Hong Kong officials have singled out at least two schools for singing the Chinese national anthem "too softly". Teachers at a third school have been asked to help students "cultivate habit and confidence" in singing it....
After the Federal Reserve disclosed JPMorgan Chase's stress test results 2024, the bank said in a statement that the Fed's projections for a particular asset - the 'Other Comprehensive Income (“OCI”) - was overestimated....
Threat actors in the cyberespionage ecosystem are engaging in an increasingly disturbing trend of using ransomware as a final stage in their operations for the purposes of financial gain, disruption, distraction, misattribution, or removal of evidence....
GeoGPT, a big-data artificial intelligence project aimed at geoscientists and researchers particularly in the global south and built by the Chinese tech company Alibaba, aims at helping develop their understanding of earth sciences by drawing on swaths of data and research on billions of years of the planet’s history....
Facial recognition startup Clearview AI reached a settlement Friday in an Illinois lawsuit alleging its massive photographic collection of faces violated the subjects’ privacy rights, a deal that attorneys estimate could be worth more than $50 million....
TikTok says it offered the US government the power to shut the platform down in an attempt to address lawmakers' data protection and national security concerns....
Scientists described their “detective work” in the forests of Uganda - observing animals that appeared injured or sick to work out whether they were self-medicating with plants....
Grocery store prices are changing faster than ever before — literally. This month, Walmart became the latest retailer to announce it’s replacing the price stickers in its aisles with electronic shelf labels. The new labels allow employees to change prices as often as every ten seconds....
The real change in retail pricing might be discrimination pricing (or 'surveillance pricing' as it is now called sometimes). Simply speaking, it uses personal data to personalize prices not just for each customer, but also for each customer depending on actual circumstances such as day time, weather, an individual's pay day, and other data, collected through apps, loyalty cards, ...
"If I literally tell you, the price of a six-pack is $1.99, and then I tell someone else the price of a six-pack for them is $3.99, this would be deemed very unfair if there was too much transparency on it,” [University of Chicago economists Jean-Pierre] Dubé said. “But if instead I say, the price of a six-pack is $3.99 for everyone, and that’s fair. But then I give you a coupon for $2 off [through your app] but I don’t give the coupon to the other person, somehow that’s not as unfair as if I just targeted a different price.”
The linked article is a very long read but worth everyone's time. Very insightful.
China’s economy is buried under a great wall of debt and Xi Jinping’s answer is to add more bricks. The president has sanctioned an extraordinary programme of borrowing by the central government to steer the $18 trillion behemoth to “high quality development”. In doing so, he is piling risk onto the country’s last...
I suppose that's the mechanism they're using to centrally manage the economy, by controlling fund transfers to lower levels of government.
I would agree with this view. The local governments are responsible for the majority of spendings (including pensions, health care), but they can barely raise funds themselves.
The central government has already said that the new debt will be forwarded to the local government, and that it will be 'off-budget', meaning the money goes to LGFVs. The future will tell us how this ends up, but the risks are high imo given the country's debt burden is so much higher than in most other countries as you suggested.
On March 7, 2024, Google inexplicably downranked the website of Tuta Mail in its search results. While Tuta Mail is a prominent provider of encrypted email services, focusing on security and privacy, our website was deranked for terms like “secure email” and “encrypted email” completely. The search results for our...
NewsGuard audit finds that 32% of the time, leading AI chatbots spread Russian disinformation narratives created by John Mark Dougan, an American fugitive now operating from Moscow, citing his fake local news sites and fabricated claims on YouTube as reliable sources....
Prenatal screening for neurological conditions has progressed in leaps and bounds over the past couple of decades. Technology including genetic analysis, neuroimaging, and high-resolution foetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are allowing doctors to peer into the nervous systems of developing foetuses and already diagnose them...
Chinese officials appear to have blocked a formerly imprisoned journalist from the view of cameras at an event between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra....
"In what kind of society can one openly advocate policies modeled on Hitler's conduct? In a society that feels complete impunity due to America's protection," one foreign policy expert said....
Some of the world’s poorest countries have been investing heavily in digital ID systems which it is claimed will deliver democratic and development dividends. Africa has been at the forefront of this push supported by the World Bank, UN agencies and the international community. Some of Africa’s most fragile states have been...
