Your Car is Spying on You MORE than Smart Home Devices and Cell Phones
USA - Reviewers at the Mozilla Foundation published a Privacy Report yesterday (9/6/2023) on cars, and they concluded: All 25 car brands we researched earned our *Privacy Not Included warning label — making cars the official worst category of products for privacy that we have ever reviewed. They stated in their review that car companies have many more data-collecting opportunities than other products and apps people use, more than even smart devices in homes or the cell phones people take wherever they go.
The ways that car companies collect and share your data are so vast and complicated that we wrote an entire piece on how that works. The gist is: they can collect super intimate information about you — from your medical information, your genetic information, to your “sex life” (seriously), to how fast you drive, where you drive, and what songs you play in your car — in huge quantities. They then use it to invent more data about you through “inferences” about things like your intelligence, abilities, and interests.
It is getting more and more difficult to look up useful information on Internet searches about when older vehicles from these car companies began to be connected to the Internet and have GPS tracking capabilities. I researched this about a year ago when I recommended to someone which year to purchase a certain model to avoid Internet connections and tracking, but that information today is much more difficult to find now.
Broken Britain: What Went Wrong?
UK - The school-roofs issue could be regarded as urgent yet manageable. But to a lot of the public, it seems as if the country is falling apart. The NHS is shambolic: its waiting list now includes 13 per cent of England’s adult population. The sewage system is inadequate, with rivers and coastlines full of effluents. Trains are expensive and overcrowded. Airports descend into chaos at the slightest glitch in air traffic control software.
A recent poll by Lord Ashcroft found that 58 per cent of 2019 Tory voters agreed with the statement ‘Britain is broken – people are getting poorer, nothing seems to work properly’. In the lead-up to the next election, even the party’s supporters are going to be asking the Tories why the country appears to be in ruins. So far, there’s little evidence of a coherent response.
Theresa May used her final days in office to push through a legal commitment to net-zero carbon emission by 2050 – the most expensive pledge any UK prime minister has ever taken. In her recent memoir, May writes that this commitment is one of her proudest achievements: a binding target with massive costs, ushered in with minimal consultation, and without the slightest clue as to where future governments might find the money.
'Bankrupt' Birmingham
UK - Birmingham City Council made a series of costly expenditures before it was forced to declare itself 'effectively bankrupt', it has emerged. The council spent millions on a botched IT system and spent another £184 million on its costly bid to stage the Commonwealth Games. It raked in close to £90 million from its controversial Clean Air Zone - only to pump more than £50 million back into hydrogen buses and cycle lanes. Other costs include a £13 million investment in the 2026 European Athletics Championship, as well as unrevealed outlays on a series of 'inclusive' street signs and an ambitious 'Green roads' plan.
The spending exacerbated financial issues at the council, with one former executive revealing today he had urged council bosses not to divert attention away from its money woes by bidding for the Commonwealth Games and other ambitious plans.
Speaking to MailOnline, locals slammed the council for its spending on 'vanity projects', as they hit out at spiralling violence in the city, as well as issues over services such as bin collecting. The debt-ridden council, the largest in Europe, now faces a huge shortfall of £87 million after it saw costs of its troubled Oracle IT system balloon from £13 million to up to £100 million. On Tuesday, chiefs were forced to declare the council effectively bankrupt after also being hit by a £760 million bill over equal pay claims.
The English councils that have gone 'bankrupt'
UK - Birmingham City Council this week became the latest authority to declare itself effectively bankrupt - following on from five others in just five years. In a statement, the town hall confirmed it had issued the declaration that it cannot balance its books. The scandal echoed similar budget fiascos which have seen authorities in Northampton, Croydon, Thurrock, Woking and Slough declare bankruptcy since 2018. Before that the last one to run out of money was Hackney in 2000.
Birmingham's financial demise comes after dire warnings that dozens of other English authorities could soon follow suit, with worrying figures suggesting at least 30 per cent of councils in some of the poorest areas of the country are considering declaring effective bankruptcy this year or next.
Last week it was revealed a survey of 47 councils in the north, the midlands and on the south coast were facing overwhelming strain on finances - with five in the process of deciding whether to issue a section 114 notice of their inability to balance their annual budget in 2023-24.
Meanwhile, a further nine local authorities which are members of the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities (Sigoma) said they may have to declare bankruptcy next year. Sigoma claimed it was the first time so many member councils were considering issuing a section 114 notice, which freezes all non-essential spending.
Germany’s war budget
GERMANY - The 2024 German federal budget, which Finance Minister Christian Lindner (Free Democratic Party — FDP) introduced in parliament on Tuesday, is a war budget in two respects: It plans record spending for waging war and for rearmament, and it declares war on the working class by slashing social spending. If the government coalition has its way, Germany will spend €85.5 billion for military purposes next year, the highest sum since the end of the Second World War. That is more than the military expenditure of any other European country, including Russia. Germany is thus to be built up as the leading military power in Europe.
