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● 06.02.23

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● Links 02/06/2023: NixOS 23.05 and Rust 1.70.0

Posted in News Roundup at 1:10 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

Desktop/Laptop

=> ↺ System76 ☛ The Galago Pro’s Latest Upgrades Make it the Highest Performing Ultraportable System76 Laptop

• The new Galago Pro will feature the latest 13th Gen Intel CPU, including the i5-13500H and i7-13700H H-class processors, alongside integrated Intel graphics and a faster 144Hz screen. This marks a significant move for the Galago Pro as it is the first time the laptop will feature an H-class CPU.

• The new Galago Pro raises the bar with enhanced specifications, boasting 2 more cores (14 vs 12), up to 4 additional threads, a higher max clock speed (5.0 GHz vs 4.7 GHz), and larger cache at 24MB vs 18MB. These improvements catapult the Galago Pro to the forefront of the Ultraportable laptop line, delivering unparalleled power and efficiency for seamless multitasking in an H class, lightweight beauty.

=> ↺ Liliputing ☛ System76 Galago Pro Linux Laptop now available with up to Core i7-13700H

• The latest System76 Galago Pro is a 3.2 pound laptop with a 14.1 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixel, 144 Hz matte display as well as Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, and Gigabit Ethernet ports.

• Available now with support for up to a 13th-gen Intel Core i7-13700H processor with 14 cores and 20 threads, it’s also the first member of the Galago Pro family to feature a 45-watt Core H-series processor.

Audiocasts/Shows

=> ↺ Tux Digital ☛ This Week in Linux 224: KDE Plasma 6, COSMIC Desktop, CodeWeavers, Lutris, Arch Linux & More Linux News

• On this episode of This Week in Linux, we got some news about the upcoming desktop environments of KDE Plasma 6 and COSMIC desktop from System76. Then we take a look a the news of CodeWeavers changing their company structure and the changes from Arch Linux.

Kernel Space

=> ↺ Sunsetting buffer heads: nobody likes the venerable buffer-head data structure, but getting rid of it is not an easy task.

=> ↺ A development-process discussion: trying to come to grips, again, with the problems of maintainer overload and frustrated contributors.

=> ↺ FUSE and io_uring: an effort to use io_uring in FUSE to improve performance.

=> ↺ Fanotify and hierarchical storage management: fanotify can be used for HSM, but some additions would make it better; meanwhile, there are some deadlocks and races that need to be addressed.

=> ↺ Monitoring mount operations: discussion on the needs for monitoring mount and unmount activity in the system.

=> ↺ Page aging with hardware counters: can the kernel’s understanding of memory access patterns be usefully improved with hardware assistance?

=> ↺ The intersection of lazy RCU and memory reclaim: a discussion of the memory-management implications of the lazy RCU mechanism.

=> ↺ Memory passthrough for virtual machines: an effort to improve the efficiency of memory management in virtualized workloads.

=> ↺ Phyr: a potential scatterlist replacement: working toward a better representation of DMA operations in both the CPU and device spaces.

=> ↺ Fighting the zombie-memcg invasion: memory control groups have long presented memory-management problems of their own. This session explored the current difficulties and how they might be fixed.

=> ↺ Toward a swap abstraction layer: a proposal to bring some much-needed structure to the swap subsystem.

=> ↺ A slab allocator (removal) update: what is being done to reduce the number of slab allocators in the kernel.

=> ↺ Reliable user-space stack traces with SFrame: a derivative of the kernel’s ORC format may provide a more efficient way to reliably produce user-space stack traces.

=> ↺ TechCrunch ☛ The Linux Foundation Europe launches RISE, the RISC-V Software Ecosystem project [Ed: I's rather revealing that Microsoft propagandist Frederic Lardinois is pushing this. This isn't about freedom. 'Linux' Foundation is about undermining communities and sometimes about adding back doors, surveillance, outsourcing to Microsoft etc.]

=> ↺ Collabora ☛ USB 3.0 preliminary support in U-boot for Radxa Rock-5B

• A while back I presented USB 2.0 host support that was added to U-boot for the Radxa Rock-5B RK3588 Rockchip board. This time, USB 3.0 was added with support for the host and gadget.

Instructionals/Technical

=> ↺ AddictiveTips ☛ How to easily backup Flatpak apps on Linux

• Flatpaks are used a lot these days on Linux, but a lot of them don’t have a system to back up configuration files. So, if you move to a new Linux installation, you’ll have to re-configure all of your Flatpak apps.

• Thankfully, a program like JdFlatpakSnapshot exists. With this program, a Linux user can back up their Flatpak configuration files in the form of a compressed snapshot for safekeeping. In this guide, we’ll show you how to create Flatpak app snapshots with JdFlatpakSnapshot.

Desktop Environments/WMs

GNOME Desktop/GTK

=> ↺ OMG! Linux ☛ Is GNOME Shell Getting an Official Light Theme?

• Support for a light theme in GNOME Shell was merged upstream this week — though before anyone panic, I must stress it won’t be shipping as the default option…

Distributions and Operating Systems

New Releases

=> ↺ LWN ☛ NixOS 23.05 released [LWN.net]

• A new version of NixOS, which is a Linux distribution based on the Nix package manager, has been released: NixOS 23.05 is now available. The release notes list numerous updates, including Nix 2.13, Linux 6.1, glibc 2.37, Cinnamon 5.6, GNOME 44, and KDE Plasma 5.27.

=> ↺ NixOS 23.05 released

• The 23.05 release was made possible due to the efforts of 1867 contributors, who authored 36566 commits since the previous release. Our thanks go the contributors who also take care of the continued stability and security of our stable release.

• NixOS is already known as the most up to date distribution while also being the distribution with the most packages. This release saw 16240 new packages and 13524 updated packages in Nixpkgs. We also removed 13466 packages in an effort to keep the package set maintainable and secure. In addition to packages the NixOS distribution also features modules and tests that make it what it is. This release brought 282 new modules and removed 183. In that process we added 2882 options and removed 728.

Fedora Family / IBM

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Three insights you might have missed from Red Hat Summit [Ed: It's a bit of a scandal that Red Hat -- like Microsoft and 'Linux' Foundation -- is literally buying articles about itself from this faux 'publisher']

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ The rise of artificial intelligence: How language models and NLP are transforming industries [Ed: More "artificial intelligence" chaff from Red Hat, namedropping Microsoft proprietary spyware, and funded by Red Hat. This is corroding journalism. It's basically paid-for spam/cruft.]

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Intel, Dell and Red Hat unite to power AI and edge computing revolution [Ed: The 'rhsummit' in the URL tells people that Red Hat paid for this puff piece about itself, with "AI" and "edge computing revolution" varnish thrown in for spammy purposes; why are publishers turning their sites into corporate spamfarms]

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Edge computing: A supercharger for automating industrial operations [Ed: Buzzwords spam from Red Hat, sponsored by Red Hat, to promote Red Hat. This isn't journalism.]

