**“This decision is not only a hollow response to Covid-19, but it sends the message that intellectual property rights outweigh the rights to health and life.”
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/06/covid-19-wto-ministerial-decision-on-trips-agreement-fails-to-set-rules-that-could-save-lives/**
“This decision is not only a hollow response to Covid-19, but it sends the message that intellectual property rights outweigh the rights to health and life.”
[amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2…](https://www.amnesty. … ⌘ Read more
Coronavirus: elderly Hongkongers turn to expressive arts therapy to ease pandemic blues
The treatment has helped elderly residents suffering from long Covid open up and come out of their shell, says therapist Janet Li Wai-chong. ⌘ Read more
Paul Schaub: Reproducible Builds – Telling of a Debugging Story
Reproducibility is an important tool to empower users. Why would a user care about that? Let me elaborate.
For a piece of software to be reproducible means that everyone with access to the software’s source code is able to build the binary form of it (e.g. the executable that gets distributed). What’s the matter? Isn’t that true for any project with accessible source code? Not at all. Reproducibility means that the r … ⌘ Read more
Next US election may prove most dangerous time for Taiwan, warns veteran US diplomat Chas Freeman
Richard Nixon’s former interpreter says Beijing may view the election of a supporter of Taiwan’s independence as something it must respond to ⌘ Read more
EU seeks to release Ukrainian grain stuck due to Russia’s sea blockade
The EU supports efforts by the United Nations to broker a deal to resume Ukraine’s sea exports in return for easing Russian food and fertiliser exports, but that would need Moscow’s green light. ⌘ Read more
Ukraine war: Rabat urges ‘fair trial’ for Moroccan appealing death penalty
Brahim Saadoun, a Moroccan citizen born in 2000, was sentenced to death on June 9 along with two British men by a court in Donetsk, a self-proclaimed statelet in eastern Ukraine. ⌘ Read more
Telegram Premium is there, at least the announcement that it should be there, but the update on Google Play somehow not yet. Unfortunately, the announcement says that Premium is not (yet) available for users in Germany. ☹️ I’m especially waiting for the feature to be able to convert voice messages to text. 😅 ⌘ Read more
World swimming’s governing body bans transgender athletes from women’s events
Fina members voted 71.5 per cent in favour of its new ‘gender inclusion policy’ that only permits swimmers who transitioned before age 12 to compete in women’s events. ⌘ Read more
Ask Me Anything
Inspired by Kev’s post, I’d like to give this a try as well: ⌘ Read more
Macron to lose French parliament majority in blow for reform plans, projections indicate
The French president was set to lose his majority after major election gains by a newly formed left-wing alliance and the far-right. ⌘ Read more
dath ilan has screened off its past just es ey wants to screen off his past before ~2003
Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis arrested in Italy over sexual assault claims
The alleged victim had been staying with Haggis ahead of the festival, prosecutors said. ‘The suspect allegedly forced the young woman … to undergo sexual intercourse,’ they said. ⌘ Read more
After British journalist’s murder in the Amazon, can his vision survive?
Dom Phillips wrote about Brazil for 15 years and asked President Jair Bolsonaro in 2019 how he intended to demonstrate Brazil’s commitment to protect the Amazon region. ⌘ Read more
Israel’s foreign minister Yair Lapid to visit Türkiye amid security jitters
Israel has warned its citizens against travel to Türkiye, citing suspected assassination or abduction plots by Iran. ⌘ Read more
numpy.unique needs the type to be comparable by < and >, not just ==. that seems like overkill.
China chalks up success in push to promote favoured candidates on international bodies
The country’s representative has secured another term on a leading UN maritime body that rules on important economic and political disputes. ⌘ Read more
Who will help John Lee run Hong Kong? A quick guide to old and new faces on his governing team
Among 21 key figures, seven are from incumbent administration, two have been promoted from undersecretary, six are serving or recently retired civil servants, and another six are newcomers. ⌘ Read more
China names Han ex-environmental protection officer to head ethnic affairs office
Pan Yue will be the second member of China’s dominant ethnic group to head the office responsible for minorities. ⌘ Read more
Resuming quarantine-free travel with mainland China to be top priority, Hong Kong’s incoming health minister says
Dr Lo Chung-mau says he intends to form anti-epidemic measures rooted in evidence to reconnect Hong Kong with mainland China and the wider world. ⌘ Read more
URA to spend HK$500 million renovating 4 older areas of Hong Kong, with focus on preventive maintenance of ageing buildings
Urban Renewal Authority to focus on Kowloon City, Yau Ma Tei, Mong Kok and Sham Shui Po, among other areas, over five years ⌘ Read more
Chinese President Xi Jinping says country has won an ‘overwhelming’ victory in corruption battle – but warns more work is needed to tackle problem
In a speech to the Politburo, Xi says he hopes that officials will not even by tempted by corrupt activities. ⌘ Read more
Germany plans for more coal amid Russia gas supply drop: ‘bitter but necessary’
Nation will try to compensate for gas reduction by increasing the burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel. ⌘ Read more
‘Lessons to be learned for Ukraine’: Dutch PM apologises to Bosnia peacekeepers
Mark Rutte apologised to Dutch UN peacekeepers overwhelmed in 1995 by Serb forces; veterans were right to ask, ‘where was the world?’. ⌘ Read more
Disappeared Chinese coal tycoon who took on top judge to hear appeal verdict
Case relates to judicial scandal involving lost court papers, a celebrity whistle-blower and a jailed judge who ruled on Zhao’s mining dispute with state firm. ⌘ Read more
Japan debates getting a nuclear submarine – but Kishida’s ‘not so sure’
Opposition parties have called for Japan to acquire the capability ‘to increase deterrence’ amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Chinese military assertiveness. ⌘ Read more
China scientists find a grain of hope in climate change rice research
Study identifies a pair of genes in the staple that could be tweaked to improve its tolerance to heat stress. ⌘ Read more
following legislation from the ELSC (european long site commission), I now have to adopt an ocelot
Hong Kong’s border control measures are not tenable, city should decide whether to fully reopen by end of year, Carrie Lam says
‘If the city is still sticking to the existing border control measures in the coming half-year, or by the end of this year, I will be a bit worried,’ Lam says. ⌘ Read more
From Australia to India, massive passenger demand sparks travel chaos
As borders reopen, travel has sprang back with such voracity that it’s resulted in an unprecedented labour crunch for the aviation industry. ⌘ Read more
Apple workers vote to form tech giant’s first-ever US union
It wasn’t the first time employees at an Apple store had tried to unionise, but it was the first attempt that resulted in a vote. ⌘ Read more
The chicken or the egg? It was probably Asian rice that domesticated the famous fowl
A new study argues that chickens were first domesticated in Thailand about 3,500 years ago thanks to environmental changes made by ancient rice farms. ⌘ Read more
China urges IMF to approve US$1.4 billion Zambia bailout, but told it must reach deal with other lenders
China is the African country’s biggest lender and is a key player in efforts to resolve its debt problems. ⌘ Read more
France faces chaos without me, Macron tells voters
The French president and his proxies took on an apocalyptic tone as the country heads to the polls for the second round of a parliamentary election. ⌘ Read more
Australia to get US-made nuclear submarines by 2030, opposition leader claims
Peter Dutton said on Sunday that the United States ‘would pull out every stop’ to support Australia acquiring nuclear submarines ‘as quickly as possible’. ⌘ Read more
Thailand’s looking to legalise same-sex unions, but will it embrace full marriage equality?
A bill that would legalise same-sex marriage won initial approval from Thai lawmakers this week despite opposition from the government, which wants civil partnerships for LGBT people instead. ⌘ Read more
Ukraine war ‘could take years’, Nato chief warns
The Nato chief’s comments came amid intensified Russian assaults after the EU recommended granting Ukraine candidate status to join the bloc. ⌘ Read more
Beijing approves Hong Kong Chief Executive-elect John Lee’s cabinet line-up
Long-time bureaucrat Eric Chan becomes chief secretary, Financial Secretary Paul Chan to stay in current post. ⌘ Read more
Malaysia wants to fight inflation with GST. Will it cost Ismail Sabri at the polls?
With more people needing financial aid, the Malaysian government is trying to widen its revenue sources to can boost social welfare, analysts say. ⌘ Read more
Wheelchair-friendly places and foster homes: father’s love conquers life of hard knocks for this Hong Kong family
Father of two Chris Cheng, 44, has muscular dystrophy and has to call on foster care to raise his sons, but still tries his best to remain a key part of their lives. ⌘ Read more
Australia’s China bias and colonial blinkers mean it fails to see big picture for Pacific islands’ development
Canberra had chosen symbolic gestures and feeble investments over more practical initiatives now being offered by Beijing to Pacific island nations. Australia must shed its colonial mindset and stop claiming to always have the moral high ground over China. ⌘ Read more
‘Find a sperm donor’: Chinese doctor shocked to find failed-pregnancy patient is married to son of her paternal aunt
A video of a college-educated patient who married her cousin and telling a doctor about a string of failed pregnancies sparks online debate. ⌘ Read more
From shoot-outs on Hong Kong streets to online scams raking in billions: police chief Raymond Siu digs into three decades of crime
Police chief remembers day he was called to robbery carried out by notorious ‘king of thieves’ Kai Yip. ⌘ Read more
Will Indonesia’s Jokowi start his own political party to cement his legacy?
The president’s lobby group Projo says it may register as a political party as talk swirls of officials mulling a constitutional change to allow third terms. ⌘ Read more
US, China talks in Luxembourg may set stage for Biden-Xi face-to-face summit
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Yang Jiechi met in Europe’s Luxembourg on Monday, the 4th in-person meeting of US-China officials in 15 months. ⌘ Read more
Health of Hong Kong’s poor is in the hands of the whole of society, not just the heathcare sector
Marked health inequalities exist in wealthy Hong Kong, and government intervention alone is not enough to address them. Civil society and businesses play a major role in the improvement of living and working conditions, thereby minimising illness and injury. ⌘ Read more
Warplanes hit Hamas sites in Gaza in retaliation to rocket fire, Israeli army says
On Saturday evening, Defence Minister Benny Gantz suspended an increase in Israeli entry permits for Gazan workers in response to the rocket fire. ⌘ Read more
Spain battles to bring fires under control as it swelters in heatwave
Dry and windy conditions have caused fires in several areas, with Zamora, near the border with Portugal, among the worst hit. ⌘ Read more
Defrocked Chilean priest sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually abusing minors
Oscar Munoz, 60, was sentenced by a criminal court in the capital Santiago. Pope Francis expelled Munoz from the church in 2019. ⌘ Read more
Ukraine plans to resume peace talks with Russia by August, officials say
The country will be in a better position to negotiate at that time, Kyiv’s chief negotiator, David Arakhamia, said in an interview with US broadcaster Voice of America. ⌘ Read more
Coronavirus: vaccine roll-out for American children under 5 close after CDC panel vote
US President Joe Biden’s administration plans to roll out the vaccines to the under-5 age groups as early as next week. ⌘ Read more
‘Bloodsicles’ and ice baths: How US zookeepers coax animals through heatwaves
Siberian tigers Yuri and Nikita at the Denver Zoo, who are supposed to mate, suffer most during Denver’s intensifying heatwaves. ⌘ Read more
Biden, China’s Xi ‘will talk’ says US president, weighing action on tariffs
Biden said he would be talking to Xi and was ‘in the process’ of making a decision about the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese imports. ⌘ Read more
US billionaire Warren Buffett’s last charity private lunch sees record US$19 million bid
A wealthy person has bid a whopping US$19 million to eat at a New York steakhouse with Warren Buffett, 91, in his last such auction for San Francisco charity Glide. ⌘ Read more
Beijing is likely to step up its campaign to ‘reunify’ with Taiwan, analysts say
Chance of an armed conflict is higher than five years ago as PLA ‘will soon be equipped with the tools needed’ to attack the island, analyst says. ⌘ Read more
Russia frees Ukraine medic who filmed Mariupol horror, saved both sides’ people
Yuliia Paievska, known as Taira, used a body camera to record her team’s efforts to save the wounded and was held captive for three months. President Zelensky said ‘we will keep working to free everyone’. ⌘ Read more
Boris sings out for Ukraine: UK PM Johnson says nation deserves to host Eurovision
British PM says Ukraine, winner of this year’s contest, ‘can have it’, ‘should have it’ in 2023. European Broadcasting Union has ruled the event cannot take place in the war-torn country, but its public broadcaster wants more negotiations. ⌘ Read more
Chinese disciplinary watchdog to investigate after bank protesters flagged as health risk
The Zhengzhou commission for discipline inspection says it has started a probe into why angry depositors found their health codes had suddenly turned red. ⌘ Read more
UK begins electronically tagging migrants coming via ‘unnecessary, dangerous routes’
The 12-month pilot scheme involves electronically tagging some people arriving on small boats or in the back of lorries. On Tuesday the European Court of Human Rights granted an injunction preventing the departure of a UK-chartered aircraft carrying asylum seekers to Rwanda. ⌘ Read more
Chinese President Xi Jinping warns against international decoupling in Russia speech
Xi address to the St Petersburg International Economic Forum also included warnings against decoupling and the use of sanctions. ⌘ Read more
Total recall: Chinese wife nurses stroke-stricken husband back from the brink using the power of love
Chinese social media falls in love with an elderly couple who battled together to overcome a terrible medical condition ⌘ Read more
The way we wed: How Indian brides are reinventing ceremonies to push for gender equality
Modern brides are doing away with practices such as looking sad as they leave their families, and changing their surnames after marriage. ⌘ Read more
Biden urges China, other major economies to step up climate action, as US and EU join global methane cuts pledge
China a notable absentee from 13 inaugural members of Global Methane Pledge Energy Pathway agreed upon at the forum. ⌘ Read more
‘My mum was a bit worried’: reality show idea to bring German mother-in-law to China to live with couple sparks national debate
A reality show situation where a couple in China suggested moving the German husband’s mother to live with them sparked a national debate. ⌘ Read more
China to tighten grip on social media comments, requiring sites to employ sufficient content moderators
The draft regulation demands platforms to employ a content moderation team commensurate with the scale of the services. ⌘ Read more
Oil-producing Gulf nations are pursuing greener energy. What does this mean for Asia?
Most of Asia’s electricity needs come from oil-producing Gulf nations, which are trying to position themselves as leaders in the development of green energy. ⌘ Read more
Coronavirus: 150 Hong Kong passengers in logistics nightmare after Amsterdam airport staff shortfall, tough quarantine rules in city leave them ‘scared, helpless and clueless’
Some 150 passengers lost their baggage in transit or had to scramble to rebook flights with Amsterdam route into the city hit by delays. ⌘ Read more
‘I need a room’: overseas Hong Kong students struggling to book quarantine hotels for summer return to city
Bulk of 66 quarantine hotels fully booked until end of July, while some hotels on new list of designated facilities only have availability from middle of August. ⌘ Read more
Handsome returns: China tourism official with ‘movie-star good looks’ becomes internet sensation after donning ancient costumes to promote home city
A Chinese tourism chief who combined his dashing good looks with role-play costume videos to woo visitors to his home city has become an online celebrity. ⌘ Read more
China’s Covid-19 health code system is ripe for abuse and must not outlast the pandemic
A recent scandal in Henan province that saw protesters issued bogus red health codes to restrict their movements shows how open the system is to misuse. ⌘ Read more
Google co-founder Sergey Brin seeks divorce from second wife Nicole Shanahan after 3 years of marriage
The world’s sixth-richest person filed a petition for dissolution of his marriage to Shanahan, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’. ⌘ Read more
Why Singapore may be edging closer to scrapping Section 377A criminalising gay sex – and what would happen if it did
Surveys show growing support for abolishing the colonial-era law that makes sex between men illegal, but other policies could be tightened to appease the city state’s conservatives if it is scrapped. ⌘ Read more
Gajim: Gajim 1.4.4
Gajim 1.4.4 comes with many improvements: emoji auto-complete, automatic theme switching when your desktop switches from light to dark in the evening, a completely reworked Gajim remote interface, and many bug fixes.
After many emoji improvements in Gajim 1.4.3, this version comes with an emoji auto-complete while writing messages! As soon as you start typing a :, a popover will show you available emoji shortcodes, just like on Slack or Github 🎉
 of meth. ⌘ Read more
TikTok moves US user data to Oracle servers amid concerns over China
The move comes as US media reports that such data was repeatedly accessed by China-based ByteDance staff, according to leaked audio from internal meetings. ⌘ Read more
Emmanuel Macron’s awkward moment with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky becomes internet meme
‘So much love and only six howitzers?’ In a widely shared image, the French president appears to be hugging his frosty Ukrainian counterpart – who is not reciprocating ⌘ Read more
How China inadvertently became the dominant power in Central Asia – and is radically reshaping the region
Central Asia sits at the heart of China’s foreign policy, not because of any expansionist ambitions but because it is an extension of domestic challenges in Xinjiang. To build a strong economic environment to support Xinjiang, Beijing has been transforming Central Asia through infrastructure projects. ⌘ Read more
New US Senate bill proposes expansion of Taiwan military aid
The legislation sends ‘a clear message to Beijing not to make the same mistakes with Taiwan that Vladimir Putin has made in Ukraine’, says one of its authors. ⌘ Read more
apparently we’re going to build AGI, whatever that is
How to play the first text adventure game… in style.
Everything you need for the ultimate Colossal Cave Adventure experience – including maps and walkthroughs. ⌘ Read more
Boris Johnson makes surprise Ukraine visit, says Russia taking heavy losses
The British PM pledged to train Ukrainian soldiers to use new military equipment with a programme that could ‘change the equation of this war’. ⌘ Read more
Incoming Hong Kong leader John Lee finalises cabinet line-up, submits list to Beijing for consideration
John Lee pledges to announce the list once it receives the green light from Beijing. ⌘ Read more
Chinese scientists want to build a powerful telescope to find dark matter
The ambitious project – known as VLAST – aims to achieve 10 times the sensitivity of Nasa’s Fermi Large Area Telescope, but it still needs government approval. ⌘ Read more
evopsych is confused by persistent conflict between mothers-in-law and spouses—don’t both want to maximize the number of children? i don’t see any conflict arising for evolutionary reasons
G20 to raise US$1.5 billion for global pandemic fund, host Indonesia says
The money will finance efforts such as surveillance, research, and better access to vaccination for lower-to-middle income countries, health officials said. About US$1.1 billion has been pledged so far. ⌘ Read more
Hong Kong Town Planning Board rejects proposal to switch 2 prime sites at former Kai Tak airport from commercial to housing use
Keeping the commercial plots would be good for the city’s long-term economic development, some board members said. ⌘ Read more
China, US gas trade increase could help lift relations from ‘worst in history’, ex-official says
Growing energy trade between China and the US could form a ‘community of shared interests’, according to Zou Ji, amid strained ties between Beijing and Washington. ⌘ Read more
NetEase’s new game Diablo Immortal banned from new posts on Weibo just a week before hotly-anticipated release
Diablo Immortal ’s Chinese version is due to be launched on PC, iOS and Android devices on June 23. ⌘ Read more
Malaysian lawyers’ ‘walk for judicial independence’ gets off on the wrong foot
Hundreds of lawyers, angry about ‘anti-corruption’ probe into judge who convicted former PM Najib Razak in 1MDB scandal, were unable to begin protest walk as police blocked two car park exits. ⌘ Read more
Climate change: Hong Kong government must step up efforts to develop EV charging infrastructure to meet 2050 carbon-neutral goal, panel hears
Hong Kong needs to inject greater urgency into efforts to develop electric-vehicle charging infrastructure to keep up with soaring sales and meet its 2050 carbon-neutrality goal. ⌘ Read more
Tesla’s Elon Musk sued by investor in ‘toxic’ workplace discrimination accusation
The lawsuit accuses the defendants – Musk, 11 Tesla board members and the company – of failing to address and remedy the red flags concerning internal reports of discrimination and harassment. ⌘ Read more
Hong Kong Palace Museum previews opening shows featuring national treasures loaned by Beijing
Ahead of its opening to the public on July 2, the US$450 million museum gives a preview of three of its nine inaugural exhibitions, including national treasures loaned by the Palace Museum in Beijing. ⌘ Read more
Candidates running for Hong Kong arts body will need to get nominations from powerful Election Committee to ensure ‘national security elements’ addressed
Change will bring the Arts Development Council poll in line with others held under Beijing’s ‘patriots-only’ electoral shake-up, the Home Affairs Bureau says. ⌘ Read more
China hit by floods, heatwaves and a tornado, with more weather misery on the way
Severe storm and flooding alerts go out in seven southern regions, with central and northern China to see extreme heat continuing into next week. ⌘ Read more
China must ‘optimise’ zero-Covid policy or firms will be ‘unwilling to invest’, says ex-finance minister
China’s former finance minister Lou Jiwei says Beijing must fine-tune its response to the latest Omicron outbreak to restore investor confidence and arrest flagging economic growth. ⌘ Read more
South Korea’s BTS band break taboos but are seen by many as doing more abroad to battle discrimination than at home. Why?
The group is often criticised for speaking out more overseas than in their own country, but supporters say the seven are constrained by a conservative society and managers’ ‘fear’ of repercussions. ⌘ Read more
EU backs Ukraine’s membership bid as war brings huge historic shift
Ukraine EU candidacy signals major change in European geopolitics – ‘Europe can create a new history of freedom’ President Volodymyr Zelensky says. Leaders of EU countries are expected to endorse the decision at a summit next week. ⌘ Read more
Chinese President Xi Jinping to host virtual BRICS summit
The event takes place in the shadow of Russia’s war in Ukraine and Moscow is keen to develop links with other emerging economies after being hit by sanctions. ⌘ Read more
Hong Kong protests: provision deeming zip ties ‘fit for unlawful purposes’ can be interpreted broadly, prosecutor argues in top court
People can be caught for carrying a pen to forge signatures, senior prosecutor argues. ⌘ Read more
Unlocking Students Full Potential
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There is a widespread belief that educational systems should empower students with skills and competencies to cope with a constantly changing world, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, collaborative skills, digital literacy, adaptability, etc. How best to develop those skills has been a hot topic recently, particularly which teaching and learning approaches are best for fac … ⌘ Read more