Germany to acquire hypersonic anti-ballistic missile system
GERMANY - In mid-August, the Israeli Defence Ministry announced it had received permission from the US to sell the Arrow 3 missile defence system to Germany. The procurement of the system by the German Defence Ministry still has to be confirmed by the parliaments of both countries, but this is considered a formality, according to observers. The German parliament’s budget and defence committees already approved the purchase in June. The move has far-reaching military and geo-strategic implications. According to the German air force, Arrow 3 could be operational as early as 2025. Surrounding the new acquisition is discussion of preparations for nuclear war. The system consists of mobile missile units with a range of up to 2,400 kilometres and three radar systems. Deployed in Germany, Arrow 3 would cover all of Europe, including Moscow and Crimea, as well as half of Turkey and parts of Algeria and Libya. The projectile reaches more than ten times the speed of sound, can engage missiles at altitudes of up to 100 kilometres and can also be used against satellites.
I Left Out the Full Truth to Get My Climate Change Paper Published
USA - I just got published in Nature because I stuck to a narrative I knew the editors would like. That’s not the way science should work. If you’ve been reading any news about wildfires this summer — from Canada to Europe to Maui — you will surely get the impression that they are mostly the result of climate change.
- Here’s the AP: Climate change keeps making wildfires and smoke worse. Scientists call it the “new abnormal.”
- And PBS NewsHour: Wildfires driven by climate change are on the rise — Spain must do more to prepare, experts say.
- And The New York Times: How Climate Change Turned Lush Hawaii Into a Tinderbox.
- And Bloomberg: Maui Fires Show Climate Change’s Ugly Reach.
I am a climate scientist. And while climate change is an important factor affecting wildfires over many parts of the world, it isn’t close to the only factor that deserves our sole focus. So why does the press focus so intently on climate change as the root cause? Perhaps for the same reasons I just did in an academic paper about wildfires in Nature, one of the world’s most prestigious journals: it fits a simple storyline that rewards the person telling it.
This type of framing, with the influence of climate change unrealistically considered in isolation, is the norm for high-profile research papers. For example, in another recent influential Nature paper, scientists calculated that the two largest climate change impacts on society are deaths related to extreme heat and damage to agriculture. However, the authors never mention that climate change is not the dominant driver for either one of these impacts: heat-related deaths have been declining, and crop yields have been increasing for decades despite climate change. To acknowledge this would imply that the world has succeeded in some areas despite climate change — which, the thinking goes, would undermine the motivation for emissions reductions.
Saudis establish Global Water Organization
SAUDI ARABIA - Saudi Arabia has launched an international body that will fund and promote water sustainability projects in developing nations. Riyadh warned that world water consumption is set to double in the coming decades. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the initiative on Monday, with the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) noting that the new Riyadh-based Global Water Organization plans to “exchange expertise, advance technology, foster innovation, and share research and development experiences” in the fields of water and sanitation. According to findings by the United Nations published in March, around 2 billion people currently lack access to safe drinking water – or 26% of the world’s population – while between 2 to 3 billion face water scarcity for at least one month out of the year. Another 3.6 billion do not enjoy proper sanitation services, the UN said, warning the problems will only worsen in the future with “the growing incidence of extreme and prolonged droughts.”
Germany Harbors Growing Far-Right Currents
GERMANY - As evening fell on a recent Monday in this eastern German city of Gothic spires and Renaissance museums, hundreds of protesters began to gather, just as they have nearly every Monday for at least two years. They carried banners calling for Germany to leave the European Union and cheered speakers who demanded that the nearby border with Poland be shut. They are angry about migrants settling in their communities and inflation squeezing their pensions. They oppose arming Ukraine and say Russian President Vladimir Putin has been unfairly maligned.
This is Germany’s rising far right, a movement gaining steam, particularly in the country’s formerly Communist east. The rise shows Germany’s Nazi past is no longer deterring voters from embracing far-right populism. It is also remarkable because while other nativist groups in Europe have become more moderate to broaden their appeal, the AfD has grown more radical, causing alarm among security authorities who see parts of it as potentially hostile to the country’s democratic order.Despite some successes at local elections, it is unlikely the AfD, founded in 2013, could rise to power nationally because the electoral system favors ruling coalitions and all other parties have pledged never to join it in government. Yet it could gain enough votes to make Germany harder to govern. Germany’s current government, the first three-party coalition in the country’s postwar history, is already struggling to govern because of the limited political overlap between the three parties, and its ratings have collapsed since it took office.
An impeachment inquiry looms
USA - The signals coming from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are that his Republican majority will soon launch a formal impeachment investigation. The final decision hasn’t been announced — and an investigation is still a far cry from a full House vote. But setting up an impeachment committee is an essential first step. Most of his caucus wants to take it. Most, but not all. The reservations of some Republicans and the calculations behind them are why McCarthy has moved slowly. The speaker’s problem is more than rounding up votes. The other problem is the investigation carries real risks…
The biggest benefit is a technical, legal one. It gives House investigators the power to compel testimony and documents from all Executive Branch agencies, even the most reluctant, as well as private parties.
