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● 06.22.23

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● Links 22/06/2023: Red Hat Obstructing RHEL Code Access

Posted in News Roundup at 1:14 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

Kernel Space

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Linux 6.3.9

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Linux 6.1.35

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Linux 5.15.118

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Linux 5.10.185

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Linux 5.4.248

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Linux 4.19.287

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Linux 4.14.319

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Addressing priority inversion with proxy execution

• Priority inversion comes about when a low-priority task holds a resource that is needed by a higher-priority task, with the result that the wrong task is the only one that can run. This problem is arguably most acute in realtime settings, but it can happen in just about any system that has multiple tasks running. The variety of scheduling classes provided by the Linux kernel make handling priority inversion a difficult problem; the latest version of the proxy execution patch series points toward a possible solution.

• To understand priority inversion, imagine that a low-priority, background task acquires a mutex. If a realtime task happens to need that same mutex, it will find itself blocked, waiting for the low-priority task to let go of it. Should yet another task, with medium priority, come along, it may prevent the low-priority task from executing at all, meaning that the mutex will not be released and the realtime task will be blocked indefinitely. That is exactly the sort of outcome that the priority mechanism is intended to prevent.

• A classic solution to priority inversion is priority inheritance. If a high-priority task finds itself blocked on a resource held by another, it lends its priority to the owning task, allowing that task to complete its work and release the resource. The Linux kernel has supported priority inheritance for a long time, but that is not a complete solution to the problem. Deadline scheduling complicates the situation, in that it is not priority based. Since a task running in the deadline class has no priority, it cannot lend that priority to another task. So priority inheritance will not work with tasks using deadline scheduling.

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Yet another memory allocator for executable code

• The kernel is an increasingly dynamic body of code, where new executable text can show up at any time. Currently, the task of allocating memory for new kernel code falls on the subsystem that first brought the ability to load code into a running kernel: the module loader. This patch set from Mike Rapoport looks to move the responsibility for these allocations to a new “JIT allocator”, addressing a number of rough edges in the process.

• In order to support the ability to load modules at run time, the kernel had to gain the ability to allocate memory to hold those modules. Early on, that was just a matter of calling vmalloc() to obtain the requisite number of pages and enabling execute permission for the resulting pages. Over time, though, things have grown more complicated — as they so often seem to do.

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Deadline servers as a realtime throttling replacement

• The CPU scheduler’s one job at any given time is to run the task that has the strongest claim to the CPU. There are many factors that complicate that job, not the least of which is that the “strongest claim” is sometimes a bit of a fuzzy concept. Realtime throttling, a mechanism designed to keep a runaway realtime task from monopolizing the CPU, is one case where developers have concluded that the task with, ostensibly, the highest priority should not actually be the one that runs. But realtime throttling has rarely pleased anybody; the deadline-server infrastructure patches posted by Daniel Bristot de Oliveira are the latest attempt to find a better solution.

• The POSIX realtime scheduling classes are conceptually simple; at any given time, the task with the highest priority runs to the exclusion of anything else. In the real world, though, the rule enables a runaway realtime task to take over the system to the point that the only way to recover it may be to pull the plug. Power failures, as it turns out, have an even higher priority than realtime tasks.

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Two VFS topics

• Two different topics concerning the virtual filesystem (VFS) layer were the subject of a session led by VFS co-maintainer Christian Brauner at the 2023 Linux Storage, Filesystem, Memory-Management and BPF Summit. As might be guessed, it was a filesystem-track session; Brauner had three separate items he planned on bringing up, but the discussion on the first two consumed the whole half-hour—and then some. A mechanism to avoid media-change races when mounting loop (or loopback) and other devices was disposed of fairly quickly, but the discussion around the mount-beneath feature went on at length.

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Mounting images inside a user namespace

• There has long been a desire to enable users to mount filesystem images without requiring privileges, but the security implications of allowing it are seriously concerning. Few, if any, kernel filesystems are hardened against maliciously crafted images, after all. Lennart Poettering led a filesystem session at the 2023 Linux Storage, Filesystem, Memory-Management and BPF Summit where he presented a possible path forward.

• He started with an overview of the problem, noting that “everybody wants to be able to mount disk images that contain arbitrary filesystems” in user space, without needing to be root. Since malicious images could crash the kernel—or worse—the only way to do that is to establish some trust in the image before it gets mounted. He talked about some components that the systemd developers want to add that would allow container managers and other unprivileged user-space programs to accomplish this.

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Hardening magic links

• There are some “magic links” in kernel pseudo-filesystems, like procfs, that can be—have been—(ab)used to cause security problems, such as a container-confinement breach in 2019. Aleksa Sarai has long been working on ways to blunt the impact of these magic links. He led a filesystem session at the 2023 Linux Storage, Filesystem, Memory-Management and BPF Summit to discuss the status of those efforts.

• Sarai said that he worked on hardening for these links as part of adding the openat2() system call, but he removed some of that work before it was merged because the semantics were unclear. So, he wanted to have a discussion on those pieces to try to ensure that they make sense to everyone, that attendees are happy with them, and to avoid “having things thrown at me when I post them to the list”.

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Retrieving mount and filesystem information in user space

• In something of a follow-on from the mount-operation monitoring session the previous day, Christian Brauner led another discussion about providing user space with a mechanism to get current mount information on day two of the 2023 Linux Storage, Filesystem, Memory-Management and BPF Summit. The session also continued on from one at last year’s summit—and likely others before that. There are two separate proposals for ways to retrieve this kind of information, one from Miklos Szeredi and another from David Howells, both of whom were present this year; Brauner’s intent was to try to reach some kind of agreement on the way forward in the session.

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Reports from OSPM 2023, part 1

• The fifth conference on Power Management and Scheduling in the Linux Kernel (abbreviated “OSPM”) was held on April 17 to 19 in Ancona, Italy. LWN was not there, unfortunately, but the attendees of the event have gotten together to write up summaries of the discussions that took place and LWN has the privilege of being able to publish them. Reports from the first day of the event appear below.

• Reports from day 2 are also available.

Applications

=> ↺ Medevel ☛ 17 Free and Open-source Web-based Cloud File Manager

• An Open-source Web-based File Manager is a type of web application that enables users to manage files on a remote server via a web browser.

=> ↺ Medevel ☛ 19 Free and Open-source UPnP and DLNA Media Servers To Build Your Home Entertainment System

• UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) and DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) are essential protocols for the modern interconnected world. These two protocols serve as the backbone of a smart home entertainment system, allowing devices to discover and communicate with each other over a network.

Instructionals/Technical

=> ↺ FOSSLinux ☛ 15 must-do steps after installing Kali Linux

• Kali Linux is a widely-used operating system among ethical hackers and cybersecurity enthusiasts due to its numerous penetration testing tools. If you’ve just installed Kali Linux on your system, you might be wondering what to do next.

=> ↺ Get Rid of Ubuntu Pro Advertisement when Updating Apt

• Getting rid of terminal ads on Ubuntu. The Problem $ sudo apt upgrade [...] Get more security updates through Ubuntu Pro with ‘esm-apps’ enabled: [...] The Solution By the looks of it, the advertisement message is coming from the following file /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20apt-esm-hook.conf: $ sudo strace apt upgrade [...] openat(AT_FDCWD, “/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20apt-esm-hook.conf” [...]

=> ↺ TecAdmin ☛ Let’s Encrypt: Renew Wildcard Certificate With DNS Validation

• As the trend toward secure web traffic continues to increase, more sites than ever are using SSL/TLS certificates to ensure secure communication between servers and clients.

=> ↺ TechTarget ☛ When should you use K3s vs. MicroK8s?

• Looking for an efficient, user-friendly alternative to traditional Kubernetes? Compare the popular lightweight distributions K3s and MicroK8s to decide which is best for you.

=> ↺ ZDNet ☛ How to share a printer on Linux with CUPS and Samba

• You might have read about my recent spate of distro hopping, where I landed with Ubuntu Budgie as my primary operating system. A few days after installing the OS, I realized I’d forgotten that I always share my Public folder to my internal network, so I can easily share files between machines (without having to email them or bounce them between machines and any given cloud service).

• I quickly realized that Ubuntu Budgie not only didn’t have a simple means of sharing folders to a network, it also didn’t include a GUI method for sharing printers. Given my wife is always printing out knitting patterns, return labels, and other bits of information (and the only printer in the house is attached to my desktop), I had to get that printer shared before I was inundated with things to print for her.

=> ↺ ZDNet ☛ How to install Steam on any Ubuntu-based Linux distro so you can play a world of games

• Steam is one of the best things to come along for gaming on Linux. Here’s how you can easily install the Steam application on any Ubuntu or Debian-based distribution.

=> ↺ Beebom ☛ How to Use Sudo Command in Linux (with Examples)

• Ever tried to execute a command on your Linux system and received a “Permission Denied” error? The simplest solution to counter this error is using the “sudo” command. In this article, we will delve deep into the world of sudo and explore its functionality to overcome the notorious “Permission Denied” error in Linux. We will learn how to use the sudo command in Linux along with some examples here.

=> ↺ Make Use Of ☛ Everything You Need to Know About Setting X Resources in Linux

• These days, most Linux graphical programs use menus or configuration files in your home directory to store settings (many programs use both), but there is an older format for configurations that you should be aware of.

• Some programs use an unusual format, known as X resources. It might sound intimidating, but it’s easy to set up.

=> ↺ Beebom ☛ How to Open a Port in Linux

• Every application and service which needs network connectivity to function requires specific endpoints to connect and communicate with other services. There are 65,536 such endpoints in any Linux system known as “Ports.” In this article, we will discuss different methods to open a port in Linux.

Distributions and Operating Systems

=> ↺ Collabora ☛ A roadmap for VirtIO Video on Chrome OS, part 1

• Powered by Rust, the video codec stack on ARCVM is now bringing faster and more reliable video decoding on Chrome OS. Here’s how Collabora has been helping shape video virtualization for Chromebooks, and what it means for end users.

SUSE/OpenSUSE

=> ↺ Web Pro News ☛ SUSE Linux Enterprise Embraces Confidential Computing [Ed: Well, "confidential computing" is NOT about confidentiality, it's about trusting companies that spy on you. Truly "confidential computing" is computing that's owned and controlled by you. SUSE is pandering to NSA, BND etc.]

• SUSE has released SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 Service Pack 5 (SLE 15 SP5), touting it as the first Linux distro to embrace confidential computing.

=> ↺ SUSE’s Corporate Blog ☛ New Releases for Business Critical Linux With Enhanced Security and Advanced Function

• Today, SUSE announces the general availability of the latest releases in our Business Critical Linux (BCL) family – the SLE family of products (including SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP5 and SLES for SAP Applications 15 SP5) and SUSE Manager 4.3.6. These releases are optimized to host workloads across the widest range of environments. 

=> ↺ IT Wire ☛ SUSE unveils new security enhancements in enterprise offerings

• The company said customers would now be able to run fully encrypted virtual machines in all environments: AMD, Arm, IBM and Intel.

• The changes announced on Tuesday also include additions for SAP infrastructure, such as automatic discovery and full observability of servers, cloud instances, SAP HANA databases, SAP S/4HANA, NetWeaver applications and clusters.

• There is now support for 15 other Linux distributions inclusive of SUSE’s own offerings, with the company making particular mention of RHEL 9 variations such as Rocky Linux, Alma Linux and RHEL 9. RHEL is produced by Red Hat, SUSE’s much=bigger competitor in the business space.

• Additionally, Rancher now supports security-focused product updates that include optimized storage, support for hardened VMs, and improved vulnerability and compliance management.

• Rancher Prime’s AI Assistant, which will soon be available via the Rancher Prime customer Slack channel, is claimed to provide automated, accurate, and real-time assistance to customers.

Fedora Family / IBM

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Red Hat cutting back RHEL source availability [Ed: See the comments in particular]

• Red Hat has announced that public source releases will be restricted to CentOS Stream going forward:

=> ↺ Red Hat ☛ What’s new in Red Hat build of Cryostat 2.3

• Modernizing Java workloads bare-metal to containers running on the cloud is becoming critical for organizations. Cryostat is a container-native Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that helps you analyze the performance of these modernized workloads running as containers to offer your users a better experience. 

Hardware/Modding

=> ↺ CNX Software ☛ 8K 50MP camera module targets NVIDIA Jetson, Raspberry Pi, and RK3588 boards (Crowdfunding)

• RBTS.co’s C50M camera module is equipped with the same 8K 50MP Samsung ISOCELL GN2 image sensor found in the upcoming Google Pixel 8 Pro smartphone but targets the maker market with support for NVIDIA Jetson, Raspberry Pi, and Rockchip RK3588 boards. With high-resolution and quick focusing ability, this camera sensor is designed for drones, machine vision, and industrial automation applications such as automated optical inspection and preventive maintenance, and the large 1.4μm pixels of the Samsung ISOCELL GN2 sensor are said to make the camera work well in low-light conditions.

=> ↺ CNX Software ☛ Espressif ESP Thread Border Router board combines ESP32-H2 & ESP32-S3 wireless chips

• Espressif Systems has launched the ESP Thread Border Router/Zigbee Gateway board based on ESP32-H2 (802.15.4) and ESP32-S3 (WiFi + BLE) modules following the contention of the Thread Interoperability Certificate V1.3 for the board and associated ESP Thread Boarder Router SDK built on top of the ESP-IDF framework and the open-source OpenThread protocol stack.

=> ↺ CNX Software ☛ Fudan Micro JFM7K325T is a clone of AMD Embedded Kintex 7 325T FPGA

• Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group, also known as FMSH, has designed a clone of the AMD Embedded (previously Xilinx) Kintex 7 325T FPGA found in some boards and modules in mainland China.

=> ↺ CNX Software ☛ WLKATA Robotics Haro380 is a high precision industrial 6-Axis mini robotic arm (Crowdfunding)

• WLKATA Robotics’ Haro380 is a high-precision industrial 6-axis mini robotic arm that can carry a payload of up to 500 grams and designed for education, engineering projects, and light manufacturing. We’ve covered some desktop robotic arms in the past such as the myCobot 280 Pi, but the HARO380 goes a step further with 0.05mm repeatability, a 6-axis harmonic reducer, and zero backlash.

=> ↺ ASRock Industrial’s iEP-5000G Now Certified on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS to Guarantee Dependable AIoT Performance and Reliability

• ASRock Industrial, a leading manufacturer of Edge AIoT solutions, is excited to announce that its iEP-5000G has received certification for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Powered by Intel® Atom x6000E Processors (Elkhart Lake), the iEP-5000G provides enhanced computing power within a compact and rugged design. The certified iEP-5000G has undergone rigorous testing at Canonical’s lab to ensure seamless operation with the latest security updates. Customers can now choose to have Ubuntu 22.04 LTS pre-installed on the iEP-5000G at the time of purchase, allowing more time to focus on software development and applications. This certification ensures customers have a secure and reliable operating system optimized for the iEP-5000G, offering assurance in their edge computing deployments.

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

Web Browsers/Web Servers

Mozilla

=> ↺ Firefox Nightly: Brief and Blissful – These Weeks in Firefox: Issue 140

=> ↺ Mozilla ☛ Elevating local stories with Pocket and the American Journalism Project

• The importance of local journalism cannot be overstated. Critical to a functioning democracy, it empowers communities and shines a light on the real repercussions of issues debated on the national stage. Yet, as American Journalism Project (AJP)’s Chief Advancement Officer Patty Slutsky says, “There has been a market failure in ensuring everyone has access to the information they need, despite the pressing need for a healthy and robust local news system.” The U.S. lost more than 360 newspapers between late 2019 and May 2022, according to a Northwestern University report, leaving an information void in many communities.

Programming/Development

Shell/Bash/Zsh/Ksh

=> ↺ TecAdmin ☛ Bash Script to Print Fibonacci Sequence

• The Fibonacci sequence is an interesting mathematical concept, used in various aspects of computer science, from algorithms to database systems. In this article, we will look at how you can create a Bash script to generate the Fibonacci sequence.

Leftovers

=> ↺ The Nation ☛ Arthur Russell’s Endless Reinventions

• There’s no knowing what the late composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Arthur Russell had in mind when he recorded the composition he titled “Picture of a Bunny Rabbit,” an eight-minute piece for electric cello that serves as the title track on the latest collection of his previously unreleased recordings. Still, the songs made me think of something Pete Seeger once said: “The truth is a rabbit in a bramble patch. All you can do is circle around saying, ‘It’s somewhere in there,’ as you point in different directions. But you can’t put your hands on its pulsing, furry little body.” The principle of unknowability that Seeger captured in his folksy parable certainly applies to the elusive work on the new album and, more broadly, to the whole of Russell’s music. Ephemeral, unpredictable, voluminous and yet incomplete, much of it unresolved and perhaps irresolvable, it’s a body of pulsing, furry music, the true nature of which can be awfully hard to grasp.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ When Submersibles Meet the Titanic, James Cameron Is an Inspiration

• Cameron’s 1997 movie “Titanic” reinvigorated interest in the ill-fated ocean liner, feeding the mystique that spurs some wealthy experience chasers.

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ Desperate Search Underway For Lost Titanic Submersible With 5 on Board

• Time is short.

=> ↺ The Atlantic ☛ The Titanic Sub and the Enduring Appeal of Extreme Tourism

• Diving to the bottom of the ocean is risky. So is flying to space. But people will keep paying to do both.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ OceanGate Was Warned of Possible ‘Catastrophic’ Problems with Titanic Mission

• Experts inside and outside the company warned of potential dangers and urged the company to undergo a certification process.

=> ↺ Vice Media Group ☛ Before Lost Sub, OceanGate Promised To Disrupt the Sea

• The exploration company spent years positioning itself as a boundary-breaking firm that existed outside the “industry paradigm.”

=> ↺ France24 ☛ What we know about the missing Titanic tourist submersible

• Search and rescue teams are racing to find a deep-sea vessel that went missing with five people on board during a dive to explore the wreck of the Titanic ocean liner.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Missing Titanic tourist sub has ‘about 40 hours’ of oxygen left, says US Coast Guard

• A deep-diving tourist submersible that went missing near the wreck of the Titanic with five people on board has “about 40 hours of breathable air” left, captain Jamie Frederick of the US Coast Guard said Tuesday.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Site Where Julius Caesar Was Killed Is Opened For Tourism

• The site where Caesar was assassinated by a group of senators in 44 B.C., nestled among four ancient temples, has been opened to the public for the first time in a century.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ ‘Underwater noises’ detected during Titanic tourist sub search, US Coast Guard says

• Rescuers searching for a missing tourist submersible near the wreck of the Titanic have detected “underwater noises” in the search area, the US Coast Guard said Wednesday, with oxygen for the five on board rapidly running out more than two days after they lost contact.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ What to Know About the Search for the Missing Titan Submersible

• U.S. and Canadian crews are looking for the vessel with five people aboard, bound for the Titanic shipwreck site, that went missing on Sunday.

=> ↺ New Yorker ☛ Things I Described as Being “Like a Full-Time Job” and How Much Time I Actually Spent on Them

• Leaving the House for Work: One minute per day in terms of the actual transition; three hours per day in terms of preparing myself emotionally for the transition.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Why 2023 Is the Year of the Long Walk

• The 500-mile Camino de Santiago has inspired a host of new treks in places from Canada to Bhutan that let travelers take the slow route. Here, a guide to the new trails.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Rescuers Detect ‘Underwater Noise’ in Search Area and Redirect Efforts

• The Coast Guard said in a brief statement on Twitter that some of the remote-operated vehicles involved in the search had been relocated in an attempt to determine the origin of the sounds.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ French anti-graft police search headquarters of Paris 2024 Olympics

• Police raided the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympics on Tuesday just over a year before the opening ceremony of the quadrennial sporting showpiece.

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ The Paris Olympic Games have yet to start but they’re already embroiled in a corruption scandal

• French police raided the offices of the Paris 2024 Olympics Committee on Tuesday (June 20), as part of an investigation into embezzlement of public funds and favoritism. Authorities also searched an organization in charge of Olympic infrastructure construction, known as SOLIDEO.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ French Police Search Paris Olympics Offices in Corruption Investigation

• French prosecutors said they were investigating potential conflicts of interest, embezzlement and favoritism connected to public contracts signed by organizers of the Games.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ 1948: Paris ‘Métro’ Gets New Name, But Subway-Goers Won’t Use It

• With an eye toward expansion, the company in charge of the French capital’s transport system will be renamed.

Science

=> ↺ Mexico News Daily ☛ A new volcano near Mexico City? Scientists say yes, but not so fast

• Following reports of a new volcano emerging near the capital, scientists have clarified that this isn’t expected to happen for centuries.

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ Waves of Light Can Be ‘Frozen’ in 3D Materials, According to a New Simulation

• Another quantum mystery solved.

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ Hurricanes Drive Heat Deeper Into The Ocean Than We Ever Thought

• Add heat, and stir.

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ Differences in Gut Bacteria Could Be The First Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s

• A promising idea.

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ NASA Shows What 30 Years of Rising Seas Feels Like in Chilling New Animation

• Hold your breath.

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ Every 17 Years, Cicadas ‘Birth’ as One. Scientists Still Don’t Know How.

• One of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the natural world.

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ This Ancient Blob May Be The Oldest Phallic Depiction Ever Found

• What do you see?

Hardware

=> ↺ Hackaday ☛ A Volumetric Display With A Star Wars Look And Feel

• It may not exactly be what [Princess Leia] used to beg [Obi-Wan] for help, but this Star Wars-inspired volumetric display is still a pretty cool hack, and with plenty of extra points for style.

=> ↺ Hackaday ☛ Jack In, The 2023 Cyberdeck Challenge Starts Now

• The modern laptop is truly a masterpiece of engineering, craming an incredible amount of processing power into a thin and lightweight package that can run for hours on its internal batteries, all for just a few hundred bucks. Combine that with the ubiquitous smartphone, and it’s safe to say that the state of mobile computing has never been better.

=> ↺ Hackaday ☛ Blood Pressure Monitor For Under $1

• Medical equipment is not generally known for being inexpensive, with various imaging systems usually weighing in at over a million dollars, and even relatively simpler pieces of technology like digital thermometers, stethoscopes, and pulse oximeters coming in somewhere around $50. As the general pace of technological improvement continues on we expect marginal decreases in costs, but every now and then a revolutionary piece of technology will drop the cost of something like a blood pressure monitor by over an order of magnitude.

=> ↺ Defence Web ☛ South Africa extends scrap metal export ban

• South Africa’s estimated R8 billion per annum illicit copper economy seems set to expand even further on the back of the country’s growing shift to renewable green energy and electric cars, brushing aside a “too little too late” scrap metal export ban that has just been extended for another six months.

=> ↺ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Goals of ‘Made in China 2025′ Are Unachievable: Tsinghua Professor

• The Deputy Chairman of the China Semiconductor Industry Association does not believe in ‘Made in China 2025,’ providing statistics and analysis of where China’s homegrown efforts are falling short.

=> ↺ Hackaday ☛ Repairing A $25,000 HP Workstation To Run Pac-Man

• The microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s turned computers from expensive machines aimed at professionals into consumer products found in the average household. But there always remained a market for professional users, who bought equipment that was so far ahead of consumer gear it seemed to belong in a different decade. While a home computer enthusiast in 1981 might fork out a few hundred dollars for an 8-bit machine with 64 KB of memory, a professional could already buy a 32-bit workstation with 2.8 megabytes of RAM for the price of a brand-new sports car. [Tech Tangents] got his hands on one of those machines, an HP Series 200 9863C from 1981, and managed to get it up and running.

=> ↺ The New Stack ☛ Gunslinging AMD Tough on Software as Developers Balk

• AMD is going gangbusters in selling hardware, but it has not been as dynamic on software.

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Respiratory disease registry seeks to combat silicosis

• A national registry will be established for deadly workplace respiratory diseases as the federal government seeks to tackle the prevalence of silicosis.

• If passed, the law will require mandatory reporting of the disease which affects nearly one-in-four engineered stone workers in the industry before 2018. 

=> ↺ The Atlantic ☛ ‘To Live With a Serious Mental Illness Is to Be in a Constant Fight for Your Agency’

• Readers respond to our May 2023 cover story and more.

=> ↺ The Atlantic ☛ What We Learned From Autism’s First Child

• Donald Triplett’s story held a surprise.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Gambia tightens rules for Indian drugs after cough syrup deaths

• Move is aimed at tackling issues linked to substandard and counterfeit medicines entering the West African nation.

=> ↺ Vice Media Group ☛ Joe Rogan, Elon Musk Instigate Harassment Campaign Against Vaccine Scientist

• A Twitter-wide, very intentional freakout over Dr. Peter Hotez sharing a link to a Motherboard story.

=> ↺ Latvia ☛ EUR 140 million budget switch to healthcare approved in Latvia

• The government on Tuesday, June 20, backed a redistribution of an additional €140 million to health care. The government’s Tuesday decision sets aside funding for emergency and priority measures to provide health services.

=> ↺ Helsinki Times ☛ Increasing distress among young men reflected in crisis helpline calls

• The number of young men calling MIELI ry’s Crisis Helpline with concrete suicide plans has more than doubled this spring compared to early 2020. Additionally, thoughts of self-harm, anxiety, depression, and fears have also increased among this group. Mental health organization MIELI ry has observed a growing sense of distress among young men, which is a cause for concern.

=> ↺ Science Alert ☛ Scientists Think They’ve Found The Cause of Morning Sickness

• After decades of searching.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ ‘It eats up your flesh’: ‘Tranq’, the new drug worsening America’s opioid epidemic

• Xylazine, an animal sedative, known by the street name ‘tranq’, is adding a new and horrific twist to the opioid crisis that has swept the US in recent years. The drug is increasingly being mixed with highly addictive fentanyl, often without users’ knowledge, and causes a gruesome side effect: rotting flesh and wounds that don’t heal.

Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

=> ↺ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Over 100,000 ChatGPT Account Credentials Made Available on the Dark Web [Ed: Dumpster fire of abandoned accountx. Chatbots are a dangerous fad that hoards your secrets. All this Artificial Intelligence (AI) hype is getting out of hand and so far this week about half a dozen big publishers openly admit it, even berated what they called "AI-washing".]

• Over 100,000 ChatGPT user credentials have been dumped on the dark web’s markets since June 2022, something that poses a significant risk considering what can be contained within a single chat session.

=> ↺ The Register UK ☛ Microsoft rethinks death sentence for Windows Mail and Calendar apps

• Microsoft intends to shut down its at-times-maligned Mail and Calendar apps, fold their capabilities into a new Outlook for Windows, and use the opportunity to – unsurprisingly – bring in more AI.

• However, when this will happen is now in flux.

• In a note earlier this month, Microsoft said Windows 11 devices shipped next year will include the new Outlook for Windows as the default mailbox app, which will include both mail and calendar tools. Thus, no need for the operating system’s Mail and Calendar apps: just use the next Outlook instead.

=> ↺ Vice Media Group ☛ CYBER: Big Tech Wants You to Think AI Will Kill Us All

• Dystopian hype around technology is just a sales pitch.

=> ↺ MIT Technology Review ☛ Meta’s AI leaders want you to know fears over AI existential risk are “ridiculous”

• It’s a really weird time in AI. In just six months, the public discourse around the technology has gone from “Chatbots generate funny sea shanties” to “AI systems could cause human extinction.” Who else is feeling whiplash?

=> ↺ InterSystems taps Volumez to provide storage

• Volumez provides a cloud-based control plane for provisioning NVMe block access storage for Linux-based, Kubernetes-organized applications running primarily in the AWS and Azure clouds but also on-premises. Users can specify capacity, performance, resilience and security needs with declarative statements. Volumez’s software composes or orchestrates the storage they need using Linux primitives and not the cloud supplier’s main block storage instances. GCP and other cloud support is coming as is an extension to providing file-based storage.

Security

=> ↺ OSI Blog ☛ OSI calls for revision of disclosure rules in CRA

• OSI is a co-signatory of an open letter sent this week to the European Parliament by European Digital Rights (EDRi) expressing concern that the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) draft currently under consideration still includes mandatory requirements for vulnerability disclosure that violate best practices in Open Source software collaborations and are likely to actually undermine the security of digital products and the individuals who use them.

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Bitdefender warns of new exfiltration malware targeting remote desktop protocol workloads [Ed: The article should make it a lot clearer that this is about Microsoft Windows. But this publisher takes bribes from Microsoft, so would rather not "embarrass" the company or inform readers.]

• Researchers at S.C. Bitdefender SRL today warned of new custom malware actively targeting remote desktop protocol clients to steal data.

=> ↺ ADF ☛ Digital Footprints Offer a Window Into Covert Actions

• When recent reports emerged of widespread, yearslong cyberattacks by Chinese hackers on Kenya’s government, China was quick to offer a boilerplate denial. But, experts say, in the digital environment, it is harder than ever for attackers to cover their tracks. Writing for Chatham House,

=> ↺ Researchers warn of an ongoing Tsunami DDoS botnet campaign targeting inadequately protected Linux SSH servers. [Ed: The issue here is neither SSH or Linux and thus the headline is misleading. "The following table contains the list ID and password values used by the bot in the dictionary attacks along with the IP address for the target." So it's about bad passwords that is all. Linux sucks. It's not safe when it's connected to the Web with openssh daemon running and passwords "p@ssw0rd", abcdefghi, 123@abc etc.]

• Researchers from AhnLab Security Emergency response Center (ASEC) have uncovered an ongoing hacking campaign, aimed at poorly protected Linux SSH servers, to install the Tsunami DDoS botnet (aka Kaiten). The threat actors behind these attacks were also observed installing other malware families, including ShellBot, XMRig CoinMiner, and Log Cleaner.

=> ↺ Bleeping Computer ☛ Hackers infect Linux SSH servers with Tsunami botnet malware [Ed: Neither Linux nor SSH at fault here. This is a Microsoft propaganda site attributing weak passwords to software which does nothing wrong.]

• The attackers scanned the Internet for publicly-exposed Linux SSH servers and then brute-forced username-password pairs to log in to the server.

=> ↺ Help Net Security ☛ Compromised Linux SSH servers engage in DDoS attacks, cryptomining [Ed: So this is the latest Microsoft FUD argument? That “Linux” and “SSH” are bad and dangerous because of some bad passwords? Unethical journalism [sic] by Microsofters is pandering to suits with false stigma; it’s trying to create an illusion wherein VNC/RDP with bug doors would be safe, whereas SSH must be banned inside companies. Heck, just bad all UNIX and GNU/Linux systems, impose Windows on everybody.]

• Preventing this type of attack is not difficult: admins should choose strong, unique passwords; enable multi-factor authentication on their SSH account; and set up firewalls to block malicious access attempts and prevent unauthorized entry into the system.

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

• Security updates have been issued by Debian (libfastjson, libx11, opensc, python-mechanize, and wordpress), SUSE (salt and terraform-provider-helm), and Ubuntu (firefox, libx11, pngcheck, python-werkzeug, ruby3.1, and vlc).

=> ↺ Data Breaches ☛ Justice Department Announces New National Security Cyber Section Within the National Security Division [Ed: Will they know how to wipe Windows and install BSD and GNU/Linux?]

• The Justice Department today announced the creation of the new National Security Cyber Section – known as NatSec Cyber – within its National Security Division. The newly established litigating section has secured congressional approval and comes in response to the core findings in Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco’s Comprehensive Cyber Review in July of 2022.

=> ↺ Hacker Noon ☛ I Was Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Hacking Back – My Story

• y Journey Through Digital Ethics, Policy, Love and Fear, and Intention, Which Started With a Homeless Lady in San Francisco

• To this point in my life, my identity has been linked with the American dream. I was a self-made millionaire at sixteen after starting at an ad technology company in my parents’ basement.

• Following high school, I attended Stanford, where I was Chair of Entrepreneurship for the student government, co-founded an entrepreneurship dorm on campus, and was invited as a youth delegate for entrepreneurship at summits around the world like the St. Petersburg Economic Forum.

=> ↺ PR Newswire ☛ Vincera Institute Reports Potential Patient Data Breach Due to Ransomware Attack [Ed: Seems like another classic case of Windows TCO]

• Vincera Institute, a leading healthcare facility in Philadelphia, PA, is issuing a notice regarding a recent ransomware attack that occurred on April 29, 2023. This attack has the potential to compromise patient data, including personal and medical information.

• Upon discovering the incident, Vincera Institute promptly engaged specialized cybersecurity professionals to assist in containing and mitigating the attack. The primary focus has been on securing our systems and safeguarding patient data. While the investigation is still ongoing, we are providing this notice to ensure transparency and offer resources to affected individuals to protect their information.

Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

=> ↺ WhichUK ☛ Phone scammers are targeting O2 customers with calls offering fake discounts

• Vishing scam involves fraudsters asking for one-time passcodes

=> ↺ WhichUK ☛ Scamwatch: ‘Fraudsters posed as my hotel to get my bank details’

• We help a reader targeted by scammers after their hotel was hacked

Privacy/Surveillance

=> ↺ The Atlantic ☛ The Real Lesson of The Truman Show

• Twenty-five years later, the film’s most powerful insight isn’t about reality TV so much as the complicities of modern life.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ China Has No Information on Military Training Facility in Cuba

• Previously, the WSJ published a report stating that China and Cuba are discussing the possibility of building a military base in the northern part of the Caribbean island.

=> ↺ Citizen Lab ☛ Citizen Lab on Jamal Khashoggi widow suing spyware firm NSO Group: CBC Radio- As It Happens with Nil Köksal, Chris Howden

• In an interview with As It Happens with Nil Köksal, Chris Howden on CBC Radio, Citizen Lab Director Ron Deibert discussed Jamal Khashoggi’s widow Hanan Elatar’s lawsuit against Israeli spyware company NSO.

=> ↺ Stacey on IoT ☛ Google Pixel Tablet: A great tablet, a so-so smart home device

• When the Google Pixel Tablet was announced, I was intrigued by the tablet but excited by the dock. From a smart home perspective, this combination appeared to be nirvana.

Defence/Aggression

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Palestinian Gunmen Kill 4 Israeli Civilians in Occupied West Bank

• Two Hamas members carried out the attack outside Eli, a settlement in the northern West Bank, before being shot dead themselves.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Ex-Australian PM Morrison feared Macron would ‘kill’ nuclear sub deal, says book

• Morrison reveals new details of how he duped Macron.

=> ↺ The Strategist ☛ Building integrated air and missile defence for Australia

• The defence strategic review has identified a glaring gap in Australian Defence Force capability—the almost complete absence of any form of long-range layered integrated air and missile defence (IAMD).

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Asean must hold Myanmar junta accountable: UN expert

• The expert said the bloc is ‘deadlocked’ over how to resolve the ongoing crisis.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Shooting in US’ Idaho Leaves 4 Dead, 1 Suspect in Custody

• “…at multi-dwelling units behind the Mountain View Congregational Church…”

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Azerbaijani Defense Ministry Says Its Positions Came Under Small Arms Fire In Border Area

• Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said late on June 20 that its positions in the Heydarabad settlement in the Sadarak area of the Naxcivan exclave had come under small arms fire from Armenia’s Vedi region across the border.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Junta announces deaths of 5 people accused of attacking police station

• They were among 34 villagers arrested in connection with the raid in Myanmar’s Bago region.

=> ↺ Reports: Turkey kills two Kurdish leaders in northern Syria

• Two co-leaders of the canton administrations in northern Syria have been killed in separate attacks.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Dismembered Bodies Of Four Turkmen Nationals Found In Fridge In Turkey

• Turkish media reported on June 19 that the dismembered bodies of four Turkmen nationals had been found over the weekend in a home refrigerator in Turkey’s western city of Izmir.

=> ↺ Federal News Network ☛ Why haven’t China and the US agreed to restore military contacts?

• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has wrapped up a closely watched visit to Beijing during which he and President Xi Jinping pledged to stabilize plunging U.S-China ties.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ US claims to have made position clear during Blinken’s Beijing visit

• Both sides profess to be “satisfied” a first step has been taken on communications.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ North Korea criticises Blinken’s China visit as ‘begging trip’

• The commentary in the North’s state media said the trip shows US’ policy failure to pressure China.

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ After ‘candid’ US-China talks, experts see hope for stability

• Trust between nations comes down to the alignment of words and actions. Talks held this week between top U.S. and China officials provided an opportunity for clarity, and with it, a chance to rebuild relations.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Biden Says Xi Was Not Informed About Spy Balloon

• At a campaign fund-raiser, the president said China’s leader was “very embarrassed” to be kept in the dark about the surveillance craft that was shot down after crossing American airspace.

=> ↺ Federal News Network ☛ US and China are talking at a high level again, but their rivalry remains unchecked

• The United States and China may be back to talking at a high level, but their battle for global power and influence remains unchecked and mutual suspicion still runs deep. Secretary of State Antony Blinken set low goals for his visit to Beijing this week, and he met them. About the most the rivals can hope for these days is to stop things getting much worse. Blinken pointed to difficult days ahead, while China’s foreign ministry warned the relationship was in a downward spiral. While the two countries say they’re not enemies intent on harming each other, they’re not pretending to be friends.

=> ↺ NYPost ☛ Biden calls Xi Jinping a dictator who suffered a ‘great embarrassment’ over spy balloon a day after Blinken visits China to ease tensions

• “That’s a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn’t know what happened. That wasn’t supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course,” the president added.

=> ↺ The Strategist ☛ The risks of de-risking

• We have just witnessed the birth of a buzzword. Suddenly, policymakers in the United States and across Europe want to ‘de-risk’ the relationship with China.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Blinken Visit Reveals Chasm in How U.S. and China Perceive Rivalry

• Xi Jinping and nationalistic Chinese see recent U.S. actions as an effort to contain another superpower rather than compete with it — and they’re pushing back.

=> ↺ Scheerpost ☛ Patrick Lawrence: Why Can’t Blinken and Sullivan Get China Right?

• The Biden admin’s continuation of Trump-era policies with China have not boded well thus far.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Biden likens China’s Xi to a dictator, Beijing slams remark as ‘absurd, irresponsible’

• US President Joe Biden on Tuesday equated his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping with “dictators” as he addressed a Democratic Party donors reception in the presence of journalists.

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US President Joe Biden equates China’s Xi Jinping with ‘dictators’ at donor event

• US President Joe Biden equated his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping with “dictators” on Tuesday as he addressed a Democratic Party donors reception in the presence of journalists.

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Jacqui Lambie calls “cover-up” as military brass escape unscathed from “criminal behaviour” in Afghanistan

• The existence of “criminal behaviour” within the ranks of the Australian Defence Force’s elite troops has yet to have any consequences further up the chain of command. Senator Jacqui Lambie calls it a cover-up. Lisa-Jane Roberts reports.  

• Tasmanian independent senator Jacqui Lambie has lambasted the “culture of cover-up at the highest levels of the Australian Defence Force” in Federal parliament and called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate senior defence force personnel in relation to the war crimes allegedly carried out by members of the Special Forces in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016.

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ ‘Starting From Zero’: After Afghanistan, piecing together a life again

• A documentary about Afghan evacuees offers a window on the challenges many migrants face – and the lengths to which they will go to survive and thrive.

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ Pakistan must stop harassment and arbitrary arrests of Afghanistan refugees: Amnesty International

• Amnesty International (AI), an international human rights organization, urged Pakistan’s government on Tuesday to cease their harassment and arbitrary arrests of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.  A multitude of Afghans have fled to Pakistan in fear of persecution after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021.

=> ↺ The Strategist ☛ UN warns of risk of terrorism from Afghanistan

• A United Nations report released on 1 June provides a stark warning about the danger of the Taliban rule in Afghanistan and for the region and beyond.

=> ↺ Democracy Now ☛ “The Doomsday Machine”: Confessions of Daniel Ellsberg, Former Nuclear War Planner

• Daniel Ellsberg was best known for leaking the Pentagon Papers, but he was also a lifelong anti-nuclear activist, stemming from his time working as a nuclear planner for the U.S. government. In December 2017, he joined us to discuss his memoir, The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner. “This was an actual war plan for how we would use the existing weapons,” he noted, “many of which I had seen already that time.”

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ ADF leadership referred to International Criminal Court

• Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has referred senior leadership of the Australian Defence Force to the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan.

• In an emotional speech to the Senate, Senator Lambie – a former ADF member – said leadership had not been held to account for their actions.

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ ‘Any nationality just not Syrian’: Refugee deportations surge in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey

• While Syria’s neighboring countries have long been struggling to host their Syrian refugee populations, with many, like Lebanon, being in a complete crisis of their own, the sheer lack of care provided to refugees is inhumane.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ E.U. Takes Aim at China in Proposed Economic Strategy

• A European Commission plan seeks to bar companies from sending sensitive high-tech goods to potentially hostile countries — without naming any names.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Australians’ views on China improve as ties thaw, poll shows

• However, confidence in Xi remains low, at 11 per cent.

Environment

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Outback gold project gets environmental nod

• Environmental approvals have been granted for the $412 million Mt Bundy gold project in the Northern Territory.

• The development was granted major project status in 2022 based on plans to restart three sites about 100 kilometres southeast of Darwin on the Arnhem Highway.

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Cold snap breaks records but warmer days are on the way

• Several temperature records have been broken during a cold snap sweeping eastern Australia but the chill will lift with a warmer winter on the horizon.

• Several inland NSW June temperature records were eclipsed on Wednesday including in Bathurst which shivered through minus 7.5 degrees and Scone where a minimum of minus 5.1C was recorded.

=> ↺ Mexico News Daily ☛ Mexico’s heat wave continues, but rain forecast for some states

• While Mexico’s punishing heatwave is expected to continue, heavy rains have been forecast in the southern states of Oaxaca and Chiapas.

Energy/Transportation

=> ↺ Axios ☛ The U.S. power grid isn’t ready for climate change

• Human-caused climate change is poised to heavily strain the U.S. power grid in the coming decades, and vast improvements are needed to enhance its reliability and ability to meet increasing electricity demands, experts say.

=> ↺ Scheerpost ☛ The Biden Effect: Electric Vehicle Sales Skyrocket 79% in US in Q1

• Laws have consequences. The Inflation Reduction Act passed by the Biden administration and the Democrats in Congress (with no Republican support at all) is already beginning to green and turbocharge the American economy.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ 4 Die in NYC Fire That Began at E-Bike Shop Near Chinatown

• The blaze, which left two others in critical condition, began on the first floor of a building at 80 Madison Street shortly after midnight.

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ Do Kwon was jailed for four months in Montenegro, but faces 40 years in South Korea

• Terraform Labs founder Kwon Do-hyeong, also known as Do Kwon, will spend four months behind bars in a Balkan prison, for forging travel documents.

Wildlife/Nature

=> ↺ IDA ☛ City of Groveland named first International Dark Sky Community in Florida

• DarkSky International announced today that the City of Groveland, Florida, was certified as an International Dark Sky Community, making it the first city in Florida…

=> ↺ RTE ☛ Ten stunning wildlife photographs have been announced as finalists in RTÉ’s wildlife photography competition, Eye on Nature

• Ten stunning wildlife photographs have been announced as finalists in RTÉ’s wildlife photography competition, Eye on Nature.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Wildlife Agencies Call for Protecting Marine Species in Kenya

• This African country’s waters host over 35 species of marine mammals, 5 species of marine turtles, and 105 species of bony fishes, including sharks and rays.

Overpopulation

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Key figures: Number of refugees, displaced people hits record high worldwide

• On World Refugee Day 2023, the numbers of refugees and displaced people worldwide are higher than ever before. FRANCE 24 takes a look at the key figures.

Finance

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Australia’s oldest chocolate company Hillier goes bust

• Australia’s oldest chocolate company Ernest Hillier Chocolates has collapsed into voluntary administration again, with dozens of employees set to lose jobs.

• The Melbourne-based business, which produces more than 600 chocolate products, announced on Wednesday it had appointed voluntary administrators after struggling to keep up with operating costs.

=> ↺ Techdirt ☛ Seward County, Nebraska’s Uniformed Roadside Bandits Are Raking In Millions In Asset Forfeiture Cash

• Seward County is distinguished from Nebraska’s many blink-and-you’ll-miss-it counties by its penchant for seizing cash from motorists. The county’s population checks in at under 18,000 but its overly enthusiastic law enforcement still manages to rake in millions of dollars every year from pretextual traffic stops. The only other thing notable in its Wikipedia article is its reliance on center-pivot irrigation.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ NYC Moves on $1.5 Billion Plan to Tear Down and Replace Public Housing

• After surveying residents at two developments in Manhattan, the agency is moving forward with a $1.5 billion plan to demolish and replace the buildings.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Return to Office Enters the Desperation Phase

• The next stage of getting workers back at their desks includes incentives like $10 to the charity of their choice — and consequences like poor performance evaluations if they don’t make the trek in.

=> ↺ Highest ever minimum wage in US dollars still lacks purchasing power

• The minimum wage in Turkey was increased by 34 percent in the second half of 2023. At its highest level in USD, the lowest wage still has weak purchasing power due to the economic crisis and high inflation.

=> ↺ Lyft marketing and comms head Dominic Carr to depart | PR Week

• Lyft marketing and comms head Dominic Carr to depart. From PR Week

=> ↺ Nine months after Connect: Meta overpromised and underdelivered

• At the last Meta Connect, Meta announced several new features for Meta Quest. Very few of them have been implemented so far.

=> ↺ Bloomberg ☛ Fighting for Worker Rights in the Age of RTO: Five Minutes with Sara Steffens

• Sara Steffens has been the No. 2 official at the Communications Workers of America since 2015. The union represents around 400,000 workers including AT&T Inc. technicians, New York Times reporters and Microsoft Corp. videogame testers. It’s on the front lines of return-to-office conflicts, tech industry organizing and antitrust debates.

=> ↺ Bloomberg ☛ Journalist-Turned-Labor Organizer Helps Workers Navigate RTO

=> ↺ TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Stock market today: Asian shares mostly lower, tracking Wall Street retreat

• Shares are mostly lower in Asia after Wall Street benchmarks retreated following the S&P 500′s rise to its highest level since the spring of last year. Tokyo edged higher but other markets declined. U.S. futures were little changed and oil prices rose. The S&P 500 fell 0.5% Tuesday. The Dow lost 0.7% and the Nasdaq composite gave back 0.2%. The U.S. stock market took a step back after rising on hopes the economy can avoid a recession and inflation is easing enough for the Federal Reserve to stop raising interest rates soon. Critics say the Fed may have to keep rates higher for longer, which would pressure the economy.

=> ↺ YLE ☛ Bank of Finland: Inflation rate rises to slow down this year [Ed: And still be extremely high; this is a national broadcaster resorting to relativism]

• But “the fight against inflation is not over yet,” the central bank says.

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Epstein given $A440 million in US tax incentives: bank

• JPMorgan Chase says the US Virgin Islands gave Jeffrey Epstein more than $US300 million ($A442 million) in tax incentives and waived sex offender monitoring requirements, shielding the disgraced late financier as he gave cash and gifts to top officials.

• The largest US bank made the allegations on Tuesday night in an unredacted version of an earlier filing in Manhattan federal court, where it is defending against a lawsuit by the US territory over its relationship with Epstein, a client from 1998 to 2013.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ How Pay Transparency Laws Help and Limit Job Seekers

• Salary disclosure laws have been a boon for workers searching for jobs that pay fairly — but only when the advertised pay bands are narrow enough to be useful.

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ These are the world’s most expensive cities in 2023

• For the wealthy as well as everyone else, the cost of living has climbed over the past year as prices rose. S

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ U.K. Inflation Remains Stuck at 8.7 Percent

• The rate, which had been expected to edge lower in May, shows that Britain’s cost-of-living crisis persists, and is likely to prompt the Bank of England to raise interest rates again.

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Tech giant Alibaba names new CEO and chairman amid China’s economic slowdown

• Chinese tech giant Alibaba said Tuesday it will replace its top boss, in a surprise move at the e-commerce titan as it looks to recover from years of slow growth caused by weak consumer spending and a regulatory crackdown.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Detained gambling tycoon She Zhijiang faces repatriation to China

• She’s empire once formed part of Beijing’s gray-to-black ops in Southeast Asia, but his star appears to have waned.

=> ↺ MIT Technology Review ☛ The counterfeit lawsuits that scoop up hundreds of Chinese Amazon sellers at once

• Sun Qunming had no idea that the word “airbag” could be trademarked.  Sun, who owns an e-commerce company of 13 people in Shenzhen, China, has been selling phone cases to Amazon buyers in Europe and the US since 2016. But last year, her business ground to a halt.

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Asia stocks slip as suspense builds for China, Fed news

• Asian stocks have been subdued in early trade as a lack of new stimulus steps from Beijing frustrated investors, who were also wondering just how hawkish the world’s most powerful central banker would choose to be later in the session.

• Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell faces representatives in two days of testimony and is sure to be questioned on whether rates will really rise again in July and peak in a 5.5 to 5.75 per cent range as projected.

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ Nissan’s fugitive ex-CEO is suing the company for $1 billion in reputational damages

• Carlos Ghosn, who was booted out as chief of Nissan in 2018 for alleged financial wrongdoing and then fled to Lebanon to avoid trial, has now launched a legal battle against his former employer.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Estonia becomes first former Soviet country to legalize same-sex marriage — Meduza

• Estonia’s parliament has passed a law legalizing same-sex marriages, making it the first former Soviet country to do so. The law, which received support from 55 of the parliament’s 101 deputies (34 voted against the measure), will come into effect on January 1, 2024.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Estonia becomes first Baltic state to legalise same-sex marriage

• Estonian lawmakers voted on Tuesday to legalise same-sex marriage, the first Baltic state to do so.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Díaz-Canel Arrives in Serbia on Official Visit

• As part of his tour of Europe, the president will also attend the Summit for a new Global Financial Pact, to be held in Paris, France.

=> ↺ The Nation ☛ The Right’s War on Fun

• If 1967 brought us the Summer of Love, 2023 is on track to launch the Summer of Right-Wing Inquisition. The hammer-and-tongs assault largely began as a spittle-flecked chorus of outrage over the alleged “grooming” agenda behind Gay Pride Month. And now it’s in the process of morphing into an unhinged tirade from right-wing influencers and political leaders of all description. At bottom, it’s an existential protest against fun and pleasure, extending the scowling and humorless politicization of private life on the right into an all-purpose program of scolding and boycotting in the name of preserving a Western civilization on the brink of collapse.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Republicans Against Inequality

• We’re covering a new breed of Republicans, a missing submersible near the Titanic and Judge Judy’s new TV empire.

=> ↺ Marcy Wheeler ☛ Aileen Cannon Issues Another Perfectly Routine Order

• Aileen Cannon just filed a totally routine boilerplate.

=> ↺ Press Gazette ☛ Who owns The Telegraph?

• The Telegraph, under the publisher The Telegraph Media Group, is owned by Sir Frederick Barclay.

=> ↺ Breach Media ☛ Toronto strangers turned a Twitter chat into a mayoral election force

• Inside the fun online campaigns against Brad Bradford, Mark Saunders and Ana Bailāo

=> ↺ France24 ☛ US president’s son Hunter Biden to plead guilty to tax crimes

• U.S. President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden has agreed to plead guilty to two charges of willfully failing to pay income taxes and to enter into an agreement that could enable him to avoid a conviction on a gun-related charge, according to a court filing on Tuesday.

=> ↺ Federal News Network ☛ What to know about Hunter Biden’s plea deal in federal tax and gun case

• The announcement that federal prosecutors have reached a plea deal with President Joe Biden’s son Hunter over tax and gun charges marks the likely end of a five-year Justice Department investigation that has dogged the Biden family. It doesn’t, however, mean that congressional Republicans are done with their own wide-ranging probe into nearly every facet of Hunter Biden’s business dealings. Some of the Republican candidates hoping to face off against President Biden in the 2024 election are decrying the deal as evidence of an unfair justice system, particularly in light of the federal charges against Donald Trump, though there are obvious differences between the two cases.

=> ↺ The Atlantic ☛ Justice Comes for Hunter Biden

• His guilty plea will not sway the hardest-core Trump fans, but it is a sign of a functioning system.

=> ↺ Axios ☛ Hunter Biden charged with gun felony and tax misdemeanors

• Hunter Biden has agreed to plead guilty to not paying taxes in 2017 and 2018, and he’ll enter into a probation agreement on a charge of illegally owning a gun while being a drug user, according to a Tuesday court filing by the U.S. Attorney in Delaware.

• Why it matters: Hunter Biden’s agreement could conclude the Justice Department’s years-long investigation into him, in addition to prompting congressional Republicans to further ramp up their investigations into Hunter and the Biden family.

=> ↺ The Kent Stater ☛ Hunter Biden to plead guilty to federal tax charges, strikes deal on gun charge

• Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, will plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors and struck a deal with federal prosecutors to resolve a felony gun charge, the Justice Department said Tuesday in court filings.

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ Hunter Biden charged with failure to pay taxes and unlawful possession of a firearm

• The US Attorney for the District of Delaware charged Hunter Biden, US President Joe Biden’s son, on Tuesday with tax and firearm offenses. Biden faces two tax-related charges. Those charges include two violations of 26 U.S.C. § 7203 which criminalizes willfully failing to file a tax return, supply tax information or pay taxes.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Hunter Biden Reaches Deal to Plead Guilty to Misdemeanor Tax Charges

• Under an agreement with the Justice Department, the president’s son agreed to probation for filing his taxes late, and he can avoid a charge that he lied about his drug use when he bought a gun.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Hunter Biden’s Troubles Bring Personal and Political Pain for the President

• Hunter Biden’s plea agreement put him in the cross-hairs of President Biden’s adversaries once again.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Garland’s Distance From Hunter Biden Inquiry Fails to Quell Critics

• The attorney general has confronted an unrelenting succession of politically sensitive investigations, underlining the intensely polarized environment he is operating in.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Hunter Biden Pleads Guilty to Two Counts of Tax Violations

• He admited to not reporting the income he received in 2017 and 2018 to the IRS and not paying taxes on them.

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ What’s in Hunter Biden’s plea deal and what happens next?

• The plea deal for Hunter Biden comes from a longtime Department of Justice investigation. Yet the younger Mr. Biden, as an issue and political symbol, will likely figure in the presidential election race to come.

=> ↺ Marcy Wheeler ☛ A Guide to the False Claims John Durham Will Tell Congress

• If John Durham repeats some of the claims he made in his Report in a House Judiciary Committee hearing tomorrow, he will make false claims to Congress.

=> ↺ Axios ☛ Judge sets August trial date for Trump documents case

• A federal judge in Florida on Tuesday set a preliminary start date of Aug. 14 for the criminal trial of former President Trump in connection to his handling of classified documents.

• Driving the news: Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner, pleaded not guilty last week after facing a historic 37-count indictment.

=> ↺ YLE ☛ Court fines fascist party leader for anti-Semitic tweet

• Tuukka Kuru is chair of the openly racist and fascist Blue-Black Movement, which garnered just 0.1% of the vote in April’s parliamentary elections.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Thai coalition close to clinching Senate nod to form government

• News of rising support for Pita Limjaroenrat may help quell investor anxiety over a prolonged political impasse.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Cuban President Arrives at the Vatican To Meet With Pope Francis

• “…Diaz-Canel was received by the head of the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household…”

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Cuban President and Pope Francis Held Meeting

• “It’s good to see you recovered”

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Brazilian President Begins European Tour and Lands in Rome

• Lula da Silva will leave on Thursday for Paris, where he will participate in the Summit on the New Global Finance Pact.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Germany’s Far Right AfD Party Stages a Comeback

• With Germans facing an era of political and economic turbulence, the Alternative for Germany is resurgent. Mainstream politicians are struggling to respond.

=> ↺ Federal News Network ☛ Trump adviser faces possible disbarment over his efforts to overturn 2020 election

• A prosecutor seeking the disbarment of the architect of a legal strategy aimed at keeping former President Donald Trump in power says he concocted a baseless theory and made false claims of fraud in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Disciplinary proceedings began Tuesday for John Eastman. They stem from his development of a dubious legal strategy aimed at having Vice President Mike Pence interfere with the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory. Duncan Carling of the office of chief trial counsel said Eastman’s legal theory was “unsupported by historical precedent and law.” Eastman’s attorney countered that his client never intended to steal the election.

=> ↺ Reason ☛ The Federal Case Against Trump Is ‘Very Strong,’ His Former Attorney General Says

• By taking records that did not belong to him and refusing to return them, William Barr says that Trump “provoked this whole problem himself.”

=> ↺ The Atlantic ☛ The Woman Who Bought a Mountain for God

• The country’s fastest-growing Christian movement helped fuel Trump’s rise—and is gearing up for spiritual battle.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Judge in Trump Documents Case Sets Tentative Trial Date as Soon as August

• The judge, Aileen M. Cannon, set an aggressive schedule for moving the case forward, though the proceedings are likely to be delayed by pretrial clashes.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ What Happens if a Presidential Candidate Is Convicted?

• The Constitution and American law have clear answers for only some of the questions that would arise. Others would bring the country into truly uncharted territory.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Mayor Of Town In North Macedonia Banned From Entering U.S. For Alleged Corruption

• The U.S. State Department has blacklisted a prominent politician in North Macedonia for alleged corruption in the latest move by President Joe Biden’s administration to toughen its stance on global graft.

Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Did an ‘internal speech’ by China’s foreign minister forecast a war with the U.S.?

• Audio clip is likely a manipulation and created by a netizen to spread misinformation.

=> ↺ Turkey’s public broadcaster sparks controversy with new series portraying Kavala as ‘villain’

• The philanthropist has criticized the series, saying, “As in the indictments used unlawfully to keep me in prison, it is apparent that the actual events have been distorted in this series, aiming to create a perception that I am guilty.”

=> ↺ PACE urges Turkey to ‘fulfill obligations’ in aftermath of ‘free but not fair’ elections

• Turkey should fulfill its obligations to the Council of Europe, regardless of who is in power, said Frank Schwabe, head of the PACE delegation assigned to observe the May elections.

=> ↺ ADF ☛ Sudan’s Warring Sides Target Citizens with Digital Disinformation Campaigns

• As Sudan’s capital city continues to be rocked by explosions and gunfire, its residents are being victimized by another attack: relentless disinformation and propaganda campaigns.

Censorship/Free Speech

=> ↺ Reason ☛ Arab “Hate Speech”

• From the sign code in Arab, Alabama, which regulates privately owned signs on private property: While trying to maintain content-neutrality, signs that contain vulgar, threatening, hate speech, lewd or indecent content are not permitted. I believe that should read “while not actually trying to maintain content-neutrality.”

=> ↺ Techdirt ☛ Third Circuit Says First Amendment Protects Cops Who Want To Be Racist Assholes Online

• The First Amendment protects speech, even the horrible stuff. It can’t protect the speaker from being criticized for being abhorrent, despite what many abhorrent people believe. It can, however, in certain cases, protect the speaker from being punished for this speech.

=> ↺ Off Guardian ☛ “A Global Digital Compact” – UN promoting censorship, social credit & much more

• Late last month the office of the United Nation’s Secretary General published a policy document on aims for the future of the internet. A follow-up to the 2021 report “Our Common Agenda”, the new report’s title says it all really, “A Global Digital Compact”.

=> ↺ NYPost ☛ Matt Araiza plans to sue alleged gang rape victim’s lawyer for defamation

• Matt Araiza said he would not settle the pending civil lawsuit that was brought against him by the alleged victim and would sue her attorney, too.

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

=> ↺ Press Gazette ☛ How The Times found there is more to journalism than ‘tweaking the tail’

• Rachel Sylvester explains how The Times came to embrace solutions journalism.

Civil Rights/Policing

=> ↺ Site36 ☛ EES postponed for the fourth time, responsible EU director does’t claim compensation from former employer

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Andrew Tate Indicted on Human Trafficking Charges in Romania

• Prosecutors in the country announced an indictment against the antagonistic online personality known for his misogynistic remarks. He had been under house arrest outside Bucharest.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Andrew Tate, Three Others Indicted In Romania On Human Trafficking, Rape Charges

• Divisive social media personality Andrew Tate, his brother Tristan, and two Romanian female suspects were sent to trial by Romanian prosecutors on June 20 on charges of organizing a criminal group on Romania’s territory, trafficking and sexually exploiting women, rape and other crimes.

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ How a French nun hopes to carve a new path for women in the Vatican

• Sister Nathalie Becquart, a French nun, is the first female undersecretary at the Vatican’s Synod of Bishops. Although she brings hope to Catholic women, the future of women’s roles in the church remains a subject under consideration.

=> ↺ uni Michigan ☛ Sasha Killewald to direct Stone Center for Inequality Dynamics

• Alexandra (Sasha) Killewald will be the next director of the Stone Center for Inequality Dynamics at U-M, effective July 1.

=> ↺ Vice Media Group ☛ Bernie Sanders Opens Investigation Into ‘Dangerous and Illegal’ Amazon Warehouse Conditions

• Sanders sent a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy launching a Senate committee investigation into worker safety reports of conditions at Amazon.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Kyrgyz President Signs Law On Legalization Of ‘Shadow Capital’

• Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has signed into law a property amnesty bill that the government says is aimed at increasing domestic and foreign investment in the Kyrgyz economy and decreasing the level of the so-called “shadow economy.”

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Property firm cuts off power to home of recently evicted China rights lawyer, family

• Wang Quanzhang’s family has been left traumatized and separated by round-the-clock surveillance and harassment.

=> ↺ Reason ☛ This Pink Door Wasn’t Historical Enough for Edinburgh

• The City of Edinburgh Council ordered a woman to repaint her door or face fines up to 20,000 pounds.

=> ↺ The Strategist ☛ What Australian businesses need to know about Canada’s new modern slavery law

• Last month, Canada passed modern slavery laws focused specifically on forced labour and child labour. This comes in the context of an emerging global trend of new national modern slavery laws.

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong construction workers’ union protests against move to import thousands of overseas workers

• A union representing building workers has staged a protest outside Hong Kong’s government headquarters against a move to import up to 20,000 foreign workers to ease shortages in the construction and transport sectors.

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s John Lee defends labour import plan after workers reps. leave meeting with gov’t officials in protest

• Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has defended the administration’s proposal to import foreign workers after labour representatives walked out from a meeting with government officials in protest. The government announced last week that it was seeking to import 20,000 foreign workers to address a labour crunch in construction, transport and aviation.

=> ↺ uni Michigan ☛ Op-Ed: Transforming society, the economy and the environment through the Buy Nothing movement

• I have acquired many new experiences and habits during my nearly year-long stay in the United States to complete my master’s program at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

=> ↺ New Yorker ☛ Revisiting Portland’s “Summer of Rage”

• Rian Dundon’s new book, “Protest City,” captures the unrest in Portland, Oregon, in 2020, through curated portraits and scenes of unusual intimacy.

=> ↺ uni Michigan ☛ The failure of Motor City Pride: June should be more than corporations donning rainbow logos

• I have been serving as the English translator for South Korea’s largest annual LGBTQ+ festival since the first semester of my freshman year. This year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government blocked the Seoul Queer Culture Festival from using its usual venue located in the center of Seoul.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Bernie Sanders announces US Senate probe into Amazon safety practices

• Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has opened a Senate investigation into Amazon’s warehouse safety practices, the latest in a series of probes he’s initiated against big corporations in his role as chairman of a committee that oversees health and labor issues.

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ US Supreme Court agrees to hear case concerning federal government’s sovereign immunity

• The US Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to hear a case concerning whether Congress waived the US’s sovereign immunity in civil lawsuits involving the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Iranian Group Says Letter Reveals Prosecutor Knew Of Naked Body Searches Of Female Prisoners

• The Iranian hacktivist group Edalat-e Ali has published documents that it says show that a top Iranian prosecutor confirmed that a “full naked body inspection” of a female political prisoner had taken place at a police detention center.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Iranian Judge Orders Woman To Clean Public Spaces As Punishment For Breaking Hijab Law

• An Iranian criminal court has ordered a woman to perform 270 hours of unpaid public service, specifically cleaning public spaces, for the “political sin” of failing to adhere to the country’s mandatory hijab law.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Albanian Police Seize Computer Equipment In Raid Of Camp For Iranian Dissidents

• Albanian state police seized dozens of computers on June 20 during a raid of a camp near Tirana that has been home to about 3,000 members of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), a group of exiled opponents of the Iranian government.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

=> ↺ Techdirt ☛ As Reddit Threatens To Hand Over Closed Subs To New Mods, Subs Strike Back With Sexy John Oliver

• Reddit CEO Steve Huffman really seems to underestimate the kinds of people who sign up to be Reddit mods, and their willingness to go to extreme lengths if you start pushing them. We’ve discussed the nonsensical nature of Huffman’s new API efforts, as well as his stupid response to the subreddit blackout which caused many subreddits to remain on strike. We also discussed his incredibly entitled position about how third party apps that made his site more valuable owe him money.

=> ↺ Vice Media Group ☛ Bloodied Macbooks and Stacks of Cash: Inside the Increasingly Violent Discord Servers Where Kids Flaunt Their Crimes

• I spent weeks immersed in the world of the Comm, a nebulous community of young hackers, aggressive criminals, and people just hanging out on Discord.

=> ↺ Techdirt ☛ Dish Network (And Its New 5G Network) Is Probably Doomed

• Satellite TV provider Dish Network isn’t having much fun. Despite oodles of direct government assistance during the Trump era, the company’s attempt to pivot from mediocre satellite TV provider to modern streaming TV and 5G wireless giant has been a consistent dumpster fire.

Monopolies

=> ↺ Zimbabwe ☛ No Zimbabwean startups in Google’s 2023 Black Founders Fund Cohort

• Earlier this year Google opened applications for this 2023’s Black Founders Cohort. We talked about it here. Google for Startups Black Founders Fund exists to help black founders get funding. It was introduced in 2020 and is open to all on the African continent.

Patents

=> ↺ Avelino Corma Canós named Lifetime Achievement laureate [Ed: Imagine actual criminals awarding you a "Lifetime Achievement laureate" to distract from their crimes]

• The EPO will celebrate the life and career of the Spanish professor during the 2023 European Inventor Award ceremony.

Trademarks

=> ↺ Techdirt ☛ Australian Designer Who Sued Katy Perry Feels ‘Personally Attacked’ Over Appeal Of Trademark Ruling

• Our posts on Katy Perry in the past have been all over the place. Sometimes Perry is an intellectual property bully. Sometimes she’s more the victim of intellectual property bullying. But what is not in dispute is the Katy Perry is a cultural icon worldwide with an extremely famous, albeit misspelled, name.

=> ↺ TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Is BLACK INK for Coffee Beans Confusable With BLACK INK for Alcoholic Beverages?

• The USPTO refused to register the mark BLACK INK for “Coffee beans; Roasted coffee beans; Coffee-based beverages; Ground coffee beans; Green coffee; Unroasted coffee; coffee pods; coffee in pouches for brewing,” finding confusion likely with the identical mark registered for “Alcoholic beverages except beers; Wines.” We know that when the marks are identical, a lesser degree of similarity between the involved goods is needed to support a likelihood of confusion refusal. But wine and coffee? How do you think this one came out? In re Black Ink Coffee Company, LLC, Serial No. 88570051 (June 16, 2023) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Martha B. Allard)

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