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● 09.18.23

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● Links 18/09/2023: GNUHealth Hospital Management 4.2.2 and Celluloid Video Player 0.26 Released

Posted in News Roundup at 8:05 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

GNU/Linux

Desktop/Laptop

=> ↺ Neowin ☛ A quick look back at when Lenovo revealed a Windows-Linux-Android tablet-laptop hybrid

• Lenovo first revealed the IdeaPad U1 PC at CES 2010. It ran Windows 7 in laptop mode but switched to a Linux (later Android) OS tablet when the display detached. The product ultimately didn’t launch.

Audiocasts/Shows

=> ↺ GNU World Order (Audio Show) ☛ GNU World Order 530

• Listener feedback. The year of the Linux desktop. Flatpaks and the future.

• shasum -a256=73ad32712ee8779d5e3b3d646fe376d2d8f3a35e945280ef901c4f44a72bdfbc

=> ↺ Jupiter Broadcasting ☛ Where’s Your Data? | LINUX Unplugged 528

• Today’s theme is data sovereignty, and we’ll check in with two crucial projects that are giving you more options. Special Guest: Noah Chelliah.

Applications

=> ↺ 9to5Linux ☛ HP Linux Imaging and Printing Drivers Now Support Fedora 38 and Ubuntu 23.04

• HPLIP (HP Linux Imaging and Printing) 3.23.8 is here about three and a half months after the previous release, HPLIP 3.23.5, which only added support for 45 HP Color LaserJet Enterprise printers, to add support for some of the latest releases of popular GNU/Linux distributions, including Fedora Linux 38, Ubuntu 23.04, and openSUSE Leap 15.5.

• HPLIP 3.23.8 also brings support for new printers from the HP Color LaserJet Pro series, including MFP 4301dwe, MFP 4301fdne, MFP 4301fdwe, MFP 4301cdwe, and many others.

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

• This article spotlights alternative tools to vi, a screen-oriented text editor originally created for the Unix operating system.

=> ↺ Linux Links ☛ 15 Best Free and Open Source Linux Computer Algebra Systems

• A computer algebra system (CAS) is mathematical software that can manipulate mathematical formulae in a way similar to the traditional manual computations of mathematicians and scientists.

=> ↺ GNU ☛ health @ Savannah: GNUHealth Hospital Management 4.2.2 patchset released

• Dear community GNU Health 4.2.2 patchset has been released !

=> ↺ Linux Links ☛ Stonks – terminal based stock visualizer and tracker

• Stonks is a terminal based stock visualizer and tracker that displays realtime stocks in graph format. It’s written in Go.

=> ↺ Ubuntu Handbook ☛ Celluloid Video Player Released 0.26 with more ported to GNOME Style

• Celluloid, formerly GNOME MPV, released version 0.26 yesterday. Celluloid is a free open-source video player uses mpv as backend, and is default in Linux Mint 21 Cinnamon.

Instructionals/Technical

=> ↺ Linux Buzz ☛ How to Install Terraform on Ubuntu 22.04 Step-by-Step

• In this guide, we will cover how to install Terraform on Ubuntu 22.04 and provide you with some useful Terraform examples to kickstart your journey into the world of infrastructure automation.

=> ↺ TecAdmin ☛ Setting Up Laravel with Docker and Docker-compose

• Laravel, a popular PHP framework, provides a great ecosystem for web application development. Docker, on the other hand, is a tool designed to make it easier to create, deploy, and run applications using containers.

=> ↺ TecAdmin ☛ Using Composer with Different PHP Versions in Linux

• Composer is a dependency manager for PHP, allowing developers to declare the libraries their projects depend on. However, when working on multiple projects, developers can often find themselves in a position where they need to juggle different PHP versions. Fortunately, Linux, with its versatile environment, provides the flexibility to accommodate this scenario.

=> ↺ TecAdmin ☛ Setting Up Development Environments with PHP and Docker

• A local development environment is crucial for PHP developers to test and debug their applications. Traditionally, developers would rely on tools like XAMPP, MAMP, or WAMP, which provide a full-fledged LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) for local development.

=> ↺ How to Use AppImage in Linux (A Complete Beginner’s Guide)

• This article focuses on explaining different software packaging concepts, highlighting what AppImage is, its installation, and its removal from your Linux system.

=> ↺ TecMint ☛ 16 Apache Web Server Security and Hardening Tips

• Apache web server is one of the most popular and widely used web servers for hosting files and websites.

=> ↺ Ubuntu Pit ☛ How to Free Up Space in /boot Partition on Ubuntu Linux?

• If you use a separate /boot partition on Ubuntu, you might face the problem where your /boot partition becomes almost full or runs out of space. This can happen for various reasons, including old kernel files getting piled. To resolve this problem, you can free up some space from that partition.

=> ↺ Ubuntu 22.04 LTS: What’s New and How to Customize It

• Ubuntu is arguably one of the most widely used operating systems thanks to its simple and neat UI, which makes for a smooth user experience.

=> ↺ ID Root ☛ How to Get Current Date and Time on Linux

• In the ever-evolving landscape of computing, precision and accuracy remain paramount. For Linux system administrators and enthusiasts, accurate time management is not just essential; it’s a fundamental requirement.

=> ↺ Own HowTo ☛ How to fix “Failed to execute the default web browser” error on Linux

• Web browser is a button on XFCE desktop, that will open the default web browser when you click it. This button will only launch the default web browser of your system, no matter the web browser.

=> ↺ It’s FOSS ☛ Install VirtualBox on Windows [So that You Can Run Linux VM]

• Easy-to-follow guide to help you install Oracle VirtualBox on Windows so that you can install Linux in virtual machines.

idroot

=> ↺ ID Root ☛ How To Install WebERP on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

• In this tutorial, we will show you how to install WebERP on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. WebERP is a powerful open-source web-based accounting and business management system that can streamline financial and operational processes for businesses of all sizes.

=> ↺ ID Root ☛ How To Install Observium on AlmaLinux 9

• In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Observium on AlmaLinux 9. For those of you who didn’t know, Observium, a renowned network monitoring and management tool, is essential for maintaining the health and performance of your network infrastructure.

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

• In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Apache Hadoop on Debian 12. Big Data is the backbone of modern data-driven businesses, and Hadoop has emerged as the go-to solution for processing and analyzing massive datasets.

Games

=> ↺ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Valve’s SteamOS 3.5 Previews VRR and HDR for Steam Deck

• SteamOS improves performance in Starfield, adds preview of VRR and HDR for Steam Deck.

Distributions and Operating Systems

Arch Family

=> ↺ ZDNet ☛ Want an elegant, user-friendly Windows alternative? Try Manjaro 23.0 with KDE Plasma

• Manjaro is an enigma to some. It’s based on Arch Linux, which is generally considered one of the more challenging Linux distributions on the market. And yet, Manjaro has been making Arch Linux easy for some time. With the release of version 23.0 (aka Uranos), Manjaro once again proves it’s the best of all the Arch clones and the KDE Plasma version of the operating system could easily serve as a Windows alternative for the masses.

• The 23.0 KDE Plasma release includes a few important changes, including a window tiling system, a new app theme, a number of improved tools and widgets, a cleaner System Settings app, better Wayland support, and plenty of bug fixes and reliability improvements.

Fedora Family / IBM

=> ↺ Linux Magazine ☛ Fedora Linux 40 to Drop X11 for KDE Plasma

• With 2024 on the horizon, it’s time to consider what’s in store for the likes of Fedora 40, and there is plenty.

• First off, Fedora 40 will ship with KDE Plasma 6, filled with Qt 6 and KDE Frameworks 6 goodness. This update alone will be considerable, especially when you know that it will finally drop X11 and default to Wayland.

• Although you can already opt for Plasma Wayland with KDE Plasma 5.27, it’s buggy. By the time version 40 arrives, the plan is to have all those bugs fixed so Plasma 6 runs like a champ.

=> ↺ Data Swamp ☛ Flatpak integration in Qubes OS templates

• I recently wanted to improve Qubes OS accessibility to new users a bit, yesterday I found why GNOME Software wasn’t working in the offline templates.

• Today, I’ll explain how to install programs from Flatpak in a template to provide to other qubes. I really like flatpak as it provides extra security features and a lot of software choice, and all the data created by Flatpak packaged software are compartmentalized into their own tree in ~/.var/app/program.some.fqdn/.

=> ↺ Red Hat ☛ A statistics update in Open vSwitch user space datapath

• With the demands for higher bandwidth, came the need for scaling and processing packets on more CPU resources. In Open vSwitch (OVS) using DPDK for faster IO, this translated to using more receive and transmit queues to allow more PMD threads to process the packets. This adds some complexity to a system not easy to understand in the first place. Support or operation people still want to know how much traffic is received and how it is distributed across the CPU resources. To offer help, this article describes new statistics added for the user space datapath in OVS 2.17 and later.

• A first evolution in OVS 2.17 consisted of exposing receive and transmit queues statistics per DPDK physical ports in ovsdb.

=> ↺ Anaconda F40′s Advanced Partitioner (Blivet-GUI) on Fedora Rawhide

=> ↺ Red Hat ☛ Comparing OpenShift Service Mesh and Service Interconnect

• In today’s digital landscape, where organizations increasingly rely on interconnected applications and services to execute business operations, the ability to connect software and data across different environments is becoming increasingly vital. However, achieving seamless connectivity is no easy feat, as varying application architectures and on-premises and cloud infrastructures often present disparities that require careful management of interconnections for optimal operation, risk management, managing skill sets across the technical team, ensuring enough observability, and how security is being handled.

