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● 05.11.23

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● Links 11/05/2023: LibreOffice 7.4.7 and GNOME Core Apps Update

Posted in News Roundup at 7:56 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

=> ↺ Make Use Of ☛ 8 Linux Concepts That Are Older Than You Think

• You’d be surprised at how old some parts of Linux culture, like dual-booting and open-source software, are. A lot of peculiarities of Linux can be explained by how they originated in Unix.

• One example that confuses a lot of people new to the Linux command line is how odd the commands seem. Why are they so short? The reason is that they were originally designed to run on teleprinter machines rather than screens.

Server

=> ↺ Kubernetes Blog ☛ Blog: Kubernetes 1.27: Avoid Collisions Assigning Ports to NodePort Services

• In Kubernetes, a Service can be used to provide a unified traffic endpoint for applications running on a set of Pods. Clients can use the virtual IP address (or VIP) provided by the Service for access, and Kubernetes provides load balancing for traffic accessing different back-end Pods, but a ClusterIP type of Service is limited to providing access to nodes within the cluster, while traffic from outside the cluster cannot be routed. One way to solve this problem is to use a type: NodePort Service, which sets up a mapping to a specific port of all nodes in the cluster, thus redirecting traffic from the outside to the inside of the cluster.

• When a type: NodePort Service is created, its corresponding port(s) are allocated in one of two ways:

• Dynamic : If the Service type is NodePort and you do not set a nodePort value explicitly in the spec for that Service, the Kubernetes control plane will automatically allocate an unused port to it at creation time.

• Static : In addition to the dynamic auto-assignment described above, you can also explicitly assign a port that is within the nodeport port range configuration.

• The value of nodePort that you manually assign must be unique across the whole cluster. Attempting to create a Service of type: NodePort where you explicitly specify a node port that was already allocated results in an error.

Audiocasts/Shows

=> ↺ Tux Digital ☛ ThinkPad X13 Gen 3 AMD Review

• The X13 Gen 3 AMD review from the standpoint of a professional Linux user.

=> ↺ Tux Digital ☛ Linux Out Loud 62: Disappearing DE

• This week, Linux Out Loud chats about what happens if our favorite DE goes away. Welcome to episode 62 of Linux Out Loud. We fired up our mics, connected those headphones as we searched the community for themes to expound upon.

Kernel Space

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Linux 6.3.2

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Linux 6.2.15

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Linux 6.1.28

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Linux 5.15.111

Applications

=> ↺ Dedoimedo ☛ MX Snapshot – Superb system imaging and backup tool

• We’re gonna have some nerdy fun today. This be a review and mini-tutorial of MX Snapshot system imaging and backup tool and MX Live USB Maker ISO writing utility, part of the MX Tools set in the MX Linux distribution, explaining how to create bootable editions of user’s installed MX Linux system for backup and redeployment purposes, including customization, data exclusion, optional encryption, cloning, live media persistence, practical example and testing, and other cool tricks. Enjoy.

Instructionals/Technical

=> ↺ ID Root ☛ How To Scan and Repair Disk Errors on Linux

• In this article, you will learn how to scan and repair disk errors on Linux with our step-by-step guide. Hey there! Are you tired of facing disk errors in your Linux system?

=> ↺ Structured Success: Implementing Customization for Cluster Hierarchies in Kubernetes

• Introduction Kubernetes has become one of the most popular container orchestration platforms in recent years, providing users with a range of tools to manage their infrastructure. One of the key benefits of Kubernetes is its ability to customize cluster hierarchies, which allows users to configure their clusters to meet specific requirements.

=> ↺ Mastering Kubernetes: Exploring Advanced Scheduling Techniques

• Kubernetes is an open-source platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It was initially developed by Google and is now maintained by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). With the increasing popularity of microservices and containerization, Kubernetes has become the de facto standard for container orchestration.

=> ↺ Own HowTo ☛ Bash script to create an alias on Linux

• In the previous tutorial, we covered how to create an alias on Linux, and I thought why not write a bash script that will do all the job for you, instead of writing commands and editing bashrc file, especially if you are not familiar with all this process.

=> ↺ FOSSLinux ☛ A complete guide to installing KDE Plasma on Ubuntu

• KDE Plasma is a popular, highly customizable, and feature-rich desktop environment that provides a visually appealing and user-friendly experience for Linux users. If you’re using Ubuntu and want to switch from the default GNOME desktop environment to KDE Plasma, you’re in the right place.

Games

=> ↺ Boiling Steam ☛ New Steam Games with Native Linux Clients with Endless Monday, Bare Butt Boxing and Swarm Grinder – 2023-05-10 Edition

• Between 2023-05-03 and 2023-05-10 there were 29 New Steam games released with Native Linux clients.

Desktop Environments/WMs

K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

=> ↺ It’s FOSS ☛ KDE Plasma 6 Plans Revealed: Includes 5 New Exciting Default Settings

• KDE Plasma 5.27 was an interesting release marking the end of the 5.x series.

• We are eagerly waiting for KDE Plasma 6, but we do not have any concrete information on what to expect.

• That changes now.

• Right after the 2023 Plasma Sprint event, in collaboration with the folks at TUXEDO in Germany, Nate Graham from KDE shared some important highlights on KDE Plasma 6 on his blog.

=> ↺ Make Use Of ☛ 8 Things You Can Do With KDE Connect on Linux

• With KDE Connect, you can maximize your productivity by pairing your smartphone and Linux PC. KDE Connect lets you receive phone notifications on your computer and makes it possible to respond to them without picking up your phone and ruining your workflow.

• Besides keeping track of notifications, you can do a lot more with KDE Connect if you have it paired to your Linux PC. Here’s what you can do with KDE Connect on Linux.

=> ↺ KDE ☛ What is Sustainable Software, After All?

• One of KDE’s current strategic goals is the “Sustainable Software” goal. There is a bunch of activities around that, but sometimes people still ask, “What does ‘Sustainable Software’ actually mean?” Let’s try to break it down.

• In general, sustainability means living and acting in a way that endures over time, without depleting resources or harming the environment and its inhabitants.

• What does that mean in the context of software?

• First of all, software indirectly consumes natural resources. It requires hardware to be built on which the software can run, and running software consumes energy. The way software is written has a significant influence on resource consumption.

• An extreme example is Bitcoin, where the algorithm to secure the network requires an enormous use of computing resources and related energy consumption. Another example is software-induced hardware obsolescence, where hardware vendors drive sales of new hardware through software updates incompatible with older hardware, resulting in electronic waste and consumption of resources and energy in producing new hardware.

GNOME Desktop/GTK

GNOME ☛ Michael Catanzaro: GNOME Core Apps UpdateIt’s been a while since my big core app reorganization for GNOME 3.22. Here is a history of core app changes since then:GNOME 3.26 (September 2017) added Music, To Do (which has since been renamed to Endeavor), and Document Scanner (simple-scan). (I blogged about this at the time, then became lazy and stopped blogging about core app updates, until now.)To Do was removed in GNOME 3.28 (March 2018) due to lack of consensus over whether it should really be a core app.  As a result of this, we improved communication between GNOME release team and design team to ensure both teams agree on future core app changes. Mea culpa.Documents was removed in GNOME 3.32 (March 2019).A new Developer Tools subcategory of core was created in GNOME 3.38 (September 2020), adding Builder, dconf Editor, Devhelp, and Sysprof. These apps are only interesting for software developers and are not intended to be installed by default in general-purpose operating systems like the rest of GNOME core.GNOME 41 (September 2021) featured the first larger set of changes to GNOME core since GNOME 3.22. This release removed Archive Manager (file-roller), since Files (nautilus) is now able to handle archives, and also removed gedit (formerly Text Editor). It added Connections and a replacement Text Editor app (gnome-text-editor). It also added a new Mobile subcategory of core, for apps intended for mobile-focused operating systems, featuring the dialer app Calls. (To date, the Mobile subcategory has not been very successful: so far Calls is the only app included there.)GNOME 42 (March 2022) featured a second larger set of changes. Screenshot was removed because GNOME Shell gained a built-in screenshot tool. Terminal was removed in favor of Console (kgx). We also moved Boxes to the Developer Tools subcategory, to recommend that it no longer be installed by default in general purpose operating systems.GNOME 43 (September 2023) added D-Spy to Developer Tools.

=> ↺ Make Use Of ☛ 8 Things You Should Do After Switching to GNOME

• GNOME isn’t quite like any other desktop interface. If you already have ingrained computing habits that you’re perfectly comfortable with, you might not like the GNOME way of doing things.

• But if you’re explicitly looking for something different, or you’re looking for a desktop to give someone who’s learning how to use a computer for the first time, you may find GNOME to be precisely what you’re looking for.

=> ↺ Akshay Warrier: GSoC 2023: Introductory Post

• Hi!

• I’m Akshay Warrier, a second-year student from the Indian Institute of Information Technology Kottayam, India studying Electronics and Communication Engineering. This summer I’ll be working on Workbench with my mentors Sonny Piers and Andy Holmes.

• It was about two years ago, I decided to give Linux a try on a whim. I installed Ubuntu and played around with it for a bit and it wasn’t long before I had completely switched over. Everything was new and different to me but I remember really liking the unified look and feel of the UI. There were still things I wasn’t accustomed to, such as using the terminal.

Distributions and Operating Systems

=> ↺ Barry Kauler ☛ User customization added to Flapi

• Flapi, the Flatpak Installer, was in need of this: the user is now able to add entries.

• Before getting onto that though, a report on more apps added to Flapi. Here is the previous report:

• https://bkhome.org/news/202305/more-flatpaks-added-to-the-installer.html

• Have added some more: [...]

Fedora Family / IBM

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ What to expect during Red Hat Summit: Join theCUBE May 23-24 [Ed: Disclosing that under the guise of "theCUBE" this company will be issuing mandatory puff pieces for Red Hat, basically paid-for fake 'journalism']

=> ↺ Red Hat Extends Scope of Podman Container Tool for IT Admins [Ed: Some Microsoft promotion by Red Hat her;e publisher paid by Red Hat for puff pieces]

• Red Hat today added a systems roles capability to its Podman tool for developing, managing and running containers on Linux platforms.

=> ↺ Red Hat ☛ What’s new in Red Hat’s migration toolkit for applications 6.1

• Red Hat’s migration toolkit for applications helps development teams modernize and migrate their applications to Red Hat OpenShift, offering tools and best practices to accelerate the journey to Kubernetes. Developers can get access to the migration toolkit for applications with an OpenShift subscription.

• Building on the success of the migration toolkit for applications 6.0, the 6.1 release adds more new features to make the user experience better. We’ve highlighted a few of these enhancements below.

Debian Family

=> ↺ Freexian Collaborators: Debian Contributions: DEP-17, Debian Reimbursements Web App, and more! (by Utkarsh Gupta, Stefano Rivera)

• Contributing to Debian is part of Freexian’s mission. This article covers the latest achievements of Freexian and their collaborators. All of this is made possible by organizations subscribing to our Long Term Support contracts and consulting services.

• We posted a proposal for modifying dpkg to better cope with directory aliasing. After an initial period of silence, the discussion took off, but was mostly diverted to a competing proposal by Luca Boccassi: Do not change dpkg at all, but still move all files affected by aliasing to their canonical location and thus removing the bad effects of aliasing. We facilitated this discussion and performed extensive analysis of this and competing proposals highlighting resulting problems and proposing solutions or workarounds. We performed a detailed analysis of how aliasing affects usage of dpkg-divert, dpkg-statoverride and update-alternatives. Details are available on the debian-dpkg mailinglist thread.

Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

=> ↺ HowTo Geek ☛ Your Android Texts Will Soon Get an AI Helper

=> ↺ The Sun ☛ Google reveals huge free Android perk that could save you hundreds – check your device now | The US Sun

=> ↺ Giz China ☛ TECNO CAMON 20 Series to Roll Out Android 14 Beta – Gizchina.com

=> ↺ India Times ☛ Google: Google introduces new safety, security features for Android, Maps and more – Times of India

=> ↺ India Today ☛ Nokia C22 with Android 13 Go and dual cameras launched in India, price starts at Rs 7,999 – India Today

=> ↺ India Times ☛ Android 14 Beta Update: This is the first foldable smartphone to get Android 14 beta update – Times of India

=> ↺ GSM Arena ☛ Android 14 Beta 2 update now available as Google announces more features – GSMArena.com news

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

Events

=> ↺ The Register UK ☛ India Bans Open Source Messaging Apps for Security Reasons. FOSS Community Says Good Luck

• India’s government has reportedly banned 14 messaging apps on national security grounds, including some open source services.

Web Browsers/Web Servers

Mozilla

=> ↺ Firefox Developer Experience: Geckodriver 0.33.0 Released [Ed: Mozilla is outsourcing to proprietary software and to Microsoft (again)]

• We are proud to announce the next major release of geckodriver 0.33.0. It ships with some new features that have been often requested by the WebDriver community, and as such brings geckodriver closer to the full WebDriver classic compatibility.

• [...]

• As usual links to the pre-compiled binaries for popular platforms and the source code is available on the GitHub repository.

=> ↺ Charles Plessy: Upvote to patch Firefox to render Markdown

• I previously wrote that when Firefox receives a file whose media type is text/markdown, it prompts the user to download it, whereas other browsers display rendered results.

• Now it is possible to upvote a proposal on connect.mozilla.org asking that Firefox renders Markdown by default.

Productivity Software/LibreOffice/Calligra

=> ↺ 9to5Linux ☛ LibreOffice 7.4.7 Is Here as the Last Update in the Series, Upgrade to LibreOffice 7.5 Now

• Arriving two months after LibreOffice 7.4.6, the LibreOffice 7.4.7 update is here to address a total of 50 bugs that improve the overall stability and reliability of the LibreOffice 7.4 office suite, which will reach end of life in exactly one month from the moment of writing this article, on June 12th, 2023.

• If you’re still using the LibreOffice 7.4 series, it is highly recommended that you update your installations to the LibreOffice 7.4.7 point release, but also consider upgrading to the latest LibreOffice 7.5 series.

=> ↺ Announcement of LibreOffice 7.4.7 Community

• The Document Foundation releases LibreOffice 7.4.7 Community, the seventh and last minor release of the LibreOffice 7.4 line, which is approaching the end of life [1]. The new release is immediately available from https://www.libreoffice.org/download/ for Windows (Intel and Arm processors), macOS (Apple and Intel processors), and Linux.

• LibreOffice offers the highest level of compatibility in the office suite market segment, with native support for the OpenDocument Format (ODF) – beating proprietary formats for security and robustness – to superior support for MS Office files, to filters for a large number of legacy document formats, to return ownership and control to users.

Programming/Development

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ AI Creators Are Still Making The Same Mistake This Programmer Made 25 Years Ago

• Oh dear.

=> ↺ Mike Blumenkrantz: Debugging Primer

• If nothing goes wrong, Mesa 23.1 will ship in the next few hours, which means that at last everyone will have a new zink release.

• And it’s a big one.

• Since I’m expecting lots of people will be testing zink for the first time now that it should be usable for most things, I thought it would be useful to have a post about debugging zink. Or maybe not debugging but issue reporting. Yeah that sounds right.

• Zink is a complex driver. It has many components: [...]

Leftovers

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ Bridging worlds with words: Vietnamese poet, translator Duong Tuong

• The determination and generosity of Vietnamese poet and translator Duong Tuong still resonate with this American photographer, bridging their different worlds.

Science

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ Cosmic Object 10 Million Times Brighter Than The Sun Seems to Defy Physics

• Where’s the kaboom?

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ Mystery Rock That Damaged a New Jersey Home Could Be a Shooting Star

• Make a wish!

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ There’s One Critical Thing We Can All Do to Keep Alzheimer’s Symptoms at Bay

• Start tonight.

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ Road Built 7,000 Years Ago Found at The Bottom of The Mediterranean Sea

• Caution: slippery when wet.

Education

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ It’s not just conversation—Gen Z is missing some essential nonverbal skills, too

• Gen Z’s having a harder time around the water cooler, and their conversation skills aren’t to blame.

Hardware

=> ↺ CNX Software ☛ Energous 2W PowerBridge transmitter doubles wireless power for IoT devices

• Energous has launched the 2W PowerBridge transmitter that doubles the energizing capability of Energous’ 1W transmitter found in WattUp 1W active energy harvesting developer kit, the “Wirelessly powered sensor evaluation kit“, and various deployments in the field. Energous wireless transmitters are used in IoT applications across the supply chain, logistics, retail, industrial and agricultural industries, which benefit from lower maintenance and wiring costs, and the new 2W transmitter will provide better RF coverage and power levels.

=> ↺ CNX Software ☛ LILYGO T-Track ESP32-S3 board combines 1.1-inch AMOLED display with trackball

• After the T-Display-S3 AMOLED board, LILYGO has launched another ESP32-S3 board with an AMOLED display named the T-Track that features a smaller 1.1-inch AMOLED display and a trackball that allows the user to navigate any menu or user interface shown on the display. The rest of the board’s specifications are very similar with an ESP32-S3R8 dual-core chip with 8MB PSRAM providing WiFi and BLE connectivity, a 16MB SPI flash for storage, two rows of pins for up to 18x GPIOs, a Qwicc connector for module expansion, and support for USB-C charging and a LiPo battery for power.

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

=> ↺ Axios ☛ FDA experts unanimously endorse over-the-counter birth control pills [Ed: One casualty of COVID-19 is the FDA. Now it is a prolific rubber-stamper, dominated by the industry it is meant to regulate.]

• An FDA advisory panel on Wednesday unanimously endorsed making daily birth control pills available over-the-counter for the first time, following two days of deliberations over whether patient misuse could lead to more unintended pregnancies.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ F.D.A. Advisers Say Benefits of Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill Outweigh Risks

• The agency is expected to decide this summer whether to allow the first nonprescription sales of an oral contraceptive in the United States.

=> ↺ uni MIT ☛ Air pollution troubles Chess players

• Here’s something else chess players need to keep in check: air pollution.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ French gastronomy facing logistical challenge for 2024 Paris Olympics

• France’s vaunted gastronomy will be put to the ultimate test when organisers of the 2024 Paris Olympics have to feed 15,000 athletes.

=> ↺ Breach Media ☛ On frontlines of social crisis, librarians resist fortress mentality

• Increasingly the ‘first responders’ to homelessness and the overdose epidemic, library workers are struggling to maintain a welcoming space in the face of policing solutions

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ South Korea to cull cattle after outbreak of foot and mouth disease

• The cases mark the first confirmed outbreak since January 2019, according to media reports.

=> ↺ US News And World Report ☛ A Skin Patch to Treat Peanut Allergies? Study in Toddlers Shows Promise

• A new study finds an experimental skin patch shows promise to treat toddlers who are highly allergic to peanuts

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ Skin Patch Allows Toddlers With a Mild Allergy to Eat A Few Peanuts Safely

• Good news!

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Pancreatic Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise in Small Trial [Ed: More mRNA patents; lots of hype and patent monopolies. Weaker regulation of vaccines, too.]

• Using mRNA tailored to each patient’s tumor, the vaccine may have staved off the return of one of the deadliest forms of cancer in half of those who received it.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Addiction Treatment Medicine Is Vastly Underprescribed, Especially by Race, Study Finds

• Black patients with opioid use disorder were far less likely to fill prescriptions for the most effective addiction treatments than white patients. But strikingly few patients of all races got the medicine.

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ New Synthetic Blood Clotting System Could Help Stop Internal Bleeding

• This could be a lifesaver.

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ The First Draft of The Human Pangenome Has Arrived. Here’s Why It’s So Important.

• Not so average.

Proprietary

=> ↺ Forbes ☛ Spring 2023 Layoff Tracker: Microsoft, Ochsner Health Cut Hundreds

• Microsoft unveiled another round of layoffs this week, following a massive round of cuts in January, while health care company Ochsner Health is conducting its own round of cuts—making them the latest companies to reduce their head counts this year, following major layoffs this week at Novavax, Akamai, LinkedIn and Paramount Media Networks.

Pseudo-Open Source

Openwashing

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ AWS open-sources snapshot fuzzing and policy authorization tools

Security

=> ↺ 8 Tips for Successful Container Vulnerability Scanning

• Container vulnerability scanning is a critical part of container security. .

=> ↺ Security Week ☛ IBM Delivers Roadmap for Transition to Quantum-safe Cryptography [Ed: "Quantum-safe" is mostly meaningless hype. IBM has been trying to sell this stuff for decades and still isn't succeeding.]

• IBM’s Quantum Safe Roadmap was designed to help federal agencies and business meet the requirements and the deadlines for quantum safe cryptography.

=> ↺ Security Week ☛ SAP Patches Critical Vulnerabilities With May 2023 Security Updates

• SAP released 18 new security notes on May 2023 Security Patch Day, including two that resolve critical vulnerabilities in 3D Visual Enterprise License Manager and BusinessObjects.

=> ↺ IT Wire ☛ Sec firm Dragos says threat actor failed in extortion bid after attack

• The threat actor claimed in a post on the dark web that more than 130GB of data was exfiltrated from the company. The post was included in a tweet from vx-underground which publishes data about malware source code, samples, and papers.

=> ↺ Bleeping Computer ☛ Microsoft issues optional fix for Secure Boot zero-day used by malware

• Microsoft has released security updates to address a Secure Boot zero-day vulnerability exploited by BlackLotus UEFI malware to infect fully patched Windows systems.

=> ↺ Hacker News ☛ Microsoft’s May Patch Tuesday Fixes 38 Flaws, Including Active Zero-Day Bug [Ed: Newer bug doors ready to deploy on PCs]

• Microsoft has rolled out Patch Tuesday updates for May 2023 to address 38 security flaws, including one zero-day bug that it said is being actively exploited in the wild.

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Extradited UK hacker pleads guilty to 2020 celebrity Twitter hack

Privacy/Surveillance

=> ↺ Security Week ☛ Equifax Releases Security and Privacy Controls Framework [Ed: Face-saving spin after massive failure and epic fines]

• Equifax released its security and privacy controls framework to provide a public blueprint to help organizations to build or enhance their own cybersecurity programs.

=> ↺ Utah Passes Bill for Digital IDs With Blockchain

• Utah is taking a major step toward the future by not only investing in digital IDs, but utilizing blockchain technology to do it. It’s an innovative approach that shows United States governments modernizing processes while making security and privacy more of a priority. Utah Governor Signs Historical Bill Utah has become the first state in the United States to sign a bill to create blockchain digital IDs. It’s just a pilot program at the moment, but it’s an impressive first step in merging government and blockchain.

=> ↺ US News And World Report ☛ Delaware Judge Refuses to Dismiss Facebook Shareholder Suit Over User Data Privacy Breaches

• A Delaware judge has refused to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit alleging that Facebook officers and directors violated both the law and their fiduciary duties in failing for years to protect the privacy of user data

Defence/Aggression

=> ↺ The Strategist ☛ Is Myanmar an existential threat for ASEAN?

• While the defence strategic review shows Australia is focused on building capability through AUKUS, its declassified version fails to note a significant threat to regional security—Myanmar.

=> ↺ Defence Web ☛ Almost 10 000 African police officers trained by the US in anti-terrorism over the last five years

• Thousands of African police officers have received help from counterterrorism training provided by the United States Bureau of Counterterrorism and the US Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) under the US Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) programme.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ China targets foreign-linked consultancy firm for ‘endangering national security’

• The raids come as lawmakers widen the definition of ‘espionage’ to include sharing data on ‘national interests.’

=> ↺ US News And World Report ☛ Costa Rica President Removes Minister, Security Chiefs Amid Record Murders

=> ↺ US News And World Report ☛ McConnell Opposes Alabama Republican’s Blockade of Military Nominees Over Pentagon Abortion Policy

• Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says he won’t support a fellow GOP senator’s blockade of military nominees, backing Democrats and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin who have said that the holdup is harming national security

=> ↺ European Commission ☛ Sudan: EU launches Humanitarian Air Bridge to provide essential supplies

• European Commission Press release Brussels, 10 May 2023 In view of the rising humanitarian needs due to the raging conflict in Sudan, the EU launched a Humanitarian Air Bridge transporting critical supplies to our humanitarian partners in Port Sudan.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ 2 Visitors Killed at Synagogue in Tunisia by Naval Guardsman

• The guardsman, who the authorities said was shot dead by security officers, killed two visitors and two guards at an ancient temple on the island of Djerba. He also killed a guard at his base.

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ Atlantic Council announces new experts’ coalition to promote nonpartisan solutions to the United States’ border and immigration challenges

• The Atlantic Council today announced the formation of a new coalition of experts in border and immigration security and cross-border trade who will work together to advance nonpartisan, pragmatic solutions to the United States’ border and immigration challenges.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Saudi Arabia invites Syria to attend first Arab League summit since war

• Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received an invitation to next week’s Arab summit in Saudi Arabia, the presidency said Wednesday, the first such invitation since the country’s war began.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ No, this isn’t a recent video of Bashar al-Assad walking freely through Damascus

• A video said to show Syrian President Bashar al-Assad walking without escort through a joyous crowd in Damascus has been circulating online since April 25. However, this is an old video and one that actually shows the president during an orchestrated event in a secure location.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Iran Ready to Facilitate Rapprochement Between Syria & Türkiye

• Iran believes that Syria and Türkiye can adopt a forward-looking approach, resolving disputes through dialogue and enhancing cooperation.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Syria Receives Saudi Invitation to Attend Arab Summit

• On Sunday, Arab foreign ministers decided during a meeting in Cairo to readmit Syria to the Arab League after 12 years of suspension.

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ Saudi Arabia should consider the ‘Just Do It’ strategy for normalizing ties with Israel

• Acting on one’s terms when pursuing national interests is always a better strategy. Saudi Arabia is completely capable of dealing with Israel on its own.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Cash for carbines: Myanmar’s junta offers reward to fighters who turn in weapons

• Observers say the offer smacks of desperation as military losses mount on the battlefield.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Tunisia launches investigation after several killed in shooting near synagogue

• Tunisian authorities were Wednesday investigating a shooting spree by a police officer that claimed five lives and sparked mass panic during a Jewish pilgrimage at Africa’s oldest synagogue.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ ‘We Don’t Want This War’: Trapped in Khartoum as Combat Rages

• Sudan’s capital city has become an arena for a battle between two generals vying for power, while residents brave shelling, looting and dwindling supplies of food, water, medicine and electricity.

=> ↺ Defence Web ☛ Sudan’s conflict will have a ripple effect in an unstable region – and across the world

• Sudan, Africa’s third largest country by land mass, shares borders with seven countries in an unstable region. This means that Sudan’s current conflict will have economic, social and political ripple effects across a number of countries, including the Central African Republic, Egypt, Libya, Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ When it comes to great power competition in Africa, one competitor is missing: Iran

• One area the United States completely ignores is Iran’s growing influence on the African continent and the need to formulate a policy that will work to limit Tehran’s freedom of action there.

• /blockquote>

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Lithuania’s parliament speaker says MP’s post on Israel is ‘casual anti-Semitism’, calls for probe

• The Lithuanian parliament must evaluate MP Remigijus Žemaitaitis’ recent Facebook post, in which he criticised Israel’s policies in the West Bank, according to Speaker Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, who called her fellow MP’s statements “casual anti-Semitism”.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Kiel-Qingdao Sister City Plan Stalled Amid German Wariness of China

• The German port of Kiel and the Chinese port of Qingdao have a lot of things in common. Unfortunately, submarines are among them.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Biden Will Host India’s Prime Minister for State Dinner

• For President Biden, next month’s visit will be an opportunity to draw India even closer, especially when it comes to countering China’s growing influence.

Environment

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Top French court orders government to adopt new climate measures

• France’s top administrative court on Wednesday ordered the government for a second time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within a year, in a case brought by a town threatened by rising sea levels.

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ Judicial review of climate regulations filed in New Zealand High Court

• A climate change advocacy group has filed an application for judicial review on Tuesday in the New Zealand High Court following claims that recent climate regulations fail to meet emissions reduction targets. Lawyers for Climate Action NZ Inc (LCANZI) filed the statement of claim against the Minister of Climate Change…

=> ↺ New Yorker ☛ A Supreme Court Ruling the Fossil-Fuel Industry Doesn’t Like

• Communities can now sue in state courts for compensation for the costs of climate change—something oil companies have fought against for years.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ In a Climate Trade-Off, Biden Backs Manchin’s Fossil Fuel Plan

• The White House hopes that the approval of some oil and gas projects will speed the expansion of transmission lines for renewable energy.

=> ↺ Young climate activists file lawsuit against Erdoğan over ‘inadequate emission goals’

• Launching an online petition, the activists said, “We are suing Turkey for violating our human rights by pursuing a goal that lacks scientific basis and is actually a ‘greenhouse gas increase decision’.”

=> ↺ European Commission ☛ Remarks by Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič on launch of first tender for joint gas purchases under the EU Energy Platform [Ed: EU is not green. EU is greed.]

• European Commission Speech Brussels, 10 May 2023 Good morning,

• I am glad to inform you that today, the Commission has launched the first international tender for joint gas purchasing…

=> ↺ Reason ☛ New Study: Nuclear Power Is Humanity’s Greenest Energy Option [Ed: This file does not disclose who is funding it; because it's a massive conflict of interest.]

• Land-hungry biomass, wind, and solar power are set to occupy an area equivalent of the size of the European Union by 2050.

Energy/Transportation

=> ↺ H2 View ☛ US DOE selects two nuclear-based hydrogen production projects for funding

• The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $22.1m to 10 industry-led projects.

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Green light for Core Lithium to expand newest NT mine

• Northern Territory-based Core Lithium is celebrating the loading of its first big shipment to China and approval for an expansion of mining operations.

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ Guyana’s environmental protection agency is coming to Exxon’s defense

• Guyana’s environmental protection agency (EPA) has appealed a court ruling made against oil giant ExxonMobil.

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ Chinese battery investments in Europe nearly tripled in 2022

• Chinese outbound investments fell to an eight-year low in 2022.

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Greener grid powered by new big battery in WA coal town

• One of the world’s biggest battery storage systems will be built in Western Australia as the state weans itself off coal-fired power. The 2023/24 budget will feature $2.8 billion for energy storage, wind power generation and transmission network upgrades on the state’s main electricity grid, which is separate to the rest of the country.

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Call for energy rules, not cheap loans, for landlords

• Home owners may welcome cheap loans for double-glazing or battery-ready solar but making negative gearing conditional on upgrades has been suggested as more effective for landlords.

=> ↺ US News And World Report ☛ New Mexico Constitution Focus of Legal Fight Over Oil and Gas Drilling

• The nation’s No. 2 oil-producing state is being sued over its alleged failure to meet constitutional provisions meant to protect against pollution from the industry

=> ↺ Federal News Network ☛ New Mexico constitution focus of legal fight over oil and gas drilling

• A coalition of environmental groups filed a lawsuit Wednesday in New Mexico district court, marking the first time the state constitution’s pollution-control clause has been the basis of such a legal claim. The 1971 amendment mandates that New Mexico prevent the despoilment of air, water and other natural resources.

=> ↺ US News And World Report ☛ New Hampshire Utility Proposes Transmission Line From Canada to Carry Renewable Power to New England

• A New Hampshire electric utility is offering a new proposal for an electrical transmission line from Canada that would carry renewable power to New England

Wildlife/Nature

=> ↺ US News And World Report ☛ New Mexico Officials: FEMA Delays Lead to Mistrust Among Wildfire Victims

• Members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation are criticizing federal emergency managers for missing deadlines as residents seek recovery assistance following the largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ China wants 100,000 Sri Lankan macaques

• Crop raids by wild animals are increasing in Sri Lanka, and with them, the human-animal conflicts and related discourse. But a fresh debate on wildlife exploitation has arisen in the country following a recent request from a Chinese company asking for 100,000 toque macaques.

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ Scientists Uncovered Evidence of What Could Be Earth’s First Mass Animal Extinction

• A deadly signal we never detected.

Finance

=> ↺ Mexico News Daily ☛ Guanajuato largest recipient of foreign direct investment from Asia

• More than 53% of the state’s foreign investment in 2022 came from nations on the continent, according to the Ministry of Economy.

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Business groups call out missed chance to boost growth

• Business groups say the federal budget was a missed opportunity to turbocharge productivity growth and investment needed to underpin future surpluses. The Albanese government was balancing several competing demands as it handed down its second budget, including keeping a lid on inflation, providing cost of living relief to the most vulnerable…

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ Falling earth digger sales in China are dashing hopes of a big economic rebound

• They are vivid, familiar sights in China: stationed in construction lots, clawing earth out of the ground so that office towers or apartment blocks can sprout on site.

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ Senior Fellow Jeremy Mark interviewed on the German Marshall Fund’s China Global podcast on sovereign debt restructuring

• Listen to the full interview here.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Struggling with debt, local governments across China call for help from Beijing

• Analysts say there is a risk that regional governments could start declaring bankruptcy, one after the other.

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ US debt default risk, EPS contraction: How markets will react

=> ↺ Why Africa’s workforce is not safe from layoffs

• This article compares European and African labour laws about layoffs. It examines why the African workforce does not have strong employment protection and also provides recommendations.

=> ↺ InfoWorld ☛ Developer-focused portal Stack Overflow lays off 10% staff

• Stack Overflow, a question-and-answer portal for developers, would lay off 10% of its workforce, the company announced on Thursday.

• The job cuts, which will affect at least 58 employees, are a result of the company’s renewed focus on profitability due to macroeconomic concerns, CEO Prashanth Chandrasekar said in a blog post.

• “Our focus for this fiscal year is on profitability and that, along with macroeconomic pressures, led to today’s changes. They were also the result of taking a hard look at our strategic priorities for this fiscal year as well as our organizational structure as we invest in the continued growth of Stack Overflow for Teams and pursue agility and flexibility,” Chandrasekar said.

=> ↺ ABC ☛ Weekly US jobless claims highest since 2021, but companies avoid risk of being caught short-handed

• The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits last week rose to its highest level in a year-and-a-half, though jobs remain plentiful by historical standards even as companies cut costs as the economy slows.

• Applications for jobless aid for the week ending May 6 rose by 22,000 to 264,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s up from the previous week’s 242,000 and is the most since November of 2021. The weekly number of applications is seen as roughly representative of the number of U.S. layoffs.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

=> ↺ Supreme Election Council bans the police from collecting election results

• YSK ruled that the police and gendarmerie assigned to ballot boxes by the Ministry of Interior will not be able to record the election results in files on the Security and Emergency Coordination Center Presidency page of the Ministry.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Turkey’s Election: What You Need to Know

• With the economy in crisis, the vote on Sunday is shaping up to be one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s toughest fights to hold onto power in his 20 years as the country’s premier politician.

=> ↺ US News And World Report ☛ Feinstein Returns to Senate, Casting First Vote in Months

• Sen. Dianne Feinstein has been away on a prolonged health absence since February, sparking calls for her resignation – even among her own party.

=> ↺ Turkey’s unemployment rate sees small uptick in March, says TurkStat

• The narrow unemployment rate was 10 percent and the broad unemployment rate was 21.8 percent, according to the official statistics.

=> ↺ PACE to send delegation to observe Turkey elections

• A 33-member delegation will be in Turkey between May 12 and 15.

=> ↺ Latvia ☛ Pīlēns’ presidential candidacy officially submitted

• On Wednesday, May 10, the nomination of businessman Uldis Pīlēns for presidential office has been submitted to the Saeima, the head of the United List parliamentary faction Edgars Tavars said on Twitter.

=> ↺ Axios ☛ Rep. George Santos pleads not guilty to federal criminal charges

• Embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 13 federal criminal charges, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York spokesperson Danielle Hass told Axios.

• Driving the news: Santos was released on a $500,000 bond, per Hass, after he was charged earlier Wednesday for alleged wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and lying to Congress.

=> ↺ Axios ☛ All the GOP lawmakers who have called for George Santos’ ouster

• More than a dozen of Rep. George Santos’ (R-N.Y.) fellow members of Congress have demanded he resign or be expelled from Congress – calls that ticked up after he was charged and indicted by the Justice Department.

=> ↺ Axios ☛ The trust-nothing election

• Brace yourself for a new, scary dynamic in American politics: the trust-nothing era.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Kindergarten teacher in China quits job after making 10 years’ worth of salary in one live stream

• She gained popularity online from videos of her teaching students to sing nursery rhymes.

Censorship/Free Speech

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Beijing asks rights group to withdraw award to jailed Hong Kong barrister

• The move comes as Hong Kong plans to ban ‘insults’ to the city flag, hits out at satirical cartoon.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Authorities shut down artwork referring to China’s ‘last generation’

• Amid youth unemployment and disenchantment, Xi Jinping calls on young people to do agricultural labor

=> ↺ US News And World Report ☛ Analysis-China Keeps up Campaign to Pressure Critics Abroad Despite Western Backlash

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Korean NGO says Chinese officials visited office after they awarded rights prize to detained Hong Kong Tiananmen activist

• Three officials from the Chinese embassy in South Korea have visited the office of a Korean organisation after it awarded a rights prize to a detained Hong Kong Tiananmen crackdown vigil activist, the NGO says.

Civil Rights/Policing

=> ↺ Latvia ☛ Two police officers accused of assaulting detainee

• The Internal Security Bureau (IDB) has sent a case for prosecution against two Daugavpils municipal police officials who are alleged to have abused their position of service by exerting undue physical force against an individual, the IDB said on May 10.

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously vote to let city leader restrict overseas lawyers from national security cases

• Hong Kong’s legislature unanimously passed a bill on Wednesday which essentially allows the chief executive to decide whether overseas counsel can take part in the city’s national security cases. The Legislative Council (LegCo) passed the Legal Practitioners (Amendment) Bill 2023 on Wednesday with no opposing votes.

=> ↺ US News And World Report ☛ Biden Administration Acknowledges ‘Challenges’ Ahead, Defends Post-Title 42 Plans

• The secretary of homeland security blamed Congress for decades of inaction on immigration reform, while admitting the administration is ‘clear-eyed’ about what’s coming.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ U.S. Warns Migrants Before End of Pandemic Restrictions That ‘Border Is Not Open’

• Officials are bracing for an increase in illegal border crossings as Title 42, a pandemic-era health policy that allowed officials to expel migrants quickly, ends on Thursday.

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ The Biden administration is preparing for the end of Title 42

• A controversial immigration policy—Title 42—is finally set to be lifted three years after it was implemented as the Biden administration prepares to roll out a new immigration policy.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Mexico Allows Tens of Thousands of Migrants to Travel to U.S. Border

• In April, nearly 30,000 humanitarian visas were issued to migrants, according to government data, more than triple the monthly average in the first three months of the year.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Aboard ‘the Beast’ Train on a Journey From Mexico to America

• Migrants slip onto a freight train in Mexico headed north to Ciudad Juárez, where most will try to cross into the United States.

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ Cake-throwing protesters called for an audit of Volkswagen’s Xinjiang plant

• Activists interrupted an annual Volkswagen (VW) shareholder meeting in Berlin on Wednesday (May 10), according to a report from Reuters.

=> ↺ Mexico News Daily ☛ AMLO, Biden share phone call as US Title 42’s end looms

• The two presidents pledged to work on solutions for migration, fentanyl smuggling and arms trafficking in a one-hour phone call on Tuesday.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ The US Gets Ready to Arrest Thousands of Migrants at Its Border

• The Biden administration announced that a first group of 550 troops will be sent to the U.S.-Mexico border to support immigration enforcement.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Mayor Adams Says Jordan Neely’s ‘Life Mattered’ in Speech

• Mayor Eric Adams, whose response to Jordan Neely’s death has angered other city leaders, said the killing “never should have happened” but that “we have no control” over the legal process.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Kurdish voters dream of country ‘without discrimination’ ahead of Turkish polls

• As Turkey prepares to go to the polls on May 14 to choose between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Turkey’s 15 to 20 million Kurdish voters could well be the kingmakers. FRANCE 24 reports.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Protesters disrupt Volkswagen shareholder meeting over alleged Uyghur forced labor

• Inside and outside, activists chant, throw cake and impersonate China’s president.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

=> ↺ Public Knowledge ☛ Public Knowledge Files Comments Urging FCC To Help Keep Incarcerated People Connected

• We join comments on the FCC’s proceeding to end predatory pricing for calling incarcerated people.

Digital Restrictions (DRM)

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Whose Queen? Netflix and Egypt Spar Over an African Cleopatra. [Ed: Turning culture into DRM should be the bigger scandal.]

• Egyptians say the influential streaming service is dragging an ancient queen into a modern, and decidedly Western, debate — about Black representation in Hollywood — in which she has no real place.

Monopolies

=> ↺ Reuters ☛ UK restricts Microsoft, Activision from buying interest in each other | Reuters

• Britain’s competition regulator has published an interim order restricting Microsoft and Activision from acquiring an interest in each other without its consent, weeks after it blocked their $69 billion merger.

=> ↺ EU Likely To Approve Microsoft’s $69B Acquisition of Activision Blizzard [Ed: But it is blocked by then UK, so no-go]

=> ↺ EU Likely To Approve Microsoft’s $69B Acquisition of Activision Blizzard [Ed: But it is blocked by then UK, so no-go]

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Report: EU expected to approve Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard acquisition

Patents

=> ↺ Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Judge Newman vs. Chief Judge Moore

• The lawsuit stems from the move by the Chief along with other members of the court to forcibly remove Judge Newman from office pursuant to the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act of 1980.   Of course, the Constitution indicates that impeachment is the process for removing a Federal Judge, not some internal process, even if authorized by Congress.

• The lawsuit asks for the Act to be held unconstitutional; any ongoing proceedings held unconstitutional; declare any secrecy order on Judge Newman to be a violation of her rights; etc. The complaint also reveals some previously unreported allegations.

=> ↺ Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Comments on USPTO Proposed Fee Changes

• The USPTO has proposed a major set of patent fee revisions. One purpose of the new fees is to raise revenue. It is also clear that the proposal is designed to shift patent applicant behavior along certain fronts.  You can read more at the following links.

• [...]

• I submitted a brief comment arguing that before any fee shifting occurs, it is essential to conduct an economic analysis to forecast the impact on USPTO revenue and on innovator behavior.  In the commentary, I outline four general categories of fees, including (1) fees designed to raise money for the USPTO, (2) fees that create a costly screen, (3) fees that shift behavior without substantially shifting rights or raising overall costs, and (4) fees that discourage certain behaviors that result in a loss of rights for users.

Copyrights

=> ↺ Digital Music News ☛ EDAM Entertainment Issues Statement on IU Plagiarism Allegations

• EDAM Entertainment has issued a statement on allegations that singer-songwriter IU has plagiarized elements from six of her songs. South Korean singer-songwriter IU has been anonymously accused of plagiarizing six songs from other artists, to which EDAM Entertainment, her agency, has issued a statement.

=> ↺ Digital Music News ☛ How Much Does a Successful Pop Group Signed to a Major Label Make on Spotify? Not That Much, According to a New Study

• How much does a commercially prominent pop group make from Spotify royalties when signed to a major label? That’s one of several questions that industry researcher Daniel Johansson attempts to answer in a new “quantitative analysis of Swedish artists on Spotify.”

=> ↺ Public Domain Review ☛ Indian Sign Talk (1893)

• An early guide to communicating in the language now known as Plains Indian Sign Language.

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