Current investigations might have fallen short for two reasons, and we don’t know which is decisive. There might not be sufficient evidence (the Democrats’ answer) or the evidence might have been suppressed by the White House, DoJ and other executive agencies (the Republicans’ response). An impeachment hearing would remove most of the obstacles. That, plus the damaging findings already uncovered, are why Chairman Comer is signaling the move is “imminent.”
Despite these political advantages, there are good reasons why Speaker McCarthy has been cautious. First, he knows a high-profile investigation could alienate independent voters if it doesn’t turn up compelling evidence. Without that evidence, however, the entire effort will seem like a costly distraction, motivated by Republican revenge.
The Saudis will have a say in US elections
USA - Saudi Arabia's extension of oil production cuts until the end of 2023 or longer helps ensure energy prices will become an election 2024 battleground. Why it matters: US gasoline prices, which have been on the rise, are closely tethered to global oil prices. Meanwhile, the presidential campaign season is heating up — and voters already give the White House low marks on the economy. If sustained, "crude price strength could weigh on President Joe Biden's re-election bid," ClearView Energy Partners said in a note.
Catch up fast: The kingdom said Tuesday morning it's keeping the current reduction of 1 million barrels per day (bpd) in place for another three months, subject to monthly review. Russia, meanwhile, extended its 300,000 bpd export cut for the same time.
Driving the news: Tuesday's news helped push Brent crude prices above $90 per barrel, their highest since November 2022. What they're saying: "These bullish moves significantly tighten the global oil market and can only result in one thing: higher oil prices worldwide," Rystad Energy analyst Jorge Leon said in a note. The bottom line: Markets and politics are never far apart.
ALEX BRUMMER: Our flawed Saudi friends are helping to fuel Putin's war machine
SAUDI ARABIA - The reason Saudi wealth funds are on the rampage, buying everything from stakes in Spain’s Telefonica (owners of the O2 network) to world golf through LIV, is because they are gloriously endowed. The Saudis are engaged in an enormous wealth transfer from motorists and other oil consumers in the West to Middle Eastern potentates and Russia. Left to market dynamics the oil price should be on a downward projection.
A combination of a G7 cap mechanism on payment for Russian oil, a softening Chinese economy and slowing Western economies, as normalised interest rates take hold, was meant to keep global oil prices low. It isn’t happening like that. Motorists filling up this week are experiencing a 7p to 8p price rise on the forecourts after Brent crude zipped up from $78 per barrel in mid-July to $90. Some on Wall Street are girding their loins for $120 a barrel.
And who is responsible for this kink in the market which could unleash fresh inflation? None other than our Saudi pals, who have extended a 1 million barrel a day reduction in pumping oil for a further three months, enriching the Gulf states and making a nonsense of the West’s efforts to battle against Russian returns on its oil exports. It is a gift to Putin’s war machine. With friends like these, who needs enemies?
Scientists grow artificial embryo
ISRAEL - Scientists have grown an entity very close to a human embryo — without using sperm, eggs or a womb. The embryo even released enough of the hormone pregnant women produce that turns a pregnancy test positive, resulting in a positive test result in the lab. Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel made the complete models of human embryos from stem cells generated in the lab after building on previous research where they had made mouse embryos.
The researchers' aim is to be able to ethically study what happens in the very early stages of a pregnancy without experimenting with real human embryos. The model developed by the team is a cluster of cells that cannot grow into a person. The artificial embryo model had all of the elements a 14-day human embryo would be expected to have, including the placenta, yolk sac, membranes and other external tissues.
Many miscarriages and birth defects occur in this early period, but currently, little is understood about it. Professor Jacob Hanna, who led the research team, said: 'The drama is in the first month; the remaining eight months of pregnancy are mainly lots of growth.' 'That first month is still largely a black box. Our stem cell–derived human embryo model offers an ethical and accessible way of peering into this box.'
The household appliances spying on YOU
UK - Everyday devices like smart speakers, doorbell cameras, TVs and even washing machines are spying on families, it has been revealed. Research shows that standard household amenities are capturing and sharing private information with big tech firms such as Google, as well as Amazon, Facebook and TikTok. It is believed the firms and their business partners are using the information to target people with advertising on smartphones and other devices. The findings by Which? found companies appear to gather far more data than is needed for the product to function. Google Nest smart home products, which include security cameras, smart speakers, doorbell cameras, heating control systems, gather a huge amount of location information on people who connect via smartphones using its Android operating system.
Japan joins race to Moon
JAPAN - The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully launched a lunar exploration craft aboard a domestically produced rocket, and aims to make a precision landing on the Moon by next February. An H-IIA rocket took off from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center on Thursday, releasing the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) for its several-month voyage to the lunar surface, according to JAXA. Though the $100 million mission got off to a rocky start, with three postponements last month due to poor weather, JAXA noted that the rocket “flew as planned” during Thursday’s launch.
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The views expressed in this section are not our own, unless specifically stated, but are provided to highlight what may prove to be prophetically relevant material appearing in the media.
