● 04.18.23

Gemini version available ♊︎

● Links 18/04/2023: Netflix is in Trouble and Fox Loses to Proprietary Voting Machines Maker (Settlement)

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

GNU/Linux

Audiocasts/Shows

• On this episode of This Week in Linux, LXQt released version 1.3 of this lightweight desktop, KDE Connect announced the roadmap for 2.0, SUSE announced their new CEO, the PineTab is back with 2 different models, we take a look at the next version of the Flathub website, the wait for Godot 4.0…

• Coming up in this episode

• 1. Leo shows his moxy

• 2. Ubuntu falls flat

• 3. Watch the browsers

• 4. A Look back on our season

• 5. and Leo moves his files

• A tried and tested way to stream your music collection, Silverblue but hot rodded, a GUI to monitor your network traffic, the modern way to do 2FA, KDE Korner, and loads more.

• March 18 & 19 was a weekend packed full of events and get-togethers, where people gathered for the Free Software Foundation’s (FSF) fifteenth edition of its annual LibrePlanet conference. Relive LibrePlanet: Charting the Course and catch up on the talks you missed with video and audio versions.

• In this episode we discuss:

Applications

• Coming three months after VirtualBox 7.0.6, the VirtualBox 7.0.8 release is here to introduce initial support for the upcoming Linux 6.3 kernel series, due out next week on April 23rd, as well as improved support for the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.7, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.1, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.2 kernels.

• In fact, this new VirtualBox release brings many Linux goodies, such as the ability to bypass kernel modules signature verification by specifying the VBOX_BYPASS_MODULES_SIGNATURE_CHECK=”1″ parameter in /etc/vbox/vbox.cfg for Linux hosts or in /etc/virtualbox-guest-additions.conf for Linux guests.

• Hi!

• In the last month I’ve continued working on go-imap v2. I’ve written the server side, implemented an in-memory server backend, and spent quite a bit of time fixing issues reported by imaptest. I only have a handful of test failures, most of which due to \Recent being unimplemented on purpose because it’s been removed from the new IMAP4rev2 RFC. The end result is a much more correct and reliable server implementation compared to v1. I’ve pushed some incremental improvements for the client side as well, fixing compatibility issues with servers in the wild and adding a few more extensions. Next, I’d like to explore server-side command pipelining and fix the remaining issues related to unilateral updates.

• The GTK4 migration is one of the major refactoring projects on Inkscape’s roadmap. Besides migrating to a newer and more actively developed GUI framework version, this will help to significantly improve the performance of the user interface and the canvas (in particular OpenGL).

• However, the migration is a complex endeavour and will change hundreds of files in our codebase. For this reason, it is imperative to perform the migration as quickly as possible, because all other work that touches the user interface during the migration time will face conflicts.

• For this reason, the development team has decided to accelerate the migration in a two-fold way: a GTK expert, i.e. a senior C++ developer with GTK experience, will be hired and bring expert knowledge about GTK to the table. At the same time, an Inkscape expert will be hired for the same duration, bringing expert knowledge about Inkscape’s internal workings to the table. Those two will form a powerful team to drive the GTK4 migration. Additionally, multiple senior Inkscape developers are available to consult the migration process as a whole.

• The Inkscape project is looking for a senior C++ developer with experience in gtkmm. They will perform some of the essential steps of the GTK4 migration for Inkscape including ensuring that the C++ bindings (gtkmm, pangomm, cairomm, etc.) are adequate, over a four month time period.

Instructionals/Technical

• In this article, you will learn what the strip command is, its usecase, and how to use it to reduce the size of your compiled program. Tutorial Details Description Stripping the Information from Compiled File Difficulty Level Moderate Root or Sudo Privileges No Host System

• This is the best, simplest, and most beginner-friendly way to run an Arduino.

• Learn how you can get help about using Linux commands in the final chapter of the Terminal Basics series.

• In this article, we will explore five different ways to find file owners in Linux. File ownership is an important aspect of file and directory management in Linux. Understanding who owns a file can help you troubleshoot issues, manage access control, and understand file system permissions. By using various command-line tools and utilities available in Linux, you can easily find the owner of a file or directory.

• In this article, we will discuss how to set up a virtual machine with Pop!_OS, a Linux distribution that is gaining popularity among developers and enthusiasts. A virtual machine can be a useful tool for testing new software or running applications that are not supported by your primary operating system.

• In this article, we will discuss the five different ways to open a port in Linux, which is a critical task for anyone who wants to run a service or application that requires network connectivity. We will explore each method in detail, along with practical examples and troubleshooting tips.

• Hello friends. In this post, you will learn how to clear the Nginx cache. This process is convenient to do when making deep changes to the website that we manage. Nginx, like other web servers, has a cache where they store sensitive data to improve site performance and shorten response times.

• Hello, friends. In this post, you will learn how to install ModSecurity with Apache on Ubuntu / Debian. Let’s see. mod_security is a security module of Apache, it acts as a web application firewall and filters and blocks suspicious requests. Therefore, many sysadmins rely on this product to increase the security of Apache web server.

• Have you set the Password Validation setting to “Strong, Medium, or Low”? Read the steps to update the password policy in MySQL. While working on my local environment, I have set the password validation policy to “high,” and because of that, I need to type a long password to access the MySQL database.

• Not to worry about this error, you can simply follow the policy or else change the policy. When changing your password or creating a new database user in MySQL, you will find the error 1819 (HY000): Your password does not satisfy the current policy requirements.

• Welcome to the world of Steam, the ultimate gaming platform designed for gamers and game enthusiasts alike. Steam is a powerful gaming client that brings together an extensive library of games, social features, and community-driven content, creating a one-stop solution for all your gaming needs.

• Welcome to the world of Telegram, a powerful and user-friendly messaging platform that aims to make communication more secure, reliable, and enjoyable. With its sleek design, cutting-edge features, and robust security measures, Telegram stands out as a preferred choice for millions of users worldwide.

• FrostWire is an open-source and versatile peer-to-peer file sharing platform that offers a myriad of features to enhance your downloading and sharing experience. With its user-friendly interface and efficient performance, FrostWire has become a popular choice among users looking for a reliable P2P software.

• The Brave Web Browser is an innovative, open-source browser that has quickly gained popularity for its emphasis on security, privacy, and speed. In a world where privacy concerns and security threats are on the rise, Brave offers users a refreshing alternative to traditional browsers.

• The VLC Media Player is a powerful, versatile, and open-source media player that has gained popularity for its ability to play virtually any media file format. Developed by the VideoLAN project, this media player offers a wide range of features and functionalities, making it an essential tool for multimedia enthusiasts.

• In the world of Linux, file permissions are crucial for maintaining the security of a system. The chmod command is one of the most frequently used commands to change file permissions.

• Introduction Hey there, SQL aficionados! Today, we’re going to take a leisurely stroll through the world of binary logs in MySQL.

• Git asking you “please tell me who you are”? You need to set up the git username and email. Here’s how to do that.

• New to Docker Compose? This guide will help you get started with installation and usage basics for your multi-container applications.

• Fedora 38 is now officially released as per planned without any delays. This release brings stunning GNOME 44 desktop for workstation editions, KDE Plasma 5.27 (the last plasma five series) and more. You can read my feature guide for Fedora 38 on this page.

• If you’re trying to upgrade to Fedora 38 from Fedora 37, here are the recommended steps you should follow.

Games

• Sega Sammy Holdings is buying Angry Birds’ creator Rovio.

Distributions and Operating Systems

• All who have used Linux must have heard about big names such as Ubuntu, Debian, Arch and Mint. Very few know about the smaller ones like Manjaro or Gentoo. Such people do not know what they are missing.

• We installed the AlmaLinux workstation and would love to share with you all what we found out. Previously this was known as “Lenix” and is a continuation of a world-class OS for servers, CentOS which was made by CloudLinux Inc and promised to be free always and have compatibility with RHEL and CentOS.

• There are hundreds of Linux distributions, each unique in its own way.

• Ubuntu is arguably one of the most popular and widely-used Linux distributions owing to its classic UI, stability, user-friendliness, and rich repository that contains over 50,000 software packages.

SUSE/OpenSUSE

• Richard Brown has posted an update on the status of the SUSE Adaptable Linux Platform (ALP) project and what it means for the openSUSE distribution.

Fedora Family / IBM

• Red Hat’s community Linux distro Fedora version 38 rolled out in beta on March 10, and today, just over a month after, it is officially released and available for download. This time, however, unlike previous releases, there are no delays or postponements of the initially scheduled release date due to last-minute complications – mainly unresolved bug issues. In other words, the developers have managed to fit into the “Early Final Target date.” So let’s have a look at what’s new.

• Finally, Fedora 38 is here, equipped with many new additions.

• Fedora is also one of the most popular alternatives to Ubuntu or any other Debian-based distro if you are new to Linux.

• This release is a good one and has quite a few interesting upgrades.

• Fedora Workstation 38 is the latest version of the leading-edge Linux desktop OS, made by a worldwide community, including you! This article describes some of the user-facing changes in this new version of Fedora Workstation. Upgrade today from GNOME Software, or use dnf system-upgrade in a terminal emulator!

*

• Fedora Workstation 38 features the newest version of the GNOME desktop environment. GNOME 44 features subtle tweaks and revamps all throughout, most notably in the Quick Settings menu and the Settings app. More details about can be found in the GNOME 44 release notes.

• Today I’m excited to share the results of the hard work of thousands of Fedora Project contributors: the Fedora Linux 38 release is here! With this release, we’re starting a new on-time streak. In fact, we’re ready a week early! As always, you should make sure your system is fully up-to-date before upgrading from a previous release. Can’t wait to get started? Download while you read!

• Fedora has a big new release available in version 38 which came a bit early. As usual lots of new features and fixes, plus a fancy new Budgie desktop spin. You can grab it as the main Fedora Workstation which includes an upgrade to GNOME 44 that’s filled full of new features like the thumbnail view in the file picker, a new lock screen, enhanced quick settings with a “background apps” section, improvements to accessibility settings, better Flatpak support along with the new unfiltered view of applications on Flathub and so on. The Fedora team also made an adjustment to make shut downs faster.

• The Fedora 38 release is available. Fedora has mostly moved past its old pattern of late releases, but it’s still a bit surprising that this release came out one week ahead of the scheduled date. Some of the changes in this release, including reduced shutdown timeouts and frame pointers have been covered here in the past; see the announcement and the Workstation-edition “what’s new” post for details on the rest.

• With Fedora 38 officially released, Sericea and Sway Spin have also been officially released!

• In the last month, I’ve been working on those variants’ presence on the Fedora website. Now both variants have their page on the Fedora Website respectively at Sericea and Sway Spin.

• If you have any questions, reach the Sway SIG in the following ways:

• Sway SIG mailing list. Sway SIG Matrix channel. I hope many of you will find these valuable improvements to Fedora as much as I do.

• Weeks 14–15 (April 3rd – April 17th) # packit source-git related commands can skip dist-git repos, where the git trailer is not found, when looking for the right dist-git dir where to work. (packit#1938) Tmt tests can now be run with fmf root outside of git root (packit#1936) Commits created by Packit no longer contain the “Signed-off-by” tag. (packit#1934) Packit’s source_git functionality installs/loads the _packitpatch script in a more reliable manner that doesn’t rely on deprecated setuptools functionality.

• Now that you have become an application development expert, it’s time to look at how clean architecture would look when we map it to the infrastructure side of an application platform. In case you’re not familiar with clean architecture, read part one in this series, My advice for building maintainable, clean architecture.

Devices/Embedded

• MicroSys unveiled this month a Single Board Computer featuring the NXP S32G multicore processor optimized for automotive networking applications. The miriac SBC-S32G399A features up to 18x CAN interfaces, 12x Analog input and various ethernet ports.

• Bitcraze recently featured the Flapper Nimble+ which is described as the world’s first commercially available tailless flapping wing robot designed for academic research or entertainment.

Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

Free, Libre, and Open Source Software

Events

• The 2023 Linux Plumbers Conference (November 13-15, Richmond VA, USA) has put out its calls for proposals for the refereed track (due August 6) and the microconference track (June 1). Proposals are also being accepted for the kernel-summit track.

Web Browsers/Web Servers

Mozilla

• in 2021 wrote this article. “Open Letter to Mozilla – Google’s Browser dominance – is Firefox not listening to user’s needs/requests?” They at least – pretend to. Google says: Thank You Mrs Baker – you successfully destroyed the Firefox browser!

SaaS/Back End/Databases

• In a previous blog, we talked about patterns to run a database in a highly available manner. In this blog, we present our open source recipe for PostgreSQL high availability.

GNU Projects

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Programming/Development

• It’s been a long month, thankfully with a nice holiday in the middle. I am divided between lots of things at work which is not helpful for being able to focus on any interesting thing.

Python

• Sending emails programmatically is a common requirement for web applications, automated reports, and notifications. Python, with its vast ecosystem of libraries, makes it simple to create a script for sending emails using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).

Java

• AtomicStampedReference is a class in Java that provides atomic operations on a reference object along with a stamp or version number.

• Java code formatting is an essential aspect of writing clean, readable, and maintainable code. Adopting a consistent set of formatting rules across your team or organization will significantly improve the overall quality of your codebase, making it easier for developers to understand, modify, and debug code.

Leftovers

Science

• Behold, the Trojan asteroids.

• So close!

• Marble floors and grape juice fountains.

• Sorry, what?

• What is this thing??

• It’s oh so quiet.

Education

• As “decision day” approaches for prospective Wolverines, many opt to take admitted-student tours and participate in Campus Day activities.

• The ruling coalition government is indulging in “political theater” in connection with demands put forward by the Latvian Education and Science Employees’ Union (LIZDA), the union’s leader Inga Vanaga, told Latvian Television’s “Morning Panorama” program April 17.

• The Latvian Education and Science Workers’ Union (LIZDA) does not intend to abandon its intention to conduct a strike, set to start on April 24, LIZDA’s head told Latvian Radio on Monday. Meanwhile the government is planning to adopt the salary-increase plan on Friday, Latvian Television reported on April 17.

• Data published on April 17 by the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia show that, out of 804 thousand people (aged 25 and over) employed on the national labor market at the beginning of 2022, 42.1 % had higher education, which is an increase of 0.9 percentage points over the year.

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

• Spain has recently legalised menstrual leave, with parts of France following suit. The initiative will sooner or later reach Lithuania, say the reps of trade union and employers.

Proprietary

Security

• The low code/no code movement provides simplified app generation – but it needs to be understood to be safe.

• Several high-impact security vulnerabilities were recently discovered and fixed in the Linux kernel. These flaws could result in memory exhaustion, system crashes, denial of service (DoS), the exposure of sensitive information, cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, privilege escalation attacks, or the execution of arbitrary code.

• Security updates have been issued by Debian (protobuf), Fedora (libpcap, libxml2, openssh, and tcpdump), Mageia (kernel and kernel-linus), Oracle (firefox, kernel, kernel-container, and thunderbird), Red Hat (thunderbird), Scientific Linux (thunderbird), SUSE (gradle, kernel, nodejs10, nodejs12, nodejs14, openssl-3, pgadmin4, rubygem-rack, and wayland), and Ubuntu (firefox).

• The Little Rock School District, a victim of a 2022 data security attack, is telling its past and present employees, student families and vendors that there is no evidence that their personal data has been “viewed, used or misused.”

• However, that announcement — posted recently on the 21,000-student district’s website — also states that the district is providing no-cost credit monitoring and identity protection services “out of an abundance of caution.”

• Additionally, the district — which apologized for the concern caused by the security breach — is telling affected individuals to be vigilant in monitoring their accounts for identity theft and fraud.

• And that is exactly the right advice — to not assume that because the district paid ransom — that the data would never be misused or later appear somewhere. And even though the district may believe that “All such information was returned, and we have obtained assurances that no use was made of the information,” that is not a guarantee that it is true.

• Real estate agency OrangeTee & Tie has been fined S$37,000 by Singapore’s privacy watchdog after the personal data of more than 250,000 customers and employees was compromised.

• Names, bank account numbers, property transaction amounts, as well as identity card numbers were extracted from outdated database servers by a cybercrime group in 2021.

• In a written judgment released on Monday (Apr 17), the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) found several lapses on OrangeTee & Tie’s part that led to the data breach.

• The district court characterised the defendant’s actions as particularly reprehensible, due to the scale of the data breach as well as the sensitive nature of the information involved.

• Classrooms across Tucson, Arizona, were ravaged by ransomware in January that locked up computer systems and forced teachers to revamp lesson plans. Officials in southern Arizona’s largest school district tried assuring students and staff for weeks that, despite the cyberattack, sensitive data wasn’t stolen.

• There’s been a lot of speculation following the arrest of Conor Fitzpatrick (aka “Pompompurin”) once it began to really sink in for some people that law enforcement has both the RaidForums BreachForums databases.

• Black Basta, the extortionists who claimed they were the ones who lately broke into Capita, have reportedly put up for sale sensitive details, including bank account information, addresses, and passport photos, stolen from the IT outsourcing giant.

• A spokesperson for the London-based corporation, which has UK government contracts totaling £6.5 billion ($8 billion), said it hasn’t yet confirmed if that data leak is legit.

• “We continue to work closely with specialist advisers and forensic experts in investigating the incident,” a Capita spokesperson told The Register.

• The Knowledge on Demand platform marks the first time HHS has offered free cybersecurity trainings to the health sector workforce and reflects the Department’s continued commitment to supporting the HPH Sector’s defense against cyberattacks.

• This new Knowledge on Demand platform offers awareness trainings on these five cybersecurity topics: social engineering, ransomware, loss or theft of equipment or data, insider accidental or malicious data loss, and attacks against network connected medical devices.

• In November, Crown Point Community School students returned to classes after a “network outage” incident that the district feared might be a cybersecurity breach.

Defence/Aggression

• They took exception to ambassador’s reference to safety of 150,000 Filipino workers on neighboring island.

• The US Secretary of State earlier visited Vietnam where he discussed closer ties despite human rights concerns.

• Moldova has told Russian politicians not to meddle in its internal affairs after barring a Russian delegation from entering the country ahead of a regional election.

• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has cast doubt on efforts to bring about peace in his country’s war with Russia, saying during a visit to Iraq that Moscow “wants war.”

• A US warship sailed through the waters separating Taiwan and mainland China, the US Navy said, days after Beijing staged war games around the self-ruled island.

• Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu on Sunday hailed ties with Moscow during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.

• The Southern African Development Community (SADC) recognises prison and correctional facilities in its member states can be places where radicalisation and “engagement with extremist groups” happens and is taking measures to ensure identification and prevention.

• Government says it has noted with concern and condemns the fighting that erupted on Saturday morning in several parts of Khartoum and other areas outside the capital between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

• Joe Biden’s administration keeps boasting about how successful international sanctions have been in punishing Russia for invading Ukraine. But that boast is increasingly hollow, both with respect to the extent of international unity and the success of the sanctions.

• Originally posted at TomDispatch. In our present social media world, who even remembers that the Internet’s first “mothership,” as Ben Tarnoff put it at the Guardian years ago, was the U.S. military, thanks to a Cold War era urge to link computer communication to the potential front lines of war?

• “Global Power Struggles Signal An End to An Era of Diplomacy.” So ran a page one headline to New York Times April 11 print edition for an article marking Joe Biden’s ceremonial visit to Ireland to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Accords.

• “We do not believe in polarization or selecting between one partner and another,” Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said, asserting the Kingdom’s right to act “based on its own interests” and to have “strategic partnerships with [many] countries.”

• On April 14, the US Department of Justice charged Airman First Class Jack Teixeira with copying and sharing information “connected with” or “relating to” the “national defense.”

• Ukraine is preparing for a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group later this week, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on April 17 as fighting continued unabated in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

• An association representing the families of those killed in the downing of a Ukrainian commercial flight by Iran more than two years ago has criticized the verdicts issued in Iran against the alleged perpetrators as a “show trial.”

• Despite a new plan by the Iranian police to crack down harder on those opposing the wearing of the hijab — the head covering compulsory for Muslim women — reports and images published on social media indicate that a significant number of Iranian women and girls continue to resist the measures.

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has arrived in Brazil for talks which comes as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pushes a diplomatic approach for peace in Ukraine that has irked both Kyiv and the West.

• The number of temporary protection-status permits issued to Ukrainians in the European Union dropped in most member states in February.

• The U.S. residents are accused of conspiring to act as agents for China.

• The Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Saturday announced that they are prepared to return a group of captured Egyptian soldiers who were conducting training exercises in northern Sudan.

• The US Department of Justice (DOJ) Monday announced the arrest of two Chinese nationals in connection with a secret police station in New York City, New York. US authorities also arrested over 30 Chinese nationals operating on behalf of China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) to suppress Chinese pro-democracy activists and dissidents in the US.

• Japan can quickly and inexpensively increase its force of diesel-electric combat submarines from 22 to at least 28, if it stops prematurely retiring them.

• Mounting tension between Sudan’s two most powerful generals, each backed by a formidable force, has boiled over into open conflict just 18 months after they conspired to derail the country’s transition to democracy – with civilians caught in the crossfire of a deadly power struggle.

• Sudan’s battling factions both claimed to have made gains on Monday as continued violence cut power and water in the capital, and the UN envoy to Sudan said the two sides showed no signs of being willing to negotiate.

• Air France and plane manufacturer Airbus were acquitted Monday over the 2009 crash of a Rio-Paris flight after a French court ruled their errors could not be proven as the disaster’s cause.

• The President of Latvia Egils Levits has proclaimed the State Defense Law in the official Latvijas Vēstnesis on Tuesday, April 18, LETA reported.

• In February 2023, 740 more Ukrainians found refuge in Latvia according to Eurostat data published April 17.

• A new group of 12 Lithuanian military instructors left for the United Kingdom on Saturday to join Operation Interflex for training Ukrainian military personnel.

Transparency/Investigative Reporting

• European Commission Press release Brussels, 17 Apr 2023 Tomorrow, the European Centre for Algorithmic Transparency (ECAT) will be officially inaugurated by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre in Seville, Spain.

Environment

• Last month’s UN water conference has sparked renewed global attention on the management of water, particularly for domestic and agricultural uses. Water has long held a special significance in China, where it’s said that unique …

Energy/Transportation

• A virtual power plant of rooftop solar was added to the electricity grid last year to slash crippling power bills, industry data shows. Approximately 3.4 million homes are helping to reduce cost of living pressures and pressure on the energy grid during the summer peak, according to the Clean Energy Australia Report released on Tuesday.

• The U.S. Treasury Department has published a warning to U.S. companies about possible evasion of a price cap on exported Russian oil, pointing specifically to oil exported through the Eastern Siberia Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline and ports in eastern Russia.

• Greenpeace and other campaign groups are taking the European Commission to court, seeking to overturn European Union rules that class nuclear energy and natural gas as climate-friendly investments.

• Australia’s climate targets will require the construction of new energy infrastructure on a massive scale and tens of thousands of welders. An industry survey released on Tuesday found the welding and fabrication industry is facing challenges it warns will make the delivery of the federal government’s renewable energy plans almost impossible.

Wildlife/Nature

• These creatures shouldn’t live at sea.

• Farmers burn ever-wider fields of corn stubble as wildfires spread amid drier weather

Overpopulation

• In January-February this year, 2,161 newborns were registered in Latvia, which is 14.9 percent or 379 newborns less than in the corresponding period of 2022, according to the preliminary data published by the Central Statistical Bureau, the LETA newswire reported April 17.

Finance

• Utopia Music battles allegations of massive tax debts as it lays off another 15% of its global workforce. Swiss tech company Utopia Music is gearing up to eliminate around 15 percent of its global workforce in a fresh round of job cuts…

• The average prices of supermarket goods have recorded their highest increase since 2012, rising by 2.1 per cent in 2022, according to an annual survey conducted by the city’s consumer watchdog.

• China’s economic recovery has gathered pace in the first quarter, as the end of strict COVID-19 curbs lifted the world’s second-largest economy out of a crippling pandemic slump, although some headwinds persist.

• China’s economy grew 4.5 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, rebounding after the end of zero-Covid measures late last year, official data showed Tuesday.

• China’s gross domestic product grew 4.5% in the first quarter of the year, boosted by increased consumption and retail sales, after authorities abruptly abandoned the stringent “zero-COVID” strategy. The growth in the world’s No. 2 economy from January to March compared to the same quarter last year outpaced the 2.9% growth in the previous quarter, according to official government data released Tuesday. The growth comes amid a rebound in consumption, as people flocked to shopping malls and restaurants after harsh COVID-19 restrictions were removed. Earlier this year, China’s government set this year’s economic growth target at “around 5%.”

• House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is pledging to pass legislation to raise the nation’s debt ceiling — but only if coupled with a cap on future federal spending. Voting could come as soon as next week. In a speech Monday at the New York Stock Exchange, the Republican leader lashed out at President Joe Biden for refusing to engage in budget cutting negotiations to prevent a debt crisis. McCarthy said Biden is “missing in action.” The White House, in turn, accused McCarthy of “high-risk hostage taking.” Washington is heading toward a fiscal crisis over the need to raise the nation’s debt limit, now at $31 trillion, and avert a federal default.

• Although inflation receded in March compared to the record highs witnessed in the previous months, it is still elevated, and both headline inflation and price hikes in Latvia, excluding the variable energy and food prices, are among the highest in the euro area. In March 2023, the year-on-year price rise in Latvia was 17.3%, while the month-on-month price rise was 0.7%.

• Economists from one of Australia’s biggest consultancy firms are expecting a “consumer recession” largely triggered by two rate hikes they claim were needless. The grim prediction comes ahead of minutes from the Reserve Bank’s April meeting where the board opted to pause after 10 interest rate rises in a row.

• European Commission Press release Brussels, 17 Apr 2023 The World Trade Organization (WTO) has today ruled in favour of the EU in a major case challenging India’s tariff on key information and communication technology (ICT) products.

• Fiji must take urgent action to reduce a debt burden that exceeds 90 per cent of gross domestic product or put at risk its recovery from the COVID pandemic and plans for sustainable economic development, the World Bank says.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

• The start of the trial has been delayed until Tuesday (Apr. 18), according to a note from the court.

Censorship/Free Speech

• Latvia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a statement April 17 saying it “strongly condemns”  Vladimir Kara-Murza’s sentencing by a Russian court to 25 years in prison on what it called “politically motivated charges”.

• Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent opposition activist in Russia, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for charges related to his criticism of the war in Ukraine, in the latest iteration of the Kremlin’s ongoing campaign to silence activists and independent media outlets critical of the invasion.

• Outspoken Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza was jailed for a quarter of a century by a Moscow court on Monday, the harshest sentence of its kind since Russia invaded Ukraine, after it found him guilty of treason and other offences he denied.

• The cabinet of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) students’ union faces disciplinary action and possible dissolution over a complaint that documents it shared online contained “exaggerated” and “unfounded” descriptions of past events.

• RTHK will “follow up” with Twitter, after the social media platform added a “state-affiliated media” label to the outlet’s official account, the broadcaster has told HKFP.

• Social media platform Twitter has slapped Hong Kong’s government-backed broadcaster with a “state-affiliated media” label. The tech platform – owned by billionaire Elon Musk – describes state-affiliated outlets as those where “the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution.

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

• The U.S. ambassador to Russia has visited American Evan Gershkovich in a prison in Moscow where the journalist is being held on charges of espionage.

Civil Rights/Policing

• Heavy metal band Machine Head has been forced to cancel its upcoming tour due to visa issues. Despite being an American heavy metal band, half the band and its crew members are based outside of the United States. The result is that not everyone will be available for the upcoming tour.

• Protesters warn of China’s growing infiltration and creeping authoritarianism around the world

• Myanmar’s junta said on Monday it would release more than 3,000 prisoners to mark the Buddhist New Year, without specifying whether those jailed in its bloody crackdown on dissent would be freed.

• The country’s military rulers say the amnesty is to mark the Burmese New Year.

• The pricey cookers were made at the complex shuttered since 2016, in violation of agreement with Seoul

• Tunisian police on Monday detained Ennahda party leader Rached Ghannouchi, his party said, in a move that marks an escalation in a campaign of arrests that has already targeted numerous high-profile opponents of President Kais Saied.

• Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been jailed for three months for doxxing a police officer involved in a live-round shooting during the 2019 extradition bill protests. Wong, 26, appeared in front of Judge Russell Coleman for sentencing at the High Court on Monday.

• Eight Hongkongers have been sentenced to between 28 and 34 months in prison for their parts in a riot during the 2019 pro-democracy protests and unrest.

• Threats to national security still “lurk” in Hong Kong society, Chief Executive John Lee has warned.

• A pro-Beijing labour union has scrapped plans for a workers’ rights march to mark Labour Day, saying that the police were yet to issue approval for the demonstration.

• The Minnesota Court of Appeals Monday upheld the conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd during a 2020 arrest. In doing so, the court denied Chauvin’s request for a new trial or reversal of his conviction.

• China’s top official for Hong Kong affairs who said protesting was “not the only way” to express demands did not mean to restrict people’s participation in demonstrations, a pro-Beijing heavyweight has said.

Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

• Looking at changes that the internet as a whole goes through over time can be quite edifying.

• After trying several services for home phones, I found a solution that costs me about $0.85 per month. ️️☎

Monopolies

• European Commission Press release Brussels, 17 Apr 2023 The European Commission has prolonged the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation (‘MVBER’) for five years, meaning that it will now be applicable until 31 May 2028. It has also updated the Supplementary Guidelines for the sector.

Patents

• Merck is betting big on Prometheus Biosciences’ promise of drugs treating autoimmune conditions, as the expiration date for one of its key patent approaches.

• Brazilian courts and the patent office (BRPTO) are evolving in the evaluation of process claims. Key decisions on both forums are showing how effective those claims can be to protect products in the country.

• Take the 1-question survey on LinkedIn.

• The basic underlying question has to do with whether an NDA or other agreement can effectively limit an inventor’s ability to pursue patent protection — even in circumstances where the inventor has not transferred patent rights.

Gemini* and Gopher

Personal

• Preparing an RV so I can move in and travel the US for a few months, while working and making music

Technical

• I just needed a gentle reminder to get out of github. I’ll be making preperations to make the migration soon. I already have a paid sr.ht account, so that’s where I’ll be heading.

• [...]

• I tried to move everything to self hosted years ago and I’m still in the middle of trying. It’s almost impossible, especially since I get constant pushback from everyone around me.

• [...]

• Lots of big cloud services will crumble in this decade, I think. Google products are no longer high quality and operable like they were five to ten years ago. YouTube policy is authoritarian and monopolist. Microsoft is neglecting consumer experience in favor of corporate customers.

• The Commodore 1352, or the “Tank”, was my first mouse and probably the design that I rocked the longest. ’89-’95,ish? I still have several, but time’s not been kind to ball mice, and let’s be honest, who wants to clean those any more? Not me…

• So yeah, despite my constant moaning about Retro grifters, Lukas Remis’ Kickstarter for a modern mouse, inspired by the 1352, caught my interest. I ordered two and a couple of DB9-USB adaptors.

• I remember the day in freshman year of high school when I saw that the new iPhones were coming out without a headphone jack.

• I laughed, typical Apple, making their devices less convenient so you have to buy their new product. It seemed like so many people were in agreement that this was a bad trend that there was no way that it would persist, yet today my phone has no headphone jack and I haven’t found myself truly desiring one for some time.

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