On Thursday, UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) spokesperson Liz Throssell revealed that in its latest act of disempowerment, de facto authorities have told women civil servants prohibited from working that despite qualifications or experience, their salaries will now be cut to the lowest level....
Using isotope geochemistry, scientists have uncovered new information about the Barmaz necropolis in Valais (Switzerland): 14% of the people buried 6,000 years ago at this site were not locals. What's more, the study suggests that this Middle Neolithic agropastoral society -- one of the oldest known in the western part of...
Microsoft President Brad Smith fielded questions about the tech giant's security practices and ties to China at a House homeland security panel on Thursday, a year after alleged China-linked hackers spied on federal emails by hacking the firm....
Taiwanese who are traveling to China for religious, business or other non-political purposes can all be interrogated by Chinese national security officers due to new national security laws, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in a recent report....
Canada’s spy chief says that political leaders could take steps to make sure parliamentarians accused of cooperating with foreign governments face consequences, even if they don’t face criminal prosecution....
A report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) says there were two instance of alleged interference by China in Conservative Party of Canada leadership races....
U.S. President Joe Biden vetoed a congressional resolution that would strike down US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) guidance that the crypto industry says has stymied its ability to work with banks....
You can't make such a decision based on simple financial calculations, not in the least as there is no way to make reasonable predictions in our current market environments. Ask any investment advisor, and they will tell you to buy your home if you can afford it.
This is off-topic: Why is the NYT accessing the camera when going to the linked article?
- At least 853 people were executed in Iran last year. Human rights activists suspect the number was actually much higher. According to Amnesty International, Iran is among the countries with the highest number of executions, second only to China--...
- An investigative reporter with Israel’s leading leftwing newspaper, Haaretz, has said unnamed senior security officials threatened actions against him if he reported on attempts by the former head of the Mossad to intimidate the ex-prosecutor of the international criminal court....
- Residents said Rafah's Tel Al-Sultan neighbourhood, the scene of Sunday's night-time strike in which tents and shelters were set ablaze as families settled down to sleep, was still being bombarded....
School children in Hong Kong sang Chinese anthem "too softly" ( www.bbc.com )
Hong Kong officials have singled out at least two schools for singing the Chinese national anthem "too softly". Teachers at a third school have been asked to help students "cultivate habit and confidence" in singing it....
U.S. bank JPMorgan Chase says its stress test exam result should be worse than what the Federal Reserve disclosed ( www.jpmorganchase.com )
After the Federal Reserve disclosed JPMorgan Chase's stress test results 2024, the bank said in a statement that the Fed's projections for a particular asset - the 'Other Comprehensive Income (“OCI”) - was overestimated....
'ChamelGang & Friends': China-linked Cyberespionage Groups Attacking Critical Infrastructure Globally with Ransomware ( www.sentinelone.com )
Threat actors in the cyberespionage ecosystem are engaging in an increasingly disturbing trend of using ransomware as a final stage in their operations for the purposes of financial gain, disruption, distraction, misattribution, or removal of evidence....
China’s Rich Spend Millions on Shanghai Property ( www.bloomberg.com )
Archived version...
Stanford Internet Observatory rejects media reports it is shutting down, but acknowledges funding challenges ( cyber.fsi.stanford.edu )
Archived link...
"Lack of transparency, state censorship, potential copyright infringement”: Leading geologist raises serious issues with Chinese-funded Large Language Model aimed at geoscientists ( geoscientist.online )
GeoGPT, a big-data artificial intelligence project aimed at geoscientists and researchers particularly in the global south and built by the Chinese tech company Alibaba, aims at helping develop their understanding of earth sciences by drawing on swaths of data and research on billions of years of the planet’s history....
Canada blocks Chinese rare earths deal in Trudeau-led crackdown as part of wider push to block China from delving further into Canada’s critical minerals sector ( www.bloomberg.com )
Vital Metals to sell materials stockpile to Saskatchewan group...
Facial recognition startup Clearview AI settles privacy suit in the U.S. by giving plaintiffs a share of the company’s potential value, rather than a traditional payout, over lack of liqudity ( apnews.com )
Facial recognition startup Clearview AI reached a settlement Friday in an Illinois lawsuit alleging its massive photographic collection of faces violated the subjects’ privacy rights, a deal that attorneys estimate could be worth more than $50 million....
TikTok confirms it offered US government a 'kill switch' ( www.bbc.com )
TikTok says it offered the US government the power to shut the platform down in an attempt to address lawmakers' data protection and national security concerns....
Wild chimpanzees eat plants that have pain-relieving and anti-bacterial properties to heal themselves, according to scientists ( www.bbc.com )
Scientists described their “detective work” in the forests of Uganda - observing animals that appeared injured or sick to work out whether they were self-medicating with plants....
A supermarket trip may soon look different, thanks to electronic shelf labels ( www.npr.org )
Grocery store prices are changing faster than ever before — literally. This month, Walmart became the latest retailer to announce it’s replacing the price stickers in its aisles with electronic shelf labels. The new labels allow employees to change prices as often as every ten seconds....
China’s risky answer to wall of debt is more debt ( www.reuters.com )
China’s economy is buried under a great wall of debt and Xi Jinping’s answer is to add more bricks. The president has sanctioned an extraordinary programme of borrowing by the central government to steer the $18 trillion behemoth to “high quality development”. In doing so, he is piling risk onto the country’s last...
Apple Decides to Block Open-Source Emulator App for iOS ( news.itsfoss.com )
Archived version...
Tuta Mail's Google Ranking Mysteriously Restored After Announcement to Take Legal Actions -- [Tuta blog] ( tuta.com )
On March 7, 2024, Google inexplicably downranked the website of Tuta Mail in its search results. While Tuta Mail is a prominent provider of encrypted email services, focusing on security and privacy, our website was deranked for terms like “secure email” and “encrypted email” completely. The search results for our...
Top 10 Generative AI Models Mimic Russian Disinformation Claims A Third of the Time, Citing Moscow-Created Fake Local News Sites as Authoritative Sources ( www.newsguardtech.com )
NewsGuard audit finds that 32% of the time, leading AI chatbots spread Russian disinformation narratives created by John Mark Dougan, an American fugitive now operating from Moscow, citing his fake local news sites and fabricated claims on YouTube as reliable sources....
Surgeons believe we are about to enter a new era where diseases can be treated before children are born ( www.bbc.com )
Prenatal screening for neurological conditions has progressed in leaps and bounds over the past couple of decades. Technology including genetic analysis, neuroimaging, and high-resolution foetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are allowing doctors to peer into the nervous systems of developing foetuses and already diagnose them...
Chinese officials appear to block freed journalist during the Chinese PM's visit in Australia ( www.bbc.com )
Chinese officials appear to have blocked a formerly imprisoned journalist from the view of cameras at an event between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra....
Israel’s New Air War in the West Bank: Nearly Half of the Dead are Children ( theintercept.com )
Archived link...
Israeli Politician Quotes Hitler to Argue for Resettlement of Gaza ( www.commondreams.org )
"In what kind of society can one openly advocate policies modeled on Hitler's conduct? In a society that feels complete impunity due to America's protection," one foreign policy expert said....
Elite researchers in China say they had ‘no choice’ but to commit misconduct ( www.nature.com )
Archived version...
The Stanford Internet Observatory is being dismantled: U.S. Republicans attacked the lab’s reports on misinformation and election integrity — and now the institution is pulling the plug ( www.platformer.news )
Archived version...
False promise of biometrics: Digital IDs in Africa failing to deliver promised democratic and development boost while making fortunes for tech vendors, investigations finds ( www.lighthousereports.com )
Some of the world’s poorest countries have been investing heavily in digital ID systems which it is claimed will deliver democratic and development dividends. Africa has been at the forefront of this push supported by the World Bank, UN agencies and the international community. Some of Africa’s most fragile states have been...
Taliban assault on women’s rights continues in Afghanistan, UN says ( news.un.org )
On Thursday, UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) spokesperson Liz Throssell revealed that in its latest act of disempowerment, de facto authorities have told women civil servants prohibited from working that despite qualifications or experience, their salaries will now be cut to the lowest level....
Rare twin elephants born in Thailand 'miracle' have surprised even their mum ( www.bbc.com )
An Asian elephant in central Thailand has given birth to a rare set of twins, in what caretakers have described as a miracle....
Canada Imposes New Sanctions on Russia Amid G7 Summit ( epicnews.ca )
Archived link...
6,000 years ago, men and women -and those migrated from other locations- had equal access to resources, research finds ( www.sciencedaily.com )
Using isotope geochemistry, scientists have uncovered new information about the Barmaz necropolis in Valais (Switzerland): 14% of the people buried 6,000 years ago at this site were not locals. What's more, the study suggests that this Middle Neolithic agropastoral society -- one of the oldest known in the western part of...
US lawmakers grill Microsoft president over China ties, hacks ( www.reuters.com )
Microsoft President Brad Smith fielded questions about the tech giant's security practices and ties to China at a House homeland security panel on Thursday, a year after alleged China-linked hackers spied on federal emails by hacking the firm....
Deadly and Wildly Profitable, Uranium Fever Breaks Out: The radioactive metal’s price is up 233%, revealing the speed at which the world is embracing nuclear power once again. ( www.bloomberg.com )
Archived version...
Microsoft "accepts responsibility" for issues raised in report on Chinese hacking against U.S. targets as officials start to lose trust in the company's ability to secure its service ( www.axios.com )
Archived version...
Microsoft Chose Profit Over Security and Left U.S. Government Vulnerable to Russian Hack, Whistleblower Says ( www.propublica.org )
Archived version...
A New Study Investigates 'The Failed Migration of Academic Twitter' To Mastodon ( arxiv.org )
Archived version...
'New China laws risky for Taiwanese’ with many have been detained or interrogated, while Taipei warns that Chinese authorities can from next month confiscate cellphones ( www.taipeitimes.com )
Taiwanese who are traveling to China for religious, business or other non-political purposes can all be interrogated by Chinese national security officers due to new national security laws, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in a recent report....
'I did not want to disappear in silence’: Chechen woman livestreamed attempted abduction by her family ( www.theguardian.com )
Archived version...
Can alleged parliamentarian colluders face consequences? CSIS chief weighs in ( globalnews.ca )
Canada’s spy chief says that political leaders could take steps to make sure parliamentarians accused of cooperating with foreign governments face consequences, even if they don’t face criminal prosecution....
China, India interfered in Conservative leadership races, report says ( www.cbc.ca )
A report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) says there were two instance of alleged interference by China in Conservative Party of Canada leadership races....
U.S.: President Biden Vetoes Congressional Bid to Void Securities and Exchange Commission Crypto Guidance ( www.bloomberg.com )
U.S. President Joe Biden vetoed a congressional resolution that would strike down US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) guidance that the crypto industry says has stymied its ability to work with banks....
Is It Better to Rent or Buy? A Financial Calculator. ( www.nytimes.com )
These sliders are immensely helpful with quick estimates!
Iran: 'Western pressure can hinder executions' ( www.dw.com )
- At least 853 people were executed in Iran last year. Human rights activists suspect the number was actually much higher. According to Amnesty International, Iran is among the countries with the highest number of executions, second only to China--...
Mysterious cyberattack took down more than 600,000 routers in the U.S. ( thehackernews.com )
Archived link...
Russia labels wives of mobilized soldiers campaigning for their husbands' return from the war in Ukraine as 'foreign agents' ( www.themoscowtimes.com )
Archived link...
Chinese man arrested for allegedly running ‘largest ever’ malware network ( www.aljazeera.com )
US officials say army of 19 million infected computers enabled fraud, identity theft and child exploitation....
Israeli journalist says he was threatened by senior intelligence officials if he reported on attempts by the country's spy chief to intimidate ex-prosecutor ( www.theguardian.com )
- An investigative reporter with Israel’s leading leftwing newspaper, Haaretz, has said unnamed senior security officials threatened actions against him if he reported on attempts by the former head of the Mossad to intimidate the ex-prosecutor of the international criminal court....
Visa Adds New Way to Share Customer Shopping Data With Retailers ( www.bloomberg.com )
- Consumers’ preferences to be shared via proprietary tokens...
Israeli spy chief allegedly ‘threatened’ ICC prosecutor to pressure her to drop Palestine investigation ( www.theguardian.com )
Archived link...
Israeli tanks advance into Rafah's centre despite global leaders' outcry over the horrors at Sunday's strike on tent camp ( www.reuters.com )
- Residents said Rafah's Tel Al-Sultan neighbourhood, the scene of Sunday's night-time strike in which tents and shelters were set ablaze as families settled down to sleep, was still being bombarded....