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● 09.12.23

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● Links 12/09/2023: pgexporter 0.4 Released, Microsoft Covering Up Massive Breach

Posted in News Roundup at 8:41 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

Server

=> ↺ Eclipse Foundation Finds Cloud Native Gaining Ground

• An Eclipse Foundation survey found 35% of an organization’s most critical applications are now cloud native.

Applications

=> ↺ Linux Links ☛ Manage your Business with a Complete Software Solution

• To provide an insight into the quality of software that is available, here’s our recommended open source Business Process Management software

Instructionals/Technical

=> ↺ Own HowTo ☛ How to change the size of Terminal window on Linux

• The size of terminal window is defined by the system, so this may change from system to system. For example, in Debian the default size of the terminal is quite big, and it takes almost the whole screen, especially if your machine’s screen is small.

=> ↺ FOSSLinux ☛ How to install different versions of Java on Ubuntu

• Navigating the installation of different Java versions on Ubuntu can sometimes feel like traversing a labyrinth. Whether you are a seasoned developer needing multiple versions for various projects, or a beginner aiming to get a grip on different Java environments, understanding how to effectively manage different versions is crucial. Ubuntu, with its robust and versatile framework, allows users to switch between different Java versions seamlessly, adapting to the specific needs of their projects.

=> ↺ Fixed vs. Rolling vs. Semi-Rolling Release Models in Linux Distros

• In the realm of Linux, software updates are typically delivered to users through three distinct models: fixed release, rolling release, and semi-rolling release.

=> ↺ Linux Links ☛ tap is a terminal-based music player with fuzzy-finder

• tap is terminal-based music player for the terminal that lets you jump to any album with fuzzy-finder shortcuts.

=> ↺ ZDNet ☛ Two tricks that make using the Linux command line a lot easier

• Using the Linux command line doesn’t have to be the chore you think it is.

=> ↺ Cloudbooklet ☛ How to Create Your Own VPN

• Create your own VPN server on the cloud is a way to enjoy the benefits of using a VPN without the drawbacks of using a VPN service.

Desktop Environments/WMs

K Desktop Environment/KDE SC/Qt

=> ↺ QtWayland 6.6 Brings Robustness Through Compositor Handoffs

• Every release has a killer feature. Qt 6.6 features the opposite – staying alive. This blog post describes work to make Qt clients more robust and seemlessly migrate between compositors, providing resistance against compositor crashes and more.

• Right now if you restart pulseaudio your sound might cut out, restart NetworkManager and you lose your wifi, restart an X11 window manager and your decorations disappear.

• But within a second it’s all back to normal exactly where you left off with everything recovering fine.

• This isn’t true for display servers. If X11 restarts you’re back at the login prompt. All drafts lost, games unsaved, work wasted.

Distributions and Operating Systems

Debian Family

=> ↺ Debian Brasil: Debian Day 30 anos in Maceió – Brazil

• The Debian Day in Maceió 2023 took place at the Senai auditorium in Maceió with the support and organization of Oxe Hacker Club.

• There were around 90 people registered, and 40 ateendees present on Saturday to participate in the event, which featured the following 6 talks: [...]

=> ↺ Debian Disguised Work: Sven Luther, Thomas Bushnell & Debian’s September 11 discussion

• Today is the anniversary of the tragic attacks on the United States, where we remember thousands of civilians who died, especially the emergency services who risked their lives trying to help the victims.

• We began to explore Debian’s relation with September 11 in 2022.

• It is interesting to look at the way people reacted to the crisis in the rest of the world. Many people added comments into multiple threads on the debian-private (leaked) gossip network. Today we will simply look at an exchange between Sven Luther and Thomas Bushnell.

Canonical/Ubuntu Family

=> ↺ Ubuntu News ☛ Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter Issue 804

• Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue 804 for the week of September 3 – 9, 2023.

Open Hardware/Modding

=> ↺ Purism ☛ Purism Launches New Secure Librem 11 Tablet

• Purism is excited to be introducing the new Librem 11 tablet running secure PureBoot and linux kernel based PureOS by default.

• Today most tablets run operating systems that limit personal freedom and are designed to be as intrusive as possible.

• Unlike tablets supported by the Android OS, Apple iOS, or Microsoft Windows, the Librem 11 tablet runs PureBoot and PureOS offering the best security, privacy, and freedom respecting features that include…

=> ↺ Liliputing ☛ Purism Librem 11 is a $999 Linux tablet with a 2.5K AMOLED display and Celeron N5100

Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

=> ↺ TechRadar ☛ Beware of dodgy Android TV boxes are laced with malware | TechRadar

=> ↺ Notebook Check ☛ Google Camera 9.0 update rolls out for Android 14 ahead of Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro releases – NotebookCheck.net News

=> ↺ India Times ☛ X90 Pro: Vivo announces Android 14 Preview for X90 Pro: All the details – Times of India

=> ↺ 9to5Google ☛ HMD Global will make self-branded Android phones

=> ↺ 9to5Google ☛ Wix adds tap-to-pay on Android phones

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

SaaS/Back End/Databases

PostgreSQL ☛ pgexporter 0.4The pgexporter community is happy to announce version 0.4.0.This release was driven by @resyfer and his GSoC 2023 project.New FeaturesSupport for PostgreSQL 10 – 16Documentation for Grafana integration

=> ↺ PostgreSQL ☛ Call for New Members for the Community Code of Conduct Committee

• This message is being sent from the Community Code of Conduct Committee, with the approval of the Core Team.

