Links 26/10/2023: Lots More Censorship Creeping in, Guppy Protocol Specification v0.3.1
Contents
- Leftovers
- Science
- Hardware
- Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
- Security
- Defence/Aggression
- Transparency/Investigative Reporting
- Environment
- Finance
- AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
- Censorship/Free Speech
- Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
- Civil Rights/Policing
- Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
- Digital Restrictions (DRM)
- Monopolies
- Gemini* and Gopher
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Leftovers
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Science
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European Commission ☛ Speech by Commissioner Elisa Ferreira at the press conference on the adoption of the Communication on Enhancing the European Administrative Space – ComPAct
European Commission Speech Brussels, 25 Oct 2023 Good afternoon,
The Commission has just adopted a Communication on Enhancing the European Administrative Space – that we call the “ComPAct”.
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Science Alert ☛ The Most Expensive Material Known to Science Isn't What You Think
Can you guess?
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Science Alert ☛ Scientists Discover Ancient Landscape Frozen in Time Under Antarctic Ice
It hasn't seen the light of day for 14 million years.
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Science Alert ☛ A Genetic Link Between Synesthesia And Autism Has Just Been Revealed
What does it mean?
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Hardware
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Japanese Company Develops 32-Core 2nm Server Chiplet
Socionext targets variety of applications with power-optimized 32-core CPU chiplet.
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CNX Software ☛ AOOSTAR R1 – An Intel N100 2-bay NAS, mini PC, and 2.5GbE router
AOOSTAR R1 Intel N100 mini PC triples as a 2-bay NAS thanks to two bays for 3.5-inch SATA drives and as a router through two 2.5GbE network interfaces. It’s a lower-cost version of the Ryzen 5-powered AOOSTAR N1 Pro that was introduced last June. It ships with up to 16GB DDR4 RAM, an optional 512 GB NVMe SSD, offers WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, supports up to three displays via HDMI, DisplayPort and USB-C ports, and comes with five USB ports.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ New PS5 External Disc Drive Requires Internet Connection for Pairing
The Sony PS5 Slim's external disc drive requires an internet connection for pairing, but some have raised fears this will make it hard to play games down the line.
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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YLE ☛ Wednesday's papers: Rising racism, Covid comeback and Markkanen's pay bounce
An EU survey has found that people of African descent living in Finland are increasingly facing racism and discrimination.
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Silicon Angle ☛ US attorneys join forces alleging Meta causes serious harm to the minds of American youth
A bipartisan group of 42 U.S. attorneys general today announced they are suing Meta Platforms Inc. for harms they say Instagram and Facebook are perpetrating on young people. This is not the first time Meta has been accused of knowingly developing products that are detrimental to the well-being of youngsters.
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France24 ☛ US states sue social media giant Meta, accusing it of harming mental health in youth
Dozens of US states on Tuesday accused Facebook and Instagram owner Meta of profiting "from children's pain," damaging their mental health and misleading people about the safety of its platforms.
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teleSUR ☛ US States Sue Meta Platforms Over Harms to Youth
The 33 states joining the federal lawsuit against Meta include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, and Illinois.
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JURIST ☛ 33 US states accuse Meta of exploiting young users in violation of consumer protection laws
33 US states filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company for social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, on Tuesday over claims that the tech giant consciously tailored and marketed its services to exploit young users for the sake of profit.
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CS Monitor ☛ Social media overload: More states sue Meta in order to protect youth
Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is being sued by dozens of states. It is alleged that Meta specifically designs their social media platforms to attract children despite knowing they harm young people’s mental health.
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NYPost ☛ Violent social media trend spreading across schools has officials worried: ‘Cowardly act’
Violent videos of Australian schoolchildren are spreading across social media in what police fear is a disturbing new trend.
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Science Alert ☛ Alarming Study Finds Risk of Brain Disease Rises Every Year You Play Rugby
More hard-hitting evidence.
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France24 ☛ 'Not sure I'm lucky to be alive': Gazans fear worse is to come as public health 'catastrophe' looms
The World Health Organization is warning of an "imminent public health catastrophe" in the Gaza Strip. The displacement of 1 million people, overcrowding in shelters and a lack of fuel needed to run sewage, waste and water desalination plants have created a perfect storm for the spread of disease.
