care and community college.
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Gizmodo ☛ 2024-05-30 [Older] 12 More Cybertruck Fails That Are Extremely Embarrassing
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Barry Kauler ☛ Recumbent trike front suspension Mark-3
I posted about Mark-2, with a photo mounted on the trike frame:
In the last few days, posted about tackling steering linkage for the Mark-3 design: [...]
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Overpopulation
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Wired ☛ Who Wants to Have Children in a Warming World?
But during the Covid-19 pandemic, Sasser, an environmental scientist who teaches at UC Riverside, started asking different questions, this time about reproductive choices in the Global North. In an era in which the planet is getting hotter by the day, she wondered, is it morally, ethically or practically sound to bring children into the world? And do such factors as climate anxiety, race, and socioeconomic status shape who decides to have kids and who doesn’t?
The result is her latest book, Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question, published last month by the University of California Press, which centers on a range of issues that are part of a broader conversation among those who try to practice climate-conscious decisionmaking.
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JURIST ☛ UN refugee chief urges global action as displaced population soars to 114 million
The number of people displaced by war, violence and prosecution has skyrocketed to a staggering 114 million, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi revealed in an address to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Thursday.
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Finance
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Michigan News ☛ Did someone accidentally Venmo you money? It might be a scam.
The scheme involves Venmo scammers using stolen credit cards to send money, then reaching out to users saying it was a mistake and they can send the money back to their account. But when Venmo discovers the transaction came from a stolen credit card, the app can take the money from a user’s account while the scammer keeps the money.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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New York Times ☛ Warnings of Election Meddling by China Never Reached the Prime Minister
A watchdog agency found roadblocks to the flow of information both within the spy agency and the public service.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ UN calls for release of those ‘arbitrarily detained’ under Hong Kong national security laws
The UN rights chief on Friday decried the use of controversial national security laws in Hong Kong to among other things convict democracy advocates and demanded the release of all those “arbitrarily detained”.
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JURIST ☛ US imposes visa restrictions on officials regarding Hong Kong national security convictions
The US Department of State imposed new visa restrictions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials on Friday after a Hong Kong court convicted 14 activists of conspiring to commit subversion under the China-imposed National Security Law.
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RFA ☛ US defense chief seeks to reassure Asia-Pacific partners
Lloyd Austin told a major security forum in Singapore the region remains a US priority.
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New York Times ☛ Fixing Social Security Is an Election Issue Nobody Talks About
A small tax increase would make the essential national retirement program secure for decades, our columnist says, but lawmakers would have to take action.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan government to return bills expanding parliament’s powers following protests
Taiwan’s premier said Friday the controversial bills expanding parliament’s powers will be sent back to the legislature, citing worries about their constitutionality after they drew thousands of protesters angered by government overreach.
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New York Times ☛ Why Trump’s Speech After His Guilty Verdict Was All Business, No Politics
In his post-verdict remarks, the former president sounded more like an aggrieved New York businessman than the political martyr his supporters believe him to be.
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Variety ☛ CNN Will Put Commercial Breaks in Biden-Trump Presidential Debate
CNN plans to run commercials during the event, according to two people familiar with the matter, which has run free of ads for many years under the management of the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates. The candidates have in this cycle opted to forego the CPD’s traditional structure, which calls for a series of debates to be held closer to the November election. They have instead come to separate terms with CNN for a debate to be held on June 27 and with ABC News for a debate to be held on September 10.
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Semafor Inc ☛ CNN seeks millions in Trump-Biden presidential debate ads | Semafor
The network is offering two tiers to potential advertisers, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions not authorized to speak publicly. The top tier, available for just a few advertisers, is a $1.5 million minimum advertising buy with all of the network’s features. The package includes a branded countdown clock, advertiser on-air billboards, co-branded tune-in promotions, a 30 second pre-debate ad slot, a 30-second ad during the debate, and one after. The package also includes ads on MAX and a takeover of the CNN Politics section on its digital site. One million buys several more prospective advertisers into the second tier, which includes the three ads, but fewer digital offerings and (sadly) no branded countdown clock. The network has also limited political spending by campaigns and political action committees to before and after the debate, but will not allow either to buy airtime during the event.
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Los Angeles Times ☛ 3 things about the Trump conviction that should be getting more attention
Can you imagine the pressure? These seven men and five women were serious . They took notes. They kept their faces poker. They deliberated for 12 hours and then did what had to be one of the most stressful and scary things in their lives: Convicted a man who literally has an army of [astroturfers] (and insurrectionists) at his disposal.
Because they believed he was guilty.
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RFERL ☛ Orban Tells Supporters Fidesz Needs Victory In European Elections
Tens of thousands of Hungarians marched in Budapest on June 1 in support of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who faces a challenge from a political newcomer ahead of next week's European Parliament elections.
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Diziet ☛ What your vote is worth - a back of the envelope calculation
It seems a common perception that one vote, in amongst all those millions, doesn’t really matter. So maybe it’s not worth voting. But, voting is (largely) what determines what the government does - and the government is big. It’s as big as all the people.