• As part of the Community CoC policy, the Committee membership is to be refreshed on an annual basis. We are seeking up to three (3) volunteers to serve on the Committee for the coming year, October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024.

• We are seeking people who reflect the diversity of the PostgreSQL community, with the goal to have members from multiple countries and varied demographics.

• The time commitment for Committee involvement varies, based on internal administrative work and the number of active investigations. We estimate an average of 5 to 10 hours per month, but that could increase if there is an increase in the number of incident reports.

Content Management Systems (CMS)

=> ↺ WordPress ☛ The Month in WordPress – August 2023

• August 2023 marked another exciting chapter in WordPress, with the Community Summit and WordCamp US bringing the community together for meaningful discussions, knowledge sharing, and learning. This month also welcomed the long-awaited WordPress 6.3 release and offered a glimpse of what’s to come.

FSF

=> ↺ FSF ☛ FSF News: FSF job opportunity: Operations assistant

• The Free Software Foundation (FSF), a Massachusetts 501(c)(3) charity with a worldwide mission to protect and promote computer-user freedom, seeks a motivated and organized Boston-based individual to be our full-time operations assistant.

Programming/Development

=> ↺ Adam Young: Following a code path in the Linux Kernel without a debugger

• Sometimes you don’t get to use a debugger. When do bare metal development, often it is faster to get to the root of a problem by throwing in trace statements, and seeing what path is taken through the code.

=> ↺ Collabora ☛ Empowering Open Source at IBC 2023

• Collabora is headed to Amsterdam! This year, we will be showcasing some of our recent work on the DAB protocol, as well as the software integration of LCEVC, MPEG’s novel enhancement codec, into the GStreamer multimedia framework.

=> ↺ Trail Of Bits ☛ Holy Macroni! A recipe for progressive language enhancement

• By Brent Pappas Despite its use for refactoring and static analysis tooling, Clang has a massive shortcoming: the Clang AST does not provide provenance information about which CPP macro expansions a given AST node is expanded from; nor does it lower macro expansions down to LLVM Intermediate Representation (IR) code.

Perl / Raku

=> ↺ Rakulang ☛ Rakudo Weekly 2023.37 Issuing

• Elizabeth Mattijsen got inspired by their work on the Raku grammar to make three problem solving issues that may affect the future of the Raku Programming Language: As usual all comments and suggestions on these issues are welcome!

Python

=> ↺ Linux Hint ☛ How to Use the Python Generator Functions Howto

• In Python, the generator function is similar to the normal function unless the “yield” keyword is used to return the value instead of the “return” keyword.

=> ↺ Linux Hint ☛ Scipy Stats Fit

• The scipy.stats module is used along with several distribution functions, such as norm(), expon(), and beta(), etc., to fit the data on these distributions.

=> ↺ Linux Hint ☛ Python String Formatting Tutorial

• The “string.format()”, “% Operator”, “f-strings”, and “String Template Class” methods are used to format a string in Python.

=> ↺ Linux Hint ☛ Python OS Copy

• The “os.system()” method of the “os” module takes the string-type command as an argument and executes it to copy the files from one place to another.

=> ↺ Linux Hint ☛ Python File detach() Method

• The file.detach() method in Python is used to detach the binary buffer from a TextIOBase object and returns the underlying raw stream.

=> ↺ Linux Hint ☛ Python AssertionError

• The “assert statement” in Python is used to find errors in the code. If the statement is false, it will show an error message called “AssertionError”.

Leftovers

=> ↺ University of Michigan ☛ Web developer’s photography passion takes flight

• Jocelyn Anderson, a web developer in LSA, has photographed or taken video of more than 200 species of birds in Michigan and shares them on her Instagram account and website.

Hardware

=> ↺ Ruben Schade ☛ “Bang for the buck” when picking a graphics card

• Read or watch any advice about choosing a GPU, and you’ll likely be given one of the following pieces of advice:

• AI-written spam with a vague comparison table, concluded with choose one that’s right for you. People don’t know what’s right for them, that’s why they landed on your article!

• Those who say you should always buy the best graphics card you can for your budget. It’s the part of any build that will make the most difference to gameplay or graphics workstation tasks.

=> ↺ Tom’s Hardware ☛ TSMC Rumored to Partner With Nvidia and Broadcom on Silicon Photonics Tech

• Nvidia and Broadcom are exploring silicon photonics to boost their AI and HPC datacenter platform.

=> ↺ CNX Software ☛ Sony energy harvesting module generates power from electromagnetic wave noise

• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (SSS) has developed an energy harvesting module that uses electromagnetic wave noise energy to power IoT devices. The new module leverages Sony’s tuner development process to generate power from electromagnetic wave noise from robots inside factories, monitors and lighting in offices, monitors and TVs in stores and homes, etc. in order to provide a stable power supply needed to run low-power IoT sensors and communications equipment. The tiny 7×7 mm module uses the metal parts of electronic devices that serve as the source of electromagnetic wave noise as part of an antenna and employs a rectifier circuit in order to convert electromagnetic wave noise in a range of several Hz to 100 MHz into electrical energy and supply power to low-power consumption IoT sensors and communications equipment or

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ Qualcomm shares jump on surprise Apple modem chip deal

• Shares of Qualcomm Inc. jumped more than 3.8% today after the chipmaker announced that Apple Inc. will keep using its mobile modem chips for the next three years. Apple was previously expected to significantly scale back its use of the modems as early as this year.

=> ↺ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Starfield on AMD’s GPUs Fails to Render Stars

• Starfield has plenty of problems at launch, and the latest to gain notice is that it’s not rendering the primary sun for planets on AMD graphics cards. We’ve confirmed things look correct on Nvidia and Intel hardware.

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Biden’s News Conference in Vietnam Ignites His Opponents

• The president’s top aides believe that stories about the president’s age and health are stoked by his enemies in an effort to undermine his accomplishments.

Security

=> ↺ LWN ☛ Security updates for Tuesday/a>

• Security updates have been issued by Debian (node-cookiejar and orthanc), Oracle (firefox, kernel, and kernel-container), Red Hat (flac and httpd:2.4), Slackware (vim), SUSE (python-Django, terraform-provider-aws, terraform-provider-helm, and terraform-provider-null), and Ubuntu (c-ares, curl, linux-azure, linux-azure-5.15, linux-azure-fde, linux-azure-fde-5.15, linux-raspi, and linux-ibm, linux-ibm-5.4).

=> ↺ TecAdmin ☛ Testing for Host Header Injection Vulnerabilities

• In the ever-evolving realm of web security, Host Header Injection stands as one of the vulnerabilities that can potentially plague web applications. This flaw arises when a web application or server does not properly validate or restrict the Host header in incoming HTTP requests, thereby exposing it to malicious exploitation.

=> ↺ Cloudbooklet ☛ 8 Best Tools for Website Malware Scanning Online Free

• Scan your website for malware and other security issues with Website Malware Scan. Get a detailed report and guidance on how to fix the issues.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ China Sows Disinformation About Hawaii Fires Using New Techniques [Ed: New York Times cites "researchers from Microsoft and other organizations" as if they're experts in this area; this is how Microsoft is distracting from the fact that China breached everything at Microsoft -- a topic that should be at the front paper of every paper]

• Beijing’s influence campaign using artificial intelligence is a rapid change in tactics, researchers from Microsoft and other organizations say.

=> ↺ IT Wire ☛ Microsoft cloud breach report ‘leaves many questions unanswered’

• Cloud security company Wiz.io says there are many unanswered questions raised by Microsoft’s final report into a breach of its Azure cloud platform, pointing out that the threat actor, given the name Storm-0558, may have been forging authentication tokens for more than two years given the timeline in the report.

=> ↺ Security Week ☛ After Microsoft and X, Hackers Launch DDoS Attack on Telegram

• Anonymous Sudan launches a DDoS attack against Telegram in retaliation for the suspension of their primary account on the platform.

=> ↺ IT Wire ☛ No hacker will be able to improve security in industry

• Among other achievements, the CDC is known for Back Orifice, a program designed for remote administration, the brainchild of Sir Dystic, a member of CDC. Back Orifice was named to bring attention to the poor security in Windows.

=> ↺ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Microsoft Announces Endgame for Third-Party Windows Printer Drivers

• Microsoft is focusing on Mopria-compliant printers using the IPP Class Driver.

=> ↺ SANS ☛ Apple fixes 0-Day Vulnerability in Older Operating Systems, (Mon, Sep 11th)

• This update fixes the ImageIO vulnerability Apple patched for current operating systems last week. Now, Apple follows up with a patch for its older, but still supported, operating system versions.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Chinese Warnings on iPhones Tap Deep Strain of Security Concerns

• For years, officials in China have been told to shun foreign devices. Now reports of renewed curbs have unnerved Apple’s investors, heightening geopolitical tensions.

=> ↺ Security Week ☛ Bookstore Chain Dymocks Discloses Data Breach Possibly Impacting 800k Customers

• The personal information of more than 800,000 individuals was stolen from bookstore chain Dymocks in a cyberattack last week.

• /blockquote>

=> ↺ Security Week ☛ Associated Press Stylebook Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Following Data Breach

• Cybercriminals breached an AP Stylebook website and obtained information on customers who were then targeted in phishing attacks. 