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Achieving resilient cloud architecture: The key to elasticity and scalability [Ed: More Red Hat spam, "clown computing" staged interview, sponsored by the company it is about]

Canonical/Ubuntu Family

=> ↺ Linux Magazine ☛ An All-Snap Version of Ubuntu is In The Works

• Along with the standard deb version of the open-source operating system, Canonical will release an-all snap version.

=> ↺ 9to5Linux ☛ Canonical: We Are Excited to Explore the Idea of a Fully Containerized, Immutable Ubuntu Desktop

• Canonical says that it’s excited to explore the idea of a fully containerized and immutable Ubuntu desktop in the near future.

=> ↺ It’s FOSS ☛ Snap-based Immutable Ubuntu Desktop to Come With 24.04 LTS!

• Canonical’s Snap packaging system has been the center of many controversies in the Linux world since its inception back in 2014.

• There are two sides to it, one side supports Snaps due to its ease of use, and the other side isn’t a fan of Canonical’s closed-source approach to it.

• And this upcoming move by them is just going to stir the pot even more.

=> ↺ Ars Technica ☛ A Snap-based, containerized Ubuntu desktop could be offered in 2024 | Ars Technica

• Ubuntu published a blog post about its Ubuntu Core desktop work after this Ars Technica post was published. Noting that Snaps “are a little famous for having some rough edges on the desktop,” Product Manager Oliver Smith writes that, “[n]evertheless, we are excited to explore the idea of a fully containerised [UK sic] desktop, where each component is immutable and isolated.” Ubuntu, Smith writes, has been “steadily improving” desktop snaps, and, “in due course, when we think the entire system can be delivered this way,” a desktop Core version will be offered.

• Ubuntu’s post suggests that a Core-based desktop would allow for “secure boot, recovery states and hardware backed encryption,” experiments “with alternative desktop environment snaps,” and opting in to certain kernel channels, such as those with the latest NVIDIA drivers. Original post follows.]

• Ubuntu Core has existed since 2014, providing a fully containerized, immutable Linux distribution aimed at Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing applications. Each piece of the system contains all the dependencies it requires, and just enough of its own tiny Linux architecture, that applications are largely sandboxed from one another, providing better security and, in theory, stability and ease of upgrades and rollbacks.

=> ↺ Web Pro News ☛ An Immutable All-Snap Ubuntu Desktop Is Coming Next Year

• Ubuntu plans to release an all-snap immutable version of Ubuntu for the desktop, a move that could be a turning point for the Linux distro.

• Canonical and its Ubuntu have done more to popularize Linux than virtually any other Linux distro, making the open source operating system accessible to the masses. In recent years, however, the company has made a number of decisions that have alienated users, none as much as snaps.

• Snaps are Ubuntu’s universal package format, designed to work across all distros, including Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, openSUSE, and more — all without requiring developers to build their apps for the specific distro they’re targeting.

Open Hardware/Modding

=> ↺ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Milk-V Unveils RISC-V Raspberry Pi Alternative: Milk-V Mars

• The middle board in a trio of RISC-V Raspberry Pi alternatives finally gets a name and a spec sheet, but no price.

Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

=> ↺ CNET ☛ Google Drops New Features for Android and Wear OS: Here Are The Details – CNET

=> ↺ GO Media ☛ This Android Malware Was Downloaded Over 420 Million Times

=> ↺ TechRadar ☛ This dangerous malware spoofs top Android apps to infect your device – here’s how to stay safe | TechRadar

=> ↺ Tom’s Guide ☛ Google announces Android feature drop right before WWDC — here’s the full list | Tom’s Guide

=> ↺ Android Police ☛ Google launches a fresh fleet of features across Android phones and watches

=> ↺ Lifewire ☛ Google Announces 7 Android Features Like New Widgets and Shortcuts

=> ↺ HowTo Geek ☛ 10 Mistakes New Android Users Make

=> ↺ CNX Software ☛ Orange Pi 800 Keyboard PC gets 128GB flash storage – CNX Software

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

=> ↺ Linux Links ☛ Best Free and Open Source Software – May 2023

• Here are the latest updates to our compilation of recommended software. Open source software at its finest.

Programming/Development

=> ↺ Rlang ☛ CRAN Task Views: The next generation

• New arXiv working paper on the relaunch of the CRAN Task View Initiative providing better infrastructure and workflows for proposing and maintaining CRAN Task Views and fostering interactions with the R community.

=> ↺ Rlang ☛ Demystifying Regular Expressions: A Programmer’s Guide for Beginners

• Regular expressions, often abbreviated as regex, are powerful tools used in programming to match and manipulate text patterns.

=> ↺ Evan Hahn ☛ How to compute the distance between two Cartesian points in JavaScript

• Given two Cartesian coordinates, here’s how you compute the distance between them: [...]

=> ↺ TecAdmin ☛ The Difference Between Git Reset –soft, –mixed, and –hard

• Git is one of the most popular Version Control Systems (VCS) currently in use, and it provides a wide range of commands to manage and manipulate the history of your codebase. Understanding these commands and their subtleties can significantly improve your efficiency and the way you work with a codebase.

=> ↺ TecAdmin ☛ Understanding the Staging Area in Git’s Workflow

• Git, the popular distributed version control system, introduces a unique feature in its workflow known as the “staging area” or “index”. This intermediate space acts as a preparatory area for commits, providing developers with fine-grained control over their version history.

Rust

=> ↺ Rust Blog ☛ Announcing Rust 1.70.0 | Rust Blog

• The Rust team is happy to announce a new version of Rust, 1.70.0. Rust is a programming language empowering everyone to build reliable and efficient software.

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Rust 1.70.0 released

• Version 1.70.0 of the Rust language is out. Changes include enabling the “sparse” protocol for Cargo, a couple of new types for the initialization of shared data, and more. “”You should see substantially improved performance when fetching information from the crates.io index.””

Leftovers

=> ↺ YLE ☛ HS: Collapsed Espoo bridge not assembled in line with manufacturer instructions

• The temporary footbridge gave way earlier this month, injuring 24 people, most of whom were eighth grade teenagers on a school trip.

=> ↺ YLE ☛ It’s crazy, it’s mural! Finnish city plans Käärijä tribute

• The Cha Cha Cha star’s home city of Vantaa is planning a large wall mural to mark the rapper’s Eurovision achievements.

=> ↺ Vice Media Group ☛ A Medieval Comedy Act Has Been Discovered in First-Ever Find, Researcher Says

• With jokes about drinking and killer rabbits, the incredible discovery shows tropes of British humor stretch back centuries.

=> ↺ Jay Little ☛ Caveat Emptor – Nightdive Studios, System Shock and Crowdfunding Risk

• Back in 2016, a younger and mildly more optimistic Jay heard about a Kickstarter Campaign for a remake of the classic title, System Shock. Young Jay had fond memories of the original and immediately pledged $30 to help turn the dream into reality. Expected delivery was in December of 2017. Actual delivery for some was yesterday: May 30th, 2023.

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Top AWS data center executive Chris Vonderhaar departs

Science

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ NASA UFO Panels Says It’s Pushing U.S. To Collect Better Data

• A task force has not found any evidence that unidentified anomalous phenomena represent signs of extraterrestrial visits.

=> ↺ Vice Media Group ☛ Mysterious Metallic Orbs Flying ‘All Over the World,’ Pentagon Says at NASA UFO Panel

• Key takeaways from the first public meeting of NASA’s Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena independent study team.

Education

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Mississippi Schools Are Offering Lessons for America on Education

• The state shows that poverty is no excuse for failing to teach kids to read.

Hardware

=> ↺ What is a Motion Sensor Light and How Does It Work?

• Many of us have experienced their presence near hands-free sinks at bathrooms and near the automatic sliding doors of storefronts, malls and restaurants. You may have turned one on as a dimmable light switch to detect occupancy inside a room, shop, or commercial building. We have a guide on how to make one with Raspberry Pi to design your own home security system. Let’s find out everything there is about motion sensor lights, how to install one, and how they work to trigger a response when they detect the presence of a human or pet.

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ UN Allocates 18 Mln USD to Address Food Security in Yemen

• “…to provide aid to an estimated 80% of the population…”

=> ↺ YLE ☛ Helsinki intravenous drug users in grip of HIV epidemic, support centre says

• There has been a significant increase in the number of drug users contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) over the past three years, the Hivpoint organisation says.

=> ↺ TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ DNR: Legislature must decide if Boundary Waters should get more nonferrous mining protections

• In a news release, the agency said the rules were “largely protective” of the wilderness but could be bolstered to better protect the BWCAW from light and sound pollution.

=> ↺ uni Stanford ☛ Rising rates of binge drinking, high-risk behavior among students, survey shows

• According to Stanford’s most recent “Alcohol and Drug Use Survey” results, students have reported increased rates of engaging in high-risk behaviors surrounding substances compared to 2019. A majority of students disagree with the University’s current policies on drugs and alcohol.

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ Owners of Purdue pharmaceutical company win immunity from all civil legal claims

• The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled on Tuesday that the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, shall be granted immunity from current and future civil legal claims in exchange for a $6 billion settlement. This settlement will go towards efforts to help those suffering from opioid addiction.

=> ↺ Off Guardian ☛ “Cool the Mark Out”: How the media minimizes Covid vaccine injuries

• Dennis Riches via Propaganda in Focus I regard consensus science as an extremely pernicious development that ought to be stopped cold in its tracks. Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ U.K. Government Refuses to Give Boris Johnson’s Texts to Covid Inquiry

• A panel examining how Britain handled the pandemic wants copies of the former prime minister’s text messages, but the government is taking the matter to court.

Pseudo-Open Source

Openwashing

=> ↺ Venture Beat ☛ Want to easily deploy an open-source LLM? Anyscale’s Aviary project takes flight

• Aviary today launches its new open-source Aviary project to help simplify open-source large language model (LLM) deployment.

Security

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Security updates for Thursday [LWN.net]

• Security updates have been issued by Debian (libwebp, openssl, sssd, and texlive-bin), Fedora (bitcoin-core, editorconfig, edk2, mod_auth_openidc, pypy, pypy3.9, python3.10, and python3.8), Red Hat (kernel, openssl, pcs, pki-core:10.6, and qatzip), SUSE (chromium, ImageMagick, openssl-1_1, and tiff), and Ubuntu (cups, libvirt, and linux, linux-aws, linux-aws-5.15, linux-azure, linux-azure-5.15, linux-gcp, linux-gcp-5.15, linux-gke, linux-gke-5.15, linux-gkeop, linux-hwe-5.15, linux-hwe-5.19, linux-ibm, linux-kvm, linux-lowlatency, linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.15, linux-oracle, linux-oracle-5.15, linux-raspi).

=> ↺ SANS ☛ Your Business Data and Machine Learning at Risk: Attacks Against Apache NiFi, (Tue, May 30th)

• A dataset used for machine learning may arrive in one format [...] but to conveniently use it for training, it must be converted to JSON or inserted into a database. The features are not just attractive to machine learning, but many business processes require similar functionality.

=> ↺ Scoop News Group ☛ Southeast Asian hacking crew racks up victims, rapidly expands criminal campaign

• A group called “Dark Pink” is likely based in Southeast Asia and shows signs of development and ongoing activity, researchers say.

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ New Rezilion Smart Fix offers guidance to patching vulnerable components [Ed: Yet another company that sells "patches as a disservice"]

=> ↺ Help Net Security ☛ Kali Linux 2023.2 released: New tools, a pre-built Hyper-V image, a new audio stack, and more! [Ed: Cladded with Microsoft spam/ads and pushing this as a Microsoft proprietary thing, with back doors (Hyper-V)]

• Offensive Security has released Kali Linux 2023.2, the latest version of its popular penetration testing and digital forensics platform.

=> ↺ Data Breaches ☛ Another hospital hit by ransomware: Mission Community Hospital

• On Wednesday, RansomHouse threat actors claimed responsibility for the attack and provided a number of files as proof. They claim to have downloaded 2.5 TB of data.

• [...]

• There is no statement or notice about any incident or breach on the hospital’s website. DataBreaches has sent an inquiry asking them about the claimed attack and their response to date. This post will be updated if a reply is received or more information becomes available.

=> ↺ Bleeping Computer ☛ Barracuda zero-day abused since 2022 to drop new malware, steal data

• Network and email security firm Barracuda today revealed that a recently patched zero-day vulnerability had been exploited for at least seven months to backdoor customers’ Email Security Gateway (ESG) appliances with custom malware and steal data.

• The company says an ongoing investigation found that the bug (tracked as CVE-2023-2868) was first exploited in October 2022 to gain access to “a subset of ESG appliances” and deploy backdoors designed to provide the attackers with persistent access to the compromised systems.

=> ↺ Dark Reading ☛ Yet Another Toyota Cloud Data Breach Jeopardizes Thousands of Customers [Ed: When the car collects far too much data about you (for no good reason of benefit to you)]

• Toyota Motor Corp. today announced its discovery of yet another data breach — this time, two misconfigured cloud services were found leaking 260,000 car owners’ personal information over a seven-year period.

• This discovery comes after the car manufacturer conducted an investigation of its cloud features in the wake of announcing earlier in the month that the data of 2.15 million customers was available for over 10 years to anyone on the Internet, also due to a misconfigured cloud bucket.

=> ↺ Radiology practice suffers ‘significant’ cyberattack

• An Oregon radiology practice suffered a “significant” cyberattack over the Memorial Day weekend, according to published reports.

• Medford Radiology Group has retained a team of computer forensics experts to help aid in its response. The 75-year-old practice also has alerted partner organizations such as the Asante and Providence hospital systems after learning of the incident on May 26.

• “We are utilizing all available resources to offer radiology services and patient care to the extent possible while our experts and the Medford team work as quickly as possible to fully restore operations,” the practice said in a statement shared with local media outlets.

=> ↺ BlackByte attacks City of Augusta, GA and demands a ransom of $2 million [Ed: Windows TCO, see screenshot]

• In this article we will not only address the part relating to the attack carried out by BlackByte on the IT systems of the City of Augusta, the theft of tens of GB of data or the real amount of the ransom requested by the ransomware group. Above all, we will tell about the negligence and errors committed by a high-level employee of the IT department and his poor management and security of the data of the employees and citizens of the American city, but above all of his lack of supervision

Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

=> ↺ Vice Media Group ☛ Maryland License Plates Now Inadvertently Advertising Filipino Online Casino

• A URL on the license plates of 800,000 Maryland cars now redirects to an online casino based in the Philippines.

Privacy/Surveillance

=> ↺ Vice Media Group ☛ FTC Orders Ring to Pay $5.8 Million in Refunds For Surveilling Customers, Failing to Stop Hackers

• Ring previously allowed any employee to access customer’s private videos and failed to implement basic security mechanisms. Security issues raised by the FTC are ones Motherboard found during a 2019 hacking spree.

=> ↺ Latvia ☛ Latvian ‘Work Tinder’ aims to match employers and young people

• A similar tool to a dating app is intended to reduce youth unemployment. For three weeks, young people have been able to meet with companies for a 15-minute interview on a new digital platform called “Work Tinder” (Darba Tinderis). For the time being, the project has a high level of youth activity, but the participation of entrepreneurs is less inspiring, Latvian Radio reported May 31.

=> ↺ Stacey on IoT ☛ The economy is stalling the adoption of the smart home [Ed: Good riddance, "smart" (spy) home, a yuppie Utopia for insecure dummies]

• oncerns about the economy and anemic home sales are a potential problem for the smart home, according to conversations I had with attendees at the Parks Associates Connections smart home event in Dallas this week.

Confidentiality

=> ↺ SCMP ☛ Hong Kong privacy watchdog warns data management firm over possible exposure of credit histories of 180,000 people

• Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has threatened to take legal action against a data management firm for failing to protect the credit histories of about 180,000 people from unauthorised access.

• The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data on Thursday said it received a complaint in December 2021 from an individual who found his credit data stored in a database called TE Credit Reference System had been accessed by eight money lending companies without his consent.

Defence/Aggression

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ Afghanistan dispatch: international terror groups have found a home in Taliban territory

• Law students and young lawyers in Afghanistan are filing reports with JURIST on the situation there after the Taliban takeover.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Lithuania records over 4,000 cyber attacks in 2022

• Lithuania recorded more than 4,000 cyber attacks in 2022, according to the Defence Ministry’s National Cyber Security Report published on Wednesday.

=> ↺ The Atlantic ☛ Jack Teixeira Should Have Been Stopped Again and Again

• How did the worst leak in a decade take almost a year to be detected?

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ EU Intensifies Effort To Calm Crisis In North Kosovo As Serb Protesters Rally

• European Union officials met on May 31 with Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Bratislava as part of international efforts to end a crisis in Kosovo that for days has drawn ethnic-Serb demonstrators into the streets of northern towns in the former province of Serbia.

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Adaptability, liquidity key to Qantas resilience: Joyce

• Qantas boss Alan Joyce says future pandemics, cyber attacks and global conflict still pose a threat to the airline industry as he prepares to depart the company after 15 years in the cockpit.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Gunmen Kill Soldier In Attack On Polio Workers In Pakistan

• Gunmen killed one soldier and wounded another on May 31 when they opened fire on security forces escorting a team of polio workers during a door-to-door inoculation campaign in a former Pakistani Taliban stronghold near the Afghan border, police said.

=> ↺ Bruce Schneier ☛ Chinese Hacking of US Critical Infrastructure [Ed: Schneier gas become a Microsoft parrot; Guam should dump Microsoft]

• Everyone is writing about an interagency and international report on Chinese hacking of US critical infrastructure.

• Lots of interesting details about how the group, called Volt Typhoon, accesses target networks and evades detection.

=> ↺ YLE ☛ Swedish police evacuate flight to Finland following “joke” bomb threat

• A plane passenger at Stockholm Arlanda Airport first claimed there was a bomb on board, later saying the threat was a “joke”.

=> ↺ Vice Media Group ☛ Everything You Ever Needed to Know About Hypersonic Missiles

• The “unstoppable” weapons have been making a lot of headlines, but the truth is complicated.

=> ↺ Vice Media Group ☛ ‘The Comm’: The Group Linked to a Nationwide Swatting Rampage

• Court records and Telegram message reveal the FBI’s investigation into a cybercrime gang called “the Comm” and a subgroup named “ACG.” Members are allegedly linked to a nationwide wave of swattings that targeted schools and universities.

=> ↺ AntiWar ☛ One Hundred Years of Kissinger

• As Henry Kissinger celebrated his 100th year birthday, during this Memorial weekend, mainstream media lauded his brilliance and lifetime of achievement. Predictably ignored, were the literally thousands of Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese children, whose chance to reach adulthood was cruelly severed by Kissinger- promoted airstrikes.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Myanmar troops torch Sagaing region village a second time

• Other communities also burned, forcing thousands to flee.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Guards beat prison inmates to death in Myanmar’s Bago region, sources say

• The prisoners were accused of feeding information to a People’s Defense Force.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Lithuania to reinstate checks on borders with Poland, Latvia for NATO summit

• Lithuania will reinstate internal Schengen border controls before, during, and after the NATO summit in Vilnius.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General’s Office Requests Permission To Prosecute Opposition Leader

• The Kyrgyz Prosecutor-General’s Office on May 31 formally asked lawmakers to allow the prosecution of the leader of the opposition Butun (United) Kyrgyzstan party over alleged attempts to seize power.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Hague Panel Rejects Appeal By Milosevic Spymasters, Lengthens Prison Sentences

• A panel of UN judges on May 31 have rejected the appeals by two former Serbian intelligence officers against their convictions two years ago for murder, crimes against humanity, and other offenses in western Bosnia during the 1992-95 war there, and expanded their sentences in the process.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ EU Places Sanctions On Seven For Destabilizing Moldova, Doubles Macroeconomic Support

• The European Union has announced sanctions on seven individuals accused of destabilizing actions against Moldova and that it was doubling its grant of macroeconomic support to 290 million euros ($310 million).

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Sudanese Army Suspends Ceasefire Talks With Rebel Forces

• The Army closed the Al-Fatihab bridge linking Khartoum and Omdurman, while warplanes were flying over the area.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Sudan: Clashes Continue Even After Ceasefire Extended

• “The army hasn’t used its full deadly power, but it will be forced to do so…”

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ IAEA Chief: Situation at Zaporizhzhia NP Plant Dangerous

• “Military activities continue in the region and may well increase very considerably in the near future”

=> ↺ Digital Music News ☛ Third Person Now Charged in 2002 Murder of Run-DMC Star Jam Master Jay

• A third man has now been charged in the murder of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay — the latest development in a case long thought cold. Federal prosecutors in New York filed an indictment Tuesday charging 49-year-old Jay Bryant in the 2002 shooting death of Jason Mizell, better known as Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay.

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ Time to double down: ICC arrest warrants in Libya are a great start but Libyans deserve more

• While these ICC arrest warrants may be the accountability spark Libya desperately needs, the country will require more to be uprooted.

=> ↺ The Strategist ☛ Defence strategic review comes up short on airpower

• When examining the public version of the defence strategic review, it’s important to remember that it’s an unclassified version of a classified document and we’re not seeing the full picture.

War in Ukraine

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ What’s so bad about mercenaries?

• Host and Nonresident Senior Fellow Alia Brahimi speaks with the philosopher Professor Tony Coady about the key characteristics of mercenaries, the Geneva Conventions, and more.

=> ↺ Latvia ☛ Latvian government approves 3 million euros in aid for Chernihiv, Ukraine

• On June 1, 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposals prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Latvia’s involvement in the reconstruction of Ukraine in 2023, setting out specific support measures for the reconstruction of Chernihiv Oblast.

=> ↺ Latvia ☛ Latvian Saeima: Ukraine must be accepted into NATO

• The Saeima urges NATO to take a decision on inviting Ukraine to participate in the alliance and to formulate specific tasks for the rapid integration of Ukraine into the alliance, the Saeima Press Service said on June 1.

=> ↺ AntiWar ☛ The Compulsion To Intervene

• Originally posted at TomDispatch. Allow me to come clean: I worry every time Max Boot vents enthusiastically about a prospective military action. Whenever that Washington Post columnist professes optimism about some upcoming bloodletting, misfortune tends to follow.

=> ↺ AntiWar ☛ Tonight’s Movie at 90 Seconds to Midnight: Fail Safe

• With the war in Ukraine raging, and Putin threatening to use nuclear weapons, the world is moving ever closer to complete annihilation.

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ How the United States and Poland can use this moment to reshape transatlantic security

• Poland and the United States must keep Ukraine front and center, maintain transatlantic unity, and champion democratic values. Our Warsaw Week charted a way forward.

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ Russian War Report: Moscow is on edge after the latest drone attack

• Drone strikes in Moscow have the Kremlin on high alert. In Georgia, the pro-Russia Prime Minister blamed NATO for Russian invasion of Ukraine.

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ The fight against courtroom corruption continues in wartime Ukraine

• Despite the existential challenges created by Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine continues to make progress toward the reform of the country’s deeply discredited judicial system, writes Olena Halushka.

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ Ukraine dispatch: drone strikes on Moscow send a signal to the Kremlin

• Ukrainian law students and young lawyers are reporting for JURIST on developments in and affecting Ukraine. This dispatch is from Yulii Kozub, a law student from Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. He files this from Vienna.   On Tuesday, May 30, there was a mass aerial drone strike on Moscow.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ What It Takes to Protect Kyiv From Russian Bombardment

• Russian air attacks on Kyiv have come in relentless waves. Yet very little has penetrated the patched-together but increasingly sophisticated air defense network. Here’s why.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Lithuanian Seimas confers award on Ukraine’s parliament chair

• Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, was presented with an Aleksandras Stulginskis Star, an award established by the Lithuanian parliament, at a ceremony on Thursday.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Rally held outside Russian embassy in Vilnius in protest of Ukrainian children abductions

• Several dozen people rallied outside the Russian Embassy in Vilnius to protest the abduction of Ukrainian children.

=> ↺ Mint Press News ☛ Ukraine, Human Rights, and International Law, with Alfred de Zayas

• “If You Indict Putin, Make Sure Joe Biden Is With Him” – Alfred de Zayas on Ukraine and International Law

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Memorial Rights Group Branch In Yekaterinburg Fined For ‘Discrediting’ Russian Armed Forces

• A court in Russia’s Urals city of Yekaterinburg on June 1 fined a local branch of the Memorial human rights group 300,000 rubles ($3,700) for allegedly discrediting Russia’s armed forces involved in Moscow’s ongoing unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Reiterates That Ukraine Is Ready To Join NATO As Russian Strike Kills Child, Two Others In Kyiv

• President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has asked NATO for a “clear” decision on Ukraine’s future with the Western military alliance as another wave of air strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, including one child, who were shut out of an air-raid shelter.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Ukrainian Conflict Has Far-Reaching Negative Impact: Italy’s CB

• Besides increasing interest rates, the war has generated loss of purchasing power, reduced consumption, and deterioration in working conditions.

=> ↺ The Atlantic ☛ No Comment: The Biden White House Doesn’t Know When to Keep Quiet – The Atlantic

• The Biden administration undermines its cause with strategically witless statements.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Ukraine’s Future Ties to NATO Are Main Topic as Western Nations Meet

• The question of how to guarantee Ukrainian security loomed over a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Norway and a gathering of European leaders in Moldova.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Russian Missiles Kill 3 in Kyiv, Including Mother and 9-Year-Old Girl

• They were among three people killed in a Russian missile attack, officials said. Ukraine opened an investigation, as Russians described shelling and evacuations in border regions.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Russia Strikes Kyiv, Killing 3 in Another Early Morning Attack

• Russia has recently increased the pace and intensity of its strikes on the Ukrainian capital.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Zelensky Pushes for EU and NATO Membership at Meeting in Moldova

• “This year is for decisions,” President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said at the European Political Community gathering, which sought to showcase Western solidarity amid the Kremlin’s war.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ NATO Monitors Moldova’s Skies As European Leaders Gather

• NATO will monitor the skies over Moldova as more than 40 European leaders attend a summit close to Ukraine’s borders to show support for both countries as Kyiv prepares a counteroffensive against Russia’s invasion.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ U.S. Lawmakers Support International Tribunal To Prosecute Crimes Of Aggression In Ukraine

• U.S. lawmakers and a top U.S. diplomat expressed support on May 31 for the creation of an international tribunal separate from the International Criminal Court (ICC) to try crimes of aggression that have taken place during the war in Ukraine.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Goya’s war etchings from Ukraine national museum come on display in Vilnius

• Vilnius Picture Gallery hosts yet another exhibition in collaboration between the Lithuanian National Museum of Art and the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Ukraine. This time, the exhibition features two cycles of engravings by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ ‘We can’t trust them’: Anti-Russia sentiment grows in Finland

• Finland shares a 1,300-kilometre border with Russia. During the Cold War and until recently, its so-called “Finlandisation” doctrine meant neutrality, but the war in Ukraine has changed everything. Today, Finland is on its guard. Anti-Russian sentiment runs strong among the population, which has not forgotten the country’s previous armed conflicts with Moscow, as FRANCE 24’s team on the ground reports.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Three people including a child killed in fresh aerial assault on Kyiv

• Three people including a child were killed in a Russian missile strike on Kyiv early on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said. Ten people were injured in the strike. Follow our live blog for the latest developments on the war in Ukraine. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Zelensky presses case for Ukraine’s membership in NATO, EU at Moldova summit

• President Volodymyr Zelensky pressed his case for Ukraine to be part of the NATO military alliance as he joined European leaders on Thursday in Moldova ahead of an expected counter-offensive against Russia’s invasion.

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ China stands to gain from a weakened Russia. The West should prepare now.

• A protracted war of attrition in Ukraine serves Beijing’s interests in that it will lead to the long-term weakening of Russia, thereby fundamentally shifting the Sino-Russian power balance in China’s favor.

Environment

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting Kicks Off in Helsinki

• The most critical issues on the agenda include climate change and its impacts on Antarctica.

=> ↺ YLE ☛ Statistics Finland: Emissions down by 4% in 2022

• Efforts to decrease logging and the move away from natural gas contributed to the decline in emissions, according to the agency.

Energy/Transportation

=> ↺ H2 View ☛ US team develops cobalt-based catalyst that could ‘remove cost bottleneck for clean hydrogen production’

• A team led by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has developed a low-cost cobalt-based catalyst to be used to produce hydrogen from water electrolysis.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Europe Frets U.S. Battery Factory Subsidies Will Hurt, Not Help

• The European Union is trying to assemble the building blocks to produce electric cars, but subsidies are luring companies to the United States.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ $528 Billion Nuclear Cleanup Plan at Hanford Site in Jeopardy

• A $528 billion plan to clean up 54 million gallons of radioactive bomb-making waste may never be achieved. Government negotiators are looking for a compromise.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Lithuania extends gas compensation, scraps electricity subsidies for households [Ed: Lithuania has what's known as "energy poverty"... people so poor that they cannot afford to keep their body temperature at healthy levels]

• On Wednesday, the Lithuanian government backed a proposal to extend the existing natural gas price compensation for households for the second half of the year, but scrapped the state subsidies for electricity.

=> ↺ H2 View ☛ ZervoAvia and Birmingham Airport to explore on-site hydrogen production

• ZeroAvia and Birmingham Airport (BHX) have expanded their partnership to explore on-site renewable hydrogen production at the UK airport.

Wildlife/Nature

=> ↺ IDA ☛ Protected: Nightscape #112 · June 2023

Overpopulation

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ Breakthrough Colorado River plan: The benefits and limits

• With the Colorado River in near crisis, and talks on water use gridlocked, Arizona, California, and Nevada recently agreed to cut use. Their proposal shows progress, but has limits.

Finance

=> ↺ Helsinki Times ☛ Homeownership declines across EU as young adults find themselves locked out of the market

• Homeownership rates in the European Union (EU) have experienced a notable decline between 2012 and 2020, driven primarily by the decreasing ownership among young adults and low-income groups. This trend has resulted in an increase in the reliance on private rentals among the 20-29 age group, leading to housing insecurity and adequacy issues. A comprehensive report by Eurofound, titled “Unaffordable and Inadequate Housing in Europe,” sheds light on the housing problems faced by EU citizens, identifies affected population groups, analyzes relevant policies, and provides policy recommendations to improve the situation.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ A Vote on the Debt Deal

• Also, uninsurable climate risks. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.

=> ↺ Axios ☛ Debt ceiling bill clears Senate, heads to Biden’s desk

• The Senate passed a bill Thursday to raise the debt ceiling into 2025 and cut the deficit, sending the bill to President Biden’s desk.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ State Farm Stops Offering Insurance in California

• The largest insurer in California said it would stop offering new coverage. It’s part of a broader trend of companies pulling back from dangerous areas.

=> ↺ YLE ☛ S-Bank to acquire Handelsbanken’s private customer ops in Finland

• The deal also includes the acquisition of Handelsbanken’s asset management and investment services operations, according to S-Bank.

=> ↺ YLE ☛ Nordea: Housing market to recover in coming months

• “We will have to wait until next year for a significant increase in prices,” Nordea economist Juho Kostiainen said.

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ Teens or immigrants: Who should fill US jobs?

• A tight labor market means many teen summer workers have secured more hours and better pay. Meanwhile, states are considering a variety of proposals to expand teens’ roles in the workplace, a move critics worry will erode hard-won protections for minors.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Four Questions About the Biden-McCarthy Debt Ceiling Deal

• There is no obvious question about the country’s fiscal future that the Republican Party’s current policies propose an answer to.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ House Passes Debt Ceiling Bill in Bipartisan Vote to Avert Default

• An overwhelming bipartisan coalition pushed through the compromise struck by Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden, even as lawmakers in both parties signaled displeasure with the plan.

=> ↺ YLE ☛ Online grocery firm Oda shutting down in Finland after one year

• The Norwegian company plans to continue offering its logistics services to other firms in Finland.

=> ↺ The Atlantic ☛ The Indignity of Grocery Shopping

• In her latest work to be translated into English, Annie Ernaux examines the malaise of the modern supermarket.

=> ↺ WhichUK ☛ Mortgage rates rise as lenders pull hundreds of deals

• Nearly 800 mortgage products taken off market within a week

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Shine Justice to offload heavy finance costs onto pelvic mesh victims?

• Johnson & Johnson pelvic mesh victims have expressed dismay at efforts by their law firm, Shine Justice, to stiff them with extortionate finance costs. Callum Foote investigates.

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ C3 AI shares plummet on lower-than-expected outlook

=> ↺ The Atlantic ☛ Republicans Don’t Really Want to Cut Spending

• GOP leaders are starting to recognize that what the government funds is more popular than they like to claim.

=> ↺ The Atlantic ☛ Work Requirements Just Won’t Die

• The debt-ceiling deal rests on a cruel and ineffective policy.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Lithuania’s GDP down 2.5% in first quarter – estimate [Ed: Wait till they also account for inflation. Then it's down like 20 percent!!]

• Lithuania’s real gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of this year amounted to 16 billion euros at current prices, down 2.5 percent compared to the same time last year, Statistics Lithuania said in its second estimate.

=> ↺ Defence Web ☛ Denel bailouts total R9 billion over four years

• Further evidence of the drain Denel is on the public purse comes from Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan replying to a Parliamentary question.

=> ↺ CNN ☛ Job site ZipRecruiter cutting 20% of its staff

• Fewer employers looking for workers means 270 employees at job search site ZipRecruiter will soon be out of a job.

• The company is cutting 20% of its staff by the end of this month, the company disclosed in a filing late Wednesday.

• “This action was taken in response to current market conditions and after reducing other discretionary expenses, with a view toward driving long-term efficiency,” according to the filing.

• The company had previously said it is experiencing a “typical softness in jobs posting” in January, but sounded other alarms about a slowing in the labor market. Its first quarter revenue fell 19% from a year earlier and it forecast that its revenue in the current quarter would be down nearly 30% from the second quarter of 2022.

• The job search site still projects adjusted earnings that are roughly the same for this year as last year, although it said to do so it would “respond to our environment quickly” by “increasing our focus on profitability during times of decreased demand from employers.”

=> ↺ Job site ZipRecruiter cutting 20% of its staff

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Okta and CrowdStrike shares plunge on broader macroeconomic concerns

=> ↺ The Atlantic ☛ Semi-Retirees Know the Key to Work-Life Balance

• More and more older adults are working—in large part because they want to.

=> ↺ TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ House OKs debt ceiling bill to avoid default, sends Biden-McCarthy deal to Senate

• The hard-fought deal pleased few, but lawmakers assessed it was better than the alternative — a devastating economic upheaval if Congress failed to act.

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ China is back on global business leaders’ map

• China’s crackdown on technology firms and covid lockdowns had cooled foreign companies’ enthusiasm for doing business in the country. Recent high-profile visits from global leaders signal a change is afoot.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Macau faces further restrictions as city’s national security law expanded

• Macau’s new national security law took effect on Tuesday, imposing wider restrictions on political opposition and civil society in the Chinese city. The gambling hub has a separate legal system from the Chinese mainland, largely based on Portuguese law, and national security legislation was first enacted in 2009.

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ Chinese media are celebrating Elon Musk’s Beijing visit as a much-needed vote of confidence

• Western companies are increasingly cognizant—and wary—of the risks of doing business in China, especially after recent high-profile raids targeting foreign consultancies.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Trump Was Taped Discussing Sensitive Document He Had After Leaving Office

• Federal prosecutors obtained the recording as part of their investigation into the former president’s handling of classified documents.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ How Angela Paxton Could Help Decide the Fate of Her Embattled Husband, Ken Paxton

• In Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial this summer, 31 state senators will decide whether to permanently remove him as Texas attorney general. One is his wife.

=> ↺ The Strategist ☛ If Trump returns

• As the 2024 US presidential primary campaign season begins, the most likely final contest is a rematch between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

=> ↺ Federal News Network ☛ Aide fired by George Santos says he got his job after sending money to Republican’s deputy

• A man who briefly worked as an aide to U.S. Rep. George Santos has told House investigators he got his job after sending a series of payments to one of the Republican’s top deputies. Derek Myers worked briefly as a legislative assistant to Santos. After he was let go, he accused Santos of sexual harassment. Myers told staff of a House subcommittee Wednesday that when he was trying to get Santos to hire him in January, he sent at least six $150 payments to Vish Burra, the Republican’s director of operations. Myers said he sent the money unsolicited because he believed Burra wasn’t getting paid at the time and couldn’t afford food. But he said he also hoped it might help him get a job. Burra declined to comment.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Texas Governor Names Interim Attorney General After Paxton Impeachment

• Gov. Greg Abbott chose John Scott, a former deputy attorney general, to head the office while Attorney General Ken Paxton faces impeachment charges.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ The Politics of Delusion Have Taken Hold

• The irrational element of partisan hostility has seemingly created a political culture resistant to correction or reform.

=> ↺ Press Gazette ☛ Who are the UK’s national newspaper editors? [Ed: People appointed to serve power, under the guise of exposing power]

• An up-to-date page so you can keep track of all the UK’s national newspaper editors.

=> ↺ Press Gazette ☛ Survey: Half of newsrooms already ‘actively working’ with generative AI [Ed: No wonder quality of "news" is declining so much; it's spew of words or a soup of buzzwords. Management is to blame for it. Actual journalists oppose this trash (they can see how poor this is), promoted by Microsoft and Microsoft-sponsored fake 'journalists'. So a lot more news sites will die if clueless managers outsource the writing to bots; see CNET for a cautionary tale. People won't stick around to read through machine-generated spew.]

• The WAN-IFRA survey indicated it is management, rather than individual journalists, driving adoption.

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong tables District Council overhaul bill, accuses ex-councillors of ‘swindling’ votes in 2019 election

• The Hong Kong government has officially tabled a bill for overhauling the District Council, as an official accused former councillors of “swindling” votes in the 2019 election by inciting hatred towards the government amid the anti-extradition bill unrest.

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong ex-District Council candidate among 6 convicted of rioting over 2019 protest in Central

• Six people – including two teachers, a social work student, and a then-District Council election candidate – have been convicted of rioting in relation to a protest in Central on November 12, 2019. Three others were acquitted of the same charge, according to local media reports.

Censorship/Free Speech

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Kosovo Olympic Committee Seeks IOC Disciplinary Proceedings Against Djokovic

• Kosovo Olympic authorities have asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to open disciplinary proceedings against Novak Djokovic, accusing him of stirring up political tensions by saying “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” at the French Open.

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ Myanmar dispatch: ‘Our voices are getting killed’

• Myanmar law students are reporting for JURIST on challenges to the rule of law in their country under the military junta that deposed the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.  Don’t say it. Don’t do it. Don’t show it. Don’t post it. Don’t speak about it. Don’t show any expressions.

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong busker cleared of organising banned gathering after court casts doubt on accuracy of police testimony

• A Hong Kong pro-democracy busker has been acquitted of organising a prohibited group gathering after the judge cast doubt over the reliability of a police officer’s testimony. Oliver Ma appeared at Eastern Magistrates Court on Tuesday afternoon wearing a light-blue collared shirt.

Civil Rights/Policing

=> ↺ Helsinki Times ☛ Entrepreneurs: Promote workplace agreements, curb illegal strikes

• Strengthening Finland’s economic growth is crucial for the health of public finances. Therefore, the Finnish Entrepreneurs propose numerous actions in their growth program that would allow companies to take more risks and foster growth. The government program should promote local agreements in workplaces, limit political and illegal strikes, and reform unemployment and social security to make work more profitable.

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ Self-repair as prelude to reparations

• California’s coming debate on reparations can build on lessons from other places that struggle with healing the legacy of racial and other abuse.

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ ‘Past Lives’ looks at childhood love, and what we leave behind

• What do past choices mean for future relationships? Celine Song’s graceful debut, “Past Lives,” offers emotional complexity as it explores what connects people over time.

=> ↺ The Atlantic ☛ The DEI Industry Needs to Check Its Privilege

• The worst of the industry is expensive and runs from useless to counterproductive.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Car passengers in Lithuania to be fined for drinking alcohol

• The police will start fining car passengers for carrying open containers of alcohol, according to Ramūnas Matonis, spokesperson for the Police Department.

=> ↺ The Strategist ☛ Bougainville’s people are being left in the dark

• An engaged and informed community is important for governance, development and an effective democracy at any time, but that’s especially so in Bougainville right now.

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ Diversity without affirmative action? Colleges weigh the options.

• In states with affirmative-action bans, colleges have tried many strategies to achieve diversity, with no clear solution. Now, as the Supreme Court considers the fate of affirmative action, colleges nationwide may soon face the same test.

=> ↺ uni Michigan ☛ Umbrella terms and microlabels are the language of inclusion

• As much as conservatives love to pooh-pooh the gender and sexual identities that come into awareness every so often, they sure seem to love coming up with new names for the LGBTQ+ community such as “skittles” or the “alphabet mafia.”

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Voice to hit road as first vote gets wheels spinning

• Supporters of the Indigenous voice say the rubber can hit the road now the lower house has voted to set up the referendum. Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney said the push for the voice was entering a new phase as the campaign got into full swing.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Drugged rape allegations at Rammstein concert raise doubts about Lithuanian authorities’ ability to respond

• Amid allegations that a fan may have been drugged and raped during a Rammstein concert in Vilnius, Lithuanian police say that officers may not have enough experience how to deal with such reports.

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ Unlikely ally? Nevada’s GOP governor protects abortion patients.

• In a cross-party move, Nevada governor Joe Lombardo became one of few Republican governors to sign a bill protecting out-of-state abortion patients and in-state providers on Tuesday. Mr. Lombardo said he would respect the will of voters.

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ Nevada governor signs abortion protections into law

• Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo approved Senate Bill (SB) 131 Tuesday, becoming one of the first Republican governors to enshrine legal protections for out-of-state abortion patients and in-state providers. The legislation codifies Executive Order (EO) 2022-08 which was issued by Nevada’s former Governor Steve Sisolak last year.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Oklahoma Supreme Court Rules New Abortion Bans Unconstitutional

• An older law still prohibits most abortions in the state, but it is less strict about exceptions for medical emergencies.

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ Oklahoma top court strikes down abortion bans

• The Oklahoma Supreme Court Wednesday struck down two abortion bans as unconstitutional, but abortion remains illegal in the state.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Conservatives Complain Chick-fil-A Has ‘Gone Woke’ Over D.E.I.

• The fast-food chain, once a darling of conservatives, has joined other corporations in pursuing diversity, equity and inclusion policies, prompting some on the right to accuse it of going “woke.”

=> ↺ Federal News Network ☛ Danny Masterson convicted of 2 counts of rape, ‘That ’70s Show’ actor faces 30 years to life

• Jurors have found “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson guilty of two out of three counts of rape and could get 30 years to life in prison. The jury reached the verdict Wednesday in a Los Angeles courtroom, where Masterson was led out in handcuffs. It was the second trial for the 47-year-old actor, after a jury deadlocked in his first. Masterson has been convicted of raping two women at his home between 2001 and 2003. Prosecutors say he drugged the women so he could assault them, then used his prominence in the Church of Scientology to avoid consequences for decades.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Kazakh Activists Cancel Event On Political Persecution After Detentions

• Activists in Kazakhstan have cancelled a planned parade on May 31 to mark the Day of Remembrance of Political Persecution, saying police had detained several of their colleagues and created other impediments to holding the event.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

=> ↺ Zimbabwe ☛ Telecel might be struggling but its few remaining subscribers are the happiest. Results of the Mobile Internet survey we ran.

• A few weeks ago we ran a survey on your experiences with Mobile Internet performance in Zimbabwe. We collected a total of 939 responses and for all those that participated a very big thank you to you. The survey data is available to view here in the form of a spreadsheet.

=> ↺ Zimbabwe ☛ Econet posts $17b (US$15m) loss, down ZW$57b from last year’s profit, actual position likely worse

• If I asked you how valuable ZW$5000 was this time last year, you would struggle to answer that. You would only get an idea of the value by looking for an invoice from that time, or by trying to remember what the price of something that’s not subject to price controls was.

=> ↺ Zimbabwe ☛ Econet, EcoCash looking to raise US$30.3 million each to pay back debt, hence the rights offers

• A couple of years ago Econet Wireless and EcoCash Holdings called for an early redemption of debentures. That may sound like Greek to some but you can get the explainer here: Econet Wireless Zimbabwe calls for early redemption of debentures.

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ US Supreme Court declines case regarding Reddit’s liability for hosting child pornography

• The US Supreme Court declined Tuesday to hear a case alleging that social media platform Reddit wrongly hosted sexually explicit images and videos of underage individuals, amounting to child pornography. As a result, a ruling from the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which dismissed the victims’ claim, will stand.

Monopolies

Copyrights

=> ↺ Digital Music News ☛ British Music Industry Unilaterally Agrees to Music Metadata Improvements

• The U.K. music industry has unilaterally agreed to improve streaming metadata delivered to DSPs like Spotify and Apple Music. An agreement drawn up by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) with the help of music industry experts has been reviewed and signed by BPI, AIM, ERA, MMF, and Hipgnosis Songs Fund.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Was Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ First ‘Mongolian Rhapsody’?

• One of Freddie Mercury’s early drafts, which is being auctioned by Sotheby’s, shows that he crossed out “Mongolian” and substituted the now-famous title.

=> ↺ Digital Music News ☛ Rod Stewart Calls Off Hipgnosis Catalog Acquisition — “Not the Right Company”

• Rod Stewart has called off his catalog acquisition talks with Hipgnosis Songs after a lengthy negotiation process. Steward will now take his ball home and retain ownership of his catalog — or seek a higher bidder. “This catalog represents my life’s work,” the 78-year-old singer said in his statement to DMN.

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