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New York Times ☛ What to Know About Dengue Fever as Cases Spread to New Places
Dengue, the excruciating mosquito-borne disease, is surging throughout the world and coming to places that had never had it. California just confirmed a rare U.S. case.
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Science Alert ☛ Microgravity Can Permanently Mutate Bacteria And Make Them Faster Breeders
Supercharged in space.
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Science Alert ☛ Electrical Brain Stimulation Could Be a Radical New Dementia Therapy
"This opens up an entirely new avenue of treatment."
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Security
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Integrity/Availability/Authenticity
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WhichUK ☛ Over £500m stolen from bank customers in six months
Banking industry warns that three quarters of authorised push payment (APP) fraud starts online
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Defence/Aggression
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Latvia ☛ Next six years could be difficult, predicts Latvian President
The next four to six years will likely be very difficult in the field of internal and external security of the country, said President Edgars Rinkēvičs to journalists after his regular meeting with Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (New Unity) on October 25.
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Latvia ☛ PM Siliņa awaits report on critical infrastructure security
Latvia's critical infrastructure is safer on land than at sea, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (New Unity) said in an interview on LTV's Rīta Panorāma (Morning Panorama) program October 25.
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Off Guardian ☛ The War on Horror (or Whatever)
Welcome back to the War on Terror. I hope you had a nice 7-year break. Yes, that’s right, once again, Democracy is under attack by the Axis of Pure Unadulterated Evil!
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Federal News Network ☛ This career TSA lawyer focuses on everyone else’s career
Americans probably interact with employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) more than those of any other agency. Behind that workforce are people you don't see as much. One of them has been honored with the Outstanding Senior Executive Professional of the Year award from the Senior Executives Association. Federal Drive Host Tom Temin spoke with Jennifer Ellison, TSA's Deputy Chief Counsel and former assistant chief counsel for employment, civil rights and labor policy.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong Policy Address: Travellers will no longer need to unpack carry-on luggage for airport security scans
From next year, passengers at Hong Kong’s international airport will no longer have to unpack liquids and electronic devices from their carry-on luggage for security scanning, the chief executive has announced. The upgrade is part of the Aviation Authority’s new “Smartlane” initiative, John Lee told lawmakers on Wednesday.
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RFERL ☛ U.S. Doesn't Want War With Iran But Will Defend Itself, Blinken Tells UN
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the UN Security Council on October 24 that Washington does not seek conflict with Iran but warned that the United States would act swiftly and decisively if Iran or its proxies attack U.S. personnel anywhere.
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New York Times ☛ Israel Calls For U.N. Secretary General Guterres to Resign
Israel called for the U.N. secretary general to resign after he said that Hamas’s “appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
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New York Times ☛ U.S. Cites ‘High Confidence’ Rocket From Gaza Caused Hospital Blast
American intelligence agencies released no new declassified imagery or other new evidence to make their case. Officials said their strengthened assessment was based on video evidence.
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ADF ☛ Coastal Waters Turning into ‘World’s Biggest Transnational Crime Scene’
Africa’s coastal nations are fighting a rising tide of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, piracy, and drug smuggling. A recent report by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) says local, regional and international criminals are taking advantage of poverty and corruption to transform African waters into “the world’s biggest transnational crime scene.”
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Federal News Network ☛ Trump’s remark outside court draws judge’s notice as Cohen returns to the stand in the fraud trial
A comment from Donald Trump outside court has led the judge in Trump's business fraud trial to weigh whether Trump violated a limited gag order. During a break in testimony Wednesday, Trump complained that Judge Arthur Engoron, a Democrat, is “a very partisan judge, with a person who’s very partisan sitting along side of him, perhaps even much more partisan than he is.” Engoron's order bars all participants from commenting about any members of the judge’s staff. Engoron asked “why should there not be severe sanctions for this blatant, dangerous disobeyal of a clear court order.” A Trump lawyer insisted Trump was talking about his former lawyer Michael Cohen, who's been testifying. Engoron has taken the matter “under advisement."
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Federal News Network ☛ A teacher was shot by her 6-year-old student. Is workers’ compensation enough?