• This article discusses two Red Hat technologies, Red Hat OpenShift Service Mesh and Red Hat Service Interconnect, that offer different approaches to address these requirements and provides guidance to help you make informed decisions on which to use when.

=> ↺ Talospace ☛ The Talospace Project: Partial ppc64le JIT available again for Firefox 115ESR

• I’ve been rehabilitating the old ppc64le JIT against more current Firefoxes and there is now available a set of patches you can apply to the current 115ESR. This does not yet include support for Ion or Wasm; the first still has some regressions, and the second has multiple outright crashes. Still, even with just the Baseline Interpreter and Baseline Compiler it is several times faster on benchmarks than the interpreter-only 115. I’ve included also the relevant LTO-PGO and WebRTC patches so you can just apply the changesets numerically and build.

Debian Family

=> ↺ Valhalla’s Things: Non-e (Note)Book

• Some time ago our LUG bought some things from soldered.com and while browsing around the website my SO and I decided to add a junk box to the order and see what we would get.

• Other than a few useful things, there were two mostly unpopulated boards for the inkplate 10 which would have been pretty hard to reuse as electronics.

=> ↺ Sergio Talens-Oliag: GitLab CI/CD Tips: Using a Common CI Repository with Assets

• This post describes how to handle files that are used as assets by jobs and pipelines defined on a common gitlab-ci repository when we include those definitions from a different project.

Canonical/Ubuntu Family

=> ↺ DebugPoint ☛ 10 Best Linux Mint Themes for Everyone

• Linux Mint, known for its user-friendly interface and reliability, offers very few Cinnamon themes that can give your desktop a fresh, stylish look. We prepared a list of unique themes which will best fit most of the use cases. Let’s have a look.

Devices/Embedded

=> ↺ CNX Software ☛ Amlogic S905X5 Armv9 TV Box SoC supports AV1, H.266, Ai-SR

• The Amlogic S905X5 may be first the Armv9 processor designed for set-top boxes (STB) and TV boxes, supports the latest AV1 and H.266 video codecs, and also comes with a 4 TOPS AI accelerator. We don’t have the full details yet, and the news comes from a tease from SEI Robotics which is about to unveil an Amlogic S905X5 AI-SR (AI Super Resolution) Android TV box at IBC 2023.

Open Hardware/Modding

=> ↺ Linux Gizmos ☛ Romeo ESP32-S3 Dev kit targets robotic applications

• DFRobot recently launched a small development board designed for robotics and FPV applications. The ESP32-based device supports both 2WD and 4WD robots and offers multiple peripherals to add sensors and other actuators.

=> ↺ Tom’s Hardware ☛ Modder Turns Framework Laptop PCB Into a Handheld Gaming PC

• Framework motherboards in handhelds: another great modding idea for these replaceable, upgradable, and recyclable system components.

=> ↺ Andrew Hutchings ☛ Amiga CD32 Restoration: Part 1

• I recently acquired a CD32 which is pretty much in a destroyed state. This is going to be a lot of work to restore, so, let’s make a start.

Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

=> ↺ The Sun ☛ Millions of Android users urged to delete list of 17 ‘common’ apps to avoid ‘killer bloat’ that takes up your storage | The US Sun

=> ↺ Android Central ☛ New Pixel update rolls out ahead of Android 14 | Android Central

=> ↺ Android Authority ☛ Android TV 14: Release date, features, and compatibility

=> ↺ Android Police ☛ Google Pixels are getting the September security update, but Android 14 remains missing

=> ↺ 9to5Google ☛ Android 13 September update rolling out: What’s fixed on Pixel

=> ↺ 9to5Google ☛ Android can automatically archive apps you don’t use – here’s how

=> ↺ Phone Arena ☛ Two fake Android apps need to be uninstalled now to ensure your Android phone is protected – PhoneArena

=> ↺ Medevel ☛ 20 Open-source Free Android Apps, File and Photo Backup Solutions

• Android Backup Solutions refer to the various methods and tools available to backup data on an Android device. It is important to backup your Android device to ensure that your valuable data is protected and can be restored in case of device loss, damage, or data corruption.

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

SaaS/Back End/Databases

=> ↺ PostgreSQL ☛ Apache Arrow Flight SQL adapter for PostgreSQL 0.1.0

• The Apache Arrow team is pleased to announce the 0.1.0 release of the Apache Arrow Flight SQL adapter for PostgreSQL.

• Read the blog post of this release about what’s new in the release.

• Apache Arrow Flight SQL adapter for PostgreSQL is a PostgreSQL extension that adds an Apache Arrow Flight SQL endpoint to PostgreSQL.

=> ↺ PostgreSQL ☛ dbMigration .NET v16.4 released

• dbMigration .NET v16.4 is a simple, easy and intuitive multiple database migration and sync tool, With it you can easily migrate and synchronize data to PostgreSQL and vice versa without complicated procedures. (Free for non-commercial and a single executable file without installation)

=> ↺ PostgreSQL ☛ Credcheck version 2.2 released

• Antananarivo, Madagascar – September 16, 2023

• The credcheck PostgreSQL extension provides few general credential checks, which will be evaluated during the user creation, during the password change and user renaming. By using this extension, we can define a set of rules: [...]

Leftovers

Science

=> ↺ LRT ☛ What to do with space trash? Lithuanian startup is working on a solution

• The first satellite was launched into the Earth’s orbit in 1957. Today, there are around 8,500 active satellites orbiting our planet, according to Orbiting Now, and an unknown number of disused ones, making up the bulk of the space debris. A Lithuanian startup is working to offer solutions.

Hardware

=> ↺ Ruben Schade ☛ My “Aldi” Commodore 64 case

• I previewed this machine in my latest Commodore 64 post, but I forgot that I only mentioned receiving it on Mastodon, and didn’t blog about it.

• What colour was the Commodore 64?

• Below is my new (to me), genuine, bonafide “Aldi” Commodore 64 that arrived in the post a couple of weeks ago under several layers of foam, wrapping paper, and tape. I’ve had new computers shipped with less care than this treasure, which is saying something.

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

=> ↺ NYPost ☛ Bob Odenkirk admits he dismissed ‘cranky conservative’ doctor’s medical advice

• Actor Bob Odenkirk said he regretted dismissing a “cranky” conservative doctor’s medical advice during a podcast.

Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

=> ↺ TechXplore ☛ Cisco, other tech companies chop Bay Area jobs in fresh layoffs

• Cisco Systems has revealed plans to chop hundreds more Bay Area jobs in a disquieting suggestion that the region’s tech layoffs have yet to run their course.

• The tech titan reported that it plans to jettison 350 jobs on or around Oct. 16, affecting workers in San Jose and Milpitas, according to official filings with the state Employment Development Department.

• Cisco has decided to lay off 227 workers in San Jose and another 123 employees in Milpitas, the EDD filings show.

=> ↺ GO Media ☛ It’s Time To Start Killing Your Subscriptions

• There’s a problem at the heart of subscription entertainment and it’s that very few people actually have the time or money to truly justify them. I can’t keep up with every new Star Wars spin-off and extended Marvel Cinematic Universe show, let alone the critically-acclaimed hits that debut every other month on competing platforms. It’s even worse in video games. The Xbox Game Pass library grows every week, while PlayStation Plus and Switch Online regularly bring classic games from decades ago back into circulation. And while a single season of TV lasts 10 hours at most, games frequently extend beyond that.

• Meanwhile, each of these subscription services has decided to hike the price while simultaneously getting worse. Disney Plus jumped from $11 a month to $14. Max increased by only a dollar while nuking tons of old shows like the cult hit Westworld. Game Pass Ultimate increased by $2 a month, followed by the most basic tier of PS Plus going from $60 a year up to $80. After 12 years at just $10 a month, even Spotify raised its price to $11.

=> ↺ Engadget ☛ Panos Panay is reportedly heading to Amazon after leaving Microsoft

• It didn’t take long to learn Panos Panay’s new home. The industry veteran, instrumental in developing Windows 11 and the Microsoft Surface line of 2-in-1s and laptops, has reportedly been hired by Amazon, according to Bloomberg. Microsoft’s former chief product officer will lead Amazon’s division responsible for Alexa and Echo smart devices.

=> ↺ TechCrunch ☛ Chief Product Officer Panos Panay is out at Microsoft, reportedly heading to Amazon

• Speaking of Dave Limp, Panay is reportedly heading over to Amazon next, where he will resume the same role. We have reached out to Amazon for comment. Both companies holding devices events this week, so things are about to get interesting. Microsoft’s event will likely be focused on Surface products, Panay’s long time focus, while Amazon will almost certainly be announcing a number of Echo/Alexa products. Bringing on someone with PC experience could mark a shift in focus for the division, which was impacted by last year’s Amazon layoffs.

=> ↺ Bloomberg ☛ Amazon Is Poised to Hire Departing Microsoft Product Chief

=> ↺ MSN ☛ Microsoft Product Chief Is Exiting, in Blow to Hardware Unit [Ed: Microsoft site, Microsoft writer (Dina Bass) disguised as "journalist" (she has a long history with the company)]

• Microsoft Corp. said its chief product officer is leaving, a significant departure for the company’s hardware and Windows divisions.

=> ↺ TechXplore ☛ Microsoft’s chief product exec to step down. Panos Panay was behind Surface devices and Windows 11

Security

=> ↺ The Register UK ☛ Microsoft worker accidentally exposes 38TB of sensitive data in GitHub blunder [Ed: But the mainstream media will still have the audacity to present Microsoft as security authority and champion]

• A Microsoft employee accidentally exposed 38 terabytes of private data while publishing a bucket of open-source AI training data on GitHub, according to Wiz security researchers who spotted the leaky account and reported it to the Windows giant.

=> ↺ Make Tech Easier ☛ Protecting Your Privacy and Security on Android

• With Android being one of the top mobile operating systems, it’s often targeted by cybercriminals. You can fight back against vulnerabilities and exploits by focusing on Android security and digital privacy.

=> ↺ AccessNow ☛ Fundamental rights impact assessments are key for effective DSA enforcement

• Under the EU DSA, companies designated as VLOPs or VLOSEs must assess fundamental rights risks stemming from their services. Access Now and ECNL have published a new policy paper to support enforcement of this requirement.

=> ↺ Mitigations for Critical c-ares DoS, Code Execution Bug Released

• A critical buffer overflow vulnerability has been found in c-ares before 1_16_1 thru 1_17_0 via the function ares_parse_soa_reply in ares_parse_soa_reply.c ( CVE-2020-22217 ). Due to how simple this bug is to exploit and its significant threat to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of impacted systems, it has received a National Vulnerability Database base score of 9.8 out of 10 (”Critical” severity).

=> ↺ Security Week ☛ Imagine Making Shadowy Data Brokers Erase Your Personal Info. Californians May Soon Live the Dream

• California state Legislature has passed the Delete Act to allow individuals to order data brokers to delete their personal data — and to cease acquiring and selling it in the future.

Privacy/Surveillance

=> ↺ Ruben Schade ☛ Data privacy in Musk’s data centre move

• This story of Space Karen’s physical data centre move has been drawing the ire and glee of many a sysadmin and project manager today. They did everything predictably wrong, and faced the consequences.

• CNBC: Elon Musk moving servers himself shows his ‘maniacal sense of urgency’ at X, formerly Twitter

• But this was the section that raised my eyebrows, emphasis added: [...]

=> ↺ Federal News Network ☛ Indiana attorney general sues hospital system over privacy of Ohio girl who traveled for abortion

• Indiana’s attorney general has sued the state’s largest hospital system, claiming it violated patient privacy laws when a doctor publicly shared the story of an Ohio girl who traveled to Indiana for an abortion. Friday’s lawsuit marks Attorney General Todd Rokita’s latest attempt to seek disciplinary legal action against Dr. Caitlin Bernard. The doctor’s account of a 10-year-old girl traveling to Indiana to receive abortion drugs became a flashpoint in the national abortion debate days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ In Risky Hunt for Secrets, U.S. and China Expand Global Spy Operations

• The nations are taking bold steps in the espionage shadow war to try to collect intelligence on leadership thinking and military capabilities.

Defence/Aggression

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ Ghana dispatch: defence chief assures country that armed forces are ‘not interested’ in military coups

• Lana Osei is a JURIST staff correspondent in Ghana and a recent graduate of the GIMPA (Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration) Faculty of Law. She files this dispatch from Accra. 

=> ↺ The Strategist ☛ The untapped potential of Australia–India defence space cooperation

• Our security depends more and more on space. Today’s militaries depend on space systems for operations on land or sea, in the air, or in many cases, in cyberspace. Space technologies are integral to our …

=> ↺ France24 ☛ Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso military leaders establish security alliance

• The military leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger on Saturday signed a mutual defence pact, ministerial delegations from the three Sahel countries announced in Mali’s capital Bamako.

=> ↺ AntiWar ☛ Why the Media Aren’t Telling the Whole Story of Libya’s Floods

• The reality of the West’s trademark current foreign policy – marketed for the past two decades under the principle of a “Responsibility to Protect” – is all too visible amid Libya’s flood wreckage.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ South Korea working to unfreeze Teheran’s funds in US-Iran detainee deal

• The precise timing of the fund transfer has yet to be publicly announced.

Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

=> ↺ Latvia ☛ Turkish builders see Rail Baltica bid excluded over security concerns: LTV’s De Facto

• The Turkish association of companies which offered to build the Rail Baltica track route for a cheaper price than its competitors in a tender, has been excluded from the procurement on the recommendation of the State Security Service (VDD), Latvian Television’s De Facto broadcast of September 17 reported.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Video Appears To Show Smiling Chechen Strongman Kadyrov Amid Rumors Of Failing Health

• Ramzan Kadyrov’s Telegram channel on September 17 released a video showing the Chechen strongman smiling and talking to the camera in an apparent attempt to counter speculation about his health following rumors on social media that suggested he was in a coma and near death.

=> ↺ Latvia ☛ LTV’s De Facto looks at border fence-building acceleration plans

• One point of the new government declaration is a commitment to complete the construction of the fence on the border with Belarus by the end of this year. If this step were not taken, the process would extend into 2025, reports Latvian Television’s De Facto broadcast on September 17.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s leader wraps up Russia trip with drones gift

• Government officials from the two countries agreed to meet in Pyongyang in November.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim heads home after final stop in Russia’s Vladivostok -KCNA

• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was headed home after making a final stop in Russia’s far eastern city of Vladivostok, where he visited a university, an aquarium and a fodder plant, state media KCNA reported on Monday.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Kim Jong Un’s sister seen holding $9,500 Dior bag during Russia trip

• It’s not the first time Kim family members have appeared in public brandishing foreign luxury goods.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Rifle, fur hat, drones: North Korea’s Kim returns with gifts from Russia

• Some of the items will be displayed at the “friendship” museum, where gifts received by the North’s leaders are kept.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Karabakh Leaders Say Agreement Made On Simultaneous Aid Shipments Through Agdam, Lachin

• Ethnic-Armenian authorities of Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have agreed on procedures for two simultaneous routes of delivery of Russian-provided humanitarian aid, the International Committee of the Red Cross and separatist leaders said on September 17.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Lithuania’s Landsbergis: ‘Russia threat has shaped our identity’

• Elected in 2020, Lithuania’s government declared the ambitious goal of pursuing a values-based foreign policy. But was there more behind the rhetoric? In an interview with LRT, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis talks about Taiwan, values in politics, and Lithuania’s identity.

=> ↺ NYPost ☛ North Korea’s Kim Jong Un heads home after Russian journey that raised concern about weapons deals

• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is on his way home Sunday from Russia, ending a six-day trip that triggered global concerns about weapons transfer deals between the two countries locked in separate standoffs with the West.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ U.S. and Chinese Officials Meet in Malta to Discuss Ukraine and Other Flashpoints

• The talks between Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, and Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, took place as the two governments are trying to set up a Biden-Xi meeting.

=> ↺ AntiWar ☛ Washington Is the Matchmaker for the Russia-North Korea Romance

• The summit meeting between Russian president Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has led to a surge of pearl clutching among the U.S. foreign policy establishment and its allies in the corporate news media. 

=> ↺ France24 ☛ 🔴 Live: Chinese foreign minister to visit Russia for security talks

• China’s top diplomat Wang Yi will begin a four-day visit to Russia for security talks on Monday, his foreign ministry said, the latest in a series of high-level visits and phone calls between the two countries.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ First two cargo ships arrive in Ukrainian port since Moscow’s exit from grain deal

• Two cargo ships arrived on Saturday at one of Ukraine’s ports in the southern Odesa region, the Ukrainian Sea Ports authority said in a statement. The Palau-flagged carriers are the first civilian cargo ships to reach an Odesa port since Russia withdrew from a wartime deal designed to ensure safe Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea.

=> ↺ LRT ☛ Poland joins Baltics with ban on Russian-registered cars

• The move is part of the EU’s sweeping sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, with Poland joining its Baltic allies. Poland’s interior minister said cars registered in Russia have “no right” to enter.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Heavy Fighting Reported Around Key Eastern Village That Ukraine Says It Has Liberated

• Heavy fighting between Ukrainian soldiers and invading Russian forces was reported early on September 18 in and around Klishchiyivka, a key village in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian military said.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Canada Pledges Millions To Help Buy Air Defenses For Ukraine

• Canada will contribute C$33 million ($24.5 million) to a British-led partnership that is buying air-defense equipment for Ukraine to help it fend off Russian missile and drone attacks, Defense Minister Bill Blair said on September 17.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ NATO Chief Predicts Russia’s War Against Ukraine Won’t End Soon

• Russia’s war against Ukraine will not end anytime soon, NATO Secretary_General Jens Stoltenberg stated in an interview published on September 17 with the German publication Die Welt.

=> ↺ RFERL ☛ Ukrainian Forces Reportedly Retake New Village In Effort To Liberate Bakhmut

• Ukrainian forces appear to have recaptured the key village of Klishchiyivka as part of their drive to liberate the symbolic eastern town of Bakhmut in a day marked by intensified drone and missile attacks by both sides.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Ukraine says it downed 18 drones, 17 missiles in overnight attack

• Ukraine said on Monday it downed 18 Russian drones and 17 cruise missiles attacking its territory overnight.

=> ↺ YLE ☛ Finland needs to improve Finnish language instruction for Ukrainian kids, teachers’ union says

• Some Ukrainian children are ill-equipped to join regular classrooms after a year in preparatory education.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Ukraine Says It Has Retaken Strategic Village Near Bakhmut

• The small village of Klishchiivka is the second settlement in eastern Ukraine that Kyiv’s forces say they have retaken in three days.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Finland’s President Warns Europe About Russia

• President Biden has consulted Sauli Niinisto throughout Russia’s war against Ukraine. Europeans should not dismiss the risks of a wider war, he says.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Zelensky to Make a Case for More Aid in U.S. Visit

• The Ukrainian leader’s second trip to America comes at a more delicate diplomatic moment, as he tries to navigate political currents while expressing gratitude for Western support.

Environment

=> ↺ Ruben Schade ☛ A hot spring weekend ☀️

• It was more than 30 degrees in Sydney this weekend. The cool sea breezes stopped it feeling hotter, but it was still a bit disconcerting.

• It’s been spring down here for two weeks, and it already feels like summer. It’s not supposed to be like this. What are we doing?

Wildlife/Nature

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Snake no mistake: Australian fined for surfing with python

• The man did not have a permit to remove the reptile from its registered address.

Finance

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Foreign capital showing confidence in Hong Kong, commerce chief says, as 272 companies set up in city

• The Hong Kong government has attracted 272 companies to develop business in Hong Kong this year, the city’s commerce secretary has said. Speaking on a Commercial Radio show on Saturday,

=> ↺ BMO shuttering retail auto finance business, laying off employees

• Bank of Montreal is closing its indirect retail auto finance business and laying off an unknown number of jobs as the bank shifts focus to other areas.

• Canada’s third-largest bank announced the unexpected move on Saturday. BMO’s decision follows news that its bad debt provisions rose to $492 million, versus $136 million a year previous for the quarter ended July 31. Bad loans have been rising as a result of a sharp rise in interest rates and a slowing Canadian economy.

• BMO has offered indirect retail auto financing in both Canada and the United States. Auto dealerships would arrange financing for car buyers through the bank. BMO ended this agreement with dealerships as of Sept. 15, however they will still fund all contracts given the green-light before the termination date.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

=> ↺ Federal News Network ☛ Dominican Republic’s president stands resolute on his closing of all borders with Haiti

• The president of the Dominican Republic is defending his decision to close air, sea and land traffic with neighboring Haiti in a dispute over construction of a canal targeting a river that runs through both countries. President Luis Abinader said in a televised speech Sunday that the border closures will remain in place until construction is halted on the canal, which seeks to use water from the Massacre River to alleviate a drought in Haiti’s Maribaroux plain. He says the canal will affect Dominican farmers and the environment. Abinader’s administration also has stopped issuing visas to Haitians.

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ Federal prosecutors in DC 2020 election interference case request order to prohibit Trump making ‘inflammatory’ and ‘misleading’ statements

• Federal prosecutors in former US President Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case requested a court order on Friday to prevent Trump from making certain prejudicial and extrajudicial statements in an effort to limit jury interference. The case is in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

=> ↺ Atlantic Council ☛ On China, grant the US the wisdom to distinguish between what it can and cannot change

• In crafting its strategy on managing its relations with China, the United States should begin with a geopolitical serenity prayer.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ Monday Briefing: China and the U.S. Vie for Secrets

• Plus, confronting the world’s largest “baby exporter.”

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ China’s Wang Yi visits Russia ahead of possible Xi-Putin meeting

• Mr Wang is expected to lay the groundwork for Mr Putin’s visit to Beijing for the third Belt and Road Forum.

=> ↺ France24 ☛ More than 100 Chinese warplanes and nine navy ships spotted around Taiwan

• Taiwan told China on Monday to stop its “destructive unilateral actions” after more than 100 Chinese warplanes and nine navy ships were detected in areas around the self-ruled island.

=> ↺ Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taipei demands Beijing stop ‘destructive unilateral actions’ after 103 Chinese warplanes detected around island

• Taiwan told China on Monday to stop its “destructive unilateral actions” after more than 100 Chinese warplanes and nine navy ships were detected in areas around the self-ruled island.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ China Flies Record Number of Military Planes Near Taiwan

• Taiwan’s defense ministry criticized the uptick in Chinese military activity, saying Beijing should “stop such destructive unilateral actions.”

=> ↺ RFA ☛ China says its camps are closed, but Uyghurs remain under threat

• Reports from Xinjiang suggest persecution against members of the mostly Muslim community continues.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ China complains to Germany after foreign minister calls Xi a ‘dictator’

• China has complained to Germany after its foreign minister labelled President Xi Jinping a “dictator”, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday, calling the title “absurd” and an “open political provocation”.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Thailand eyes India to boost tourism recovery after waiving visa for Chinese visitors

• Thailand has been boosting measures to boost its travel industry, a key growth driver of its economy.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan urges China to stop ‘destructive’ military activities

• Taiwan has reported a sharp rise in Chinese military activities near the island.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ China, EU should maintain open attitude, reject protectionism -Chinese state media

• China and the European Union (EU) should continue to maintain an “open attitude” and “reject protectionism”, Chinese state media said on Monday, citing Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ China’s anti-espionage drive turns ordinary citizens into spy hunters

• The result is a growing level of mistrust among citizens.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ China’s Import Curbs on Cosmetics Face Pushback in Europe

• Cosmetics sales in China are soaring, but a group of exporting nations led by France are pushing Beijing to lift restrictions they say are blocking them unfairly.

=> ↺ RFA ☛ China restricts Tibetans from attending Buddhist Kalachakra sermon

• More than 100,000 devotees have gathered for the teaching by a prominent lama, sources on the ground say.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ China has paused its spy balloon operations, say US officials

• A Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina in February, setting off a diplomatic crisis.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Changsha’s low property prices and vibrancy draw Chinese in search of work-life balance

• Hunan’s provincial capital was voted as China’s most liveable city, and also ranked among top 10 most blissful cities.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ China Is Investigating Its Defense Minister, U.S. Officials Say

• General Li Shangfu’s recent absence from the public eye, which follows the removal of two top commanders, has raised questions about Xi Jinping’s confidence in his military.

Civil Rights/Policing

=> ↺ France24 ☛ US auto workers threaten to ‘amp up’ historic strike if wage offers do not improve

• The United Auto Workers chief warned Sunday that a historic strike at the top three car manufacturers will expand if the companies do not raise their wage offers in ongoing negotiations.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ South Korean Prosecutors Want to Arrest Hunger-Striking Opposition Leader

• Lee Jae-myung has been the subject of a series of investigations since losing the 2022 presidential election. He says his rival now runs “a dictatorship by prosecutors.​”

=> ↺ JURIST ☛ Iran cracks down protests on anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death which sparked ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ Movement’

• Iranian security forces cracked down on protests in Kurdish areas on Saturday. Local human rights organisation Kurdistan Human Rights Network also observed several arrests which targeted the families of the victims of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ Iranian-U.S. detainees involved in swap, fund release

• The United States and Iran will each free five people they each hold under an exchange agreement that also involves the transfer of $6 billion unfrozen Iranian assets from South Korea.

=> ↺ New York Times ☛ How a Yale Student’s Rape Accusation Exposed Her to a Defamation Lawsuit

• The woman’s allegation led to the expulsion of Saifullah Khan, who was acquitted in a criminal trial. His lawsuit is now challenging these disciplinary hearings.

=> ↺ The Straits Times ☛ South Korea opposition leader hospitalised after hunger strike; prosecutors seek arrest

• He is being investigated for bribery allegations and his role in a development project.

=> ↺ Federal News Network ☛ After castigating video games during riots, France’s Macron backpedals and showers them with praise

• French President Emmanuel Macron is extending an olive branch to video gamers after previously linking computer games to rioting that rocked France earlier this year. Posting on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, Macron backpedaled on remarks in June where he blamed video games for having “intoxicated” some young rioters. Those comments dismayed some in the gaming community, even beyond France. Japanese game director Kastuhiro Harada was among Macron’s critics at the time. But the French leader’s latest comments struck an entirely different tone. In an unusually lengthy post this weekend on X, Macron issued a mea culpa to gamers and showered video games and the industry with praise.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

=> ↺ APNIC ☛ Measuring the use of DNSSEC

• How much of the DNS namespace has been signed with DNSSEC?

Monopolies

Patents

=> ↺ Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Logos Remain Relevant: Source Confusion and Design Patent Infringement

• In a previous post, I examined the important issue of comparison prior art that emerged from the dispute between Columbia Sportswear and Seirus. This post will focus on another key issue from the case – the relevance of logos in design patent infringement analysis.

• The Federal Circuit’s pair of decisions provide guidance on how logos factor into the design patent infringement inquiry, and begin to tease-out differences in policy concerns underlying design patent law versus trademark law. As the court made clear, while logos are often key for avoiding consumer confusion about product source in the trademark sense, the absence of source confusion does not necessarily preclude a finding of design patent infringement. Still, ornamental logos found on the accused product can still be relevant as visual distractors in the process of evaluating similarities and differences between the claimed design and accused design.

Software Patents

=> ↺ The Register UK ☛ Sonos secures a victory in audio patent fight against Google

• The years-long legal drama resulting from a brief fling between Google and smart speaker maker Sonos has resulted in another loss for the Chocolate Factory, which had its claims of copyright infringement tossed out by a US International Trade Commission (ITC) judge Friday.

• Google’s ITC complaint [PDF] alleging four violated patents was filed in August last year, just one day after it made allegations of the same patent infringements against Sonos in California. The ITC administrative law judge Cameron Elliot said [PDF] Google wasn’t able to get around counter-arguments from Sonos’ legal team, despite Alphabet’s gobs of money buying the finest commercially available jurists.

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