If you are the kind of person who cares about what happens to everyone in your polity and indeed everyone its actions affect, then even your one vote is very important indeed.
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Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda
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New York Times ☛ Why Trump’s Speech After His Guilty Verdict Was All Business, No Politics
As a longtime journalist (and lifelong pedant), I’m compelled to point out that nobody was literally crucified. [...]
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India Times ☛ Google is using AI to answer your health questions. Should you trust it?
It's not clear how, exactly, AI Overviews evaluate the strength of evidence, or whether it takes into account contradictory research findings, such as those on whether coffee is good for you. "Science isn't a bunch of static facts," Yasmin said. She and other experts also questioned whether the tool would draw on older scientific findings that have since been disproved or don't capture the latest understanding of an issue.
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[Repeat] New York Times ☛ Deepfake of U.S. Official Appears After Shift on Ukraine Attacks in Russia
The fabricated video, which is drawn from actual footage, shows the State Department spokesman, Matthew Miller, seeming to suggest that the Russian city of Belgorod, just 25 miles north of Ukraine’s border with Russia, was a legitimate target for such strikes.
The 49-second video clip, which has an authentic feel despite telltale clues of manipulation, illustrates the growing threat of disinformation and especially so-called deepfake videos powered by artificial intelligence.
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New York Times ☛ A Small Army Combating a Flood of Deepfakes in India’s Election
Through the middle of a high-stakes election being held during a mind-melting heat wave, a blizzard of confusing deepfakes blows across India. The variety seems endless: A.I.-powered mimicry, ventriloquy and deceptive editing effects. Some of it is crude, some jokey, some so obviously fake that it could never be expected to be seen as real.
The overall effect is confounding, adding to a social media landscape already inundated with misinformation. The volume of online detritus is far too great for any election commission to track, let alone debunk.
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Censorship/Free Speech
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Deutsche Welle ☛ Mannheim knife attack: Police officer in serious condition
A German police officer who received life-threatening injuries during a knife attack on Friday targeting a rally by the anti-Islam right-wing group Pax Europa in the city of Mannheim remains in serious condition, police said on Saturday.
Five participants in the rally were also wounded in the attack and taken to the hospital, with some having to undergo emergency surgery, authorities have said, while the suspected attacker was shot by police.
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BBC ☛ Mannheim knife attack: Anti-Islam activist injured in stabbing
One of the people injured was anti-Islam activist, Michael Stürzenberger, who had been preparing to hold a rally in the square, according to his group.
The incident was caught on a YouTube livestream and showed the attacker stabbing a man, and then a police officer who went to help. The officer is in a critical condition.
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The Times Of Israel ☛ Far-right anti-Islam activist among several wounded in knife attack on German rally | The Times of Israel
Stuerzenberger had been due to speak at a rally in Mannheim on Friday organized by Pax Europa, a campaign group against radical [sic] Islam.
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Daily Mail ☛ Shocking new video of German stabbing attack shows why cop tackled have-a-go-hero as he tried to subdue knifeman - as locals say they no longer feel safe in their city after 'nightmare' rampage | Daily Mail Online
The 35-year-old told MailOnline: 'It was another attack on someone who was using his democratic right to free speech. It is bad that something like this happens and it's happening more often, especially at the hands of Islamists.
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Newsquest Media Group Ltd ☛ Afghan-born man remanded in custody over Mannheim knife attack | East Lothian Courier
A 25-year-old man born in Afghanistan has been remanded in custody by a German court on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with a knife attack at an event organised by a group opposing “political [sic] Islam”.
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Gray Media Group ☛ 6 injured in a knife attack in the German city of Mannheim. Police shot and wounded the assailant
Pax Europa describes itself as an organization that informs the public about the dangers posed by the “increasing spread and influence of political [sic] Islam.” It said that Michael Stürzenberger, an anti-Islam activist who is one of its leading figures and has spoken at its events, was among those wounded.
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Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
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ANF News ☛ Journalist Gayip was sentenced to 1 year, 2 months and 17 days in prison
Journalist Pınar Gayip was sentenced to 1 year, 2 months and 17 days in prison for "insulting a police officer".
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VOA News ☛ Russian court extends detention of journalist Alsu Kurmasheva
A Russian court on Friday again extended the pretrial detention of American-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva — this time by two months, until August 5.
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Civil Rights/Policing
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RFA ☛ New school for overseas Tibetan kids aims to preserve language
The move comes as China intensifies its policies to suppress — or even eradicate — Tibetan and other ethnic languages and cultures and replace them with Mandarin and Han Chinese customs.
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The Hill ☛ Is commuting into the office back? Well, sort of
Through an analysis of transit data this year, it was found that commuting in 10 big cities around the world has recovered since the lockdowns. But, as you might expect, recovery has varied depending on the city. Not every location showed the same patterns of return.
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Deutsche Welle ☛ EU: Right to repair aims to shrink e-waste pile
Many European consumers today find themselves having to replace broken household appliances, such as hand-held mixers or white goods like fridges and dishwashers, even though they are technically fixable. This is because spare parts are often either prohibitively expensive or simply unavailable. Additionally, some products are designed in ways that complicate or prevent repairs altogether.
Ian Williams from the University of Southampton says many manufacturers are "deliberately" building products that are "designed for replacement, not repair."
Rüdiger Kühr, head of the United Nations' Sustainable Cycles Programme (SCYCLES), also thinks that "some prominent brands are trying to avoid repairs altogether, or easy repairs, because they want to control this business." Kühr is the lead author of the latest UN Global E-waste Monitor
that is annually compiled by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
Companies naturally reject allegations like those made by Kühr. They claim they are not deliberately disincentivizing repairs and cite product liability issues arising from third-party repairs as the reason their products are difficult to repair.
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Hamilton Nolan ☛ Everyone Into The Grinder
This sort of mandatory equality is obviously not what powerful people prefer. They will object that it infringes upon their rights. Because the right in question is the right to pretend that the rights of others are not as important as their own, it is not a right that we should be too bothered about violating. If they want to file a complaint, they can get in line at City Hall, like everyone else.
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RFERL ☛ Prison Sentences Of Iranian Women's Rights Activists Upheld On Appeal
Eleven women's rights activists cumulatively sentenced to more than 60 years in prison have lost their appeal, a lawyer for one of the campaigners said on May 29.
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New York Times ☛ Florida Deputy Who Fatally Shot Airman Roger Fortson Is Fired
“This tragic incident should have never occurred,” Sheriff Aden said, adding: “Mr. Fortson did not commit any crime. By all accounts, he was an exceptional airman and individual.”
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CS Monitor ☛ New Sojourner Truth statue unveiled in Akron, Ohio
Hundreds gathered in an Ohio city on May 29 to unveil a plaza and statue dedicated to abolitionist Sojourner Truth at the very spot where the women’s rights pioneer gave an iconic 1851 speech now known as “Ain’t I a Woman?”
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Digital Restrictions (DRM)
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Michael Geist ☛ Huge Win for Copyright User Rights in Canada: Federal Court Rules Digital Lock Rules Do Not Trump Fair Dealing
The Supreme Court of Canada had long established that fair dealing was user’s right that operated in balance with creator’s rights (listen to this Law Bytes podcast episode for the behind-the-scenes story). The concern with anti-circumvention rules – which played out over several bills in Canada – was that rights holders could effectively limit the exercise of user rights by using technology to lock down copyright works. The classic example was that a user might be entitled to copy a portion of a chapter in a book, but if the book became an e-book with a digital lock, the publisher could use technology to stop copying that was otherwise permitted under the law. If the user sought to circumvent or by-pass the technology to assert their rights, that act of circumvention would itself become an infringement even if the underlying copying itself was permitted.
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NPR ☛ Ticketmaster [breach] may affect more than 500 million customers
The cyberattack comes as Ticketmaster faces legal troubles. On May 23, the Justice Department and 30 state and district attorneys general filed a federal lawsuit against Live Nation, alleging that it created a monopoly on live event ticket prices.
The suit has the potential to reshape the live entertainment industry, as well as the fees and costs associated with live events.
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Variety ☛ Ticketmaster [Breach]: Live Nation Says User Data Stolen, Shopped Online
Three days after initial reports that a notorious hacking group had stolen info on more than 500 million Ticketmaster customers — and was attempting to sell the data online — parent company Live Nation Entertainment confirmed the breach in a regulatory filing late Friday.
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Trademarks
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Right of Publicity
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The Hill ☛ AI can digitally clone anyone — laws and norms need to catch up
If OpenAI did clone Johansson’s voice, the process would have been remarkably simple. AI companies like ElevenLabs, HeyGen and Synthesia can make a convincing video or audio recreation of anyone based on just a few minutes of footage. You can also pick a preexisting avatar, input text, and out comes a human-like video saying whatever you want.
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Copyrights
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Torrent Freak ☛ Napster Sparked a File-Sharing Revolution 25 Years Ago
On June 1, 1999, the first public release of Napster launched online, kick-starting a global piracy frenzy that never disappeared. At the same time, it can be argued that the file-sharing software paved the way for legitimate business models that would eventually evolve into subscription-based platforms such as Spotify and Netflix.
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Los Angeles Times ☛ Lawsuit against Bad Bunny, Karol G and others allowed to move forward
In June 2023, attorneys for the defendants asked judge André Birotte Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to dismiss the case, arguing that the plaintiffs were seeking to monopolize the reggaeton genre after “30 years of inaction.”
On Tuesday, Birotte denied most of the motions to dismiss the case. Courthouse News was first to report on the ruling.
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Hackaday ☛ GlobeTune Will Widen Your Musical Horizons
Are you tired of the same old music, but can’t afford any new tunes, even if they’re on dead formats? Boy, do we know that feeling. Here’s what you do: build yourself a GlobeTune music player, and you’ll never want for new music again.
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Gemini* and Gopher
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Personal/Opinions
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Suddenly
Oh my garsh, something had me looking up the song "Last Summer", which is actually entitled "Suddenly Last Summer" by The Motels, who also did a favorite called "Only the Lonely".
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Monopolies/Monopsonies
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* Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It's like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter.