Links 22/05/2024: China in Other Countries' Islands, Growing Threat of Piracy
Contents
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Leftovers
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France24 ☛ New device helps paraplegics regain partial control of arms and hands
More than 40 people suffering from paralysis from the neck down regained partial control of their arms and hands thanks to a relatively simple to use device, a large study said Monday.
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Science Alert ☛ 'Life-Changing' Device Helps More Than 40 Paraplegics Regain Arm And Hand Control
"What matters most is working hands."
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Ruben Schade ☛ My Tom n Toms coffee mug
I haven’t talked about a mug in a while! So far I’ve shared my Apothecary Coffee mug, a Hahndorf Inn Hotel mug, and a Moka takeaway cup. Today’s is another mug that would be in school now if it were a person. What a weird way to talk about crockery.
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Ruben Schade ☛ A selection of Wi-Fi hotspot names
These have all come from sitting at coffee shops over the last week:
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APNIC ☛ Working towards a coordinated RPKI system
What would a single, global RPKI system look like?
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Kev Quirk ☛ It's All Very Narcissistic, Right?
So yesterday I published a post about logging which watches I wear. It's been a fun little coding challenge for me, and I'm proud of myself. But there's always someone who has to piss on your parade.
In response to that post, I received an email that said: [...]
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New York Times ☛ The Paperless Post Founders Changed How We Party
When James and Alexa Hirschfeld started Paperless Post 15 years ago, some saw its digital invitations as a fad. Instead, they have become a fixture of events and have spawned imitators.
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Hackaday ☛ Home Automation Terminal Has Great Post-Apocalyptic Look
If you use home automation these days, you’re probably used to using smart speakers, your smartphone, or those tabletop touchscreen devices. If you wanted something cooler and more personal, you could try building something like [Rick] did.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s John Lee warns against undercover operations targeting Uber drivers in response to vigilantism
Hong Kong leader John Lee has urged residents not to conduct undercover operations targeting ride-sharing services, after videos went viral of people calling the police on their Uber drivers.
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Science
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Science Alert ☛ Mysterious Holes on The Ocean Floor Have a New Explanation
They aren’t what we thought.
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LRT ☛ British historian Timothy Garton Ash awarded honorary doctorate by Lithuanian university
British historian and journalist Timothy Garton Ash was awarded an honorary doctorate at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas on Monday.
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Education
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Latvia ☛ Thousands of teachers protest in Rīga
On Tuesday, 21 May, a couple thousand teachers gathered at a picket organized by the Latvian Education and Science Workers' Union in front of the government building to express their dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Education and Science's (IZM) proposal for balancing teachers' workloads.
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Latvia ☛ Teachers to rally for wage-load balance in Rīga Tuesday
On Tuesday, 21 May, around 2,000 teachers are planning to picket outside the Cabinet of Ministers building to demand correct implementation of the strike agreement on balancing teachers' workload.
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Hardware
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CNX Software ☛ de next-TGU8-EZBOX tiny Tiger Lake mini PC is offered with fanless or active-cooling options
AAEON claims the de next-TGU8-EZBOX is the world’s smallest Edge PC with an embedded defective chip maker Intel Core CPU based on the de next-TGU8 SBC introduced in 2022 with an up to up to an defective chip maker Intel Core i7-1185G7E Tiger Lake SoC, 16GB LPDDR4, and M.2 NVMe storage. The de next-TGU8-EZBOX is offered either as a fanless mini PC measuring 95.5 x 69.5 x 42.5mm, or a slightly taller system (45.4mm) with an active cooler.
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Hackaday ☛ Mechanical 7-Segment Display Looks Clean
[Jens] wanted a subscriber counter for his YouTube channel. He could have gone with a simple OLED, LCD, or LED display, but he wanted something more tactile and interesting. So he built a mechanical 7-segment display instead!
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Hackaday ☛ This MIDI BoomBox Takes Floppies
You might have had a boombox back in the 1990s, but probably not like the Yamaha MDP-10. As [Nicole] explains, the odd little device played MIDI files from a floppy disk. Technically, it wasn’t truly a boombox because it lacked batteries, but it sure looks like one.
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Hackaday ☛ Ribbon Cable Repair Saves Touch ID
Some might consider a broken ribbon cable to be unsalvagable. They’re delicate and fragile as can be, and sometimes just fussing with them further is enough to cause additional damage. However, with the right set of skills, it’s sometimes possible to achieve the unthinkable. As [Master Liu] demonstrates, you can indeed repair a broken ribbon cable, even a tiny one.
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Hackaday ☛ Tabletop Handybot Is Handy, And Powered By AI
Decently useful AI has been around for a little while now, and robotic arms have been around much longer. Yet somehow, we don’t have little robot helpers on our desks yet! Thankfully, [Yifei] is working towards that reality with Tabletop Handybot.
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CNX Software ☛ Avnet Hey Hi (AI) Vision Development Kit features Qualcomm QCS6490 SoC, dual camera, GbE, and USB-C PD
Just last month at Embedded World 2024, Qualcomm announced its RB3 Gen 2 Platform based on the QCS6490 processor with Cortex-A78 and A55 processing cores and 12 TOPS of Hey Hi (AI) power.
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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Science Alert ☛ Smoking Fentanyl Linked to Toxic Brain Damage in First Reported Case
The drug's dangerous shadow is getting longer.
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Science Alert ☛ Scientists Reveal The 2 Best Exercises For Lower Blood Pressure
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Science Alert ☛ Experimental HIV Vaccine Successfully Triggers Potent Antibodies in Humans
"The way forward is now much clearer."
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New York Times ☛ In the House of Psychiatry, a Jarring Tale of Violence
At the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting, a patient described a restraint that haunts him, more than eight years later.
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Science Alert ☛ Plant Virus Fights Cancers in Mice With ‘Widespread Effectiveness’
Could it protect people, too?
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Federal News Network ☛ Whole-of-government suicide-prevention strategy
The federal government has a new strategy to prevent suicide.
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Reason ☛ Old Enough for a Gun, Too Young for TikTok: What's Legal for Teens in Your State?
From tattoos to abortions to gender expression, a confusing mess of laws govern which Americans are considered adults.
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Stanford University ☛ Going light: Students ditch smartphones in mental health study
The Stanford Social Media Lab recently concluded a study on the effects of using the Light Phone, a bare-bones cell phone with no social control media. The research focuses on ties between productivity, mental health and social control media.
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Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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IT Wire ☛ Satya Nadella wants security – and also stupid features on your PC
There seems to be some kind of dissonance about these two statements. When Abusive Monopolist Microsoft talks about security most long-time users of computers have no other reaction other than a cynical smile. Something like what's on the visage of the Mona Lisa.
But Nadella was doing what he does best when he made that statement on security: playing the grand poobah of public relations for a company that is a marketing entity first and a technology firm a distant second.
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AccessNow ☛ U.S. lawmakers should govern Hey Hi (AI) to help people, not Big Tech companies’ interests
Human rights must be at the core of artificial intelligence (AI) policy.
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Xe's Blog ☛ iTerm2 and Hey Hi (AI) hype overload
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Science Alert ☛ Is The ‘Dead Internet Theory’ True? Shrimp Jesus Phenomenon Explained
How AI-generated content could manipulate us.
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New York Times ☛ AI’s Black Boxes Just Got a Little Less Mysterious
Researchers at the Hey Hi (AI) company Anthropic claim to have found clues about the inner workings of large language models, possibly helping to prevent their misuse and to curb their potential threats.
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Security
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Privacy/Surveillance
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Bruce Schneier ☛ Detecting Malicious Trackers
From Slashdot:
Apple and Surveillance Giant Google have launched a new industry standard called “Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers” to combat the misuse of Bluetooth trackers for stalking.
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Press Gazette ☛ Fears Surveillance Giant Google could down-rank publishers who decline to use Privacy Sandbox
Fears grow Surveillance Giant Google could penalise those who refuse to play in Sandbox.
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IT Wire ☛ Anti-trust case: Surveillance Giant Google pays damages in advance to avoid jury trial
In a statement, a Surveillance Giant Google spokesperson claimed the Doj had manufactured a last-minute damages claim to try and obtain a jury trial "in a case even they describe as ‘highly technical’ and ‘outside the everyday knowledge of most prospective jurors.'
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Defence/Aggression
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Federal News Network ☛ A look at how power shapes care in military hospitals
By examining data from military emergency departments across the country, researchers were able to measure how power dynamics play out in health care settings.
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RFA ☛ North Korean toy store blows up on state media with ICBM-themed fireworks
Military-themed toys are meant to instill pride and possibly gain public support for arms development, experts say.
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ADF ☛ Mali, Wagner Incursions into Mauritania Spark Tension
ADF STAFF Diplomats from Mali and Mauritania have been working hard to avert a border crisis between the neighboring West African countries. In April, Mauritania accused the Malian military (FAMa) and its Russian mercenary partners of chasing armed men across the border into the villages of Madallah and Fassala.
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RFA ☛ Airstrike kills woman on Myanmar-Bangladesh border
Three bombs were dropped while villagers were sleeping, residents said.
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RFERL ☛ Chinese Foreign Minister Reiterates Beijing's Support For Kazakh Independence
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has reiterated Beijing's readiness to "firmly support Kazakhstan's efforts to defend its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity."
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RFA ☛ Record number of Chinese warships operating in Cambodia
Five Chinese vessels carrying hundreds of troops are on deployment in Cambodian waters.
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RFA ☛ Philippines demands China ‘open’ Scarborough Shoal for global, environmental audit
Manila accuses Beijing of damaging environment, illegally harvesting giant clams and other species from the shoal.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ ‘Never heard of him’: Taiwan presidential inauguration passes quietly across strait in China
By Ludovic Ehret Taiwan swore in its new president Lai Ching-te on Monday in an elaborate, closely watched event complete with a thousand dancers and military air displays.
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Defence Web ☛ High piracy risk in Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and adjoining waters – maritime security report
The current world maritime hotspot around the Red Sea, northern Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and East Africa saw six incidents at sea reported in one week of April.
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ADF ☛ Seychelles Demonstrates How Smaller Nations Can Effectively Combat Piracy
The Topaz, a Seychelles Coast Guard vessel, abruptly altered its direction in January when it was alerted to a Somali pirate attack on a Sri Lankan fishing trawler just outside the Seychelles exclusive economic zone. The Seychellois ship encountered the pirates near Denis Island, in northeastern Seychelles, where the pirates opened fire.
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JURIST ☛ China sanctions US companies over weapons trade with Taiwan
China’s Ministry of Commerce on Monday announced sanctions against three US defense companies for selling arms to Taiwan, placing the companies on the “unreliable entities list.” According to a statement published by China’s State Council Information Office, the sanctioned companies are General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security.
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JURIST ☛ Philippines challenges China to open Scarborough shoal for international inspection
The Philippines challenged China on Monday to allow international scrutiny of the disputed Scarborough Shoal, according to the Philippines’ official news agency. The call was made during a press conference headed by the National Security Council (NSC) assistant director general, Jonathan Malaya, and Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Jay Tarriela.
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ADF ☛ Tuareg Coalition Threatens Continued Instability in Northern Mali
Tuareg rebels in northern Mali recently announced the formation of a new coalition to fight the junta-led government for control of the territory known as Azawad.
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ADF ☛ DRC, South Sudan Recorded Largest Military Spending Increase in 2023
The Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2023 recorded the largest increase in military spending globally as local and international forces worked to secure the country’s conflict-ridden eastern areas. South Sudan reported the world’s second-highest increase.
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The Straits Times ☛ China warns Taiwan of reprisals over Lai’s inauguration speech
BEIJING - China on May 21 slammed the inauguration speech of new Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te as a “confession of Taiwan independence”, and warned it would take “countermeasures”.
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France24 ☛ France begins landmark trial against top Syrian officials over killing of father and son
The first trial in France of officials of the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad is to begin on Tuesday, with three top security officers to be tried in absentia for complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes.
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TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ How gun violence spread across American cities
In Minneapolis, half of residents lived near a fatal shooting during the pandemic years, up from a third in the four years before 2020.
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Press Gazette ☛ 5Pillars censured over podcast promoting ‘hatred and abuse’ of Jews and LGBT people
Impress issues ruling over interview with far-right political figure Mark Collett.
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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European Commission ☛ Commission welcomes Council decision on the use of proceeds from immobilised Russian assets for Ukraine
European Commission Statement Brussels, 21 May 2024 The Commission welcomes the formal decision taken in the General Affairs Council on the Commission's and High Representative's proposal to use the proceeds from immobilised Russian assets for Ukraine.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Ukraine’s Western allies should fear Russian victory not Russian defeat
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says his country's allies fear the potential geopolitical consequences of Russian defeat, but Russian victory is a far more realistic and alarming prospect, writes Peter Dickinson.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Ukraine’s soccer stars aim for Euro 2024 glory amid Russian invasion
The Ukrainian national soccer team heads to Euro 2024 in Germany this summer hoping to provide their war-weary compatriots with a much-needed morale boost, writes Mark Temnycky.
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France24 ☛ Russia begins tactical nuclear weapons drills near Ukraine
Russia on Tuesday announced the start of tactical nuclear weapons drills close to Ukraine, in what it said was a response to Western “threats”.
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LRT ☛ March in Vilnius demanded release of Mariupol defenders from Russia’s captivity
Several hundred people took part in a march in Vilnius on Monday night to demand the release of Ukrainians who defended the city of Mariupol in 2022 and are still imprisoned in Russia.
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RFERL ☛ EU Approves Use Of Frozen Russian Assets For Ukraine As Zelenskiy Claims 'Tangible' Results
The European Union has given official approval for the use of proceeds from frozen assets of the Russian central bank to beef up the defense of Ukraine, the European Council announced on May 21, a move that could see as much as 3 billion euros ($3.23 billion) diverted to Kyiv's military this year.
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RFERL ☛ In Kyiv, Top German Diplomat Urges Allies To Protect Ukraine's Skies
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Kyiv on May 21 and made a plea for more international support to protect the country's skies from Russian air strikes.
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RFERL ☛ Fresh Russian Strike On Kharkiv Causes Casualties And Damage
Four people were wounded and a transport infrastructure facility was damaged in a series of drone strikes on Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv early on May 21, regional officials reported.
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The Straits Times ☛ Ukraine says it destroys Russian missile ship in Crimea strike
The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday it destroyed the last Russian warship armed with cruise missiles that was stationed on the Moscow-occupied peninsula of Crimea during an operation over the weekend.
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New York Times ☛ In Interview, Zelensky of Ukraine Challenges West Over Hesitations
“Shoot down what’s in the sky over Ukraine,” he said in a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times. “And give us the weapons to use against Russian forces on the borders.”
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New York Times ☛ Zelensky Said the U.S. Should Do More to Help Ukraine
Also, lawyers defending Donald Trump rested their case. Here’s the latest at the end of Tuesday.
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New York Times ☛ Russia Starts Tactical Nuclear Drills, in a Warning to Ukraine’s Allies
Moscow has said the exercise is a response to “provocative statements and threats of individual Western officials.”
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New York Times ☛ Russian Forces Close In on Ukranian Town in Kharkiv
Vovchansk has been a prime target of Russia’s offensive in the northeast as it seeks to push back Ukrainian troops from the border.
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New York Times ☛ Read a Transcript of Volodymyr Zelensky’s Interview With The Times
The Ukrainian president spoke to Times reporters in Kyiv for nearly an hour.
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Meduza ☛ ‘We don’t want to produce the next oligarchs’: Economist Jan Pieter Krahnen on designing an effective ‘Marshall Plan’ for Ukraine — Meduza
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Meduza ☛ ‘Now is not the time’: Zelensky’s term should have ended on May 20. Here’s how Ukrainians feel about him staying in power without an election. — Meduza
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Latvia ☛ Poland arrests suspects who may have planned sabotage in Latvia
Polish police have arrested nine people suspected of plotting sabotage activities on behalf of Russia – including in Latvia and Lithuania – reports Polish public media PAP.
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Latvia ☛ Russian dual citizens to be banned from Latvian defense service
Latvian dual citizens who also hold Russian citizenship will not be allowed to serve in the State Defense Service (VAD). This is foreseen in the changes to the VAD law, which have been approved by the government on Tuesday May 21 and are still to be considered by the Saeima.
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JURIST ☛ UN Security Council rejects Russia-drafted resolution banning weapons in space
The UN Security Council rejected on Monday a resolution drafted by Russia that urged countries to prevent the use of weapons in space. The resolution’s proclaimed purpose was to prevent an arms race in space and preserve space for exclusively peaceful purposes.
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LRT ☛ Suspects detained in alleged Russian sabotage efforts in Poland, Lithuania – Polish PM
Poland has arrested nine members of an alleged Russian spy ring in connection with alleged acts of sabotage in Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia, the country’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said.
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RFERL ☛ Chechnya's Kadyrov Replaces Sanctioned Prime Minister, Names Relative By Marriage To Post
Ramzan Kadyrov, the authoritarian ruler of Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya, on May 21 said that the region's prime minister, Muslim Khuchiyev, had resigned to take to another unspecified job. Kadyrov named Highways Minister Isa Tumkhadzhiyev as acting prime minister.
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RFERL ☛ Moldova Becomes First Nation To Sign Security, Defense Pact With EU
The small Western Balkan nation of Moldova has signed a security and defense partnership with the European Union, the first country to ink such a pact, according to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
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RFERL ☛ Ex-Russian Army Commander Who Once Criticized Top Brass Arrested On Fraud Charges
The former commander of Russia’s 58th army -- who had once complained about his forces' lack of support from Moscow -- has been arrested on fraud charges, state-run TASS news agency reported.
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RFERL ☛ Imprisoned Kremlin Critic Kara-Murza Loses Another Appeal In Court
The Moscow City Court on May 21 rejected an appeal filed by imprisoned Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza against a lower court's refusal to consider his lawsuit against Russia's Investigative Committee for failing to fully investigate his suspected poisoning.
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RFERL ☛ Poland Arrests 9 Suspected Russia-Linked Saboteurs
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a televised interview on May 20 that his country's authorities had arrested nine people suspected of saboteur activities under the supervision of Russian secret services.
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teleSUR ☛ Russia Begins Military Exercises With Tactical Nuclear Weapons
At this stage, the military is practicing the reception of munitions for Iskander missile systems.
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RFERL ☛ Russia Begins Drills Of Tactical Nuclear Weapons Near Ukrainian Border
Russian has begun the “first stage” of exercises in the Southern Military District to increase the readiness of nonstrategic nuclear forces near the Ukraine border, the Defense Ministry said on May 21.
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Environment
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NYPost ☛ Howler monkeys dropping like flies due to extreme temperatures in Mexico
It’s so hot in Mexico that howler monkeys are falling dead from the trees.
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Energy/Transportation
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DeSmog ☛ Despite Advertising Carbon Capture, ExxonMobil Saw Marginal Role for It in Fighting Climate Change
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Hackaday ☛ Industrial Solar Heat Hits 1000˚C
While electricity generation has been the star of the energy transition show, about half of the world’s energy consumption is to make heat. Many industrial processes rely on fossil fuels to reach high temps right now, but researchers at ETH Zurich have found a new way to crank up the heat with a solar thermal trap. [via SciTechDaily]
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Finance
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France24 ☛ Paris rail workers strike over Olympics bonuses with Games just two months away
Drivers and ticket inspectors on Paris commuter trains launched a one-day strike on Tuesday to pressure management over bonuses for the Olympics this July and August, leading to criticism of union tactics.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Don’t let the US become the only country to ban CBDCs
The Federal Reserve should be allowed to continue its exploration and work with US commercial banks and countries around the world to build safe global standards and faster payments.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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New York Times ☛ Prince Harry Cannot Include Rupert Murdoch in Lawsuit, Court Rules
A judge ruled that the prince and other plaintiffs could not expand their claims of unlawful actions by News Group Newspapers in the U.K. to include allegations regarding Rupert Murdoch.
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Press Gazette ☛ Harry barred from adding claims against Rupert Murdoch to unlawful reporting trial
Judge also says Harry has failed to fully remove hacking allegations from his claim after an earlier ruling.
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New York Times ☛ U.K. Man Charged With Aiding Hong Kong’s Intelligence Service Is Found Dead
Matthew Trickett, one of three men accused of gathering information for the special administrative region of China, died in a park outside London, the police said.
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JURIST ☛ Suspect in UK-Hong Kong espionage case found dead
A suspect on police bail for allegedly spying for Hong Kong intelligence services in the UK has been found dead in a park, Thames Valley Police reported Tuesday. Police noted that the death, which is under investigation, is “being treated as unexplained.”
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ADF ☛ Chinese ‘Media Offensives’ Target African Audiences
During a visit to Tanzania in 2023, Paul Nantulya couldn’t help but notice StarTimes television satellite dishes being installed atop homes and businesses throughout the country. He also noted the prevalence of Huawei and ZTE broadband equipment. >
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New Yorker ☛ When the C.I.A. Turned Writers Into Operatives
A new show about the Cold War, “Not All Propaganda Is Art,” reveals the dark, sometimes comic ironies of trying to control the world through culture.
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Censorship/Free Speech
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EFF ☛ Speaking Freely: Ethan Zuckerman
Ethan Zuckerman is a professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he teaches Public Policy, Communication and Information. He is starting a new research center called the Institute for Digital Public Infrastructure. Over the years, he’s been a tech startup guy (with Tripod.com), a non-profit founder (Geekcorps.org) and co-founder (Globalvoices.org), and throughout it all, a blogger.
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EFF ☛ EFF Urges Supreme Court to Reject Texas’ Speech-Chilling Age Verification Law
EFF joined the Woodhull Freedom Foundation in filing a friend-of-the-court brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to grant review of—and ultimately overturn—the Fifth Circuit’s decision upholding the Texas law.
Last year, the state of Texas passed HB 1181 in a misguided attempt to shield minors from certain online content. The law requires all Texas internet users, including adults, to complete invasive “age verification” procedures on every website the state deems to be at least one-third composed of sexual material. Under the law, adult users must upload sensitive personal records—such as a driver’s license or other photo ID—to access any content on these sites, including non-explicit content. After a federal district court put the law on hold, the Fifth Circuit reversed and let the law take effect.
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AccessNow ☛ Meta’s shareholders: We need transparency on content moderation
Ahead of the Meta AGM, Meta's shareholders are pushing the company for increased transparency on content moderation.
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RFA ☛ China censors clip of children dancing to Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall'
Kids at arts school in Sichuan perform song protesting 'thought control' in education.
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JURIST ☛ Punjab, Pakistan defamation act passed amid free speech controversy
Pakistan’s Provincial Assembly of the Punjab passed on Monday The Punjab Defamation Bill 2024, which allows the establishment of special tribunals to try individuals who draft, publish or disseminate fake news, according to local outlet Pakistan Today. The act’s passage comes amid protests and free speech concerns from opposition parties.
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Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
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JURIST ☛ Nigeria authorities must investigate detention of journalist Jamil Mabai by religious police: CPJ
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged Nigerian authorities on Monday to investigate the detention of journalist Jamil Mabai in Katsina, Nigeria by officials of the Katsina State Hisbah Corps, a religious police force, and hold responsible parties accountable.
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Reason ☛ Will Antitrust Policy Smother the Power of AI? [Ed: Hype!!]
Left alone, artificial intelligence could actually help small firms compete with tech giants.
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Patents
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Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Federal Circuit Overrules Rosen-Durling Test for Design Patent Obviousness
In a highly anticipated en banc decision, the Federal Circuit has overruled the longstanding Rosen-Durling test for assessing obviousness of design patents. LKQ Corp. v. GM Global Tech. Operations LLC, No. 21-2348, slip op. at 15 (Fed. Cir. May 21, 2024) (en banc).
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Kangaroo Courts
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JUVE ☛ “Figures show the EPO Boards of Appeal are highly productive, but it’s only half the story” [Ed: They are not independent, they are a kangaroo court controlled by the corrupt EPO administration and they lost their autonomy a decade ago]
The EPO Boards of Appeal’s balance sheet for 2023 does indeed sound excellent. “By the end of 2023 the number of pending cases was reduced to below 5,000 and the number of pending cases older than 30 months was decreased to 13.4%,” states the court’s latest annual report.
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Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ The UPC Court of Appeal dismisses appeal in SES-Imagotag v Hanshow – clarity on claim construction in the UPC? [Ed: UPC is illegal and unconstitutional; it is rather revealing when one sees who's pushing it and who profits from this fake court]
On 13 May 2024, the UPC Court of Appeal (CoA) upheld the Munich Local Division’s decision in SES v Hanshow (UPC_CoA_1/2024) that a preliminary injunction should be refused on the basis that there was not sufficient certainty that certain models of Hanshow’s electronic label products infringe SES’ patent.
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Trademarks
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TTAB Blog ☛ "DREAM DECIDE DO" Fails to Function as a Trademark for Stationery and Printed Works, Says TTAB
The phrase DREAM DECIDE DO may sound like it came from a Taylor Swift song, but it wasn't a hit with the TTAB. The Board affirmed a refusal to register the proposed mark, finding that it fails to function as a source indicator for "Stationery; Blank notepads; Blank paper notebooks; Printed day planners; Printed desktop planners; Printed motivational cards; A series of printed books, printed articles, printed handouts and printed worksheets in the field of motivation and personal development." In re Financial Success Media, LLC, Serial No. 97087569 (May 10, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Cheryl S. Goodman).
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Copyrights
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Public Domain Review ☛ Chromatic Aberrations: The Toll of the Sea (1922)
The first US Technicolor II feature, this film uses colour to explore and ultimately undermine the distinction between the familiar and the exotic.
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Monopolies/Monopsonies
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