Leftovers

• Computers Are Bad ☛ 2023-10-03 overheard overhead

  Let's talk about overhead paging. The concept goes by various names: paging, public address, even intercom, although the accuracy of the latter term can be questionable. It's probably one of the aspects of business telephone systems that gets the most public attention, on account of the many stories (both true and mythical) of the exploits of people who have figured out the paging extension at a given WalMart.

• Hardware

  • Linux Gizmos ☛ The UP Squared i12 Edge is a compact PC for industrial automation

    AAEON has recently unveiled the UP Squared i12 Edge, the latest addition to their lineup of Mini-PCs. This compact device stands out as the smallest in AAEON’s collection to accommodate 12th Generation Intel Core Processors.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel to Spin Off Programmable Solution Group, Seeks IPO

    Intel makes strategy move with its Programmable Solution Group.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Federal News Network ☛ Child care programs just lost thousands of federal dollars. Families and providers scramble to cope

    After two years of receiving federal subsidies, 220,000 child care programs across the country lost funding. Part of the largest investment in child care in U.S. history, the monthly payments ranged from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars. The funding that ended Saturday was meant to stabilize the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Providers say ending it puts at risk millions of children and their families. The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank in Washington, D.C., analyzed a provider survey and government data. It concluded that half of all providers are threatened in six states: Arkansas, Montana, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong students urged to protect eyesight as screen time, number of glasses wearers rise post-pandemic

    Hong Kong students have been told to look after their eyesight and participate in an annual health assessment as the number of youngsters needing glasses increased by 4 per cent during the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • European Commission ☛ Speech by Commissioner Stella Kyriakides at European Parliament Plenary debate on Glyphosate

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China-based drug network under US sanctions for aiding fentanyl supply

    The United States announced sanctions Tuesday on a China-based network for producing and distributing chemicals used to make drugs including those fueling a deadly national fentanyl crisis.

• Security

  • Security Week ☛ Severe Glibc Privilege Escalation Vulnerability Impacts Major Linux Distributions

    A local privilege escalation vulnerability (CVE-2023-4911) in the GNU C Library (glibc) can be exploited to gain full root privileges.

  • Ghacks ☛ Linux users, take action against the "Looney Tunables" now

    A new and potentially devastating Linux vulnerability has surfaced, aptly named ''Looney Tunables''.

  • Security Week ☛ Qualcomm Patches 3 Zero-Days Reported by Google

    Qualcomm has patched more than two dozen vulnerabilities, including three zero-days that may have been exploited by spyware vendors.

  • Security Week ☛ Mozilla Warns of Fake Thunderbird Downloads Delivering Ransomware

    Mozilla issues warning over fake Thunderbird downloads after a ransomware group was caught using this technique to deliver malware.

  • Bruce Schneier ☛ Malicious Ads in Bing Chat

    Malicious ads are creeping into chatbots.

  • Security Week ☛ Google, Yahoo Boosting Email Spam Protections

    Google and Yahoo are introducing new requirements for bulk senders, to improve phishing and spam protections.

  • Security Week ☛ Lyca Mobile Services Significantly Disrupted by Cyberattack

    International mobile network operator Lyca Mobile says a cyberattack has significantly disrupted its services in many countries.

  • Latvia ☛ CyberChess 2023 cybersecurity conference taking place in Rīga

    On October 4 and 5, during European Cybersecurity Month, Rīga will host the tenth international cybersecurity conference CyberChess 2023, run by CERT.lv, Latvia's national cybersecurity agency.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ Siam Paragon Shooting: 14-Year-Old Kills 2 at Bangkok Mall

    Thailand has one of the highest gun ownership and gun homicide rates in Southeast Asia, still the episode left the country reeling.

  • France24 ☛ Did the Iranian regime hack a UK-based broadcaster? Not really

    Hardline media outlets in Iran claim the country’s security forces hacked the Telegram channel of Iran International, a Persian-language broadcaster that has extensively covered the year-old “Woman Life Freedom” protests. The outlets claim the regime intercepted messages in which Iranian citizens sent amateur images related to the protests to the UK-based broadcaster for publication. The channel denies it was hacked, and a FRANCE 24 review of the supposedly intercepted messages found no evidence that any of the amateur content was ever broadcast by Iran International.

  • Defence Web ☛ Kenya to lead Haiti security support mission

    In a notable first for Africa, Kenya will lead a multinational security support (MSS) mission to Caribbean country Haiti assisting police in quelling gang violence and restoring security.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Teen arrested over alleged attack on security guards outside Hong Kong government headquarters

    A 17-year-old has been arrested over attacking two security guards outside the Hong Kong government headquarters, police have confirmed. Police received a report about the incident at 10.21 am on Wednesday.

  • RFERL ☛ Teenager In Coma After Morality Police Apprehend Her In Tehran, Rights Group Says

    An Iranian teenager is in a coma at a hospital and under heavy security after an assault on the Tehran subway, a rights group said on October 3.

  • teleSUR ☛ Armenia Ratifies ICC Rome Statute

    Russia considers Armenia's ratification to be an ill-considered step in terms of bilateral relations.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • AntiWar ☛ Someone Wants ‘The War to Continue’ [Ed: antiwar.com is not anti-war. It's pro-Putin wars and it wants Ukraine to be dead. It wants war. It wants Russian wars. Maybe take the US flags out of the site. The posturing is bad.]

      At times, Ukraine has been unwilling to negotiate an end to the ongoing war with Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has gone so far as to issue a decree banning negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. At other times, Russia has given up on negotiating.

    • Latvia ☛ LTV: Latvian volunteer killed on Ukrainian front

      A volunteer warrior from Latvia has died in Ukraine, several soldiers confirmed to Latvian Television (LTV). His name or nickname is not currently disclosed and there is no official confirmation from the authorities of Latvia or Ukraine.

    • Federal News Network ☛ Global Red Cross urges ouster of Belarus chapter chief who boasted of bringing in Ukrainian children

      The international Red Cross is calling for the ouster of the head of the Belarus Red Cross, who stirred international outrage for boasting that it was actively ferrying Ukrainian children from Russian-controlled areas to Belarus. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says it has given the Belarus chapter until Nov. 30 to dismiss Dzmitry Shautsou. If not, the worldwide Red Cross will recommend all affiliates to halt new partnerships and funding for the Belarus branch, which would be suspended from the global organization.

    • Federal News Network ☛ Hungary’s foreign minister hints that Budapest will continue blocking EU military aid to Ukraine

      Hungary’s foreign minister says that his government wants guarantees from Kyiv that a Hungarian bank that was removed from a Ukrainian list of sponsors of Russia’s war will not be placed back on that list in the future. Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Wednesday that the Ukrainian anti-corruption agency removing OTP Bank from the list was “a step in the right direction,” but that Hungary required further assurances before it would change its approach to Ukraine in any international settings. Szijjarto's comments were a sign that Hungary may not be ready to lift its veto of a major military aid package to Ukraine, which it has maintained since may when Kyiv placed OTP Bank on the list.

    • Federal News Network ☛ Sirens blare across Russia as it holds nationwide emergency drills

      Sirens have wailed across Russia and television stations interrupted regular programming to broadcast warning signals as part of sweeping drills intended to test the readiness of the emergency services amid the fighting in Ukraine. The exercise that began Tuesday follows a slew of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian cities. As it occurred, the military said air defenses shot down 31 Ukrainian drones over Russian border regions early Wednesday. Russian media said the exercise’s scenario mentions the increasing danger of a conflict between nuclear powers and simulates action in response to a situation in which 70% of housing and all vital infrastructure have been destroyed and wide areas have been contaminated by radioactive fallout.

    • France24 ☛ Biden calls US allies to ‘coordinate’ support for Ukraine

      US President Joe Biden called key allies on Tuesday to "coordinate" support for Ukraine, the White House said. Western allies have raised concerns on the subject after Republican hardliners in Congress derailed US funding for Kyiv. The news came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited frontline areas in eastern Ukraine.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Mass still matters: What the US military should learn from Ukraine

      The overarching lesson from the unfolding war in Ukraine is simply the scale of what’s required to fight a modern state-on-state war.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Russia says it held talks with U.S. and EU on Nagorno-Karabakh ahead of crisis

      Russia exchanged views with the United States and the European Union on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh ahead of the lightning military operation by Azerbaijan last month, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

    • YLE ☛ Russian consulate in Åland unlikely to be closed, Yle sources say

      Russia's presence on Åland is intertwined with the semi-autonomous islands' demilitarised status and a number of international treaties.

    • Latvia ☛ Estonia steps up security on Latvian border

      The Estonian Border Guard and police will conduct additional inspections on the Estonian-Latvian border as well as at ports and transport hubs due to the migration pressure coming from Belarus, Estonia's public broadcaster ERR.ee reports October 4.

    • Latvia ☛ Border guard chief: pressure on Latvia-Belarus border remains high

      The pressure of illegal migrants on Latvia's border is not decreasing and the challenge to the border guard is large enough, the Chief of the Border Guard Guntis Pujāts in an interview with Latvian Television morning broadcast on October 4.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Mixed messaging from Moldova on energy sector reforms

      Recent steps by the Moldovan authorities cast doubt on Chisinau’s commitment to energy market liberalization, escaping Russian energy dominance, and anti-corruption imperatives, writes Suriya Jayanti.

    • LRT ☛ ‘There are signs that Russia is preparing for war with West’ – interview with former Dutch intelligence officer

      The Cold War never ended, as Russia continued its intelligence work against the West after the collapse of the Soviet Union. “The Ukrainians are fighting an existential war for the whole of Europe, and the West should take off the gloves,” Robert Spronk, a former Dutch intelligence officer, said in an interview with LRT.lt.

    • RFERL ☛ Pretrial Detention Of Suspect In Car-Bomb Attack On Russian Nationalist Writer Extended

      A Moscow court extended pretrial detention until January 6, 2024, of a Ukrainian-born man suspected of carrying out a car bombing in May that wounded a prominent Russian nationalist writer.

    • New York Times ☛ Finland’s Military Prepares as Russia-Ukraine War Gets Closer to Home

      Even though it’s now part of NATO, a wary Finland still requires men to serve their country. Women can volunteer, and many do.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Vows Ukrainians Will 'Do Everything' To Defeat Russia As U.K. Urges Aid 'To Finish The Job'

      President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Ukrainians will "do everything" in their power to prevail over invading Russian forces despite all difficulties as Britain urged the West to beef up its military assistance to help Ukraine "finish the job."

    • New York Times ☛ Russia-Ukraine War: U.N. Finds More Cases of Russians Executing Ukrainian P.O.W.s

      A new U.N. report says that while both sides in the war have mistreated detainees, Moscow has committed worse abuses and refused to cooperate with investigators.

    • New York Times ☛ ‘Barbie’ in Russia: Theaters Find Ways to Screen Blockbusters Amid Sanctions

      American studios stopped releasing Hollywood movies in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, but many theaters have found a workaround.

    • The Strategist ☛ Russia using ‘shadow fleet’ to keep oil revenues flowing

      Western efforts to choke Russia’s oil profits are failing as production cuts agreed with Saudi Arabia push the market price towards US$100 a barrel...

    • New York Times ☛ Russia’s ‘Elastic Defense’ Tactic Frustrates Ukraine’s Counteroffensive

      Military analysts say that Russian commanders have been using a tactic known as “elastic defense” to prevent Ukraine from holding villages and other positions as staging grounds for future attacks.

    • New York Times ☛ U.S. and World Leaders Pledge Support for Ukraine ‘for as Long as It Takes’

      President Biden, in a conference call with world leaders amid tumult in Congress, insisted that U.S. aid would not be interrupted.

    • RFERL ☛ Moldova Takes Further Steps To Ban Members Of Pro-Russian Party From Local Polls

      Moldovan authorities on October 4 reinforced a ban on members of an outlawed Russia-backed party taking part in upcoming local elections, in effect reversing the Constitutional Court's decision a day earlier that had scrapped the interdiction.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Plans To Block VPN In March 2024, Member Of Federation Council Says

      Artyom Sheikin, a member of the Russian parliament's Federation Council, said on October 3 that the country’s Roskomnadzor media watchdog plans to block virtual private networks (VPNs) across the country as of March 1, 2024.

• Environment

  • RFA ☛ Asia-Pacific’s climate cash conundrum: Why funding remains elusive

    Despite years of voicing concerns, vulnerable nations grapple with a maze of red tape and resource hurdles.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Federal News Network ☛ A bus plummeted 50 feet from an elevated road in Venice, killing 21 people in a fiery crash

      A bus carrying dozens of people has plummeted about 15 meters, or 50 feet, from an elevated road in Venice, causing a fiery crash that killed 21 people and injured at least 15, mostly foreign tourists returning to a nearby campsite. Those who died in the crash on Tuesday night included at least five Ukrainians and a German citizen. That's according to the Venice prefecture. At least two of the dead were children. The new, electric bus was carrying foreign tourists when it fell from an elevated street, catching fire. The driver was also among those killed. A Venice city councilor said he was an experienced driver and local prosecutors are investigating if he felt ill.

    • European Commission ☛ Commission launches investigation on subsidised electric cars from China

      European Commission Press release Brussels, 04 Oct 2023 he European Commission has formally launched today an anti-subsidy investigation into the imports of battery electric vehicles (BEV) from China.

• Finance

  • Federal News Network ☛ Thousands of US health care workers go on strike in multiple states over wages and staff shortages

    Picketing has begun at Kaiser Permanente hospitals as some 75,000 workers who say understaffing is hurting patient care go on strike in five states and the District of Columbia. Wednesday’s labor action kicks off a major health care worker strike. It marks the latest major labor unrest in the U.S. Kaiser Permanente is one of the country’s larger insurers and health care system operators. The strikers include licensed vocational nurses, home health aides and ultrasound sonographers, as well as technicians. Doctors are not participating. The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions says understaffing is boosting the hospital system’s profits but hurting patients. A Kaiser executive said the company’s practices, compensation and retention are better than its competitors.

  • New York Times ☛ More Than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente Health Care Workers Begin Strike

    The health system failed to reach a new contract agreement with some of its unionized employees, who have planned a three-day job action in Kaiser’s facilities in several states.

  • Dedoimedo ☛ Dedoimedo no longer uses Google Adsense

    No more ads. As of mid-September, Dedoimedo no longer displays any ads. If you recall, a few weeks ago, Google Adsense informed me that it could not find a compliant Consent Management Platform (CMP) on my domain. Which is nonsense, because I've been using one for five solid years now. My choice: use Google's platform or not show any ads in the EEA/UK from January. I decided to go for a third option. Show no ads whatsoever. As a result, I've removed all Google Adsense code from my site. Furthermore, I've also removed Google Custom Search and ShareThis social media buttons. I still use Google Analytics, but I'm seriously considering getting rid of that code, too. That would make Dedoimedo once again a pure HTML/CSS site, the way I always intended. And as an end user, you win, too! Now, some of you may be wondering: Dedo, how are you going to "monetize" your site then? The answer is simple. I won't. If you do want to support me, buy my books. That's the best way. Other than that, have a fun, fast and privacy-improved experience on Dedoimedo. Bon voyage.

  • Latvia ☛ President and Prime Minister want banks to cut loan interest rates

    Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, said October 4 he expects banks to be more accommodating to customers, reducing interest payments that have increased substantially due to the recent increase in Euribor rates.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Remittances to Mexico hit US $5.5B in August, up 9.3% this year

    Remittances had their best August ever recorded, but the strong peso and inflation have impacted purchasing power.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ The Ouster of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy

    For the first time in American history, the House of Representatives has voted to remove its leader.

  • Federal News Network ☛ First Nations premier to lead a Canadian province after historic election win in Manitoba

    The Canadian province of Manitoba has elected the first First Nations premier of a province in Canada. Manitobans elected an NDP government led by Wab Kinew. Kinew is a former rapper, broadcaster and university administrator. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said that Kinew’s win signifies a huge accomplishment. The 41-year-old Kinew said during his victory speech late Tuesday that young Indigenous people and those of all backgrounds who are struggling can change their lives for the better.

  • New York Times ☛ Today’s Top News: McCarthy Is Ousted, and More

    Exclusively from New York Times Audio, our new app.

  • Federal News Network ☛ EU countries overcome key obstacle in yearslong plan to overhaul the bloc’s asylum rules

    European Union countries have overcame a new obstacle in their yearslong quest to overhaul the bloc’s asylum rules. EU envoys clinched a deal on Wednesday on a “crisis regulation” of extraordinary measures that a country could take in the event of a massive, unforeseen movement of migrants toward its borders. It means that the 27 member countries now have a negotiating position to take into talks with the EU parliament. The members and EU lawmakers have been warned that time is running out to clinch an agreement on the entire asylum scheme before next year’s EU-wide elections. European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas says that “we need the pact done and dusted before Europeans go out to vote.”

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • MIT Technology Review ☛ How generative AI is boosting the spread of disinformation and propaganda

      Artificial intelligence has turbocharged state efforts to crack down on internet freedoms over the past year.  Governments and political actors around the world, in both democracies and autocracies, are using AI to generate texts, images, and video to manipulate public opinion in their favor and to automatically censor critical online content.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Federal News Network ☛ Former Russian state TV journalist gets 8 1/2-year sentence in absentia for Ukraine war criticism

    A court in Moscow has sentenced a former state TV journalist to 8 1/2 years in prison in absentia for protesting Russia’s war in Ukraine, the latest example of a crackdown on dissent that has intensified since Moscow’s invasion nearly 20 months ago. Marina Ovsyannikova was charged with spreading false information about the Russian army, a criminal offense under a law adopted shortly after President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine. She held a protest in Moscow in July 2022, carrying a sign that called Putin “a killer.” Ovsyannikova worked at for state-run Channel One until last year and became famous for staging an on-air protest. She later fled to France with her daughter.

  • France24 ☛ 🔴 Live: Russian journalist who protested war on state TV sentenced in Moscow court

    A Russian TV journalist who staged an on-air protest against the war in Ukraine has been sentenced, in absentia, to more than eight years in prison by a court in Moscow. Marina Ovsyannikova, who was convicted of spreading disinformation about the Russian army, had last year escaped house arrest and fled Russia.

  • RFERL ☛ Russian Journalist Who Famously Protested Ukraine War On Live TV Sentenced For Second Protest

    Former Russian TV journalist Marina Ovsyannikova has been sentenced in absentia to 8 1/2 years in prison for a anti-war demonstration she made in front of the Kremlin last year.

  • New York Times ☛ Russian Journalist Sentenced in Absentia for Antiwar Protest

    Marina Ovsyannikova, who worked for state TV for two decades before protesting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, was sentenced to more than eight years.

  • BIA Net ☛ Desire to silence journalists to conceal crimes

    In Turkey, press freedoms have continued to decline following the May Elections, with arbitrary arrests and trials, increasing violence during detentions, censorship protecting those in power from criticism, and local judiciaries that do not recognize the Constitutional Court.

  • RFA ☛ China deletes photo of embracing runners evoking '6/4'Tiananmen

    Hugging athletes inadvertently display taboo numbers of 1989 massacre of pro-democracy students

  • Reason ☛ Defenders of the Florida and Texas Social Media Laws Contradict Themselves

    If Facebook et al. are pushing a "radical leftist narrative," why don’t they have a constitutional right to do that?

  • EDRI ☛ Position Paper: Age verification can’t ‘childproof’ the internet

    EDRi has published its policy paper on age verification to shed light on the risks of the widespread use of age verification and to chart out possible alternative solutions.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Internet Archive downloads failing

    Speaking of the Internet Archive, I’ve noticed many downloads from the site failing to finish. The item will almost finish, then Firefox will report the download failed. You have to be careful, because you might not realise it failed until much later when you try to use it.

  • APNIC ☛ Analysis of AFRINIC’s IPv4 Soft Landing policy

    Guest Post: How AFRINIC is managing its remaining IPv4 and the effects of its Soft Landing Policy.

• Monopolies

  • Reuters ☛ UK regulator to push for probe into Amazon, Microsoft cloud dominance

    British media regulator Ofcom will this week push for an antitrust investigation into Amazon and Microsoft’s dominance of the UK’s cloud computing market, according to two sources...

  • Silicon Angle ☛ New report details ‘Project Nessie’ algorithm flagged in FTC lawsuit against Amazon

    New details have emerged about Amazon.com Inc.’s “Project Nessie” algorithm, which is a major focus of a lawsuit the Federal Trade Commission recently brought against the company. The Wall Street Journal reported today that Amazon used Project Nessie to set product prices on its e-commerce marketplace.

  • Trademarks

    • Social Media Ad Company Seeks Injunction, Damages in First Trademark Suit Against Musk’s ‘X’

      Following Elon Musk’s bold rebrand of social media platform Twitter, the many lawsuits that have been expected have begun to roll in. In what is said to be the first, X Social Media, LLC has filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, charging Musk’s X Corp. with willful trademark infringement, as well as common law violations under Florida competition, trademark and service mark laws and violations of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

    • TTAB Blog ☛ Precedential No. 28: TTAB Gives Opposer Leave to Correct Its Botched Notice of Reliance and Testimony Declaration

      In this Section 2(d) opposition to registration of the mark MOSAIC for "Collectible trading cards; Sports trading cards," Opposer RLP Ventures, appearing pro se, seriously botched its attempt to submit evidence and testimony. The Board struck RLP's notice of reliance but nonetheless allowed it to file an amended notice, and the Board re-opened RLP's testimony period so it could file a supplemental testimony declaration authenticating certain exhibits. RLP Ventures, LLC v. Panini America, Inc., Opposition No. 91268816 (September 29, 2023) [precedential].

  • Copyrights

    • Michael Geist ☛ Limiting Public Participation: Why No One Should Be Surprised at the CRTC’s Internet Services Registration Requirement Ruling

      The CRTC’s decision to require registration for a wide range of Internet sites and services that meet a $10 million revenue threshold, including podcasters, adult sites, and news sites, appears to have taken many Canadians by surprise. For anyone who closely followed Bill C-11, this was entirely expected given that the bill adopts an approach in which all audio and video content anywhere in the world is subject to Canada’s Broadcasting Act.