Links 24/11/2023: ‘Apps’, Ceasefire, and More Russia Aggression at Finnish Border
Contents
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Leftovers
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No, I Will NOT Download Your ‘App’ (I Won’t Buy a ‘Smart’ Phone, Either)
Just over a day ago I went to the local bank and then visited 2 more banks.
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The Straits Times ☛ Move over Pokemon Go: Hide-and-seek the latest game in China for players to get out and make friends
It's a battle of wits and courage, and an icebreaker for strangers.
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Hardware
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Hackaday ☛ Machining A Reciprocating Solenoid Engine
The reciprocating engine has been all the rage for at least three centuries. The first widely adopted engine of this type was the steam engine with a piston translating linear motion into rotational motion, but the much more common version today is found in the internal combustion engine. Heat engines aren’t the only ways of performing this translation, though. While there are few practical reasons for building them, solenoid engines can still do this job as well and, like this design from [Maciej Nowak Projects], are worth building just for the aesthetics alone.
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CNX Software ☛ KWS-302WF whole house WiFi power meter supports up to 63A, power control, features a color display
KWS-302WF is an inexpensive WiFi power meter with a color display and power control that is suitable for the whole house since it can handle up to 63A/17kW and supports DIN Rail mounting in a fuse box or cabinet. Installation is made through the neutral and live wires, and the display shows voltage, current, power, energy consumption, power factor, frequency, and temperature through an external temperature probe. Multiple KWS-302WF can be monitored and controlled through a mobile app which may make suitable suitable for apartment buildings as well.
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CNX Software ☛ Arm Cortex-M52 aims to bring Hey Hi (AI) to small, low-cost IoT devices
Arm Cortex-M52 is a new microcontroller core featuring Arm Helium technology and designed to bring Hey Hi (AI) capabilities to smaller and lower-cost IoT devices than what is already possible with SoCs based on the Arm Cortex-M55 core. Arm Cortex-M52 key features and specifications: Architecture – Armv8.1-M Bus interfaces AMBA 5 AXI 32-bit or AMBA 5 AHB 32-bit Main system bus AMBA 5 AHB 32-bit Peripheral bus AMBA 5 AHB 32-bit TCM Access bus (subordinate port) Pipeline – 4-stage pipeline Security Arm TrustZone technology (optional), with optional Security Attribution Unit (SAU) of up to 8 regions. Stack limit checking.
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Silicon Angle ☛ Arm debuts Cortex-M52 processor to power Hey Hi (AI) on the smallest IoT devices
Chip design firm Arm Holdings Plc said today it’s aiming to bring advanced artificial intelligence workloads to the smallest of internet of things devices with the launch of its new Cortex-M52 processor that’s capable of more powerful computation with limited resources.
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Hackaday ☛ Turning A Saxophone Into A MIDI Controller
Most of the time, if you’re looking for a MIDI controller, you’re going to end up with some kind of keyboard or a fancy button pad. The saxophone is an altogether more beguiling instrument that makes for one hell of an interface, but there’s a problem: they’re seldom MIDI-compatible. This build from [AndrewChi] changes all that.
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Hackaday ☛ ESP32 Used As Wireless CAN Bus Reader
The CAN bus, accessible through the OBD-II port, is the channel that holds all the secrets of the modern automobile. If you want to display those for your own perusal, you might consider this nifty tool from [EQMOD].
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Hackaday ☛ Thinkpad IBM Laptop Case
Once upon a time, laptops and other computer hardware often came with a fancy leather case for protection. That’s not really the case anymore, but it was in the golden era of the IBM ThinkPad. [polymatt] found a rare example, but wanted another one, so he decided to try and replicate it from scratch.
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Hackaday ☛ A Modernized Metric Clock
Much to the chagrin of many living in North America who still need to do things like keep two sets of wrenches on hand, most of the rest of the world has standardized to a simpler measurement system using metric units exclusively. The metric system is widely adopted worldwide, but we still use a base-60 system for timekeeping that predates the rest of the metric system. The French did attempt to “decimalize” timekeeping as well with the French Republican Calendar at around this same time, but this “metric” timekeeping system never caught on particularly well. It’s still an interesting historical tidbit, and [ClassTech] built this modern metric clock to explore it a little more.
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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European Commission ☛ Keynote speech by Executive Vice-President Šefčovič at the EU Clean Air Forum
European Commission Speech Rotterdam, 23 Nov 2023 Dear distinguished guests,
It is a pleasure to be here in Rotterdam this morning to open the EU Clean Air Forum 2023.
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Techdirt ☛ Can We Stop The Moral Panic Yet? New Study: Children’s Brains Are Not Harmed By Screen Time
Over the last few years, we’ve highlighted study after study after study showing that, contrary to the public narrative, claims by politicians, the media, and plaintiffs in many, many lawsuits, the actual evidence just does not show at all that social media/internet is doing damage to kids. In a recent post we highlighted just a few of the recent reports on this.
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France24 ☛ WHO asks China for more data on outbreak of respiratory illnesses in north
The World Health Organization has asked China for more data on respiratory illnesses spreading in the north of the country, urging people to take steps to reduce the risk of infection.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ World Health Org advises China to take measures amid respiratory illness spike among children
Geneva, Switzerland The World Health Organization on Wednesday urged people in China to “follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness” and asked authorities for more information about a reported spike in cases among children. Northern areas of the country have reported an increase in “influenza-like illness” since mid-October when compared to the same period […]
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RFA ☛ Chinese hospitals swamped with severe child pneumonia cases
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is causing a wave of severe illness among children, as well as some adults, experts say.
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The Straits Times ☛ WHO asks China for details on respiratory illness outbreaks
Since mid-October, northern China has reported an increase in influenza-like illness.
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New York Times ☛ W.H.O. Asks China for Details on Surge of Respiratory Illness in Children
Reports of overcrowding at pediatric hospitals in China have raised concerns about a jump in respiratory illnesses affecting children.
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Science Alert ☛ Scientists Have Finally Figured Out What Ignites Endless Itching in Eczema
A step towards stopping it.
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Science Alert ☛ Something Unexpectedly Cool Happens When You Use Banana Peel as an Ingredient
We've been eating bananas wrong!
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Science Alert ☛ In a First, Bacteria Seen Storing Memories And Passing Them on For Generations
From mother to daughter to granddaughter.
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Science Alert ☛ DIY Fecal Transplants on The Rise: Experts Urge Caution in Wake of "Success Stories"
You really shouldn't try this at home.
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Science Alert ☛ Scientists Find 'Kill Switch' That Activates Cancer Cell Death in The Lab
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New Yorker ☛ Ilana Harris-Babou, Reviewed: The Artist Skewering Wellness Culture
In “Needy Machines,” Ilana Harris-Babou continues her study of self-improvement, taking on everything from luxury bathrooms to health-care documents.
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Latvia ☛ Alcohol consumption estimated to cause millions in losses to state
The first study of how alcohol consumption impacts the state budget has been carried out in Latvia on the order of the Ministry of Health. It suggests that losses of EUR 149.7 million were incurred for the health sector, law enforcement institutions, and social assistance in 2021, which accounted for 0.45% of gross domestic product (GDP), the Ministry said.
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Latvia ☛ Defibrillators to be mandatory in public places in Latvia
As of next year, public spaces that tend to be crowded will have to have external automatic defibrillators, Latvian Radio reported on November 23.
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Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Ruben Schade ☛ Is it safe to read tech news again?
The tech world was all a dither over one specific company and its beleaguered CEO this week, with all the suspense and intrigue of a damp sponge. Even non-technical news outlets were keen to report on what amounted to a game of musical chairs, regurgitating the same opinions and speculation.
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New York Times ☛ The Proprietary Chaffbot Company Drama Has a Clear Winner: The Capitalists
The fight over Proprietary Chaffbot Company was at least partly about dueling visions of artificial intelligence. One side clearly won out.
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New York Times ☛ The Unsettling Lesson of the Proprietary Chaffbot Company Mess
Science fiction writers and Hey Hi (AI) researchers have long feared the machine you can’t turn off.
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Security
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Privacy/Surveillance
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Federal News Network ☛ Federal Labor Relations Authority proposes new privacy rules
The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) has proposed several revisions to rules concerning its duties under the Privacy Act, including duties assigned to the office of the solicitor. For more on what is going on and what you need to know, Federal Drive with Tom Temin talked with Thomas Tso, FLRA's Solicitor.
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EDRI ☛ AI Act: What happens when lawmakers’ faces get scanned with face recognition algorithms?
EDRi member in Italy Hermes Center simulates face recognition on lawmakers to pressure them for a total ban of remote biometric identification (RBI) in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act.
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Privacy International ☛ Privacy International writes to Council of European Union members on the new Platform Workers Directive
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Privacy International ☛ Technology, Data and Elections: An Updated Checklist on the Election Cycle
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EDRI ☛ EDRi-gram, 23 November 2023
In this edition, we are looking at the thunderous news of six civil society organisations, including EDRi, taking the European Union’s dangerous content regulation to court. The regulation proposes a dodgy tech solution that empowers the police to censor what you post online. We can stop that. We are also excited to share a new campaign called “Don’t Spy EU” which allows you to scan the faces of European lawmakers with a face recognition algorithm. Lawmakers are the ones in charge of finalising the Artificial Intelligence Act, so let’s make sure they fully understand the risks of biometric surveillance.
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Defence/Aggression
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Atlantic Council ☛ The role of nuclear weapons in a Taiwan crisis
Nuclear deterrence would be key in a Taiwan crisis, in part because a PLA amphibious fleet would be vulnerable to a US nuclear strike.
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JURIST ☛ US appeals court strikes down part of Maryland gun law that requires a ‘firearms safety training course’ before purchase
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit struck down part of Maryland’s Firearm Safety Act of 2013, which the Maryland General Assembly passed in response to the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting.
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New York Times ☛ South Korea Scraps No-Fly Zone Near Border With North Korea
A day after Pyongyang placed a military spy satellite into orbit for the first time, Seoul said it would no longer abide by a ban on surveillance flights.
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France24 ☛ Al-Shifa Hospital: What do we know about IDF videos of a tunnel under the hospital?
For weeks, Israel has claimed that the Al-Shifa Hospital is above an underground Hamas "headquarters”, justifying its military interventions on the health complex. On November 16, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have discovered the entrance to an underground passage under the Al-Shifa Hospital. While IDF videos serve as evidence of a tunnel structure under the hospital complex, it does not indicate who used it for what purpose.
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Atlantic Council ☛ China’s acoustic aggression against a US ally follows a pattern. Military talks won’t help.
On November 14, a Chinese warship used its active sonar to harass and injure two Australian Royal Navy divers with high-powered sound waves.
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RFA ☛ Only 9% of Taiwanese trust China: poll
An expert cited Chinese leader Pooh-tin Jinping’s strict approach to cross-strait relations as the main reason.
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The Straits Times ☛ War with China is not an option, Taiwan ruling party VP candidate Hsiao says
She has expressed her commitment to defending Taiwan’s democracy.
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The Straits Times ☛ China says Philippines enlisted ‘foreign forces’ to patrol South China Sea
The military will resolutely safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, said China’s military.
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The Straits Times ☛ Japan's Kishida sends letter to China's Xi: NHK
A Beijing delegation of Komeito, the junior coalition partner of Japan's ruling party, handed a letter from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping in a meeting with China's top leadership team on Wednesday, NHK reported.
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The Strategist ☛ Now is the time for Japan to join AUKUS
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RFA ☛ N Korea scraps military deal with South, vows to deploy weapons to border
The move came a day after Seoul suspended the inter-Korean deal to tackle the North’s illegal satellite launch.
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The Straits Times ☛ North Korea scraps military deal with South, vows to deploy new weapons at border
North Korea said on Thursday it would deploy stronger armed forces and new weapons on its border with the South, a day after Seoul suspended part of a 2018 military accord between the two Koreas in a protest over Pyongyang's launch of a spy satellite.
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The Straits Times ☛ North Korea vows to deploy new weapons at border after South suspends military deal
Pyongyang said it would restore all military measures it had halted under the deal.
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BIA Net ☛ HEDEP deputy Sinan Çiftyürek reports armed threat
The MP believes that the incident was premeditated, occurring after an extended period of surveillance and organization.
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RFERL ☛ Family Confirms Death Of Former Afghan Prosecutor, Says Body Showed Signs Of Torture
The family of former prosecutor Taqi Mohammad Taqi, who was forced out when Taliban militants took power in August 2021, has confirmed his death in eastern Afghanistan, saying it appears he was brutally slain by unknown assailants.
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France24 ☛ War crimes denial threatens peace in former Yugoslavia, Europe's top rights body says
Hate speech and ultranationalism are threatening peace efforts in the Balkans, despite years of war crimes trials and reconciliation efforts in the nations of former Yugoslavia, Europe's top rights body said Thursday.
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RFA ☛ Nanjing police detain activist who spoke out about Sun Lin's death
Government censors block social control media posts about Sun's death after a state security police raid on his home.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Dell reportedly restricts exports of AMD's fastest gaming GPUs to China — Radeon RX 7900 XTX, RX 7900, Pro W7900 purportedly listed as sanctioned tech
Dell asks its sales personnel not to supply AMD's latest graphics cards to China and 22 other locations.
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Defence Web ☛ South Africa’s police are losing the war on crime – here’s how they need to rethink their approach
South Africa’s crime statistics for the third quarter of 2023 show that people continue to face a serious problem of violent crime, especially murder and attempted murder. The country’s per capita murder rate for 2022/23 was the highest in 20 years at 45 per 100 000 (a 50% increase compared to 2012/13).
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The Strategist ☛ The defence and security implications of the Australia–Tuvalu treaty
The Falepili Union has shifted up the paradigm of Australia’s strategic policy in the Pacific by several gears.
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TruthOut ☛ Colorado Supreme Court Agrees to Hear 14th Amendment Case to Disqualify Trump
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The Straits Times ☛ No Gaza hostage release will start before Friday, says Israel
The release of hostages under a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants will not happen before Friday, Israel's national security adviser said, thwarting hopes of relatives that some would be freed on Thursday.
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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Latvia ☛ YLE: drivers being recruited in Finland for Latvian border smuggling jobs
Finnish national public broadcaster reports that attempts have been noted to recruit drivers willing to do people-smuggling work from the Latvian border into EU territory.
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YLE ☛ Why are asylum seekers pushing bicycles to the border?
Many images of asylum seekers entering Finland show them pushing bicycles towards the border, even though crossings both by bike and on foot have been banned.
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Transparency/Investigative Reporting
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Environment
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DeSmog ☛ Five Key Narratives to Watch For at COP28
The annual United Nations climate negotiations are just a week away. Known as COP28 — since it’s the 28th year of the “conference of the parties” to the United Nations climate agreement — it will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates in Dubai from November 30 through December 12.
COP28 will be especially significant, as it will feature the first-ever “global stocktake,” of how much progress — or lack thereof — countries and other stakeholders have made toward meeting the goal established in 2015’s Paris Agreement of limiting warming to “well below” 2º degrees Celsius.
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DeSmog ☛ Badvertising: How Promoting Pollution Prevents Climate Action
On Monday, three apparently unconnected things happened.
First, news broke that London Mayor Sadiq Khan had refused planning consent for the MSG Sphere in Stratford. This 100-metre illuminated globe would have towered over nearby buildings like a baleful, modern-day Eye of Sauron, with 190,000 square feet of LED surface continually beaming corporate marketing messages across the city.
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The Nation ☛ Environmental Tsunami
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Energy/Transportation
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DeSmog ☛ Revealed: Scale of The Telegraph’s Climate Change ‘Propaganda’
Telegraph columnists routinely questioned climate science and criticised green reforms as a major backlash against net zero policies raged in the UK, DeSmog can reveal.
A new analysis by this website reviewed over 2,000 Telegraph opinion pieces and editorials published online over the six months ending 16 October. Of the 171 opinion pieces that dealt with environmental issues, 85 percent were identified as “anti-green” – attacking climate policy, questioning climate science and ridiculing environmental groups.
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YLE ☛ Spot price electricity contracts still best deal, despite ups and downs
Market spot prices on the electricity exchange can vary a lot, but on average they have been below the charges found in fixed-price contracts.
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YLE ☛ Storm sweeps Uusimaa region, causing power cuts and port disruptions
Strong winds affected ship and ferry traffic on Finland's south coast overnight.
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Wildlife/Nature
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European Commission ☛ Remarks by Commissioners Sinkevičius and Hoekstra at the press conference on the Forest Monitoring Law
European Commission Speech Brussels, 22 Nov 2023 Commissioner Sinkevičius
Good afternoon everyone, thank you for your interest.
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Science Alert ☛ World-First Footage Shows Dolphins Pulling Off a Clever Bait Heist
"We were stunned by what we saw."
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Finance
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China may help Fiji develop ports, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says after meeting with Pooh-tin Jinping
Sydney, Australia China may help Fiji develop its ports and shipyards, the Pacific island country’s prime minister said Wednesday, raising the prospect of stronger ties with Beijing in a key area of its economy.
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WhichUK ☛ Autumn Statement 2023: what's happening to universal credit and other benefits?
Working age benefits will be increased 6.7% in line with inflation, while triple lock is maintained to increase state pension by 8.5%
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YLE ☛ Finnish government survives confidence vote over planned cuts to youth programmes
The confidence vote was called by the opposition Social Democratic, Left Alliance and Green parties.
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YLE ☛ UPM begins furlough talks affecting 2,200 employees in Finland
The negotiations will affect workers at all of the firm's domestic pulp-, saw- and graphic paper mills, as well as a biorefinery in Lappeenranta.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ History chapter missing from Hong Kong’s latest yearbook
The latest edition of Hong Kong’s official yearbook is missing a chapter on the city’s history which had been included since the handover in 1997. Hong Kong 2022 – the latest edition of the annual yearbook published by the government – was released last Friday.
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Fakebook
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Latvia ☛ Latvian writer Juris Zvirgzdiņš dies
Latvian writer Juris Zvirgzdiņš (1941–2023) has died on November 22, Inguna Cepīte, head of publishing house Pētergailis, stated on Facebook.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Editorial: Fake HKFP Allan Zeman ads on Facebook, Insta reported to police, as Meta bans legitimate fundraiser vid
HKFP and the LKF Group have warned Facebook (Farcebook) and Instagram users of fraudulent, paid-for advertisements from a group calling itself Quantum IFex Hey Hi (AI) on Meta’s platforms. The ads unlawfully mimic the newspaper’s branding and involves fake endorsements from local tycoon and Lan Kwai Fong founder Allan Zeman.
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RFA ☛ Cambodian man gets 3 years for Facebook (Farcebook) posts critical of government
‘Why can’t people express their opinions?’ he asks.
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New York Times ☛ Johnson Learns on the Job, Drawing the Ire of the Republican Right
The new House speaker is facing complaints from his members that his leadership is no different from his predecessor’s. His style, however, is in stark contrast.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong officials, civil servants study doctrine of Chinese leader Pooh-tin Jinping and Communist Party theories
Hong Kong’s Civil Service College has hosted a lecture for the city’s top officials and high-level civil servants to learn about China’s path to modernisation, a topic frequently discussed by China’s leader Pooh-tin Jinping, including during last year’s 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.
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Censorship/Free Speech
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Techdirt ☛ Journalist Wins Defamation Suit Brought By Someone Who Didn’t Like Actual Facts Being Reported
There are few moves that make reporting more credible than suing the reporter for defamation and losing. It not only revives the negative reporting that might have faded into the white noise of constant internet churn, but also exposes the plaintiff as someone unable to handle being the subject of factual reporting.
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Meduza ☛ Outspoken Kadyrov critic reportedly avoids deportation from Kyrgyzstan back to Chechnya — Meduza
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Techdirt ☛ Italy Wants To Save Its Children, Too
In Italy, an age-verification coalition against porn is getting traction. On September 4th, the Minister of Family Eugenia Roccella, representing the right-wing majority, initiated consultations for introducing a law to prevent minors from accessing pornographic content. On November 13th, the Democratic Party (currently the main opposition party) presented the Digital Innovation Act, whose Article 17 aims to prevent minors from accessing content forbidden to under-18 users.
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France24 ☛ China expands crackdown on mosques outside Xinjiang, Human Rights Watch says
The Chinese government has expanded its campaign of closing mosques to regions other than Xinjiang, where for years it has been blamed for persecuting Muslim minorities, according to a Human Rights Watch report released Wednesday.
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RFA ☛ Report: Hundreds of mosques in China converted or closed since 2018
Human Rights Watch said the ‘consolidation’ policy has been implemented in northwestern China.
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RFA ☛ Land reclamation sweepstakes
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Data Breaches ☛ Thanksgiving 2023
But I also know that many families are suffering right now. Some have loved ones caught up in or killed in the Israel-Hamas war. Some families may have suffered financial or health setbacks this year. And some may have found themselves being increasingly targeted by hate speech and hate groups.
[...]
The amount of anti-semitism and anti-Palestinian feeling in this country is both worrying and unacceptable, as is the bigotry of college students on campuses throughout this country.
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Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
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BIA Net ☛ bianet editor Ayça Söylemez before judge following complaint of Deputy Justice Minister
Journalist Ayça Söylemez started to be tried for her article titled 'Talented Judge Sir,' based on a complaint by Deputy Justice Minister Akın Gürlek which she wrote while Gürlek was serving as a judge in the heavy penal court. The prosecutor at the trial requested Söylemez to be sentenced to imprisonment for her article.
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Civil Rights/Policing
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ACLU ☛ 2023 at the ACLU: Our Year in Stories
Across the country, 2023 saw both new and ongoing challenges to civil rights, whether it was reproductive freedom, access to gender-affirming health care, or the ability to speak openly and freely in classrooms. But the ACLU has been there every step of the way, and we’ve seen many victories amid these challenges. Throughout the year, we brought attention to some of the country’s biggest fights to protect our rights, shared the stories of those whose freedoms were assailed, and celebrated hard-won battles. Look back with us on some of the civil rights moments that defined this year.
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Reason ☛ Maryland Statute Banning Attempts to Influence Judges and Jurors Through "Corrupt Means" Upheld
The case arose following plaintiff's arrest, allegedly for telling Justice Kavanaugh's wife that "he might ruin [Justice] Kavanaugh's career and reputation"; but the charges against him were dropped, and he challenged the statute on its face, rather than as applied to his speech.
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New York Times ☛ South Korea Sentences Dissident Who Fled China on a Jet Ski
Kwon Pyong made the 200-mile journey in August in a bid for asylum. His worst nightmare was being sent back to China, a fellow activist said.
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The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian MP slammed for saying polygamy could resolve late marriage issue
Netizens said the Kubang Kerian MP could have discussed issues like the rising cost of living.
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Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
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APNIC ☛ Call the routing police!
How can we better understand responsibility for large outages?
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Techdirt ☛ Once Again, DOJ Fails To Convict Backpage Boss Of Sex Trafficking Or Prostitution
It’s somewhat incredible when you look at the full story, but once again, the DOJ has failed in its attempt to claim that Backpage founder/editor Michael Lacey was facilitating sex trafficking with the site. They did convict him on one count of money laundering, for transferring $16.5 million to a bank in Hungary right around the time that they were facing more legal pressure. The DOJ did secure some convictions for other Backpage execs for violations of the Travel Act, money laundering, and some “facilitation of prostitution.”
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APNIC ☛ Event Wrap: HKNOG 12.0
Che-Hoo Cheng presented on RPKI at HKNOG 12.0, held on 30 October 2023 in Hong Kong.
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Monopolies
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Patents
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Correcting the Record on the PREVAIL Act
Earlier this month, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property held a hearing to discuss Reforming the Patent Trial and Appeal Board – The PREVAIL Act and Proposals to Promote U.S. Innovation Leadership.
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Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Biochemical substances and the realm of S. 3(d) (Novozymes vs The Assistant Controller of Patents and Designs): Scope of applicability of Section 3(d) redefined by Madras High Court?
I) Introduction The science of biochemicals and the realm of Section 3(d) of Indian Patents Act! Can there be a reconciliation between the two?
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Gemini* and Gopher
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Personal/Opinions
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🔤SpellBinding: CDKUMOL Wordo: ODDER
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Happy let's pretend today is different from other days!
Individuality will stop at nothing to over-demonstrate - if not celebrate! - its self-centric misery.
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Time scales: UTC, TAI, UT1
I'm not a time lord (an expert on time), but here is my understanding of three time systems and how they relate.
There are three properties that you _want_ from a time system, but you can only get _two_ of them; one must always be sacrificed. Each of these time systems sacrifices a different one of the properties.
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Politics and World Events
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Atheists
Atheists don’t deny God, not really, for all they have to do is open the window, or feel the ground beneath their feet, or even take a deep breath, to know that what’s there is what’s there, and what it is is what it is.
More probable is that they deny some specific traits of God, or claims about God.
Not the one about how we were made in that image, since they’ve seen in their microscopes that we are worlds, each one of us a walking cosmos of living things.
Not the one about how God needs love, since they’ve found out in their thermometers how worlds can burn without tenderness and care for this blue marble garden.
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Technology and Free Software
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Lag
So there was the usual discussion of colors in editors—no, I'm not enabling them. A novelty this time was that someone suggested vim, which I had already dropped for vi some years ago. Maybe they thought an even more colorful IDE was being used? Apparently Visual Studio is real bad. My reasons for dropping vim include the slow startup time (recall the 2009 MacBook with the spinny disk), sluggish cursor motions, not to mention having to disable various new things they kept adding, in addition to dealing with wacky vendorisms. (vi is also bloated, but ed lacks filters and some other nifty things ex added, if you want to argue to the standard editor.) Shouldn't software be getting faster and more efficient over time?
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* Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It's like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter.