Links 21/06/2024: Matrimony Perils and US-Sponsored COVID-19 Misinformation
Contents
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Leftovers
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RFA ☛ China sees a sharp drop in marriages
Marriage rates fall in the first quarter following a brief rebound at the end of COVID-19 restrictions.
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European Commission ☛ First Net-Zero Academy to train 100,000 workers in the EU solar photovoltaic value chain
European Commission Press release Brussels, 20 Jun 2024 Today, the Commission has launched the European Solar Academy, the first in a series of EU Academies to be set up under the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) to have in place the necessary skills along the net-zero technologies value chains.
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New York Times ☛ How to Transport a Giant Valuable Artwork in Australia
It takes a big truck, a convey of safety vehicles, good planning and a cool nerve.
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Ruben Schade ☛ The enduring appeal of Aldi
Aldi Australia quietly ran a promotion a few weeks ago, in which their centre isle of goodies had Aldi-themed merchandise. There were water bottles, hats, umbrellas, even tennis shoes sporting their blue, red, orange, and yellow colours, emblazoned with Aldi Süd’s familiar A logo. There was no announcement, no advertising, it all just appeared.
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Hardware
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Ruben Schade ☛ The CP/M Card and Gold Card for the Fashion Company Apple II
This year I fell down the rabbit hole of researching Z80 cards for the Fashion Company Apple II, including the SPAOE clone of Microsoft’s Softcard. These cards added a Zilog Z80 CPU to your 6502-based Fashion Company Apple II, permitting the operation of CP/M.
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CNX Software ☛ Nuvoton NuMicro M2L31 Arm Cortex-M23 MCU embeds up to 512KB high-durability ReRAM, 168KB SRAM
Nuvoton NuMicro M2L31 is a family of Arm Cortex-M23 microcontrollers clocked up to 72 MHz, equipped with 64KB to 512KB high-durability ReRAM (Resistive Random-Access Memory) with fast write speeds, 40KB to 168KB SRAM. The microcontroller supports 1.71V to 3.6V operating voltage, can operate in the -40°C to 105°C temperature range, and offers a wide range of interfaces available through packages as small as WLCSP 25 (2.5 x 2.5 mm) and up to LQFP128 (14 x 14 mm).
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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European Commission ☛ Speech by Commissioner Urpilainen at the Global Forum for Vaccine Sovereignty and Innovation marking the launch of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) [Ed: Until the patent monopolies are eliminated there will be no justice in this domain]
I am pleased to participate in this game-changing event aimed at promoting health across Africa.
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CS Monitor ☛ My summertime rite of passage? Picking buckets of berries (with bears).
Summers past were reserved for picking berries with bears, a snapshot of central Pennsylvania summer idyll.
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The Kent Stater ☛ Townhall II opens new location in Ravenna to acknowledge community needs
Townhall II, an integrated health network that provides mental health and recovery treatment services to Portage County, opened a new location on North Chestnut Street last Wednesday to better serve the community.
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University of Michigan ☛ Universal health care in the U.S. isn’t worth divesting from the military
In the 20th century, there is arguably no greater indicator of a country’s success than the ways in which its government creates equitable systems of health care.
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Reason ☛ In Congress, Debate Rages About How To Prevent the Next Lab Leak
The Biden administration says its new guidance will make pandemic research safer. Critics say it suffers the same flaws as past, failed gain-of-function regulations.
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The Straits Times ☛ Lawmakers in Philippines push for probe into Pentagon’s anti-vax propaganda operation
The propaganda aimed to cast doubt about China’s vaccines during the height of the pandemic.
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Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Ubuntu Pit ☛ 14 Best Data Science Books For Every Data Scientist To Read
Data science is the revolutionary tech for gathering knowledge from data that is either structured or unstructured. Different data are collected using scientific methods, algorithms, and many more ways to make new learning. It is considered the 4th paradigm of science.
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Tedium ☛ When Robots Aggregate
The mess between Forbes and Perplexity Hey Hi (AI) highlights how soulless and extractive aggregation can be in the wrong hands. It’s the wrong direction for LLMs.
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Security
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Privacy/Surveillance
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AccessNow ☛ Joint statement urging the Australian government to protect end-to-end encryption in the statutory review process of the Online Safety Act
The Australian government must utilise the Online Safety Act review process to protect and encourage the use of end-to-end encryption.
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Defence/Aggression
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Defence Web ☛ Shipping industry appalled and saddened at Houthi attacks on vessels Tutor and Verbena
The shipping community, speaking on behalf of 14 of the leading global shipping associations, says it is appalled and deeply saddened with the tragic news that yet another seafarer seems certain to have been killed in a drone boat strike on Wednesday 12 June while on board the MV Tutor in the Red Sea.
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France24 ☛ UN experts say firms arming Israel could be complicit in human rights violations
A group of United Nations experts on Thursday warned arms manufacturers against taking part in the transfer of weapons to Israel, saying it could make them complicit in human rights abuses and violations of international law. The UN experts said on Thursday the risk to arms firms had increased since the International Court of Justice ordered Israel last month to halt its military offensive in Southern Gaza's Rafah. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
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France24 ☛ Activists file torture complaint against Iranian 'cultural figure' held in France
Activists said Thursday they were filing a torture complaint against an Iranian citizen held in France who was reportedly a former senior figure in state television in the Islamic republic.
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BIA Net ☛ Syrian refugee missing for 100 days after release from prison
Following Veli’s disappearance, unidentified callers using a Turkish phone number contacted his family, claiming that Veli would be released in exchange for his father. Shortly after, the same number sent Veli’s family images of him being tortured.
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Defence Web ☛ Terrorism rebounds in Nigeria
Nigeria recorded its first increase in terrorism in three years in 2023, with total deaths rising by 34% to 524, marking Nigeria’s highest death toll since 2020, driven by a surge in conflict between Islamic State West Africa (ISWA) and Boko Haram.
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New York Times ☛ TikTok Lays Out Past Efforts to Address U.S. Concerns Over Potential Ban
The company said the disclosures support its argument that a law signed by President Biden in May is unconstitutional.
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MIT Technology Review ☛ How underwater drones could shape a potential Taiwan-China conflict
A potential future conflict between Taiwan and China would be shaped by novel methods of drone warfare involving advanced underwater drones and increased levels of autonomy, according to a new war-gaming experiment by the think tank Center for a New American Security (CNAS).
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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RFA ☛ Putin warns South Korea sending weapons to Ukraine would be ‘big mistake’
Seoul said it would consider arming Ukraine in response to Russia and North Korea signing a mutual defense pact.
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RFA ☛ Putin visits Vietnam, aiming to renew Cold War ties
Vietnam gives the US-sanctioned Russian president a warm welcome on a largely symbolic visit.
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RFERL ☛ Putin Calls For 'New Security Architecture' For Asia On Visit To Vietnam
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on June 20 that it is time for a “new security architecture” for Asia as he wrapped up a short visit to Vietnam.
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RFERL ☛ Russian Blogger Faces Charges After Being Detained Before Putin Siberia Visit
Pyotr Shepelev, a blogger in Russia's Siberian Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, faces five administrative charges after being detained on June 18, just hours before a visit to the regional capital, Yakutsk, by President Vladimir Putin.
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The Straits Times ☛ Russia’s Putin ‘does not rule out’ sending weapons to North Korea, US ‘incredibly’ concerned
He said such a move would be payback for the West arming Ukraine, and warned South Korea not to send arms to Kyiv.
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CS Monitor ☛ Russia and North Korea ink historic deal. What are the ramifications?
Russia and North Korea have signed a pact mandating mutual aid in the event either country is attacked. It’s the “strongest deal” between the two nations since the Cold War.
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New York Times ☛ Putin Threatens to Arm North Korea, Escalating Tension With West Over Ukraine
The Russian leader issued the warning at the end of a trip to Asia, during which he signed a mutual defense pact with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un.
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New York Times ☛ 3 Takeaways From Putin’s Trip to Vietnam
The state visit by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to Vietnam had a very different backdrop than his trip to North Korea, as Hanoi has deepened ties with Washington.
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New York Times ☛ Putin Once Tried to Curb North Korea’s Nuclear Program. That’s Now Over.
Vladimir Putin promised unspecified technological help to North Korea, which could allow it to advance its nuclear weapons program.
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New York Times ☛ Friday Briefing
Vladimir Putin’s threat to arm North Korea.
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New York Times ☛ Friday Briefing: Vladimir Putin Visits Vietnam
Also, a rift in Israel over the war in Gaza.
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New York Times ☛ Why Is Putin in Vietnam?
President Vladimir V. Putin is keen to maintain the longstanding military ties between Russia and Vietnam, as Hanoi has developed deeper bonds with Washington.
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European Commission ☛ EU and Ukraine update and extend Road Transport Agreement
European Commission Press release Brussels, 20 Jun 2024 The EU and Ukraine decided today to prolong and update their current road transport Agreement
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Latvia ☛ Ziedot.lv charity reports aid to 23,000 Ukrainian war refugees
Shortly after Russia started its war against Ukraine on February 24 2022, the charity organization "Ziedot.lv" set up a refugee center where war refugees from Ukraine can receive various assistance. To date, more than 23,000 refugees have received €2.5 million in assistance, Ziedot.lv reported on June 20.
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Atlantic Council ☛ FPV drones in Ukraine are changing modern warfare
First Person View (FVP) attack drones are shaping the battlefield in Ukraine and transforming our understanding of modern warfare, write Tomas Milasauskas and Liudvikas Jaškūnas.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Experts react: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will be NATO’s next secretary general. How will he lead the Alliance?
Our experts explain how Rutte might navigate the war in Ukraine, efforts to bolster European security, and the upcoming US elections.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Ending the war in Ukraine requires something for everyone to hate
To reach peace, Ukraine and its Western partners must find a way to surmount mistrust. Doing so will not be easy.
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JURIST ☛ EU confirms new package of sanctions against Russia
The European Union (EU) agreed on a new package of sanctions against Russia, the Presidency of the Council of the EU confirmed Thursday. This new set of measures is the fourteenth package the EU has issued since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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JURIST ☛ HRW accuses Russia of suppressing Ukrainian language, education in occupied areas
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday said Russian authorities have violated their human rights obligations by suppressing the Ukrainian language and injecting propaganda into educational curricula in occupied Ukrainian territories.
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RFERL ☛ Russia Says Ukraine Launched 'Massive' Drone Attack On Occupied Crimea, Other Regions
Russia's Defense Ministry said its air-defense systems shot down 114 Ukrainian drones over occupied Crimea and the Russian regions of Krasnodar, Bryansk, and Volgograd in what it said was a "massive" attack early on June 21.
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RFERL ☛ U.S. To 'Reprioritize' Missile Sales To Speed Ukraine Deliveries
The United States will "reprioritize" planned deliveries of Patriot air-defense missiles to go to Ukraine, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on June 20 as Washington works to fill Kyiv's "desperate need" for more air-defense capabilities.
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RFERL ☛ EU Countries Agree On Fresh Russia Sanctions That Include Ban On Liquefied Gas
European Union ambassadors on June 20 approved a fresh package of sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine aimed primarily at closing loopholes that exist in previous restrictions and targeting for the first time Moscow's lucrative liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry.
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RFERL ☛ Russian Teacher Gets 20 Years In Prison For Transferring Cash To Ukraine
A military court in Moscow on June 20 sentenced schoolteacher Daniil Klyuka from the western city of Lipetsk to 20 years in prison on charges of high treason and assisting terrorist activities, which he denies.
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New York Times ☛ U.S. Will Redirect Deliveries of Patriot Missiles to Ukraine
A White House spokesman said Ukraine had a critical need for the air defense systems. But the United States has only a limited supply.
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New York Times ☛ How Architecture Became One of Ukraine’s Essential Defenses
An exhibition in downtown Manhattan showcases more than a dozen grass-roots efforts to rebuild war-stricken cities.
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Latvia ☛ More Russians will have to take Latvian language exam
Russian citizens who have obtained permanent residence permits under the so-called Aliens Law will also have to pass a test of their state language skills, the Saeima decided in its final reading on Thursday, June 20.
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Reason ☛ Thou Shalt Not Covet State Power
Plus: Lambda School crashes and burns, climate ruffians deface Stonehenge, Russia sets sights on the Baltics, and more...
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LRT ☛ Attempts to circumvent sanctions through Lithuanian railways up 5 times
The number of attempts to circumvent the existing Western sanctions against Russia and Belarus has increased fivefold over the past three months, from 14 in March to 74 in May, Lietuvos Geležinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways, LTG), the country’s state-owned railway group, has said.
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RFA ☛ North Korea, Russia agree to offer military assistance if either is attacked
The new partnership treaty will replace bilateral treaties that North Korea and Russia agreed earlier.
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RFERL ☛ Amid Growing U.S.- Russian Tensions, Dual Citizen Goes On Trial In Yekaterinburg
The trial of U.S.-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina (married name Khavana) in the Russian Urals city of Yekaterinburg began with the judge ruling that the proceedings on a treason charge will take place behind closed doors.
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RFERL ☛ Russia Adds Journalist Kurbangaleyeva To Wanted List
Russian authorities on June 19 added journalist Farida Kurbangaleyeva to the list of wanted persons and the registry of terrorists and extremists on unspecified charges.
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RFERL ☛ Tajik Detained Over Mass Food Poisoning In Moscow
A Moscow court on June 19 ordered Tajik national Karim Normatov to be held in pretrial detention for two months over a mass food poisoning in the Russian capital.
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The Straits Times ☛ South Korea summons Russian ambassador over pact with North Korea
SEOUL - South Korea's foreign ministry said it summoned the Russian ambassador in protest of a pact between Russia and North Korea signed in Pyongyang this week, as a Reuters witness saw him enter the ministry building on Friday afternoon.
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New York Times ☛ Russia and North Korea’s Defense Pact Is a Told-You-So Moment in Asia
While the agreement rattled officials in South Korea and Japan, the two U.S. allies in recent years have been expecting growing security challenges from North Korea.
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New York Times ☛ Russia and North Korea’s Defense Pact Is a New Headache for China
The treaty raises the risk of confrontation in the region and could prompt the United States and its allies to bolster their military presence on China’s periphery.
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New York Times ☛ Thursday Briefing
Russia and North Korea pledge mutual defense.
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RFERL ☛ Tsikhanouskaya's Adviser Vyachorka Sentenced To 20 Years In Absentia
The Minsk City Court on June 20 sentenced an adviser to exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya to 20 years in absentia on multiple charges.
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RFERL ☛ Major Storm Kills 2 People In Moscow
A severe storm hit Moscow, killing two and injuring nine as hurricane-force winds and pounding rain swept across the city. Emergency officials said one person was killed by a tree that fell during the storm, while another person died after falling when the scaffolding they were on collapsed.
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Environment
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New York Times ☛ Amazon Says It Will Stop Using Plastic Pillows in Shipments
They’ll be replaced in North America with paper packing, eliminating some 15 billion pillows a year. Plastic film is a major pollutant.
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Mexico News Daily ☛ Claudia Sheinbaum announces first 6 cabinet appointments
President-elect Sheinbaum announced who will serve as ministers of economy, foreign affairs, environment, agriculture, science and legal counsel.
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Science Alert ☛ Satellites Like Starlink Could Pose New Threat to Our Healing Ozone Layer
Here's how.
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Energy/Transportation
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H2 View ☛ Energy Observer ends 68,000-mile global voyage at French home port
The hydrogen-powered Energy Observer has returned to its home port of Saint-Malo, France, marking the end of its seven-year Odyssey around the world.
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Barry Kauler ☛ Trike 320 rear fork large gap fixed
I posted about this problem:
The rear fork is this part shown in black:
Thanks to you guys who gave feedback about bending the fork closer. The wheel hub is 135mm, which is a common standard for bicycle rear wheels. However, the fork spacing is 140mm and is too stiff to pull in completely.
At the workshop I attend, received help from Terry, who is a retired school metalwork teacher. We set the fork into a clamp: [...]
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Barry Kauler ☛ Trike hinge for steering arms
Continuing the front-suspension project of a tadpole recumbent trike, here are recent posts: [...]
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s rule of law hinges on local rather than foreign judges, justice chief Paul Lam says
Hong Kong’s justice minister Paul Lam has played down the recent resignation of three foreign judges from the city’s top court, saying local judges are more important in safeguarding the rule of law.
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Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda
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RFA ☛ Was Apollo 11 landing staged? Rumors about US mission resurface in China
The rumors began to circulate online after the successful launch of China’s Chang’e 6 unmanned space probe.
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Reason ☛ COVID-19 Misinformation: Brought to You by the U.S. Government
A covert U.S. military social control media campaign was an exercise in profound hypocrisy.
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Censorship/Free Speech
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Digital Music News ☛ Generative Music Hey Hi (AI) Platform Suno Being Used to Spread Hate
The generative Hey Hi (AI) music platform Suno is being used by extremists and hatemongers to create music that promotes hate speech, racism, and calls for violence, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Suno Hey Hi (AI) created the tool that allows anyone to generate music from a text prompt, similar to other generative Hey Hi (AI) tools.
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France24 ☛ Veteran French journalist ‘pushed out’ of India by denial of work permit
A French journalist announced on Thursday that he had left India after over 13 years because his work permit was denied, describing the decision as an act of "incomprehensible censorship."
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JURIST ☛ Reporters Without Borders warns of growing press censorship and repression threat in Niger
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warned on Wednesday about the possibility of Nigerien authorities using the country’s revised cybercrime law to censor and imprison journalists. New amendments to the law reintroduced prison sentences for defamation, insults, and dissemination of data that could disrupt public order via the Internet.
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Civil Rights/Policing
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NYPost ☛ American Airlines flight attendants move closer to strike, fail to reach deal on new contract with airline
The airline's flight attendants, however, cannot walk off the job until the National Mediation Board (NMB) grants them permission.
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Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
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Internet Society ☛ What Makes The Internet? People Coming Together
The Internet Society was created to bring together a global community to advance the Internet. Internet Society Managing Director and Incoming CEO, Sally Wentworth, speaks about the community that has grown over the last 30 years and how we will continue to work together to support the Internet of the future.
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Michael Geist ☛ Road to Nowhere: Parliament Breaks For the Summer With Little Accomplished on Digital Policy
The House of Commons adjourned for the summer yesterday with most committees and House debate on hold until mid-September. The government talked up its accomplishments, but on the digital policy front there was little to promote. The government’s most controversial digital-related bills including online harms (Bill C-63) and privacy and Hey Hi (AI) regulation (Bill C-27) barely moved during the session, a function of badly bloated legislation that create at least as many problems as they solve. With an election a little more than a year away, the clock is ticking and many legislative proposals will be hard pressed to become law.
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Press Gazette ☛ Message from Australia: New UK government facing battle with Surveillance Giant Google and Facebook
News Corp Australia boss says Digital Markets Act makes UK global leader on regulating big tech.
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Patents
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Unified Patents ☛ InfoGation navigation patent monopoly prior art found
Unified is pleased to announce prior art has been found on U.S. Patent 6,292,743, owned by InfoGation Corporation, an NPE. The ‘743 patent monopoly generally relates to navigation systems. The patent monopoly has been asserted against Toyota, BMW, Honda, Changan Ford Automobile, and Porsche.
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Unified Patents ☛ NPRM comments submitted regarding discretionary denials and serial/parallel petitions
As part of the advocacy work of Unified Edge, Unified Patents has submitted comments to the PTAB's recent NPRM advocating against the codification of rules regarding discretionary denials under § 325(d) and for serial/parallel petitions.
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Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Palace intrigue: Oxviews 9th Intellectual Property and Competition Forum
Following up on Thorsten’s blog post yesterday, I report on the second day of the Oxviews 9th Intellectual Property and Competition Forum, which took place in the Justizpalast in Munich on 19 June.
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Kangaroo Courts
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JUVE ☛ Race for first substiantial UPC judgment — why July will be decisive [Ed: UPC is illegal and totally unconstitutional, but this publisher keeps racing to legitimise this crime, which it was paid to endorse and lie for constantly, in effect discrediting the media too]
In early June, a major rendezvous took place at the UPC’s Paris central division as the court heard its first revocation case in Meril Life Sciences vs. Edwards Lifesciences. Paolo Catallozzi presided over the hearing, with the participation of Tatyana Zhilova and technically qualified judge Stefan Wilhelm.
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Trademarks
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TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Three More Section 2(d) Refusals For Your Review
And the hits keep coming on Radio TTAB. Here are three recent Board decisions in Section 2(d) appeals. How do you think they came out? [Answers in first comment.]
In re Sellersfunding Corp., Serial No. 97231564 (June 17, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Peter W. Cataldo) [Section 2(d) refusal of the mark COMMERCEPAY for "Providing working capital financing to small businesses and small business owners; Accounts receivables financing; financing services" in view of the registered mark COMMERCEPAYMENTS for, inter alia, "banking services" and various financial services.]
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Copyrights
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Intent-Centered Fault Apportionment in Hey Hi (AI) Copyright Infringement
Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, such as Microsoft’s Copilot and ChatGPT, have seen a drastic increase in consumer adoption.
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Monopolies/Monopsonies
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