=> ↺ Security Week ☛ FBI Blames North Korean Hackers for $41 Million Stake.com Heist

• FBI says North Korean hacking group Lazarus has stolen $41 million in cryptocurrency from online betting platform Stake.com.

=> ↺ Silicon Angle ☛ ‘Cybersecurity issue’ disables computer systems at MGM Resorts

• MGM Resorts International Inc., best known as an operator of casinos in Las Vegas, has been forced to shut down some casino and hotel systems following what the company described as a “cybersecurity issue.”

=> ↺ Data Breaches ☛ MGM Resorts hit in disruptive cyberattack

• Long-time readers may recall a story in January 2017 about a luxury hotel that reportedly paid extortion to ransomware attackers because guests were locked in their rooms. Some of the story was ultimately considered to be fake news, although the whole scenario initially seemed possible at the time.

• Fast forward more than six years and MGM Resorts has been hit, and as part of the consequences of the digital attack, some guests may be having trouble getting into their rooms.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ ‘Cybersecurity Issue’ Forces Systems Shutdown at MGM Hotels and Casinos

• Company websites were down, and some guests complained of problems with slot machines and hotel room access. Cybersecurity experts point to a likely cyberattack.

=> ↺ Data Breaches ☛ Hospital Sisters Health System’s CFO exits as it continues to handle ‘cybersecurity incident’

• HSHS still hasn’t forthrightly disclosed whether this was a ransomware incident or not, although it certainly reads like one. No ransomware group has publicly claimed responsibility for the attack at this point.

=> ↺ The Business Journals ☛ Local health care system’s CFO exits as it continues to handle ‘cybersecurity incident’

• The chief financial officer of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS), which operates several facilities in Metro East, has exited the nonprofit, while it continues to fight a “cybersecurity incident” that began impacting its operations late last month.

• Kimberly Hodgkinson, who has served as the senior vice president and chief financial officer of the Springfield, Illinois-based system since July 2022, left her position as of Friday, a spokeswoman confirmed to the Business Journal.

=> ↺ Security Week ☛ Vulnerabilities Allow Hackers to Hijack, Disrupt Socomec UPS Devices

• A researcher has found 7 vulnerabilities in Socomec UPS products that can be exploited to hijack and disrupt devices. 

=> ↺ Data Breaches ☛ Bloom Health Centers discloses data breach involving mental health data of 1,545 patients

• On September 11, Psych Associates of Maryland LLC d/b/a Bloom Health Centers (“Bloom Health”), a mental health service provider, announced a data security incident that involved the personal and protected health information of some clinicians and patients.

• Before digging into the details, note that some affected patients may have been treated by a Bloom Health doctor at Dominion Hospital. Dominion Hospital is not affiliated with Bloom Health Centers, but allows Bloom Health providers to serve their patients at the hospital. Additionally, certain patients may have been originally seen at companies acquired by Bloom Health, including Psych Associates of Maryland, Comprehensive Behavioral Health, and Kraus Behavioral Health.

=> ↺ KSTP TV ☛ St. Paul Public Schools notifies families of data breach from February

• St. Paul Public Schools notified families and staff last week of a “data security incident” last winter that may have exposed students’ names and email addresses.

• In a letter sent out on Friday, the district said it became aware of the issue in February and flagged the FBI, Minnesota IT Services and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to investigate “an unauthorized third party” that had accessed district data.

• The full scope of the breach wasn’t made clear until mid-July, but SPPS says it has identified everyone whose data might have been accessed. At this point, the district says it “has no reason to believe” there was any fraudulent use of anyone’s personal information.

=> ↺ Save the Children confirms systems breach

• Save the Children appears to have been hacked by the Chinese data extortion gang BianLian, according to data posted to the latter’s victim blog. Though it does not mention the charity by name, the cybercrime organisation claims to have stolen up to 8GB of files from an international NGO “employing over 25,000 staff and operating in 116 countries”, a description experts have said fits the profile of Save the Children. [….]

• Save the Children confirmed that an outside party had obtained unauthorised access to part of its network, though it stressed that there had been no operational disruption as a result. “We are working hard with external specialists to understand what happened and what data was impacted, so we can take all the appropriate next steps,” a spokesperson told Tech Monitor. “Our systems are also secured, and we are confident in the ongoing integrity of our IT infrastructure.”

=> ↺ Michigan News ☛ Cybercrime investigation causes half-day for East Jackson schools

• A potential cybercrime is causing classes to be cut to a half day in East Jackson Community Schools on Tuesday, Sept. 12, officials said.

• The incident currently is under investigation by the Blackman-Leoni Department of Public Safety. School officials learned of the potential cybercrime Tuesday morning, Superintendent Steve Doerr said.

=> ↺ US Dept Of Health and Human Services ☛ HHS Office for Civil Rights Settles with L.A. Care Health Plan Over Potential HIPAA Security Rule Violations

• Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a settlement of potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Rules with LA Care, the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan that provides health care benefits and coverage through state, federal, and commercial programs. OCR enforces the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules that set the requirements that HIPAA-regulated entities must follow to protect the privacy and security of protected health information (PHI). The settlement concludes two OCR investigations initiated from a large breach report and a media article regarding a separate security incident. Under the agreement, LA Care agreed to pay $1,300,000 and to implement a corrective action plan, discussed in further detail below, which identifies steps LA Care will take to resolve these potential violations of the HIPAA Security Rule and protect the security of electronic protected health information (ePHI).

=> ↺ Brazil’s government convicted for data leak exposed by The Brazilian Report

• Federal government agencies were convicted for leaking data of beneficiaries of Auxilio Brasil, a flagship federal aid program now renamed as Bolsa Familia, to financial agencies offering payroll deduction loans to low-income Brazilians.

• Prior to elections last year, the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro launched a program allowing people enrolled in aid programs to sign up for payroll deduction loans – a government push to create feel-good factors around the economy.

=> ↺ Data Breaches ☛ Rhysida claims responsibility for attacks on two U.S. health systems: Prospect Medical Holdings, Singing River Health

• On August 3, Prospect Medical Holdings disclosed a ransomware attack that affected some of its 16 hospitals and 10 clinics, including three hospitals in Connecticut and hospitals run by Crozer Health. Although they have made some progress with recovery, a note on their website today states, “Prospect Medical Holdings, along with all Prospect Medical facilities, is experiencing a systemwide outage. We are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible and regret any inconvenience.”

• For its part, Rhysida ransomware gang claimed responsibility for the attack, stating, “They kindly provided: more than 500000 SSN, passports of their clients and employees, driver’s licenses, patient files (profile, medical history), financial and legal documents!!! If you are interested in our partner’s confidential documents, you will be able to purchase them too!!! Total 1TB unique files, as well as 1.3TB SQL database.”

Privacy/Surveillance

=> ↺ California Privacy Protection Agency publishes new draft regulations addressing AI, risk assessments, cyber audits

• The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) recently published two new sets of draft regulations addressing a range of cutting-edge data protection issues. Although the CPPA has not officially started the formal rulemaking process, the Draft Cybersecurity Audit Regulations and the Draft Risk Assessment Regulations will serve as the foundation for the process moving forward. Discussion of the draft regulations will be a central topic of the CPPA’s upcoming September 8th meeting.

• Among the noteworthy aspects to the draft Regulations are (1) a proposed definition of “artificial intelligence” that differentiates the technology from automated decision-making; (2) transparency obligations for companies that train AI to be used by consumers or other businesses; and (3) a significant list of potential harms to be considered by businesses when conducting risk assessments.

=> ↺ Federal News Network ☛ Candidate in high-stakes Virginia election performed sex acts with husband in live videos

• A candidate in a high-stakes legislative contest in Virginia performed sex acts with her husband in live videos posted on a pornographic website while asking viewers to pay them with “tokens” or ”tips” for individual requests. The Washington Post first reported the videos on Monday. Susanna Gibson, a Democrat running for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in a district just outside Richmond, said in a written statement that exposing the videos is “an illegal invasion of my privacy designed to humiliate me and my family.”

=> ↺ Grimes: ‘Clueless’ Elon Musk sent photo of me having C-section to friends, family

• The “Genesis” singer told biographer Walter Isaacson that the SpaceX founder was “clueless” as to why she would be upset about the intimate photo being distributed.

=> ↺ New Yorker ☛ Would Steven Soderbergh Kill Baby Facebook?

• The director of “Command Z”—a series about a regretful, time-bending billionaire, played by Michael Cera—ponders time-machine-aided do-overs with the writer Kurt Andersen.

=> ↺ Security Week ☛ Spies, Hackers, Informants: How China Snoops on the West

• Some of the ways China has worked to spy on the West in recent years.

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China slams UK spying reports as ‘political farce’ and ‘malicious slander

• China has lashed out at media reports alleging a man who was arrested on suspicion of espionage was gathering intelligence for Beijing, labelling the claim a “political farce”.

Defence/Aggression

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Georgia Introduces Visa-Free Visits For Chinese Citizens

• Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili said that as of September 11, Chinese citizens can enter the South Caucasus nation without visas.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ The 50th Anniversary of the Chile Coup in Photos

• Gen. Augusto Pinochet led the violent overthrow of the socialist government of Salvador Allende, seizing power for nearly 17 years. Here is a selection of photographs from the coup and its aftermath.

=> ↺ Vice Media Group ☛ The 9/11 Memes the Government Deemed Worthy of Preserving in the National Archive

• The Bush White House and the National Archive saved early internet era 9/11 memes involving ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘The Terminator.’

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Syrian militia leader close to Assad attends Special Olympics meeting in Paris

• Omar al-Aroub, the current second-in-command in a Syrian pro-regime militia accused of war crimes travelled to Paris in August 2023 and received an official welcome as head of the Syrian Paralympic Committee. Our team identified images of al-Aroub armed and in uniform, wearing the logo of the Ba’ath Brigades. A man with links to al-Aroub confirmed his role in the brutal repression of anti-regime protests in Aleppo in 2011.

=> ↺ Federal News Network ☛ Outrage intensifies over New Mexico governor’s temporary gun ban as sheriff vows not to enforce it

• New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says she’d welcome a fight after announcing an emergency order to suspend the right to publicly carry guns around Albuquerque. That’s what she’s getting. Since the Democrat issued the 30-day public health order Friday, a furor has rained down from gun owners, GOP lawmakers and civil rights advocates. The sheriff for the county that includes Albuquerque vowed Monday not to enforce the order. A gun rights group asked a federal court to block it from taking effect. Meanwhile, anti-gun groups applauded the measure, which bans open and concealed carry in most public places in and around Albuquerque.

=> ↺ Security Week ☛ US Marks 22 Years Since 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

• One organization is hoping to transform the anniversary of 9/11 into a day of doing good.

Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

=> ↺ Latvia ☛ Municipalities want financial help setting up local police forces

• As of January 1, 2024, all municipalities in Latvia are obliged to establish and finance a local, municipal police. State money is not intended for this purpose and local governments have to finance their autonomous functions, such as ensuring public order and security, themselves.

Environment

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Hundreds Reported Dead in Severe Libya Flooding

• The waters swept away hundreds of homes as emergency officials raced to find survivors of the flooding caused by torrential weekend rains. Officials in one city described “catastrophic” devastation.

Energy/Transportation

=> ↺ Barry Kauler ☛ Tadpole trike front suspension ideas

• A “tadpole” recumbent trike has two wheels at the front, a “delta” trike has two wheels at the back. The tadpole trike I have on order, currently en-route from China, is the tadpole variety.

• Most trikes that I see in Australia have no suspension, occasionally see one with rear suspension. Mine also is the rear-suspension-only type. I recently read that only about 30% of the impact of hitting bumps comes up via the rear wheel, which does make a good case for wanting front suspension. However, as there are two front wheels, if one wheel hits a bump it won’t be transferred directly upward, but via the frame arm — in other words there will be some twisting of the frame that will absorb the bump.

Finance

=> ↺ France24 ☛ US clears way for prisoner swap with Iran and release $6 billion in frozen funds

• The Biden administration has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran by issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of US sanctions. In addition, as part of the deal, the administration has agreed to release five Iranian citizens held in the United States.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Biden Administration Said To Issue $6 Billion Sanctions Waiver Amid Signs Of U.S.-Iran Prisoner Swap

• The Biden administration has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran by issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of U.S. sanctions, according to AP.

=> ↺ TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ US moves to advance prisoner swap deal with Iran and release $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds

• The Biden administration has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran by issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money in South Korea without fear of U.S. sanctions. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed off on the move last week but Congress was not notified of the decision until Monday, according to the notification, which was obtained by The Associated Press. The waiver means that European, Middle Eastern and Asian banks will not run afoul of U.S. sanctions in converting the frozen money in South Korea and transferring it to Qatar’s central bank, where it will be held for Iran to use for the purchase of humanitarian goods.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ How Tokyo Achieves Affordable Housing

• Tokyo has succeeded in maintaining an abundance of affordable housing because it has no downtown, many railroads and laws that make it easy to build.

=> ↺ European Commission ☛ Summer 2023 Economic Forecast: Easing growth momentum amid declining inflation and robust labour market

• European Commission Press release Brussels, 11 Sep 2023 The European Commission has today presented the Summer 2023 Economic Forecast.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ How the U.S. Economy Is Taming Inflation Without a Recession [Ed: Pure propaganda from NY Times; this is Communist Party territories; the economy sagged, US nearly defaulted on the debt, now they say "Without a Recession".]

• The optimists were right. But why?

=> ↺ Can Yahoo Be Saved? How Apollo Is Rebuilding an Internet Icon

• Once left for dead, the nearly 30-year-old internet brand is getting a new lease on life under Apollo ownership.

=> ↺ Embracer Group considers selling Gearbox following challenging year

• Two weeks after the group’s closure of Volition Games, the studio behind the Saints Row franchise, the Embracer Group are reportedly considering its options for Gearbox Entertainment, the company behind the Borderlands series.

• The Embracer Group, a Swedish company, has been having a “challenging year”, at least according to CEO Lars Wingefors, who announced a major restructuring of the company earlier this year with aims to reduce its net debt to under SEK 10 billion by the end of this financial year. After announcing studio closures, project cancellations, and layoffs, it looks like Embracer has considered selling Gearbox Entertainment, or spinning it off into a new company.

• Less than three hears ago, the Embracer Group acquired Gearbox Entertainment for $1.3 billion, and now Embracer want to recoup this investment. An email seen by Bloomberg has revealed that Embracer has three options for Gearbox Entertainment. These options are the status quo, keeping the studio as part of Embracer, selling the company to a 3rd party, and making Gearbox independent. At this time it is unclear which option is the best for Gearbox Software and the Embracer Group, though reports have claimed that Embracer has already been contacted by interested parties.

=> ↺ Volvo cutting 10% of white-collar jobs in Canada, U.S.

• Volvo is laying off more than 10 per cent of its white-collar workers in Canada and the United States. The job cuts are part of the car manufacturer’s drive to cut global costs and find efficiencies.

• The company expects the job cuts to cost approximately $88 million, which includes severance payments to affected employees. Volvo will also be offering early retirement packages to some workers.

• “There’s not any area of the business that is not impacted,” said Volvo Car USA and Canada president Michael Cottone, in an interview with Auto News.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Biden leads US tech push as he wraps up historic Vietnam visit

• President Joe Biden and senior executives from top US tech firms including Google and Intel met Vietnamese business leaders Monday after the two countries agreed to deepen cooperation as Washington seeks to counter China’s growing clout.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ US, Vietnam agree to increase cooperation as China worries grow

• US President Joe Biden hailed closer ties with Vietnam on Sunday as the two countries struck a deal to deepen cooperation, including on semiconductors, but said he was not aiming to contain China.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ US, Vietnam raise relations to highest level

• The deal is about stability, not containing China, Biden says.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Macron aims to consolidate France’s Asia-Pacific push on Bangladesh visit

• President Emmanuel Macron was in Bangladesh on Monday in a bid to “consolidate” France’s Asia-Pacific strategy and counterbalance a “new imperialism” in a region where China’s influence is increasingly being extended.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ UK prime minister deplores Chinese interference in democracy

• Rishi Sunak reportedly confronts China’s Premier Li Qiang on the G20 sidelines over spying report.

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week, Beijing says

• Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet will visit China this week and meet with President Xi Jinping, Beijing’s foreign ministry announced Monday. “At the invitation of Premier Li Qiang… Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet will pay an official visit to China from September 14th to 16th,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a statement.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ A New Path Resumes Between Venezuela and China

• At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is on a visit to China on Sept. 8-14. In an official statement, the Bolivarian leader highlighted various aspects of the strategic relationship between his country and the Asian nation.

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Algeria: China Donates Wheelchairs to Charity Organization

• “We hope these wheelchairs will make life and work easier for them,” said Li who also recognized “today’s charitable activity.”

=> ↺ teleSUR ☛ Venezuela and China Build A Shared Future: President Maduro

• The Bolivarian leader called for building a homeland for all humanity, “where we can meet, recognize each other, and take the path of development, peace, and cooperation.”

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ China must play ‘responsible’ role in curbing North’s threats – South Korea’s Yoon

• South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Tuesday that he called for China to play a \”responsible\” role in reining in North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats when he met Chinese Premier Li Qiang last week.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ China economic woes could raise Taiwan risks, says US House committee chair

• China’s economic slowdown could increase the risk of Beijing taking military action toward Taiwan, the Republican chair of a U.S. congressional committee on China said on Monday, drawing a contrast with Democratic President Joe Biden, who said it made it less likely.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ U.K.’s Arrest of Suspected Spy Fuels Calls for Tougher Stance on China

• Allegations that a researcher in Parliament was a foreign agent have intensified a fiery debate over Britain’s relations with Beijing.

Censorship/Free Speech

=> ↺ Reason ☛ The 5th Circuit Agrees That Federal Officials Unconstitutionally ‘Coerced’ or ‘Encouraged’ Online Censorship

• The appeals court narrowed a preliminary injunction against such meddling but confirmed the threat that it poses to freedom of speech.

Civil Rights/Policing

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ Trade Unions Congress report UK government to UN workers rights watchdog

• The Trade Unions Congress (TUC) announced Sunday they are reporting the UK government to the UN watchdog on workers rights over the implementation of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Support Grows As Hunger Strike By Afghan Activists In Germany Enters Second Week

• A hunger strike by a group of Afghan rights activists to protest the anti-female policies of the ruling Taliban has entered its second week as they seek international recognition of the militants’ policies as “gender apartheid.”

=> ↺ Digital Music News ☛ Live Nation’s Insomniac Faces Labor-Code Suit from Former Security Guard — Alleged Missing Overtime Pay, Failure To Provide Breaks, and More

• Live Nation’s Insomniac is officially facing a firmly worded lawsuit in which a former employee alleges all manner of California labor-code violations. One King Johnson just recently submitted the multifaceted complaint on behalf of himself and “all other aggrieved employees.”

=> ↺ New Yorker ☛ The U.A.W. Strike Threat Poses a Tricky Political Challenge for Biden

• As the negotiating deadline approaches, the issues at stake go beyond wages and benefits to whether the union’s members will benefit or suffer from the transition to electric vehicles.

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong busker deported, banned from Macau after being detained for several hours

• A Hong Kong busker known for performing an English rendition of protest song Glory to Hong Kong has been banned from entering Macau for a year. He was detained by police for several hours and deported after busking without a permit.

=> ↺ University of Michigan ☛ What the writers’ strike could mean for the future of TV

• Every childhood Friday afternoon, like clockwork, I’d arrive home to find a copy of Entertainment Weekly sitting there atop the stack of mail in the foyer.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ Teapot drama targeting British Museum sparks nationalist fervor in China

• The show features a teapot ‘escaping’ amid calls for the repatriation of ancient artifacts to China.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

=> ↺ APNIC ☛ 2023 ISIF Asia grant recipients announced

• The APNIC Foundation has announced the 24 recipients of the 2023 ISIF Asia grants to support Internet development.

Monopolies

=> ↺ New Yorker ☛ The Real Stakes of the Google Antitrust Trial

• The case, centering on Google’s dominance in the search-engine industry, will have implications that ripple throughout the tech world, and beyond.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Who’s Who in the Google Antitrust Trial

• The federal government’s first monopoly trial this century will feature top tech executives, experienced litigators and an Obama-appointed judge.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ The U.S. Justice Dept. Is Taking Google to Trial: What to Know

• The government claims that Google illegally used its monopoly power to stifle rivals, while the company says its practices are legal and mainstream.

Patents

=> ↺ Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Narrowing the Analogous Arts with a Problem-Solution Statement

• The Federal Circuit recently issued an important decision regarding the analogous art doctrine in Netflix v. DivX, No. 22-1138, — F.4th — (Fed. Cir. Sept. 11, 2023).  The Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s sided with the patentee, holding that a key prior art reference was not analogous art.  On appeal, the Federal Circuit has partially affirmed, but vacated and remanded on a procedural ground.  This case also raises questions about the value of explicitly stating the problem solved within the patent document, and perhaps directly in the patent claims.

=> ↺ JUVE ☛ UPC race across Europe [Ed: UPC propagandist, bribed by Team UPC, continues to promote this unconstitutional and illegal system. This is not media, it's a malicious disinformation operation.]

• Welcome to the everyday small stuff, UPC! “Your file could not be uploaded” says the error message, which keeps popping up in the UPC CMS. Until finally, a partner sends their associate to the airport with a stack of papers in a briefcase.

=> ↺ Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 for Empire IP entity, BT Wearables, patent prior art

• A new PATROLL contest, with a $2,000 cash prize, was added seeking prior art on at least claim 1 of U.S. Patent 10,729,336, owned by BT Wearables LLC, an NPE and entity of Empire IP LLC. The ‘336 patent relates generally to a mobile device such as a watch. It has been asserted against Dillard’s Incorporated.

• The contest will expire on October 31, 2023. Please visit PATROLL for more information and to submit an entry for this contest.

=> ↺ Unified Patents ☛ DynaIP entity, Cloud Systems HoldCo IP, IoT patent challenge instituted

• On September 8, 2023, less than six weeks after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding a substantial new question of patentability on all of the claims of U.S. Patent 8,909,779, owned and asserted by Cloud Systems HoldCo IP, LLC, an NPE and DynaIP entity.  The ’779 patent relates to methods for controlling devices in an environment.

=> ↺ Unified Patents ☛ Atlantic IP entity, Foras Technologies, parallel processors patents challenged

• On September 1, 2023, Unified Patents filed ex parte reexamination proceedings against three separate patents owned and asserted by Foras Technologies, Ltd., an NPE and entity of Atlantic IP Services Limited. The challenged patents relate to lockstep processor technology where two processors are paired together, and the two processors perform exactly the same-operations and the results-are compared.(e.g., with an XOR gate).

=> ↺ Our response to the proposed new amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Boards of Appeal (RPBA)

• The EPO has opened a User Consultation on the proposed new amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Boards of Appeal (RPBA). The amendments seek to support more ambitious timeliness objectives, but in our view they are unlikely to shorten appeal proceedings, will reduce the quality of decisions, and are unfair on Respondents. In our view, they should not be adopted in full.

Trademarks

=> ↺ TTAB Blog ☛ MAD MONSTER PARTY for Horror and Pop Culture Conventions and Magazines Not Confusable with MONSTER ENERGY, Says TTAB

• Frequent TTAB litigant Monster Energy Company lost another one. The Board dismissed its oppositions to registration of MAD MONSTER PARTY, in standard character form for “Organizing exhibitions for educational and entertainment purposes services, namely, organizing and conducting conventions in the fields of horror and popular culture,” and in word-and-design form for “General feature magazine in the field of horror and pop culture.” Monster claimed a likelihood of confusion with several registered MONSTER-formative marks used in connection with energy drinks, supplements, fruit juice and soft drinks; clothing, sports bags and stickers; and the services of promoting sports and music events and competitions for others. The Board, deeming the first DuPont factor to be dispositive, found that the marks differ sufficiently in their connotations and overall commercial impressions that confusion is unlikely. Monster Energy Company v. Eben McGarr, Oppositions Nos. 91239678 and 91244601 (September 8, 2023) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Frances S. Wolfson).

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