This page permanently redirects to gemini://gemini.techrights.org/2023/06/29/godot-4-1-rc-1/.

● 06.29.23

Gemini version available ♊︎

● Links 29/06/2023: Blender 3.6 and Godot 4.1 RC 1

Posted in News Roundup at 1:12 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

Audiocasts/Shows

=> ↺ Ubuntu Podcast from the UK LoCo: Writing a Game for Linux

• Extending the range of ADSB receivers, ‘hacking’ white goods, and entering a Linux Game Jam in a not very Linux-y way.

=> ↺ Bryan Lunduke ☛ Latest Lunduke’s Big Tech Show episodes

• So much Linux-y goodness.

Kernel Space

=> ↺ Ubuntu Handbook ☛ Linux Kernel 6.4 Released with Better Apple M1/M2, Lenovo Yoga, MSI laptops support

• Linus Torvalds announced the release of Linux Kernel 6.4 few days ago on Sunday. He wrote: Hmm.

Applications

=> ↺ 9to5Linux ☛ NetworkManager 1.42.8 Adds Support for Port Priority for Bonding and PPP 2.5

• In this update, which comes a little over two months after version 1.42.6, which probably most of you have installed on your GNU/Linux distributions, you’ll find support for the latest PPP 2.5.0 daemon that implements the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) to provide Internet connections over serial lines and similar types of PPP links.

• In addition, NetworkManager 1.42.8 is here to implement support port priority for bonding and the ability to automatically unblock the auto-connect of profiles during reapply.

=> ↺ Introducing bpftune for lightweight, always-on auto-tuning of system behaviour

• The Linux kernel contains more than 1,500 tunables – and setting these parameters correctly can significantly improve system performance and utilization! For years, we’ve tried to provide the right suggestions for these tunables, via software release notes and improved default values, but many system loads will benefit from dynamic tuning of these values.

• Introducing bpftune, an automatic configurator that monitors your workloads and sets the correct kernel parameter values! bpftune is an open source project available via dnf install in the Oracle Linux ol_developer repos, and at https://github.com/oracle-samples/bpftune.

• bpftune aims to provide lightweight, always-on auto-tuning of system behaviour. The key benefits it provides are:

• Continuously monitoring and adjusting system behavior by using BPF (Berkeley Packet Filter) observability features.

• Tuning system behavior at a fine-grained level, made possible since we can observe more details of system state using BPF.

• It is currently focused on some of the most common issues with tunables we have run into at Oracle, but with a pluggable infrastructure that is open to contributions. We hope you find it useful too!

=> ↺ Blender 3.6 LTS Release Notes

• Check out out the final release notes on blender.org.

• This release includes long-term support, see the LTS page for a list of bugfixes included in the latest version.

Instructionals/Technical

=> ↺ ID Root ☛ How To Install Java on Debian 12

• In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Java on Debian 12. For those of you who didn’t know, Java is a versatile programming language, that finds its application in numerous software solutions. The installation of Java involves two key components: the Java Development Kit (JDK) and the Java Runtime Environment (JRE).

=> ↺ TecAdmin ☛ The Essentials of Editing a Crontab File

• In the realm of system administration, there’s one powerful tool that allows you to schedule tasks efficiently: crontab. With crontab, you can execute scripts and commands at specified dates and times, making it an incredibly useful utility in Unix-based systems.

=> ↺ Peter Czanik: The syslog-ng MongoDB destination receives bulk operations support

• The MongoDB destination of syslog-ng will receive another performance update. Starting with the upcoming version 4.3, it will support bulk operations. Depending on the configuration settings, this may result in a more than 300% performance increase.

• At the time of writing this blog, bulk support for the MongoDB destination is not yet available. It arrived soon after the 4.2 release and will be officially released as part of the 4.3 release. However, you can already try it using my RPM git snapshot packages, my FreeBSD ports repo, or the nightly Linux container images.

=> ↺ FOSSLinux ☛ Unlock Remote Desktop Management with Remmina on Ubuntu

• When it comes to managing remote desktop connections on Ubuntu, Remmina stands out as a robust, open-source solution. With support for multiple network protocols like RDP, VNC, SSH, and more, it allows you to connect and work on various remote systems with ease.

=> ↺ Linux Links ☛ Alternatives to popular CLI tools: psql

• This article spotlights alternative tools to psql, a PostgreSQL interactive terminal.

=> ↺ Linux Handbook ☛ LHB Linux Digest #23.09: Trap Command, Systemd Services, Vim Buffers and More

• Red Hat’s latest move is cutting off the competition. Other than that, learn about the trap built-in and systemd services.

=> ↺ ID Root ☛ How To Install RabbitMQ on Rocky Linux 9

• In this tutorial, we will show you how to install RabbitMQ on Rocky Linux 9. For those of you who didn’t know, RabbitMQ is a powerful and popular open-source message broker that enables different systems to communicate with each other. It is widely used in distributed systems, microservices architectures, and other messaging scenarios.

=> ↺ ZDNet ☛ How to combine Linux commands together for a more efficient experience

• When you finally start working with the Linux command line, you’ll find numerous ways to make the process more efficient. By running two or more commands at once, you’ll not have to wait until one finishes to start the next.

=> ↺ LinuxTuto ☛ How to Install Elgg on Debian 12

• Elgg is an open-source social networking platform that allows users to create and manage their own social networks and communities.

=> ↺ Linux Capable ☛ How to Install Nala on Debian 12/11/10

• In the intricate landscape of package management, Nala emerges as an adroit and efficient front-end for libapt-pkg. A cornerstone of Debian-based systems, libapt-pkg is an essential library for package management operations. Let’s examine the components and strengths of Nala as it interfaces with libapt-pkg through the python-apt API.

=> ↺ Linux Capable ☛ How to Install Siege Benchmark Tool on Debian 12/11/10

• In an era where web performance can make or break the user experience, Siege emerges as an essential tool for HTTP load testing and benchmarking. By following the subsequent guide, you will be adept in installing Siege on Debian 12 Bookworm, Debian 11 Bullseye, or Debian 10 Buster.

=> ↺ Linux Capable ☛ How to Install Perl in Debian 12/11/10

• Perl, a stalwart in programming, is renowned for its versatility and robustness. With its roots tracing back to 1987, Perl has evolved to cater to a broad spectrum of applications.

=> ↺ Linux Capable ☛ How to Install Python 3.8 on Debian Linux

• Python 3.8 represents a significant milestone in the evolution of the Python programming language.

=> ↺ How to Change the Hostname in Debian 12 BookWorm

• In Debian 12 and even in other operating systems hostname plays a quite important role. It helps the machine to get identified on a network. However, when we install OS, it sets the hostname automatically which sometimes needs to be personalized.

=> ↺ Cloudbooklet ☛ How to Modify the Hostname in Linux

• Learn how to easily modify the hostname in Linux without restarting the system.

=> ↺ Cloudbooklet ☛ How to Use Charstar AI Effectively for Free

• For free, learn how to use Charstar AI efficiently. This article will guide you through how to make your own characters, how to find and chat with other characters, and how to use Charstar AI to boost your creativity and productivity.

=> ↺ Own HowTo ☛ How to Install Manjaro Linux 22.1.2 “Talos”

• In this tutorial, you will learn how to install Manjaro ISO on your computer.

=> ↺ Own HowTo ☛ How to run a PHP script on localhost on Linux

• You can run a HTML file and Javascript with no issues locally on your browser, but can you run PHP locally? The answer is yes, you can run PHP just like any HTML file.

=> ↺ Linuxiac ☛ How to Install Docker on Debian 12 (Bookworm)

• Learn step-by-step how to install Docker on Debian 12 and unlock the power of containerization. Get started with our comprehensive guide.

=> ↺ ZDNet ☛ Déjà Dup is as simple a backup tool as you’ll find on Linux

• If you’re looking for the easiest method of backing up folders and files on Linux, you cannot go wrong with Déjà Dup.

=> ↺ It’s FOSS ☛ Using cat Command in Linux

• Cat command can be used for more than just displaying file contents.

=> ↺ LinuxConfig ☛ How to backup your git repositories with gickup

=> ↺ dwaves.de ☛ How to run WatchPower software GNU Linux Debian – Reading Writing Voltronic (Masterpower, MPPT) solar inverters – how to heat LiFePo4 in winter the smart way?

• how to run WatchPower under GNU Linux PARTLY FINISHED HOWTO! (WÖRK IN PROGRESS) it can do basic chart plotting: what it can not do: tell the user, how much kWh was produced-used today, last week, last month, last year…

Games

=> ↺ Godot Engine ☛ Release candidate: Godot 4.1 RC 1

• After 4 months of development, Godot 4.1 is only days away. To make sure it doesn’t miss the mark, here’s the first release candidate for your testing!

Desktop Environments/WMs

=> ↺ Daniel Lange ☛ Daniel Lange: Xfce4 opening links in Chromium despite Firefox having been set as the default browser

• Installing a laptop with the shiny new Debian Bookworm release finds a few interesting things broken that I probably had fixed in the past already on the old laptop.

Distributions and Operating Systems

=> ↺ 9to5Linux ☛ You Can Finally Upgrade Your Zorin OS PCs with the Zorin OS Upgrader

• Meet Zorin OS Upgrader, the most requested feature ever by Zorin OS users. This tool will finally let you easily and seamlessly upgrade your Zorin OS systems to newer releases immediately as they become available without having to download a new ISO image and perform a clean install.

• Until today, upgrading between major versions of Zorin OS would involve downloading the new ISO, writing it to a USB flash drive, backing up your files, preparing the drive partition, installing the new copy of Zorin OS, and restoring your data to the new installation.

=> ↺ DebugPoint ☛ Zorin OS Launches Highly Anticipated Zorin OS Upgrader

• In exciting news for Zorin OS fans, the team has unveiled their most requested feature: the Zorin OS Upgrader. After receiving an overwhelming number of requests over the years, the team has delivered a seamless solution that allows users to upgrade between major releases and editions of Zorin OS in place, without the hassle of a clean install.

=> ↺ Barry Kauler ☛ Goodbye Balena Etcher AppImage

• Balena Etcher flash-drive image-writer is in Appi, the AppImage Installer. I had only tested that it starts, hadn’t tested that it actually does write an image file to a drive. But, this post has alerted me that there is a problem with writing:

• https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?p=92621#p92621

• …they have reported that ‘pkexec’ is missing. This is a little utility to run something as another user. It puts up a little GUI window asking for a password. ‘pkexec’ is in the ‘polkit’ package, but Easy does not use polkit. That’s easy to solve, I created /usr/bin/pkexec, a script that is a frontend to ‘sudo-sh’, which was introduced yesterday: [...]

=> ↺ Hackaday ☛ Honda Headunit Reverse Engineering, And The Dismal State Of Infotainment Systems

• These days the dozen or so ECUs in an average car are joined by an infotainment system of some type, which are typically a large touch screen on the dashboard (the headunit) and possibly a couple of auxiliary units for the rear seats. These infotainment systems run anything from QNX to (Yocto) Linux or more commonly these days some version of Android. As [Eric McDonald] discovered with his 2021 Honda Civic, its headunit runs an archaic Android dating back to roughly 2012.

Fedora Family / IBM

=> ↺ Wouter Verhelst: The future of the eID on RHEL

• Since before I got involved in the eID back in 2014, we have provided official packages of the eID for Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

Content Management Systems (CMS)

=> ↺ Major Hayden ☛ Major Hayden: Deploy a containerized Ghost blog 👻

• Ghost delivers a great self-hosted blogging platform that deploys well in containers.

• Let’s deploy it on CoreOS along with Caddy. ️📝

Programming/Development

=> ↺ Applied Pokology: Array boundaries and closures in Poke

• Poke arrays are rather peculiar. One of their seemingly bizarre characteristics is the fact that the expressions calculating their boundaries (when they are bounded) evaluate in their own lexical environment, which is captured. In other words: the expressions denoting the boundaries of Poke arrays conform closures. Also, the way they evaluate may be surprising. This is no capricious.

=> ↺ Rlang ☛ The ave() Function in R

• In the world of data analysis and statistics, grouping data based on certain criteria is a common task.

=> ↺ Rlang ☛ Tidy Tuesday: US Populated PlacesToday’s TidyTuesday is about place names as recorded by the US Board on Geographic Names. The dataset has been cleaned to include only populated places. This week will involve more libraries than normal, since I am going to play with mapping.

Python

=> ↺ Linux Hint ☛ Python Convert List of Strings to Ints

• To convert a list of strings to integers various methods such as the “for” loop, “List Comprehension”, “eval()”, and “map()” function is used in Python.

Leftovers

=> ↺ Public Knowledge ☛ Emerging Tech

• Emerging Tech brings together public interest advocates, policymakers, and companies to discuss the promise, pitfalls, and policy implications of cutting-edge tech.

=> ↺ Chris ☛ A3: Avoid Memos With An Agenda

=> ↺ Stacey on IoT ☛ Are factories going to adopt automation quickly or nah?

• This story was originally published on June 23, 2023 in my weekly IoT newsletter. You can sign up here. Will factories embrace digital automation rapidly in the next five years, or will they continue to adopt technology in an incremental fashion?

Science

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ Global Strategy 2023: Winning the tech race with China

• The United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are engaged in a strategic competition surrounding the development of key technologies. Both countries seek to out-compete the other to achieve first-mover advantage in breakthrough technologies, and to be the best country in terms of the commercial scaling of emerging and existing technologies.

Education

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Planned Chinese law would mandate the study of ‘Xi Jinping Thought’ in schools

• The law provides for ‘patriotic’ education in Hong Kong, Macau and overseas Chinese communities

Hardware

=> ↺ IT Wire ☛ US to further tighten curbs on AI chip sales to China: report

• At the time, an Nvidia spokesperson told iTWire: “The Nvidia A800 GPU, which went into production in Q3, is another alternative product to the Nvidia A100 GPU for customers in China.

• “The A800 meets the US Government’s clear test for reduced export control and cannot be programmed to exceed it.”

• Now it appears that the US wants to make even the purchase of these chips difficult.

• The WSJ report said there were also moves afoot to restrict leasing cloud services to AI firms in China as they were being used to get around the restrictions on chip exports.

• Also in the pipeline are laws that limit the extent of American investment in China and other countries considered to be geopolitical rivals.

• An Nvidia spokesperson declined to comment. 

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

=> ↺ Reason ☛ Scammers Stole $200 Billion From Two Federal COVID Aid Programs

• A new audit says one out of every $6 distributed by the Small Business Administration during the pandemic was stolen.

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ Lab leak debate: US releases new report, but critics want more

• Advocates argue transparency around COVID-19 origins is key to restoring public trust. Critics say a politicized push could have the opposite effect.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Is Japan’s plan to release Fukushima wastewater unscientific and unilateral?

• China’s claims about Japan’s wastewater disposal plan ignore key facts and are misleading.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Rodent heads found in canteen dishes in China highlight food safety concerns

• Second case in a month of a mouse head found in a cafeteria lunch box meal in China.

=> ↺ Off Guardian ☛ To Live Forever

• “Forget the fountain of youth, pal of mine. You can live to be a thousand, and it won’t matter. Mediocrities like you deserve immortality.”

Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

=> ↺ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Windows 11’s Potential Subscription-Based Cloud Future Revealed by FTC [Ed: No sane person who knows about GNU/Linux will tolerate this for long]

• Part of Microsoft’s long-term vision is to move Windows 11 fully into the cloud.

=> ↺ The Verge ☛ Microsoft exec was ready to ‘go spend Sony out of business’ to strengthen Xbox [Ed: This is illegal, but Microsoft are basically criminals. As Robert X. Cringely put it: “They [Microsoft] have the deepest of pockets, unlimited ambition, and they are willing to lose money for years and years just to make sure that you don’t make any money, either. And they are mean, REALLY mean.”]

• Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios chief, Matt Booty, was encouraging Xbox CFO Tim Stuart to spend big money on acquiring game content…

=> ↺ Paul Thurrott ☛ Report: Microsoft Wants to Bring Windows 365 Cloud PCs to Consumers [Ed: This is an article by a Microsoft shill. What sane person wants to rent when you can own?]

• Microsoft is reportedly working on a consumer version of Windows 365…

=> ↺ YLE ☛ Microsoft buys Vihti land for 12 million euros [Ed: Microsoft is doing espionage. Meanwhile Azure is failing, there are layoffs, and datacentres are being decommissioned. Who is funding this? A government perhaps? Bailout?]

• The company plans to build a data centre on the property, joining two other planned centres in Espoo and Kirkkonummi.

=> ↺ ReactOS NEWSLETTER 102 – 2022/2023 NEWS

• Hello ReactOS followers and enthusiasts! It has been quite a long time since we published the 101th newsletter and so far no further updates have been posted since then. While the ReactOS Twitter account does provide announcements, posts about working applications and such from time to time, much of what is happening with the project as a whole isn’t mentioned. Most of what we are going to talk about is the current situation with releases and overall ReactOS development.

Security

=> ↺ IT Wire ☛ Threat researcher pours cold water on claims about ‘Wagner’ ransomware

• Callow told iTWire: “Creating the ransomware would’ve been a quick and easy job, but we don’t know who did it or why or whether it’s ever actually been deployed.

• “My guess is that was created for the soled purpose of being uploaded to VirusTotal so it would be discovered by researches and written about. You can draw your own conclusions as to what the motivation may have been.”

• Another security researcher who differed with Cyble, but not to the extent that Callow did, was Allan Liska, who works with the CIA-backed firm Recorded Future, PCMag quoted him as tweeting: “Installing a ransomware/wiper on someone’s machine is a poor way to recruit them.

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ ‘Anatsa’ malware targets banking users in US, UK and Central Europe

• A mobile malware campaign targeting banking apps has been observed targeting users in the U.S., the U.K. and Central Europe. Dubbed “Anatsa” by researchers at ThreatFabric B.V., the banking Trojan is distributed through malicious apps in the Google Play Store and is estimated to have had over 30,000 installations since March.

Privacy/Surveillance

=> ↺ Privacy International ☛ Q&A: €40 million fine for AdTech giant Criteo – What does it mean?

Defence/Aggression

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Putin Claims Russia’s Military Had Crucial Role In Stopping Wagner Mutiny, Admits Group Funded By State

• President Vladimir Putin on June 27 sought to gloss over the Russian authorities’ lack of immediate reaction to the Wagner mercenaries’ short-lived mutiny over the weekend, praising the military as the country’s savior from civil war.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Bipartisan US delegation meets with Taiwan President Tsai

• The 9-member congressional representatives include 4 members of the House Armed Services Committee.

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ What’s driving Central and Eastern Europe’s growing ties with Taiwan?

• A new tone toward Taipei in Europe is being set by Czechia and other Central and Eastern European countries. Taiwan has come to the forefront of their attention mainly because of frustration with Beijing.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ What the 3 Body Problem Means for Nuclear War

• Physicists have long explored how phenomena in groups of three can sow chaos. A new three-body problem, they warn, could lead to not only global races for new armaments but also thermonuclear war.

=> ↺ Scheerpost ☛ US Woos India’s Far-Right PM Modi To Help Wage New Cold War on China

• The US government is trying to divide the BRICS bloc and recruit India for its new cold war on China. Biden doesn’t care that far-right Prime Minister Modi is closely linked to fascistic Hindu-supremacist groups that violently oppress minorities.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Former Regional Official Gets Lengthy Prison Term Over Deadly 2018 Siberian Mall Fire

• A court in Siberia has sentenced the former emergency situations minister of the Kemerovo region, Aleksandr Mamontov, to 10 1/2 years in prison over a 2018 fire in the regional capital that killed 60 people, including 37 children.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Public records map Wagner Group’s Hong Kong connections

• The city continues to operate as a haven for murky shell companies and illicit transactions.

War in Ukraine

=> ↺ European Commission ☛ Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi’s speech at the Sofia Economic Forum IV

• European Commission Speech Brussels, 27 Jun 2023 Ladies and Gentlemen,

• Russia’s war against Ukraine has made it clear that the European Union is an anchor of peace, stability, and prosperity in the world. /blockquote>

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ An expert briefing on the Wagner mutiny and what’s next for Russia and Ukraine

• Experts and former officials explained the events unfolding in Russia—and what they mean for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hold on power, Russia’s relations with other countries, and its war against Ukraine

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ Ukrainians have good reason to cheer Russia’s Wagner rebellion

• Ukrainians have good reason to cheer the short-lived Wagner mutiny, which has removed Russia’s most effective military units from the battlefield while exposing the weakness of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, writes Andriy Zagorodnyuk.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ 🔴 Live: Death toll rises from Russian strike on Kramatorsk restaurant

• The death toll from a Russian missile strike that hit a crowded restaurant rose to nine on Wednesday with more than 50 others wounded as rescue workers searched the rubble of the destroyed building. A FRANCE 24 journalist who was in the restaurant witnessed the strike but was not injured.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ President Nausėda heads to Kyiv after Lithuania commits 2 NASAMS launchers for Ukraine

• President Gitanas Nausėda is heading to Kyiv on Wednesday, a day after Lithuania signed an agreement to purchase two NASAMS air defence system launchers for Ukraine.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Lithuania Buys NASAMS Air Defense For Ukraine

• Lithuania is purchasing two NASAMS air-defense systems for Ukraine, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said in a video statement released late on June 27.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ U.S. To Give Ukraine $500 Million In Additional Military Aid, Pentagon Says

• The United States will provide Kyiv with a new military package worth up to $500 million, the Pentagon said on June 27.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ U.S. Announces Sanctions Targeting Gold Mining Firms Connected To Wagner

• The United States has imposed sanctions on four companies linked to the Russian private mercenary group Wagner and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that it said are active in illicit gold mining and trade.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ What Will Happen to Prigozhin and His Wagner Fighters? Here’s What We Know.

• Days after an uprising in Russia, Moscow said the charges of “armed mutiny” would be dropped. Here is how the events may affect the mercenary fighters, President Vladimir V. Putin and the war in Ukraine.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Putin, Prigozhin and the Danger of Disorder

• The events playing out in Russia last weekend felt like the trailer for the next James Bond movie.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ UN Says Russia Executed Dozens Of Ukrainian Civilians Since Invasion, As Zelenskiy Upbeat On Counteroffensive

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was upbeat about his military’s progress during his daily video address late on June 26, calling it a “happy day.”

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Israel Summons Ukraine Envoy Over Pro-Russian Accusation

• The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on June 27 it was summoning the Ukrainian ambassador for a “clarification,” after the Ukrainian Embassy accused “the current Israeli government” of “a clear pro-Russian position.”

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Prigozhin’s Mutiny Against Putin’s Reign of Lies

• But do ordinary Russians want to know the truth?

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Lukashenko Says That During Revolt, Putin Suggested Killing Mercenary Chief

• President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus said that he had argued against the move, and confirmed that Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, had arrived in the country, Belarusian state media reported.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ ‘Everything he does is meant to avoid suspicion’ What the hell happened to Dmitry Medvedev? — Meduza

• During Dmitry Medvedev’s presidency, more than a decade ago now, he briefly gave Western governments hope that true reform might be possible. Even after Putin returned to the office in 2012 and appointed Medvedev to the prime ministership, where he remained for the next 7.5 years, he was still viewed as a liberal — that is, when anyone thought about him at all. He remained in that post until 2020, when Putin “needed a real prime minister,” as one political scientist put it to Meduza. Over the two years that followed, though Medvedev continued to serve as deputy chairman of the State Security Council, he essentially faded from public life; to this day, he’s not even the first “Medvedev” to come up in Google’s search results (at least in English). In the 16 months since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, however, the former president has reinvented his public persona, becoming one of Moscow’s most outspoken and hateful hawks, and making even Putin seem measured in comparison. Meduza special correspondent Andrey Pertsev explains Dmitry Medvedev’s dramatic shift.

=> ↺ Scheerpost ☛ Western Officials Say Ukrainian Counteroffensive ‘Not Meeting Expectations’

• Officials tell CNN that Russia is having success in its defense.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Three people killed and 25 injured in Russian missile strike on Kramatorsk — Meduza

• The Russian armed forces have launched a missile strike on Kramatorsk, a city in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Ukrainska Pravda reports that Russian S-300 missile systems were used in the attack.

=> ↺ Latvia ☛ Latvia extends visa restrictions for Russians until March 2024

• The Latvian cabinet took a decision June 27 that extends the period of restrictions on the entry of Russian citizens into Latvia well into next year.

=> ↺ The Strategist ☛ Russia’s dangerous nuclear consensus

• Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s weekend rebellion has shone a harsh spotlight on the apparently fragile state of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime.

=> ↺ AntiWar ☛ Prigozhin’s Rebellion: What Just Happened in Russia?

• Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader the Wagner group, has ended his siege of the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and turned around his march on Moscow. It is not clear what happened nor what was staged and what was real. Each expert and commentator offers a different expert commentary.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ These videos do not show clashes between the Wagner Group and Russian forces

• In the aftermath of the armed rebellion attempt by Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenary group against the Russian army command on Saturday June 24, people began sharing images online purporting to show the two sides fighting. But at least two of these videos were taken from the video game Arma 3 – and it’s not the first time this military video game has been used to spread misinformation.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Putin’s defense chief Shoigu survived Prigozhin’s challenge – but for how long?

• Russia’s embattled defence minister was in the hot seat long before Yevgeny Prigozhin sent his Wagner mercenaries racing to Moscow on a stated mission to oust him. The latter’s failure shows President Vladimir Putin is unwilling to sacrifice his long-time confidant – at least for now.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Man serving 17-year sentence for murdering his ex-girlfriend released from penal colony to fight in Ukraine. Witnesses dread retribution. — Meduza

• Vladislav Kanyus brutally murdered his ex-girlfriend Vera Pekhteleva in 2020, shortly after the 23-year-old undergraduate from Kemerovo decided to leave the violent relationship. In July 2022, a court sentenced him to 17 years in a penal colony.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Russian Missile Strike Hits Kramatorsk Restaurant, Killing At Least 4

• More than 40 people were wounded in the strike, which hit a popular restaurant in Kramatorsk’s city center at dinnertime.

=> ↺ Off Guardian ☛ AUDIO: WTF Just Happened in Russia?

• Rolo Slavskiy joins James Corbett to discuss the crazy events in Russia this past weekend. Did Yevgeny Prigozhin just lead a mutiny? A coup attempt? Was this a psyop? A false flag?

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Russia Has Detained Hundreds Of Civilians Since Ukraine Invasion, UN Says

• A UN monitoring mission in Ukraine said on June 27 that Russia had detained more than 800 civilians since the conflict began in February 2022, of whom 77 were executed.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Several Ukrainian Officials Disciplined After Audit Of Kyiv Bomb Shelters Finds ‘Unacceptable’ Results

• A recent audit of bomb shelters in Ukraine prompted by the deaths of three people locked out of a shelter during a Russian air raid uncovered an “unacceptable” situation, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said, and resulted in disciplinary action for many local leaders.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Death Toll Rises To Nine In Kramatorsk Missile Strike As Rescue Operations Continue

• The casualty toll from Russia’s June 27 attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk has risen to nine dead and 56 wounded as Russian forces continued their aerial assault around the country overnight with fresh drone strikes.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Russian President Lays Out Options for Wagner Soldiers

• Minister Lavrov said the Russian intelligence services were investigating whether Western spy agencies played a role in the aborted mutiny.

=> ↺ The Atlantic ☛ The Three Logics of the Prigozhin Putsch

• Putin may be as uncertain as the rest of us about what just happened.

=> ↺ Helsinki Times ☛ Finnish government to plug loopholes in entry restrictions for Russians

• THE GOVERNMENT of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) is looking to solidify the entry restrictions imposed on Russians.

• President Sauli Niinistö and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy convened yesterday to discuss the issue, concluding that Russians using Finland as a transit country en route to other parts of the Schengen Area continue to pose a risk to the international relations of Finland.

=> ↺ New Yorker ☛ What Prigozhin’s Half-Baked “Coup” Could Mean for Putin’s Rule

• Although the immediate threat of revolt has been extinguished, the episode may embolden future challengers to Russia’s status quo.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan says it spots two Russian warships off its east coast

• June 28, 2023 6:52 AM

• Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said it is keeping watch and has “activated” shore-based missiles.

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ China’s ‘no-limits’ partnership with Russia shaken by mutiny

• The short-lived mercenary mutiny against Moscow is raising doubts in Beijing about how reliable an ally against the West Russia really is.

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ Prigozhin’s great escape or Putin’s display of power?

• Russia has dropped charges against Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner mercenary troops leader, after his brief armed rebellion that followed the cessation of their activities. After negotiations, Mr. Prigozhin, along with some of his military, was sent to Belarus.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Russian General Knew About Prigozhin’s Rebellion Plans, U.S. Officials Say

• Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, may have believed he had support in Russia’s military.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ How Russia’s Allies May React to Prigozhin’s Mutiny Against Putin

• Leaders from Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, among others, expressed support for Vladimir Putin in the face of the Wagner uprising. But concerns may linger, analysts say.

=> ↺ Democracy Now ☛ “Dead Men Walking”: James Risen on How the Wagner Revolt Threatens Both Putin & Prigozhin

• The Kremlin says it has dropped criminal charges against Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenaries after he attempted to lead an aborted mutiny against the Russian military. Prigozhin has reportedly arrived in Belarus. We speak with James Risen, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The Intercept, who covered the 1991 attempted coup in Moscow and says Prigozhin may have had a chance to complete his march on Moscow and topple the government, but he lost his nerve. Risen says the rebellion exposed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rule as hollow. “Prigozhin is clearly a threat, as long as he’s alive, to Putin,” warns Risen.

=> ↺ The Nation ☛ How BRICS Countries Help to Define a Truly New World Order

• June 18, Washington, D.C.—The international grouping known as BRICS—Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa—has maintained a generally low profile on the world scene since its founding in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008–09. But last year, the combined economic output of the five BRICS members, measured in purchasing power parity, for the first time exceeded that of the US-led G7. And this year, BRICS is poised to move to a much more powerful role in world affairs: It looks as if 13 significant other nations from the Global South, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, may be admitted to the grouping at its upcoming summit, slated for late August in South Africa.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Russia Drops Criminal Charges Against Prigozhin After Wagner Rebellion

• The Russian authorities said that Wagner members would face no criminal charges for the mutiny and would hand over equipment, but the fate of the group’s thousands of fighters was unclear.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Russian Defense Ministry says preparations underway to transfer Wagner Group’s equipment to regular army — Meduza

• Preparations are underway for the transfer of Wagner Group’s military equipment to units of the Russian Armed Forces, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Russian FSB drops criminal case on Wagner Group rebellion — Meduza

• Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has closed its criminal case on Wagner Group’s armed rebellion, according to state media.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ In Russia, Wagner Rebellion Echoes Another Coup Attempt in 1917

• Amid a flagging war effort, a popular commander turned his troops toward Russia’s own capital, undermining the government. It happened last weekend — and in 1917.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Lukashenko addresses journalists for first time since Wagner Group rebellion — Meduza

• Speaking to journalists for the first time since Wagner Group’s armed rebellion in Russia on June 24, Alexander Lukashenko said that all of Belarus’s armed forces were brought to “full combat readiness” during the crisis.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Putin Tries to Rewrite the Story of What Happened With Wagner Mutiny

• President Vladimir V. Putin appeared only once during a mercenary’s daylong mutiny against the military. He was all over Russian TV on Tuesday, seeking to project an image of control.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Putin to give unscheduled speech from Kremlin — Meduza

• Russian state media have announced that Vladimir Putin will give an unscheduled speech from the Kremlin on Tuesday.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Putin Casts Rebellion as Proof of Russian Solidity as Belarus Takes Prigozhin In

• Belarus said it had taken in the mercenary boss Yevgeny V. Prigozhin and might welcome his Wagner troops, while Russia dropped a criminal investigation of him for the weekend uprising.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ ‘You effectively stopped a civil war.’ Putin addresses troops in Kremlin ceremony. — Meduza

• Addressing military personnel at a ceremony at the Kremlin on Monday, Vladimir Putin told the troops they effectively stopped a civil war, praising them for acting with precision and coordination during Yevgeny Prigozhin’s armed rebellion against Moscow on Saturday.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Russian National Guard head says his forces to receive heavy weaponry and tanks, blames Wagner rebellion on West — Meduza

• Speaking to journalists after Vladimir Putin’s speech at the Kremlin on Tuesday, Russian National Guard Director Viktor Zolotov said his forces will receive heavy weapons and tanks, according to state media.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Putin says Wagner Group was ‘fully financed’ by Russian government — Meduza

• At a meeting with military officials on Tuesday, Vladimir Putin said that the Russian government “fully” financed the activities of Wagner Group, state media has reported.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Lukashenko: ‘Wagner will not guard any nuclear weapons’ deployed to Belarus — Meduza

• Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, reported that Russia has already deployed “a significant part” of the nuclear weapons it plans to transfer to Belarus.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Saudi-owned news channel says Russian military police detained multiple Wagner Group officers in Syria — Meduza

• Russian military police apprehended the head of a Wagner Group unit in the Syrian city of As Suwayda, the Saudi-owned news channel Al-Hadath has reported, according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant. (The story has not appeared on Al-Hadath’s site as of this writing.)

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ False patriots, rebels, and traitors The Kremlin’s media guidelines frame Prigozhin’s failed insurrection as a real danger, thwarted by Russia’s ‘valiant’ forces of law and order — Meduza

• Vladimir Putin’s unexpected address to the Russian military and state security apparatus cued a new round of myth-making around the failed insurrection, which was led, and then abandoned, last weekend by Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. Speaking in front of the Kremlin’s iconic Palace of Facets on June 27, Putin thanked Russia’s forces of law and order for having “stopped a civil war” that was about to plunge the country into “chaos.” But not once did the president mention the leader of the insurgence, Yevgeny Prigozhin, by name. The same is true of the Kremlin’s propaganda guidelines that have been recently distributed to the state-controlled Russian media. Meduza’s special correspondent Andrey Pertsev has got ahold of the Kremlin’s instructions on how state propaganda must cover the insurrection and frame it for posterity.

Environment

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ Lessons from the Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact

• Dressing up concrete measures as parts of a “new global financial architecture” risks conflating them with the geopolitical conflict about the future of the current world order.

Energy/Transportation

=> ↺ IT Wire ☛ China EV sales in 1Q23 rose despite cut in government subsidy

• Despite discontinuation of a government subsidy, electric vehicle sales in China during the first quarter of 2023 have grown by 29%, the technology analyst firm Counterpoint Research says, without providing any actual numbers.

=> ↺ Ruben Schade ☛ CityNerd on city values

• At the risk of turning this blog into a stenography service for Not Just Bikes, CityNerd, and other urbanist channels, I thought this observation was poignant.

=> ↺ H2 View ☛ Successful testing of high-pressure pure hydrogen pipeline in China

• China has carried out the successful operation of a high-pressure pure hydrogen pipeline, according to local media.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ China denies compensation for Tibetans displaced by world’s largest hydro-solar plant

• Nomads had filed complaints with the Chinese government to no avail

Finance

=> ↺ Ford to Layoff at Least 1,000 Workers, EV Startup Lordstown Motors Dies

• In internal meetings Monday, Ford began notifying some salaried workers in North America that job cuts would be coming, a company spokesman confirmed Tuesday morning.

• This latest reduction of Ford’s white-collar workforce includes employees in its electric-vehicle and software side of the business, the company spokesman confirmed. The cuts will also affect workers in the automaker’s gas-engine and commercial-vehicle divisions, he said. Managers at the company held meetings Monday in which they informed employees that layoffs were coming and that affected teams should work from home for the rest of the week, a company spokesman said.

=> ↺ The Wall Street Journal ☛ Ford Plans to Lay Off at Least 1,000 Contract and Salaried Workers

=> ↺ GeekWire ☛ Technical recruiting startup Karat lays off 47 employees for the second time this year

• Seattle technical recruiting startup Karat is laying off 47 employees for the second time this year, part of an effort to restructure various organizations within the company and make progress towards profitability.

• The startup confirmed the cuts to GeekWire on Wednesday. It did not provide an updated headcount, but according to LinkedIn, the company has 393 employees, down from 423 employees in January.

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China on course to achieve 5% economic growth target in 2023: premier

• China is on course to achieve its five per cent target for economic growth in 2023 set by Beijing earlier this year, premier Li Qiang said Tuesday.

=> ↺ Zimbabwe ☛ ZB launches virtual customer care centre, offering banking, insurance and investment services

• ZB Holdings launched what they are calling the International Virtual Service Centre today. It’s simply a platform or way through which ZB will provide customer service virtually.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ EU to take next step towards launching digital version of euro

• The EU will take the next crucial step on Wednesday towards launching a digital version of the euro, a controversial project that has come under attack from the public, politicians and banks before it even exists.

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ European stocks lack momentum as China boost fades

• European shares have struggled to maintain positive momentum after Asian stocks received a boost from China’s government saying it would support the economy and investors focused on concerns about the economic outlook for Europe and the United States.

• Asian shares were helped on Tuesday by Chinese Premier Li Qiang saying Beijing would roll out policies to boost the world’s second-largest economy.

=> ↺ Google Will Lay Off Some Waze Employees

• Google is moving its navigation software service, Waze, to Google’s ad systems. The consolidation means some job losses for Waze’s 500+ employees, although the exact number being let go has not been clarified.

• It’s a hint at a contraction within the world of advertising, which Google dominates alongside Facebook.

• It’s also a continuation of the tech layoffs trend: For nearly a year, tech companies have been pointing to the uncertain economy as the reason they needed to lay off swathes of staffers, pushing workers to embrace either self-employment or stagnant wages.

=> ↺ Axios ☛ Global policymakers mull inflation’s last mile

• Inflation has plunged from its peak levels of a year ago. But some influential economists have a warning: The hardest part of reining in prices still lies ahead.

• Why it matters: Even as price increases have slowed, underlying inflation has proven stubborn in the United States and Europe, creating the risks that central banks have to keep rates higher for longer than markets have been pricing in — with all the collateral damage that can cause.

=> ↺ IT Wire ☛ Judge clears way for Apple shareholders’ case over Cook comments

• A class-action lawsuit against Apple over a 2018 comment by its chief executive, Tim Cook, about sales in China, will go ahead with a US judge giving the green light on Monday for accusations of defrauding shareholders to be tested in court.

• Reuters reported that District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ decision would allow Apple shareholders, led by a British pension fund, to sue the Cupertino-based firm over a one-day fall in its stock price that erased US$74 billion (A$110.8 billion) in market value.

• During an analyst call on 1 November 2018, Cook told analysts on a call that sales in China did not face the same pressure as those in Brazil, India, Russia and Turkey due to the fall in the value of those countries’ currencies.

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ Your Fourth of July cookout is going to be more expensive this year

• US food inflation is starting to ease, but you can still expect the Fourth of July cookout to be pricier this year. The prices of essential food items from beef to bread continue to remain elevated, according to a new report from Wells Fargo.

=> ↺ Helsinki Times ☛ Inflation and interest rates impact Finnish renovation plans

• The current economic uncertainties, rising inflation, and the end of near-zero interest rates have prompted many Finns to reconsider their renovation and construction plans. However, despite these concerns, a recent study commissioned by Stark Finland reveals that 35 percent of Finns either intend to proceed with their planned projects or carry them out on a slightly smaller scale.

=> ↺ Michael West Media ☛ Inflation surprise as rate of growth slows for May

• Inflation has come in softer than expected and sunk back to 5.6 per cent in May from 6.8 per cent in April.

• Markets were expecting the monthly consumer price index to moderate to 6.1 per cent over the month after a larger-than-anticipated uptick in April.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Why we should do away with the idea of ‘Homo Sovieticus’ – interview

• Russia and Russians – as well as other peoples that once lived in state socialist societies of Eastern Europe – are too diverse to be reduced to one personality type, argues political scientist Gulnaz Sharafutdinova of King’s College London, the author of The Afterlife of the ‘Soviet Man’: Rethinking Homo Sovieticus.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Eastern Europe no longer Putin’s playground – German rep in Vilnius

• Eastern Europe is no longer Russian President Vladimir Putin’s playground, Michael Roth, chairperson of the German Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said in Vilnius on Tuesday.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Electronics bound for Russian military transit Lithuania’s port – media

• Western-made electronics used by the Russian military are reaching Moscow in a scheme involving Central Asia and the Lithuanian port of Klaipėda, an investigation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has found.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Russian Defense Minister Meets With His Cuban Counterpart

• “Cuba has been and remains Russia’s most important ally in the region,” Sergey Shoigu said.

Censorship/Free Speech

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Russian Court Fines Google An Additional $47 Million

• A Russian court has fined Google 4 billion rubles ($47 million) for failing to pay an earlier fine over alleged abuse of its dominant position in the video-hosting market, the country’s anti-monopoly watchdog said on June 27.

Civil Rights/Policing

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Siberian Mayor Wants To Send Homeless People To Labor Camps

• The mayor of the Russian city of Yakutsk in Siberia, Yevgeny Grigoryev, has suggested sending homeless members of society to labor camps to prevent them from “corrupting people.”

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

=> ↺ Techdirt ☛ Biden Re-Announces $42 billion Investment In Broadband, Because Apparently People Didn’t Notice The First Time

• While the Biden administration has been a bit of a hot mess on broadband consumer protection (see: the Gigi Sohn fiasco), the administration has done some amazing things for overall investment in broadband. Largely thanks to both COVID relief legislation (The American Rescue Plan Act, ARPA) and the IIJA (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act).

Monopolies

Patents

=> ↺ JUVE ☛ Germany’s latest Dabus decision aligns with European approach [Ed: Mouthpiece of Team UPC (crime), JUVE, writing about patents and computers demanding patents]

• The 18th Senate at the German Federal Patent Court has recently confirmed that the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) cannot grant a patent on AI-generated inventions, unless the applicant falsifies statements regarding the inventor (case ID: 18 W (pat) 28/20).

=> ↺ JUVE ☛ Eisenführ Speiser hires Ampersand partner to rebuild Hamburg team [Ed: Mouthpiece of Team UPC (crime), JUVE, posting SPAM under the guise of "news". As if one person changing a job is worthy of "reporting".]

• Philipp Neels (48), who joins the firm on 1 July, is Eisenführ Speiser’s newest salary partner in Hamburg.

=> ↺ OSI Blog ☛ OSI’s comments to US Patent and Trademark Office [Ed: Simon Phipps, the only person at OSI who is not brown-nosing Microsoft for Microsoft bribes]

=> ↺ TechCrunch ☛ US Patent and Trademark Office notifies filers of years-long data leak | TechCrunch

• Private addresses are required under U.S. trademark law, but tens of thousands of applicants had theirs exposed for years.

Trademarks

=> ↺ TTAB Blog ☛ TTAB Affirms Section 2(e)(5) Functionality Refusal of Pen Holder Configuration

• The Board upheld a refusal to register the product configuration shown below, for pen and pencil holders, concluding that the design is de jure functional under Section 2(e)(5). Examining Attorney Tarah Hardy Ludlow had (provisionally) accepted Applicant Pen Pal’s Section 2(f) claim, but maintained the functionality refusal. In re Pen Pal, LLC, Serial No. 90730679 (June 22, 2023) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Melanye K. Johnson).

Copyrights

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Why do int’l music acts appear to be shunning Hong Kong?

• Hong Kong is slowly coming back to life. The Covid restrictions are gone, tourists have started to trickle back in, the Rugby Sevens and Clockenflap have returned after a years-long absence, and gigantic inflatable ducks have again been spotted bobbing about in Victoria Harbour.

=> ↺ Techdirt ☛ Terrible People Are Still Using Forged Court Orders To Disappear Content They Don’t Like

• Copyright is still high on the list of censorial weapons. When you live in (or target) a country that protects free speech rights and offers intermediaries immunity via Section 230, you quickly surmise there’s a soft target lying between the First Amendment and the CDA.

=> ↺ Public Domain Review ☛ “Those Disturbers of my Rest”: The First Treatise on Bedbugs (1730)

• Written by an exterminator, this treatise wanders into a surprising mode: one inflected not by disgust, but rather coy wonder and begrudging awe.

=> ↺ Digital Music News ☛ Spotify Stock (SPOT) Receives ‘Moderate Buy’ Analyst Consensus as Price Jumps 100% In 2023 [Ed: THis is a bubble. This company is billion in debt and loses a billion dollars a year.]

• Spotify stock (SPOT) has now earned an average rating of ‘moderate buy’ from analysts. Shares are up more than 100% in 2023.  SPOT stock has been showcasing a recovery uptrend for the past three quarters.

=> ↺ Digital Music News ☛ Exclusive: Copyright Infringement Lawsuit vs. Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug, and Gunna Settled Out of Court

• A copyright infringement lawsuit vs. Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug, and Gunna has been settled out of court, according to signed legal documents shared with Digital Music News.

Share in other sites/networks: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. Permalink  Send this to a friend

=> Techrights

➮ Sharing is caring. Content is available under CC-BY-SA.