A heated debate has emerged about the once-unimaginable shooting of a teacher by her 6-year-old student: How should society take care of the teacher? Should she only get workers' compensation? Or does she deserve millions of dollars for a school system’s alleged failures to protect her? Lawyers are expected to argue over those questions Friday in Newport News, Virginia. Abby Zwerner is suing the public schools for $40 million. Her lawyers are expected to ask the judge to allow her lawsuit to proceed. The school board is expected to argue for workers’ compensation. It provides up to 500 weeks pay and lifetime medical care for her injuries.
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YLE ☛ Police: Possible "smoke cartridge" thrown at Turkish Embassy in Helsinki
Authorities confirmed that there was no fire, adding that eyewitness accounts suggest the smoke may have come from a smoke cartridge device.
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RFA ☛ China fires defense minister Li Shangfu with no replacement
Li and former foreign minister Qin Gang are removed from official posts after disappearing from public view.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China removes defence minister Li Shangfu and ousts ex-foreign minister Qin Gang from cabinet
China removed defence minister Li Shangfu and ousted ex-foreign minister Qin Gang from its cabinet on Tuesday, state media said, in a major reshuffle of top leadership.
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RFA ☛ US, allies hold naval exercise in South China Sea
The five-nation naval drills took place amid confrontation between Beijing and Manila in disputed waters.
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CS Monitor ☛ Bush House: How the US ambassador’s home in China got its name
Nearly half a century ago, George H.W. Bush and his wife helped usher in a new era of U.S.-China relations. Though China looks different today, the couple’s leadership and perseverance still hold lessons for present-day diplomats.
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New York Times ☛ State Dinner to Bring Together Biden, Australia’s Leader and the B-52s
President Biden will welcome Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia, for meetings and a state dinner in Washington.
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RFA ☛ N Korean leader pushes for anti-US front expansion, courts China
The move comes as Washington grapples with challenges from Ukraine and the Middle East.
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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France24 ☛ Putin oversees Russian rehearsal of 'massive retaliatory nuclear strike'
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday oversaw ballistic missile drills remotely, the Kremlin said, hours after Russia moved to revoke its ratification of a landmark nuclear test ban treaty.
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teleSUR ☛ President Putin Directs Maneuvers of Russian Nuclear Forces
During the drills, a massive nuclear strike was executed in response to a hypothetical enemy nuclear attack.
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ADF ☛ Ghana Arrests Reveal Plan to Rally Support for Wagner Group
The Sahel and West Africa have seen their share of crowds waving Russian flags, chanting, and holding posters with pro-Russian and anti-French sentiments.
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AntiWar ☛ Biden’s American Bedtime Story Falls Flat
Reprinted with permission from the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. The president’s Oval Office address on U.S. support for Ukraine and Israel was long on ideological declarations and short on real justifications for his administration’s policies.
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The Kent Stater ☛ PRSSA gains insight into working in Ukraine as a PR specialist
Editors Note: Both MacPaw’s website and employee amount were published initially incorrectly, and both have been corrected. We’ve also included an additional link to the MacPaw Foundation, where donations are accepted.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Ukraine’s EU membership bid set to receive big boost in November
The European Commission is expected to give Ukraine the green light to begin EU accession talks in early November, marking a significant step forward in the country’s European integration ambitions, writes Peter Dickinson.
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France24 ☛ Russian strikes pound Ukraine’s Kherson region, damaging power lines near nuclear plant
At least one person was killed as Ukraine faced fresh Russian drone, artillery and missile strikes overnight and on Wednesday morning, officials said.
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RFERL ☛ EU Leaders Set For Brussels Summit With Focus On Ukraine, Budget
European Union leaders will meet in Brussels on October 26-27 for a summit where they are expected to reiterate their condemnation of Russia’s war against Ukraine and discuss the bloc’s support for Kyiv amid signs of donor fatigue in some members, with the war in its 21st month.
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RFERL ☛ Russia's Shoigu Inspects Forces In Visit To Eastern Ukraine
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected command posts of Russian troops in Ukraine's Donetsk region, his ministry said on October 25, during a working visit close to the war's front lines.
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RFERL ☛ Russian Drone Hits Near Ukrainian Nuclear Plant In Latest Wave Of Deadly Attacks
One civilian has been killed and at least 20 wounded in the latest Russian military attacks on Ukraine, officials announced on October 25, including a drone strike near a Ukrainian power plant.
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New York Times ☛ As Ukraine War Grinds On, Widows Try to See Life After Loss
Support groups formed to help thousands of new widows see a dual role in healing their nation. “Our society was not ready to face such scale of grief,” one widow said.
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New York Times ☛ Ukrainian ‘Artifacts’ Seized in Spain May Not Be Treasures, Experts Say
The Spanish police seized gold pieces believed to be Greco-Scythian artifacts, dating back centuries, and arrested the people selling them. But archaeologists are not so sure of their value.
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Security Week ☛ Russian Hackers Caught Exploiting Roundcube Webmail Zero-Day
Russian APT Winter Vivern exploits a zero-day in the Roundcube webmail server in attacks targeting European governments.
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France24 ☛ Birobidzhan: Israel-Hamas war sows discord in remote Jewish region of Russia
The furore over the Israel-Hamas war has reached all the way to Birobidzhan in Russia’s Far East, the world’s only autonomous Jewish territory outside Israel, after a local newspaper published its support for the Palestinian cause. FRANCE 24 examines the history of this remote region – which in many ways is “Jewish” and “autonomous” in name only – and how it came to be.
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LRT ☛ Russian diplomats still spying freely in Brussels – international investigation
Russia’s diplomatic mission to the EU is led by Kirill Logvinov, whom Belgian counterintelligence suspects to be carrying out Russian foreign intelligence functions in Brussels. Despite this, the European Commission has so far refused to expel Logvinov or other “diplomats” suspected of espionage. An international investigation by Lars Bové (De Tijd), Holger Roonemaa (Delfi Estonia), Szabolcs Panyi (VSquare), Tomáš Madleňák (ICJK.sk), Indrė Makaraitytė (LRT), Mattias Carlsson (Expressen).
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RFERL ☛ Son Of Chechen Leader Kadyrov Gets Another Medal After Beating Prisoner
The 15-year-old son of Ramzan Kadyrov, the authoritarian leader of Russia’s Chechnya region, has been awarded another medal, his third, after beating a prisoner accused of burning the Koran.
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RFERL ☛ Russia Says It Rehearsed Delivering Massive Retaliatory Nuclear Strike
Russia has successfully tested its ability to deliver a massive retaliatory nuclear strike by land, sea, and air, a Kremlin statement said on October 25.
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RFERL ☛ 'We Want Him Home,' Says Sister Of U.S. Reporter Detained In Russia
The sister of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained in Russia on spying charges, appealed for his release on October 24 ahead of his upcoming 32nd birthday.
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RFERL ☛ Armenia Summons Russian Ambassador To Protest 'Insulting Statements' In TV Broadcast
Armenia has summoned the Russian ambassador to protest "insulting statements" made against Armenian officials during a Russian television broadcast.
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The Straits Times ☛ Armenia sees no advantage in keeping Russian military bases - PM quoted
Armenia sees no advantage in continuing to host Russian military bases on its territory after Azerbaijan retook the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian prime minister told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Wednesday.
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LRT ☛ Most Lithuanians would support stricter entry restrictions for Belarusians – survey
Six out of ten Lithuanians would support more restrictions on Belarusian nationals entering their country, according to a poll commissioned by LRT.
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RFERL ☛ Jailed Belarusian Opposition Activist Moved To Tougher Prison
Alena Hnauk, who was sentenced in Belarus in 2022 to 3 1/2 years in prison for her opposition activities, has been moved to a stricter prison where many of the inmates are serving sentences for multiple offenses.
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Transparency/Investigative Reporting
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MIT Technology Review ☛ The grassroots push to digitize India’s most precious documents
On a bright sunny day in August, in a second-floor room at the Gandhi Bhavan Museum in Bengaluru, workers sit in front of five giant tabletop scanners, lining up books and flipping pages with foot pedals.
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Environment
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong Policy Address: City to enhance disaster planning amid ‘intensifying’ climate crisis
Hong Kong will step up disaster preparedness in response to recent extreme weather events, including by reviewing transport arrangements and improving drainage works.
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MIT Technology Review ☛ Tapping into the ocean to combat climate change
Chloe Dean traces her decision to go to graduate school to the day a wildfire blazed through southern Oregon. At the time, Dean was working as a lab technician at a hemp-processing startup in Oregon. She had studied environmental science as an undergraduate at the Oregon Institute of Technology but fell in love with chemistry.…
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Energy/Transportation
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European Commission ☛ Speech by Executive Vice-President Šefčovič at the Global Gateway Forum Leaders' session on the green energy transition and green hydrogen
European Commission Speech Brussels, 25 Oct 2023 Dear Ann [Mettler], let me start by thanking President Geingob, President El Ghazouani, and Prime Minister Madbouly for their inspiring remarks.
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YLE ☛ Government cuts to climate-based subsidies could see bus fare hike
Ticket prices in some cities could climb to 4 euros if the government's planned cuts to a climate-based state subsidy for public transport go ahead.
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YLE ☛ HS: China offers Finland full cooperation in pipeline probe
Investigators have retrieved a ship's anchor from the area of the damaged Balticconnector gas pipeline, according to the NBI.
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Wildlife/Nature
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NYPost ☛ ‘This is what it feels like to die’: Surfer body-slammed by humpback whale in dramatic clip
It was a whale of a fail. An Australian surfer is lucky to be alive after getting body-slammed by a humpback whale, which then dragged him underwater by his leash, as seen in footage currently making waves online.
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Finance
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European Commission ☛ Speech by Commissioner McGuinness at event hosted by MEP Ondrej Kovarik on "The Future of Payments and Open Finance in Europe: What are the Next Steps?" [Ed: More spying]
European Commission Speech Brussels, 25 Oct 2023 Thank you very much. Good afternoon everyone.
Thank you very much Ondřej, and your group, for this invitation.
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YLE ☛ Finland's "economic uncertainty" drives rise in unemployment
The latest unemployment figures are reflective of an uncertain economic outlook, the regional authority notes.
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New Yorker ☛ Yes, We Can Tackle International Tax Evasion, If We Really Try
A new report finds that the amount of offshore wealth shielded from tax authorities has fallen dramatically since the Obama Administration, which pioneered efforts to make countries share banking information.
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Google’s Latest Layoffs Are a Huge Red Flag for GOOG Stock [Ed: Microsoft also has loads of layoffs right now, a lot more than Google]
Job cuts are not new for the tech industry. Earlier in the year, competitors Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) laid off a combined 28,000 workers, as they predicted revenue and earnings would slow in 2023. Last week, Google announced another round of layoffs in its News division. Below are some reasons why these latest layoffs are red flags for GOOG stock.
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Tech industry layoffs continue
Uncertain demand recovery, along with the escalating trade dispute between China and the US, has resulted in a deluge of layoffs that shows no signs of letting up, according to industry sources.
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Business Insider ☛ Startup workers are on edge
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PlayStation's Visual Arts is the latest studio to suffer layoffs
The video game industry in the current year has witnessed a rollercoaster of events. On one hand, the quality of game releases and sales has reached unprecedented heights, with some truly remarkable achievements. However, this success story is offset by a challenging reality: many studios are grappling with the difficulty of retaining their workforce, resulting in employment uncertainties among staff members.
PlayStation's Visual Arts Service Group is the latest studio to be hit by the wave of layoffs. Several affected staff members have taken to social media to announce that they have been let go and to seek out new employment opportunities. It is unclear at this point how many employees have been affected by the job cuts.
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Decrypt ☛ Binance Execs Are Deserting The Company–Here’s Who They Are
Charged with lawsuits, investigations, and widespread regulatory action worldwide, crypto exchange Binance has seen a deluge of top-tier executives leave the company.
Led by the elusive CEO and co-founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ)—who personally faces charges in the United States from the CFTC, SEC, and potentially the Department of Justice—the company has also been charged in the U.S., France, Brazil, and the U.K., among others. The alleged crimes committed range from aggravated money laundering, offering unregistered securities, and criminal sanctions violations.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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New York Times ☛ Speaker Nominee Mike Johnson Helped Efforts to Overturn The 2020 Election
Representative Mike Johnson recruited House Republicans to back a lawsuit to overturn the results, and he was a key architect of his party’s objections to certifying President Biden’s victory.
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France24 ☛ Republicans select fourth US House speaker nominee in two weeks
Republicans on Tuesday made their fourth pick in just two weeks to replace the ousted speaker of the US House of Representatives, underlining the chaos engulfing the fragmented party after three previous nominees failed to win the gavel.
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RFA ☛ A young Chinese family struggles for a foothold in the US
Xiaoqing Li braved the Darien Gap and a dangerous trek through Mexico with her husband and young son.
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New York Times ☛ Gavin Newsom, on Climate Mission to China, Meets With Xi Jinping
The California governor is on a weeklong visit to China aimed at negotiating climate partnerships.
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teleSUR ☛ Spain: Socialists and Sumar Agree to Form Government
They agree to reduce the working week from 40 hours to 37.5 hours, extend paternity leave, and strengthen the public health service.
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Censorship/Free Speech
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Reason ☛ 'America Funded It': Rand Paul Blasts Fauci and the Media for Suppressing the Lab Leak Theory
The notion that COVID-19 came from a lab was once touted as misinformation. But now the FBI, the Energy Department, and others agree with Paul.
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Reason ☛ The Bipartisan Urge To Control Online Speech
Democrats and Republicans are united in thinking their political agendas trump the First Amendment.
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RFA ☛ Cambodian court convicts opposition figures for Facebook comments
One of the social media discussions was about rich Cambodians acquiring second passports in Cyprus.
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France24 ☛ Hong Kong to create new national security law against 'external forces' in 2024
Hong Kong leader John Lee said Wednesday the semi-autonomous city would create its own national security law in 2024, four years after Beijing imposed sweeping legislation aimed at silencing dissent.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong Policy Address: New national security law for city in 2024
Hong Kong leader John Lee said Wednesday that the semi-autonomous city would create its own national security law in 2024, four years after Beijing imposed sweeping legislation aimed at silencing dissent.
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New York Times ☛ Scholastic Backtracks on Isolating Works on Race and Gender at Book Fair
The company was faulted for the practice, which it said was an effort to help schools navigate new laws restricting books about racism and L.G.B.T.Q. identities.
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Breach Media ☛ Lobby group pushes Canada to conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism
Pro-Israel conference in Ottawa aired racist tropes about Palestinians and aimed to delegitimize criticism of Israeli state policy
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong Policy Address: HK$200m funding to local film projects for release in mainland China
Hong Kong filmmakers who wish to produce work for showcase in mainland China may apply for a new fund next year, as the government announced it would earmark HK$200 million to finance 20 local film projects to boost their chances of being released across the border.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong ‘welcomes’ passing of China’s patriotic education law, which covers city and Macau
The Hong Kong government has said it welcomed the adoption of China’s patriotic education law, which was passed by the country’s rubber-stamp legislature on Tuesday.
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LRT ☛ EU to roll out ‘anti-coercion’ tool after China’s spat with Vilnius
The European Union is going to adopt an anti-coercion instrument later this year, Politico reported on Wednesday. This follows the de facto sanctions imposed by China against Lithuania due to its ties with Taiwan.
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Reason ☛ Trump, DeSantis, and Scott Want To Kick Out Foreign Students Who Protest Israel
Their proposal raises obvious free speech concerns.
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RFA ☛ Hong Kong to eradicate 'undercurrents' of dissent with new laws
Chief Executive John Lee's administration wants more security laws, which analysts say means more speech crimes.
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Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
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BIA Net ☛ Police uses violence, journalist faces charges
AFP's world-renowned photojournalist Bülent Kılıç will stand trial only for practicing journalism during the 2021 Pride March despite clear evidence of police brutality in the camera footage. "The culture of impunity in Turkey gave the police the courage for such actions," says Kılıç.
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Civil Rights/Policing
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JURIST ☛ Georgia Supreme Court upholds 6-week abortion ban
The Georgia Supreme Court upheld the state’s six-week abortion ban on Tuesday, voiding certain provisions of the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act. The LIFE Act established certain limitations and provisions surrounding access to abortion within the state of Georgia.
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Federal News Network ☛ UAW appears to be moving toward a potential deal with Ford that could end strike
The United Auto Workers union appears to be edging closer to a tentative contract agreement with Ford that would be critical to ending the union’s 6-week-old strikes against the three major Detroit automakers, two people with knowledge of the talks said Wednesday. The people said the union has made a counter-offer to Ford that proposes a 25% general wage increase over the life of a new four-year contract and that negotiations on Tuesday extended well into Wednesday morning. Previously Ford, Stellantis and General Motors had all offered 23% pay increases.
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CS Monitor ☛ Why striking UAW is so public about wanting more – despite big offers
The United Auto Workers union has won big concessions in its strike so far. Yet it’s demanding more – and publicly, rather than behind closed doors. Experts say it’s to impress nonunion autoworkers and win them over.
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RFA ☛ Exhibit in US Capitol illustrates Uyghurs’ plight
Torture and detainees in camps are depicted in Amnesty International exhibit.
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Reason ☛ New Jersey Police Have Waited Almost 2 Years To Expunge a Man's Criminal Record, Lawsuit Claims
Individuals are waiting months to have their criminal records expunged after court orders, according to a new lawsuit.
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JURIST ☛ Hong Kong appeals court upholds homosexual couple’s equal inheritance rights
Hong Kong’s Court of Appeal upheld homosexual couples’ right to inheritance by dismissing on Tuesday an appeal from the Secretary for Justice. The appeal sought to establish that homosexual and heterosexual couples are not entitled to the same rights under Hong Kong’s inheritance laws.
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RFERL ☛ 10 Baha'i Followers In Iran Detained With No Reason Given, Sources Say
Sources have told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that Iran’s Intelligence Ministry in the central city of Isfahan has arrested 10 people who are adherents of the Baha'i faith, the country's largest non-Muslim community.
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YLE ☛ More children experiencing domestic violence in Finland, survey finds
A school health survey found that physical abuse tends to affect younger children, while teens mostly report mental abuse.
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YLE ☛ Finnish youths vaping more, THL reports
One factor in the rising use of e-cigarettes is their increased visibility on social media, according to the health institute.
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RFA ☛ Experts: Americans are eating fish processed by slaves
Uyghurs and North Koreans are forced to process seafood destined for the United States, they say.
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Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
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APNIC ☛ BCP 185 is a ‘must do’
Discussing the importance of data integrity at SANOG 40.
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Internet Society ☛ Resources and Tools for Starting a Technical Community
A technical community is simply a group of like-minded people with some degree of technical knowledge who gather to improve the Internet and the local community it serves. You may be familiar with some of the large technical communities like APRICOT, NANOG, or Internet2. But how did they get to where they are today?
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Digital Restrictions (DRM)
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Federal News Network ☛ Apple raise prices for Arcade gaming subscription service, AppleTV+ streaming [Ed: DRM is a trap that rips you off perpetually until it shuts down and everything is lost]
Apple Inc. is raising the prices for its AppleTV+ streaming and Arcade gaming plans as well as its bundled Apple One service that includes streaming, music and other subscriptions. Arcade will now cost $6.99, up from $4.99. AppleTV+ is now $9.99, up from $6.99. Apple One will increase to $19.95 from $16.95 per month for the individual plan and to $25.95 from $22.95 for the family plan. Apple One includes subscriptions for Apple Music, TV, Arcade and 200 gigabytes of iCloud storage. Other streaming services such as Netflix have also been raising their prices.
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YLE ☛ Yle to broadcast only in high-definition from 2025
The lengthy transition period is intended to help ensure viewers have enough time to prepare for the changeover.
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Monopolies
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New York Times ☛ What the U.S. Has Argued in the Google Antitrust Trial
As the government wraps up its case in the landmark monopoly trial, it has built a picture of how Google became dominant in online search — and the harms that it says resulted.
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New York Times ☛ Alphabet Has Strong Ad Sales but Cloud Business Disappoints
Google’s parent company reported that sales were up 11 percent from a year ago while profit jumped 42 percent to $19.7 billion.
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Patents
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Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Post-Hoc Party: You Should Have Said That Before
In recent years, a number of PTAB decisions have been vacated on appeal because the administrative court failed to address arguments raised by the various parties. Seeing this potential avenue for appeal, many IPR-losers comb through their IPR filings in an attempt to identify potential untapped veins.
Netflix did just that in this case — arguing that the PTAB had failed to address several of its arguments. But the appellate panel refused to comply and instead held that the arguments Netflix had purportedly raised before the PTAB had, in actuality, not been sufficiently raised below. Judge Chen authored the majority opinion joined by Judge Linn, Judge Dyk wrote in dissent.
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JUVE ☛ Leonor Magalhães Galvão: “A more robust global IP system would help foster green tech innovation” [Ed: Greenwashing of monopolies by JUVE, which took bribes to promote crimes, lie for the criminals, and now tries to legitimise the crime (UPC)]
In an exclusive interview with JUVE Patent, conducted at the AIPPI world congresses in Istanbul, Magalhães Galvão talks about the need for more green tech IP and the harmonisation of law.
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Unified Patents ☛ Unified is Hiring: New full-time Counterfeit Sales Manager/Director position
Unified Brands, a unit of Unified Patents, is growing its business and is seeking a sales lead to help find, reach out, and close clients. Brands provides a unique solution completely free for clients. We deter foreign counterfeiters trying to sell in the US by taking their money through legal action and sharing it with the clients. Compensation will be a combination of base + commissions.
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Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Sequence Listings In Divisional Applications – A Comparison Between The EPO and Brazilian Patent Office [Ed: EPO, the European Patent Office, is operating outside the Rule of Law. It is basically organised crime at this point.]
The EPO and BRPTO are adopting the WIPO Standard ST.26 for the submission of sequence listings in national and international applications filed on or after July 1st, 2022.
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Trademarks
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TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Which of These Three Recent 2(d) Appeals Was/Were Reversed?
The rate of affirmance for Section 2(d) refusals is running at just over 85% so far this year. That's about 5% lower than usual. Here are three recent TTAB decisions, at least one of which was reversed. How do you think they came out? Answers in first comment.
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Copyrights
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Public Domain Review ☛ The Silent Treatment: Solitary Confinement’s Unlikely Origins
Characterised today by the noise of banging, buzzers, and the cries of inmates, solitary confinement was originally developed from Quaker ideas about the redemptive power of silence, envisioned as a humane alternative to the punitive violence of late-18th century jails. Revisiting Pennsylvania’s Eastern State Penitentiary, Jane Brox discovers the spiritual origins and reformist ambitions of solitary’s early advocates, and sees their supposedly progressive desires come to ruin by the 20th century.
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Gemini* and Gopher
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Personal/Opinions
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Technology and Free Software
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Internet/Gemini
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The Guppy Protocol Specification v0.3.1
(I don't know if anyone is interested in this, but let's give it a try. It started as a thought experiment, when I looked for 'lighter' protocols I can implement on the Pico W. I see Spartan mentioned here and there, and I wonder if there's any interest in going even more ... spartan. If you find this interesting, useful or fun, and have ideas how to improve this protocol, I'd love to hear from you at my-first-name@dimakrasner.com!)
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Descend into darkness!
I've finally found a bitmap font I can get by with. I've been with `fixed' for way too long now, which warranted a journey to something new.
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A small warning about UDP based protocols
The Gemini protocol [1] has inspried others to implement “simple” protocols, like Mercury [2] (alternate link [3]), Spartan [4] (alternate link [5]) and Nex [6] (alternate link [7]). But there's another protocol being designed that has me worried—Guppy [8] (alternate link [9]), which based on UDP (User Datagram Protocol) instead of TCP (Transmission Control Protocol).
Yes, UDP is simpler than TCP. Yes, you can get results with just one exchange of packets. But the downside of UDP is that *you will be exploited for amplification attacks!* I found this out the hard way [10] a few years ago and shut down my UDP QOTD (Quote Of The Day) service. Any time you have a UDP-based protocol where a small packet to the server results in a large packet from the server will be exploited with a constant barrage of forged packets. That's one reason for the TCP three-way handshake.
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* Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It's like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter.