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● 08.29.23

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● Links 29/08/2023: antiX-23 and Revisiting the PinePhone

Posted in News Roundup at 1:36 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

Kernel Space

=> ↺ Ubuntu Handbook ☛ Linux Kernel 6.5 Released! How to Install it in Ubuntu

• Linus Torvalds announced the release of Kernel 6.5 this Sunday. He wrote: So nothing particularly odd or scary happened this last week, so thereis no excuse to delay the 6.5 release.

Instructionals/Technical

=> ↺ FOSSLinux ☛ How to seamlessly backup Pop!_OS data to the cloud

• In the modern digital age, safeguarding our valuable data is more crucial than ever. While local backups are a step in the right direction, having a cloud-based backup ensures an added layer of protection against data loss. Pop!_OS, with its rich ecosystem and user-centric functionalities, offers seamless integration possibilities with various cloud solutions.

=> ↺ Mastering the Linux Manual: How to Use the man Command – Beginner’s Tutorial

• man command in linux is short form of manual of any tool, utility, and commands.

=> ↺ Exploring the Power of echo Command in Linux: Top Examples for Beginners

• echo command in Linux is mostly used in bash/shell scripting.

=> ↺ Changing Server TCP/IP Addresses

=> ↺ APNIC ☛ Interactive storytelling IPGO app launched for the next generation

• Welcoming the next-generation and non-technical audiences into the world of IP addressing and routing.

Games

=> ↺ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Ampere Opens the Door for 192-Core Linux Gaming Machines

• High Performance Computing (HPC) specialist Ampere has shared a guide on how users can eeke out a few hours of Linux-powered gaming from one of the company’s high-core-count, Arm-based CPUs.

Desktop Environments/WMs

K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

=> ↺ GSoC’23 Week 12 – Conclusion

• 12 weeks have passed and this is my concluding blog post on GSoC project: Implement calendar availability.

• Through the past 3 months, most of the pieces for the feature were implemented and published on MRs. There’s some loose ends to tie up and then we’ll be good to go

• Our goal was to implement calendar availabilty. Through this, users should be able to update their availability via the Merkuro (formerly Kalendar) application. Once updated, if someone wants to invite this person for an event, the free/busy lookup done would take into consideration the above new information. This would help suggest better intelligent times to schedule events.

=> ↺ The start of a new laptop adventure

• As I have tooted2 recently, I am currently waiting for a new laptop to arrive.

• While my old ThinkPad X230 is still working, after over a decade it is starting to act up and especially causing a lot of issues on online conferences. So a new computer was due.1

Distributions and Operating Systems

New Releases

=> ↺ antiX Linux ☛ antiX-23 released

• antiX-23 (Arditi del Popolo) is a new release based on Debian bookworm. As usual we offer the following completely systemd-free and elogind-free flavours for both 32 and 64 bit architecture. Available iso files for sysVinit or runit. antiX-full (c1.7GB) – 4 windows managers – IceWM (default), fluxbox, jwm and herbstluftwm plus full libreoffice suite.

=> ↺ Qubes OS 4.2.0-rc2 is available for testing

• We’re pleased to announce that the second release candidate (RC) for Qubes OS 4.2.0 is now available for testing. Qubes 4.2.0-rc2 is available on the downloads page.

Fedora Family / IBM

=> ↺ CentOS ☛ CentOS ISA SIG Performance Investigation

• The CentOS ISA SIG was created to have a place to experiment with architecture baselines, compiler optimizations, and other optimization techniques that could potentially benefit users of newer hardware on real-world workloads.

=> ↺ Red Hat ☛ How LightBits and OpenShift boost MongoDB performance in AWS

• MongoDB is designed and built for cloud-native applications. It has become one of the fastest growing database technologies in a fast-growing market boosted by AI, e-commerce, big data, and more. MongoDB, ranked fifth overall for databases worldwide, is used by over half of the Fortune 100 and 19 of the 20 largest banks.

=> ↺ Red Hat ☛ Conquer CORS errors in OpenShift web applications

• In this article, I’ll give a brief overview of cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) in the context of modern web applications and their interactions with HTTP APIs. I will also provide a sample solution(hosted on GitHub) for avoiding CORS-related issues in a web application that’s served from Red Hat OpenShift.

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ IBM and Red Hat’s vision for containerized and VM-based environments [Ed: Red hat puff piece from Red Hat-funded sellout site]

• The world of IT infrastructure is in a state of perpetual evolution, with containers and virtual machines emerging as pivotal players. An intricate tapestry exists that weaves together containers, VMs, cloud solutions and the power of artificial intelligence.

Canonical/Ubuntu Family

=> ↺ Alan Pope ☛ Alan Pope: Six months of crashes in Ubuntu

• tl;dr: I downloaded the application crash data for my work Laptop. To probably nobody’s surprise, Zoom is the most crashy thing in the last six months on my laptop.

• New laptop When I joined Axiom at the end of 2022, I was given some budget to buy a work laptop. My friend and co-presenter of Linux Matters Podcast, Martin Wimpress was looking for a new company laptop around the same time.

=> ↺ Ubuntu News ☛ Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter Issue 802

• Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue 802 for the week of August 20 – 26, 2023. The full version of this issue is available here. In this issue we cover: Ubuntu 23.10 Testing Week Ubuntu Stats Hot in Support Web3Bridge Event

=> ↺ Ubuntu Fridge ☛ The Fridge: Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter Issue 802

Devices/Embedded

=> ↺ CNX Software ☛ Orange Pi Compute Module 4 – A low-cost Rockchip RK3566-powered alternative to Raspberry Pi CM4

• Orange Pi Compute Module 4 is a system-on-module mechanically and electrically compatible with the Raspberry Pi CM4, but powered by a Rockchip RK3566 quad-core Arm Cortex-A55 AI processor just like the Radxa CM3 introduced a few years ago, or more recently the Banana Pi BPI-CM2 (RK3568).

• The new module, also called Orange Pi CM4 for shorts, comes with 1GB to 8GB RAM, 8GB to 128GB eMMC flash, and an optional 128/256MBit SPI flash, as well as a Gigabit Ethernet PHY and on-board WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0. It comes with the two 100-pin high-density connectors found on the Raspberry Pi CM4, and a smaller 24-pin connector for extra I/Os.

=> ↺ Revisiting the PinePhone

• I’m cleaning up my office. Like properly. Going to the city dump multiple times. That sort of cleaning. In the process I encountered my old PinePhone that somehow got lost in the lack of free time back when I bought it (KDE still got some money out of it, so the purchase still made sense).

• I was happy to see that after a short charge, it actually booted. The installation was ancient, so I tried for an update of the system which failed miserably. Something in the session management failed – I’ve seen this error before on desktop machines when doing funky stuff to the GUI stack.

• This resulted in me booting it from an SD card with the latest Plasma / Manjaro image. This process worked really well – but the phone runs really slow from my cheap SD card. A short download, unzip (took ages again, extracting 1.1GB to 6+GB on an already slow SD card takes patience) and some dd action, and the phone boots a fresh install from the internal eMMC again. Much snappier.

• After this I did a quick system update and this time it worked like a charm – nice!

Open Hardware/Modding

=> ↺ Arduino ☛ Toddler receives a custom cyberdeck

• The cyberdeck community has exploded in recent years, because makers like to use their creativity to create custom machines tailored to their tastes and requirements. But the community has overlooked one very significant target market: toddlers.

Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

=> ↺ Tech Advisor ☛ This Android Auto dongle will make your daily driving much more convenient – Tech Advisor

=> ↺ Android Authority ☛ Pixel 8 series tipped to get over 4 years of Android OS updates

=> ↺ CNX Software ☛ LoRaWAN IoT Button ships with open-source firmware, bootloader, and Android app – CNX Software

=> ↺ Geeky Gadgets ☛ How to use Google Bard on Android – Geeky Gadgets

=> ↺ Gadget Bridge ☛ How to get paid apps for free on Android?

=> ↺ SamMobile ☛ Samsung delays release of One UI 6.0 (Android 14) Beta 2 update – SamMobile

=> ↺ Phone Arena ☛ Android’s emergency satellite service could work in over 150 countries with Garmin on board – PhoneArena

=> ↺ Phone Arena ☛ Google to match Apple and offer five years of Android system updates starting with Pixel 8 line – PhoneArena

=> ↺ Phone Arena ☛ Android 14 adds a very useful accessibilty feature topping Apple’s implementation of it – PhoneArena

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

Events

=> ↺ Linux Plumbers Conference (LPC) ☛ Linux Plumbers Conference: Confidential Computing MC CFP

• Confidential Computing is continuing to remain a popular topic in computing industry. From memory encryption to trusted I/O, hardware has been constantly improving and broadening. In the past years,  confidential computing microconferences have brought together developers working on various features in hypervisors, firmware, Linux kernel, low level userspace up to container runtimes. We have  discussed a broad range of topics, ranging from, hardware enablement to generic attestation workflows.

=> ↺ The foss-north 2023 videos are up

• Most of the videos from foss-north 2023 are up. There seems to be some technical hickup with some recordings, so I’ll have to revisit the SD cards, which I keep in another office some 45km away.

=> ↺ APNIC ☛ Event Wrap: InfoSec Taiwan 2023

• Adli Wahid shared insights and observations on the APNIC Honeynet Project at InfoSec Taiwan 2023, held in Taipei from 1 to 4 August 2023.

Web Browsers/Web Servers

Mozilla

=> ↺ 9to5Linux ☛ Firefox 118 Enters Beta Testing with the Built-In Translation Feature for Websites

• The long-anticipated built-in and automatic translation feature for websites didn’t make it in the Firefox 117 release, as we expected, so it looks like it’s now delayed for a future release, hopefully in Firefox 118.

• Indeed Firefox 118 comes with the built-in translation feature, which can be accessed via the “Translate page” menu entry in the application menu. When clicked, a pop-up dialog will open to let you choose the languages you want to translate from and to.

Programming/Development

Python

=> ↺ Linux Hint ☛ Python Shutil Move()

• The “shutil.move()” method of the “shutil” module is utilized in Python to move the file from one location “source” to another location “destination”.

=> ↺ Hubert Figuière ☛ Hubert Figuière: libopenraw Rust with C API

• As I previously talked about, I started porting libopenraw to Rust. It is now in a state where it has more feature than the original.

• When I started writing this post, I didn’t have 100% of the code Rust, but since I have removed the last bit of C++, for which I had cut corners to make sure to have a functional API for C.

• The only C++ code left is the various utilities and the C++ test suite to validate.

• The goal of the Rust rewrite is to have the digital camera raw parsing library written in Rust instead of C++, while still being available with a C API.

Leftovers

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian boy with one leg finishes last in 100m race but wins the Internet

• The boy, 11, was running in a school meet where the other competitors were able-bodied.

Hardware

=> ↺ Hackaday ☛ This CRT Luggable Makes Sense

• There was a time when portable computing meant not a svelte laptop but a suitcase-sized machine that was really a slimmed-down desktop with a small CRT incorporated int he same box. They were heavy and unwieldy, but the computing compromises of using one at the time were less than with what served for more portable machinery. It’s a form factor which understandably has long ago disappeared, but that hasn’t stopped [Sdomi] from reviving it with a machine that packs plenty of modern computing power.

=> ↺ CNX Software ☛ ASRock launches Intel Processor N100 motherboards with 24-pin ATX connector or DC-in jack

• ASRock has launched two new similar low-cost Alder Lake-N motherboards powered by a 3.4 GHz Intel Processor N100 quad-core CPU with the N100M micro-ATX motherboard featuring a 24-pin ATX connector for power, and the N100DC-ITX mini-ITX motherboard getting powered through a DC-in jack compatible with 19V power adapters.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Foxconn founder Gou confirms Taiwan presidential bid

• If his bid passes, it could be ‘pop the champagne’ time for the pro-Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party.

=> ↺ Quartz ☛ Foxconn’s founder is proceeding with his presidential bid in Taiwan as an independent candidate

• Billionaire Terry Gou has thrown his hat in the proverbial ring for Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election in January, but now there’s a twist. After failing to secure the opposition party’s nomination as he’d hoped, Gou, the founder of Foxconn, will instead run as an independent candidate.

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

=> ↺ Reason ☛ Brickbat: Let’s Stay Awhile

• The Los Angeles City Council has agreed to pay $60 million to buy the Mayfair Hotel in Westlake. That’s on top of the $11.5 million the city previously paid the hotel’s owners to resolve claims for damage caused by homeless people when the hotel was used as a shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Upset about Fukushima, Chinese netizens bash Japan, make nuisance calls

• Some Hong Kong news outlets point out that Chinese reactors’ wastewater is more contaminated.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ ‘Alive and wriggling’: Live worm found in woman’s brain in Australia

• The 8cm Ophidascaris robertsi roundworm, which is usually found in pythons, was pulled from the patient.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Japan Starts Releasing Radioactive Fukushima Water

• China said it would suspend imports of Japanese seafood in response to what it has called an unsafe plan to dispose of the wastewater.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Brick thrown at Japan embassy in China in Fukushima water spat

• Japan has urged its citizens in China to keep a low profile and increased security around schools and diplomatic missions.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ China harassment over Fukushima spat ‘extremely regrettable’, says Japan

• Japan said Tuesday that harassment being faced by Japanese in China after the release of water from the Fukushima nuclear plant was “extremely regrettable”, confirming that a brick was thrown at the country’s embassy in Beijing.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Japan says may take China to WTO over Fukushima-driven seafood import ban

• Japan’s National Police Agency has received 225 reports of harassment calls to date, Jiji news reported.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ China firmly opposes, condemns release of Fukushima water into the Pacific Ocean

• China said the disposal of the water is a major nuclear safety issue with cross-border implications.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Japan to start releasing Fukushima water into ocean on Thursday

• Japan said on Tuesday it will start releasing more than 1 million metric tonnes of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant on Aug. 24, putting into motion a plan that has drawn strong criticism from China.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Chinese navy’s floating hospital visits Solomon Islands as part of soft-power mission

• The U.S. Navy hospital ship Mercy is expected in the Solomon Islands in November during the Pacific Games.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Beijing nabs another ‘CIA spy’

• Overseas analysts fret about anti-espionage hyper-vigilance and the emergence of a culture of fear.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ China suspends seafood imports from Japan on Fukushima water release

• The move impacts aquatic products from Japan and goes into effect on Thursday, said the Chinese customs office.

Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

=> ↺ TechRadar ☛ Microsoft is still blocking some of its biggest customers from running Windows apps

• Microsoft’s decision to discourage users from running its software on other non-company clouds, by means of increased cost, is still causing a headache for Google Cloud Platform and Alibaba customers.

=> ↺ TechRadar ☛ Exclusive: Microsoft quietly ends unlimited cloud storage option on OneDrive

• Microsoft has killed unlimited storage from its OneDrive business plans, with organisations now limited to just 1TB per user on default configurations.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Tech Chiefs to Gather in Washington Next Month on A.I. Regulations

• The leaders of Google, OpenAI, Microsoft and others will meet with lawmakers on Sept. 13 to kick off listening sessions that may shape A.I. rules in the United States.

Security

=> ↺ Scoop News Group ☛ Presidential council recommends launching a Department of Water to confront cyberthreats, climate change

• The National Infrastructure Advisory Council is calling for drastic changes to increase the resiliency of U.S. water systems.

=> ↺ uni Michigan ☛ Starting college in the dark: UMich campus gets through first day of class with no internet

• LSA freshman Ellie Diaz was gearing up to attend her first day of classes as a University of Michigan student when a campus-wide internet outage knocked out access to the school’s Wi-Fi network.

Defence/Aggression

=> ↺ Reports: Turkey’s drone strike kills, injures media workers in northern Syria

• The journalist who was targeted in the strike was covering the killing of two Kurdish leaders in a previous drone strike back in June.

=> ↺ New Yorker ☛ The Trump Mug Shot’s Art-Historical Lineage

• Assessing the forty-fifth President’s Georgia photo op in the context of Da Vinci, Warhol, and a rogues’ gallery of accused criminals.

Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Wagner group’s future hanging in the balance after Prigozhin’s death

• Wagner military chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was officially confirmed dead by Russian authorities on Sunday. The fate of his mercenary group – and its operations in Africa and the Middle East – now hangs in the balance. FRANCE 24 spoke to Anastasiya Shapochkina, a political analyst and researcher with a focus on Russian domestic policy, about possible scenarios for the private army’s future.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Poland Demands That Belarus Expel Russia’s Wagner Fighters

• Officials from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia says the presence of the paramilitary force in Belarus following a short-lived rebellion in Russia poses a threat.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ 🔴 Live: Ukrainian drones ‘destroyed’ over Russia’s Tula region, says Moscow

• Russian air defences downed Ukrainian drones over the Tula and Belgorod regions, Moscow’s defence ministry said on Tuesday, without indicating if there had been damage or casualties.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Second civilian cargo ship from Ukrainian port reaches Istanbul

• A second civilian cargo ship to sail from Ukraine since Russia withdrew from a UN-backed Black Sea grain export agreement safely reached Istanbul on Monday, marine traffic monitors said. The news came after Ukraine said its troops had liberated the southeastern village of Robotyne and were trying to advance further south in their counteroffensive against Russian forces.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Number Of Civilians Killed By Russian Shelling Mounts In Eastern Ukraine As Fighting Rages

• At least five civilians were killed over the past 24 hours by Russian shelling in eastern Ukraine, a regional official said on August 29 as fighting continued both in the east and southeast, where Ukrainian forces say are continuing to make advances toward the strategic city of Melitopol.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Erdogan To Push Putin On Revival Of Black Sea Grain Deal In Sochi

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will “soon” visit Russia for talks with counterpart Vladimir Putin on reviving a Black Sea grain deal that could be used as a springboard for broader Ukraine peace negotiations.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Putin and Modi Review the Outcome of the 15th BRICS Summit

• They also reaffirmed their readiness to consistently implement large-scale energy projects.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ South Korea Increases Ukraine Aid To $394 Million For 2024

• South Korea has announced financial aid of 520 billion won ($394 million) for Ukraine next year, an eightfold increase on the amount pledged for 2023.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Russia Says It Downed Drones Over Tula, Belgorod Regions

• Two drones were shot down over Tula region, south of Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry said early on August 29.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Poland Investigates Disruptions To Train Traffic To Ukraine

• Polish security authorities are investigating multiple cases of railway disruptions after unauthorized radio signals stopped several trains over the weekend.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ EU’s Michel Proposes 2030 As Enlargement Deadline For States Waiting More Than 20 Years

• Faced with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and fears of Moscow’s increasing influence in parts of the Balkans, the European Union should make a “bold move” and accept new members by 2030, European Council President Charles Michel said

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Ukraine Says Extension Of Grain Import Ban By Five EU Countries Violates ‘Solidarity’

• Restrictions on the import of Ukrainian grain imposed by five EU countries should not be extended, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on August 28 during a visit to Prague.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Russian-Speaking Israelis Reject Theater Group Over Artists’ Support For War In Ukraine

• Israeli producer Gadi Oron, an organizer of a tour of Russia’s Lenkom Theater in Tel Aviv, said that due to protests by Russian-speaking Israelis, Lenkom’s performances in Israel had been postponed.

=> ↺ Helsinki Times ☛ Finland to re-assess border security after granting residence permit to Russian mercenary

• VOISLAV TORDEN, a 36-year-old Russian citizen who is wanted for war and terrorist crimes by Ukraine, has been granted a one-year residence permit in Finland, according to YLE and Helsingin Sanomat.

• Helsingin Sanomat on Sunday reported that Torden, who is also known as Yan Petrovsky, was granted the residence permit on grounds of the study-based residence permit of his wife.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Ukraine Says It Retook Robotyne Village From Russians

• It took weeks of fierce combat for Ukrainian forces to seize the village of Robotyne from the Russians, and they have advanced just a few miles since June — signs of the daunting task ahead.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Pentagon Vows to Move Quickly to Buy More Drones, Citing China Threat

• The military will soon change how it purchases the kind of autonomous devices that the Ukrainian military has used against Russia, officials said.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Ukrainian Defense Ministry officially announces liberation of Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia region — Meduza

• On August 28, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Hanna Maliar announced that the Ukrainian military had liberated the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ ‘I couldn’t just stay silent and spoil my obituary’ The elderly Russians who risk their freedom to oppose the war in Ukraine — Meduza

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ His callsign is ‘Gandhi’ A former Russian political prisoner explains why he’s dropped nonviolence to fight for Ukraine — Meduza

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Another round Researchers break down the candidates Russian political parties are fielding for next month’s voting in occupied Ukraine — Meduza

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Russia unlikely to stage landmark Zapad drills on Baltic borders, says UK intelligence

• In an intelligence report on Monday, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said Russia had likely cancelled its landmark Zapad drills. The military exercises that simulate a conflict with NATO and are held near the borders of the Baltic states and Poland were due to take place in September.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Russia convicts Lithuanian judges who handed down verdicts in Soviet crackdown case

• A Moscow court has convicted in absentia three Lithuanian judges who handed down verdicts in the January 13, 1991, case, an independent Russian media outlet Mediazona has reported.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Pope Francis’ Praise for ‘Great Russia’ Empire Draws Criticism

• “Never forget the legacy,” Francis said in a video speech on Friday to young Catholics in St. Petersburg. “You are the heirs of Great Russia: Great Russia of saints, rulers, Great Russia of Peter I, Catherine II, that empire.”

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Russia Charges Former U.S. Consulate Worker With Collecting War Information

• Robert Shonov, a Russian national, faces up to eight years in prison. The U.S. said the allegations against him are “wholly without merit.”

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ Russian forces strike Poltava, killing three and injuring five — Meduza

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ British Ministry of Defense: Russia may have canceled its annual joint strategic exercise with Belarus — Meduza

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ New investigation finds sharp rise in ‘military’ nonprofits in Russia since start of full-scale war — Meduza

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ What Would More Sanctions on Russian Diamonds Really Do?

• The Group of 7 and the European Union are expected to issue new rules in an effort to slow the flow of revenue into the Kremlin’s war chest.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Belarusian Activist Goes On Hunger Strike In Prison

• Belarusian activist Polina Sharendo-Panasyuk has gone on a hunger strike in protest against the unacceptable conditions in the detention center where she is being held in the city of Rechitsa, southeast of Minsk, the Vyasna human rights center said.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Belarusian Rights Organizations Protest ‘Extremism’ Label For Vyasna

• Eight Belarusian rights organizations have jointly protested the government’s decision to label the human rights group Vyasna as an “extremist organization,” saying the move is part of a policy to destroy civil-society organizations in Belarus.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ ‘Accusations need to be proven’: Lithuania looks to close off from Belarusians

• The Lithuanian parliament is due to reconsider whether to impose more restrictions on Belarusian nationals. According to the Belarusian opposition, this is impacting the relationship between them and the host country that had welcomed them en masse following the fraudulent August 2020 presidential election and the subsequent crackdown.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Lithuania won’t be closing any more border checkpoints with Belarus for now – PM

• The Lithuanian government is not planning to close more border crossings with Belarus in the new future, but the possibility to do so remains as security threats persist, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said on Tuesday.

Environment

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ 7.1-magnitude earthquake strikes Bali Sea, guests in Kuta hotel flee rooms after feeling tremors

• There were no threats of a tsunami as a result of the earthquake that struck deep under the seabed.

=> ↺ Axios ☛ Tropical Storm Idalia forecast to become a major hurricane before hitting Florida

• Tropical Storm Idalia is forecast to become a hurricane Tuesday morning and then rapidly intensify over record-warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico.

• Threat level: The storm will bring a “life-threatening” storm surge into Florida’s Big Bend area southward to Tampa Bay, the National Hurricane Center warns. It will hit an area particularly sensitive to high surge events.

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ Is Florida prepared for Hurricane Idalia? Tropical storm picks up steam.

• The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Idalia is intensifying and expected to become a major hurricane before it reaches Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday. Idalia would be the first storm to hit Florida this hurricane season.

Energy/Transportation

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ China has 243 GW of new coal power approved or under construction: Research

• Researchers say China now has enough coal fire to power the whole of Germany.

=> ↺ Mexico News Daily ☛ Chinese auto parts company to invest US $200M in Coahuila plant

• Chinese manufacturer Paramount New Materials will send staff to China for further training, as part of plans to train the local workforce.

=> ↺ The Strategist ☛ Despite the risks, Australian exports to China are booming again

• The Chinese economy may be softening and commodity prices falling, but Australia’s exports to China hit a record $102.5 billion in the first half of this year thanks to massive shipments of lithium concentrate.

Wildlife/Nature

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ Can drones stop wildfires? Some Greek residents are banking on yes.

• Residents in a leafy suburb of the Greek capital have pooled funds this summer to prevent deadly wildfires from reaching their homes. They have hired a company using long-range drones with thermal-imaging cameras to create an early warning system.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Where did the toys go? Woman in China found 11 rubber ducks in bulldog’s stomach

• The operation to remove the rubber toys from the dog’s stomach cost her more than $1,400.

Overpopulation

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Woman in China drops newborn in rubbish bin after giving birth in lift, is later given baby back

• There was a lot of indignation over the incident on Chinese social media platforms.

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ Finding love in China

• Young people, who tend to shy away from getting married and raising children, are forcing the ruling party to look deep into non-material incentives for relationships: love and shared values.

Finance

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Beijing plans to kick off 2nd phase of Universal Resort within 3 years -state media

• Beijing plans to kick off building the second phase of Universal Resort within three years, Beijing Daily reported Thursday, citing an action plan to push for high-quality development of China’s capital from 2023 to 2025. REUTERS

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ ST Picks: Money laundering case – a criminal link to a China tea county

=> ↺ Reason ☛ China’s Industrial Policy Is Failing. Will American Politicians Take Notice?

• Panic over China’s rapid economic growth has fueled all manner of big-government proposals. They’re looking even more foolish now.

=> ↺ The Strategist ☛ China’s homegrown crisis

• China’s economic reality, until recently, was nothing short of extraordinary. The nation’s annual economic output soared from under US$500 billion to US$18 trillion between 1992 and 2022…

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ A pick of straw men When vetting a list of Putin’s ‘sparring partners’ for the 2024 presidential election, the Kremlin insisted on keeping younger candidates out of the race — Meduza

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ Trump trials: What counts as protected free speech?

• Several of the Trump court cases may hinge on the fine line between protected advocacy of illegal activity and unprotected criminal conspiracy.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ There’s a Good Chance Trump Will Be Found ‘Willfully Blind’

• The First Amendment and the former president’s claim that he believed he won won’t help him.

=> ↺ Democracy Now ☛ 60 Years After “I Have a Dream”: Gary Younge on MLK’s March on Washington & the Fight for Racial Justice

• After thousands gathered Saturday in Washington, D.C., to mark the 60th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech at the 1963 March on Washington, we speak with Gary Younge, author of The Speech: The Story Behind Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream. “There is this notion of King’s dream speech as being folded into America’s liberal mythology: America is always getting better, it’s always getting more wonderful,” says Younge, who wrote his book on the speech to reflect America’s current struggle with white supremacy and attacks on people of color. “As things can go forwards, so can they go backwards.”

=> ↺ The Nation ☛ Martin Luther King’s Dream at 60

• Sixty years ago today, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered perhaps the most celebrated speech in modern American history. The date was August 28, 1963, the occasion the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the place the Lincoln Memorial. We remember the speech largely for its memorable metaphors—“the whirlwinds of revolt,” “the tranquilizing drug of gradualism”—and the urgency of King’s “dream” of a future America that had moved beyond the tyranny of race. King achieved a delicate balance between hope and despair, between anger at the Black condition and reassurance to other Americans that they had nothing to fear from the civil rights movement. All Americans would benefit from the dismantling of the decades-old structures of Jim Crow.

=> ↺ Axios ☛ Elon Musk and X face 2,200 arbitration cases over changes linked to Twitter takeover

• Elon Musk and X face more than 2,200 arbitration cases linked to sweeping changes that followed the takeover he led last year of the platform then known as Twitter, according to a court filing Monday.

=> ↺ Techdirt ☛ Scammers Abusing ExTwitter’s Fake ‘Verification’ Program To Prey On Angry Consumers

• One thing that the old Twitter was pretty good for was getting help on customer service problems. Rather than having to call customer service lines and wait on hold for hours on end only to be given the run around, many people found that complaining on Twitter was a lot faster and more helpful (likely, in part, because the complaints were public).

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Cantonese language campaign group disbands after national security police search

• Group founder Andrew Chan says he took the step to protect family, former colleagues from a crackdown on dissent.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ US commerce secretary in Beijing on ‘complex and challenging’ mission

• Trip aims to juggle improving trade relations with protecting key U.S. security concerns like technology transfers.

=> ↺ Democracy Now ☛ Gary Younge on Jacksonville Shooting & Why America’s Gun Problem “Makes Its Racism More Lethal”

• On Saturday, a white supremacist gunman killed three Black people at a store in Jacksonville, Florida, in a racially motivated attack. Authorities say the 21-year-old white gunman initially tried to enter the historically Black college Edward Waters University, but he was turned away by a security guard before driving to a nearby Dollar General and opening fire with a legally purchased attack-style rifle. America’s gun problem “makes its racism more lethal,” says Gary Younge, author of Dispatches from the Diaspora: From Nelson Mandela to Black Lives Matter. “There’s been a significant increase in the number of hate crimes, particularly in anti-Black hate crimes, and one has to be able to connect that to the political situation that surrounds us,” says Younge, who says the shooter’s actions are reflective of the current attacks on Black history and represent a backlash to increased racial consciousness following the murder of George Floyd.

=> ↺ Meduza ☛ FSB arrests former employee of U.S. Consulate General in Vladivostok — Meduza

• The Federal Security Service (FSB) has announced the detention of Robert Shonov, a former employee of the U.S. Consulate General in Vladivostok, on charges of collecting information on mobilization, the progress of the “special military operation,” and protest activity in the run-up to the presidential election.

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ The United States has a message for China: Yes, de-risking is possible

• De-risking seems to have struck a nerve in Beijing, even as high-level US officials make the case that the United States does not seek to decouple from China.

Censorship/Free Speech

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US photography professor who covered 2019 protests says Hong Kong denied him entry, suspects he is ‘on a list’

• A US photography professor who covered the 2019 protests and unrest has said that he was denied entry to the city earlier this month when he tried to visit for tourism purposes.

=> ↺ Techdirt ☛ As Predicted: Judge Laughs GOP’s Laughable ‘Google Spam Bias’ Lawsuit Right Out Of Court

• Election season is approaching, so I fully expect this nonsense to come right back again, but maybe with a court shutting it down, culture war nonsense peddlers can move on to some other nonsense?

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Xinjiang police detain ethnic Kazakh who sang Quranic recitations at Muslim wedding

• Kusman Rehim is held over recent recitations at Eid, at a wedding and for having a Quran at home

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

=> ↺ Project Censored ☛ The Untold History of the Start of the Nuclear Arms Race with Dave Lindorff; & Ongoing Attacks on Freedom of the Press Must Stop – The Project Censored Show

• Read more about this topic here in an article by Andy Lee Roth.

=> ↺ Federal News Network ☛ Newspaper group publisher G. Ogden Nutting has died at 87

• Newspaper publisher G. Ogden Nutting has died. He was 87. The newspaper in Wheeling, West Virginia, where Nutting’s family business was based says he died Friday. The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register published Nutting’s obituary and a separate story on his death Monday. Nutting once held a stake in the Pirates before his son, Bob, supplanted Kevin McClatchy as principal owner in 2007. Ogden Nutting helped grow his family’s newspaper business to more than 50 daily publications in 18 states. His grandfather founded The Wheeling Evening News in 1890, and it formed the basis of the newspaper chain.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Kyrgyz Prosecutor Files Suit Against Kloop Media Over ‘Critical’ Coverage

• The Bishkek city prosecutor’s office has initiated legal proceedings against the Kloop Media Public Foundation to suspend its work in Kyrgyzstan because of its critical coverage of the government.

Civil Rights/Policing

=> ↺ Democracy Now ☛ Family of Kenneth Chamberlain, Black Man Killed in 2011 by Police, Settles with City of White Plains

• The city of White Plains, New York, has settled a lawsuit by the family of a man who was shot in his home by police after accidentally pressing his medical alert badge in 2011. Kenneth Chamberlain repeatedly told police he was fine and asked them to leave, but they refused, called him racial slurs and broke into his home before killing him. After a decade of legal action, the family agreed to a $5 million settlement with the city, but the local police association blasted the agreement and said it was not an admission of misconduct. “It doesn’t equate to accountability,” says Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., who now works to challenge police brutality and continues to ask for unsealed records related to his father’s death. “We need actual structural change,” says Mayo Bartlett, a human rights lawyer representing the Chamberlain family, who argues police misconduct must be addressed through legislation. “It has to be something that’s codified in law.”

=> ↺ Reason ☛ Robots Aren’t Coming For Movie Stars, Yet

• Artificial intelligence is not about to replace your favorite actors.

=> ↺ CS Monitor ☛ How the Cultural Revolution shapes Chinese families decades later

• In her book “Red Memory,” journalist Tania Branigan offers a candid look at China’s Cultural Revolution and illuminates the relevance of that decade of chaos in deciphering China today.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Dissident Who Fled China by Jet Ski Said to Have Planned Escape for Years

• Officials in South Korea aren’t saying who crossed 200 miles of ocean to reach its shores. But people who know Kwon Pyong say it wasn’t his first audacious move.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

=> ↺ Update from ITS regarding temporary internet outage

• Information and Technology Services has posted an update, as of 1:50 p.m. Aug. 28, with details regarding the temporary internet outage on the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses.

Digital Restrictions (DRM)

=> ↺ Techdirt ☛ E-Bike Industry Blames Consumers For Fires In Effort To Undermine ‘Right To Repair’ Laws

• Countless companies and industries enjoy making up scary stories when it comes to justifying their opposition to making it easier to repair your own tech. Apple claims that empowering consumers and bolstering independent repair shops will turn states into “hacker meccas.” The car industry insists that making it easier and cheaper to repair modern cars will be a boon to sexual predators.

Monopolies

Patents

=> ↺ Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Double Patenting and Patent Term Adjustment

• This holding contrasts with the court’s prior rulings regarding Patent Term Extension (PTE), where the extended term is calculated from the disclaimed expiration date, not the original expiration date. Thus, PTE extends beyond a disclaimed term, while PTA does not.

• This result was expected by many patent experts, although some in the pharmaceutical industry had pushed for PTA to extend beyond disclaimed terms similarly to PTE. In the end, the statutory language expressly addressing disclaimers in the context of PTA proved decisive. This precedent will apply to all patents already in-force as well as those issued in the future. 

=> ↺ Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Publicly Traded International Patent Firm IPH Continue Growth through Acquisition

• The publicly traded Australian company IPH Limited continues expanding its global intellectual property services empire. IPH’s latest acquisition is the Canadian IP firm Ridout & Maybee for $65 million Canadian dollars. This comes just 10 months after IPH purchased Canada’s largest IP firm, Smart & Biggar.

• Ridout & Maybee will merge into Smart & Biggar, further consolidating IPH’s presence in Canada. IPH’s strategy is to dominate secondary IP markets like Canada, New Zealand, and Singapore. It already owns leading firms in Australia, including AJ Park, Griffith Hack, Pizzeys, and Spruson & Ferguson.

Copyrights

=> ↺ Digital Music News ☛ Exclusive: Nine Months Later, Freeplay Music and CNN Have Settled Their Multimillion-Dollar Copyright Infringement Showdown

• In late November of 2022, Freeplay Music filed an over $17 million copyright infringement lawsuit against CNN, alleging the unauthorized use of about 115 works in some 280 of the network’s segments. Now, the involved parties have settled the high-stakes legal battle.

=> ↺ Techdirt ☛ Office Depot Looking At Millions In Attorney’s Fees After Winning Bullshit Copyright Suit

• I’m certainly not the first person to make this point, but the only thing that’s really going to prevent truly bullshit copyright infringement lawsuits from being filed in the first place is when bad actors get hit in the pocketbook. One of the most common ways that actually occurs is through courts ordering plaintiffs in these silly cases to pay attorney’s fees.

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