Aon to restore most salaries cut by COVID-19 pandemic — and pay employees back what they gave up

Two months after cutting pay for most employees by 20% in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Aon is restoring their salaries, repaying them for what they gave up -- and adding a bonus. The global insurance giant announced Tuesday it was ending most of those salary reductions, in part because the likelihood of a worst-case macroeconomic outcome had “decreased significantly” since the pay ...
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/finance/companies/aon-to-restore-most-salaries-cut-by-covid-19-pandemic-e2-80-94-and-pay-employees-back-what-they-gave-up/ar-BB169Rvq?source=Snapzu

Oxitec wins approval to release GMO mosquitoes in US

Oxitec has received state and federal approval to release genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes in a pilot project planned for the Florida Keys now through 2022. The research is intended to show that GM mosquitoes are a viable alternative to spraying insecticides in a bid to control the invasive Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads Zika, dengue, yellow fever and other diseases.
Read more: https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2020/06/oxitec-wins-approval-to-release-gmo-mosquitoes-in-us/?source=Snapzu

Shooting of Zimbabwe workers by Chinese mine owner shows 'systemic' abuse, watchdog says

The shooting of two Zimbabwean workers by a Chinese boss shows the "systematic and widespread" abuse that locals face in Chinese mining operations, says the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Society (ZELA). In a court affidavit, police said Zhang Xuen shot an employee five times and wounded another at the mine he runs in Gweru province, in central Zimbabwe, during a row with workers over outstanding pay.
Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/27/africa/zimbabwe-mine-shooting-intl/index.html?source=Snapzu

A Starbucks barista received nearly $80,000 in tips after being singled out for refusing to serve a customer not wearing a mask

A Starbucks barista who was publicly shamed by a customer after asking her to wear a face mask has received nearly $80,000 in virtual tips after a Facebook post that criticized him went viral. Lenin Gutierrez, 24, was working his usual shift at a San Diego Starbucks on a Monday morning when a woman -- who was not wearing a mask -- walked in and attempted to place an order, he told CNN.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/28/us/starbucks-barista-mask-amber-lynn-gilles-trnd/index.html?source=Snapzu

Apple honors eight developers with annual Apple Design Awards

Apple today named eight app and game developers receiving an Apple Design Award, each one selected for being thoughtful and creative. Apple Design Award winners bring distinctive new ideas to life and demonstrate deep mastery of Apple technology. The apps spring up from developers large and small, in every part of the world, and provide users with new ways of working, creating, and playing.
Read more: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/06/apple-honors-eight-developers-with-annual-apple-design-awards/?source=Snapzu

California Police Are Using Copyright to Hide Surveillance Documents

California police are refusing to release documents about the surveillance technology it uses, despite a new law that requires their release.
Read more: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/5dzdqq/california-police-are-using-copyright-to-hide-surveillance-documents?source=Snapzu

Gilead's coronavirus treatment remdesivir to cost $3,120 per U.S. patient with private insurance

Gilead Sciences announced Monday the much-anticipated pricing for its coronavirus treatment remdesivir, saying it will cost hospitals $3,120 for a typical U.S. patient with commercial insurance. The company announced its pricing plans in preparation for it to begin charging for the antiviral drug in July. The company has been donating doses to the U.S. government for distribution since it received emergency use authorization in May.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/29/gileads-coronavirus-treatment-remdesivir-to-cost-3120-for-us-insured-patients.html?source=Snapzu

Reddit bans The_Donald forum as part of major hate speech purge

The message board has been a longtime hub for supporters of President Trump.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/reddit-bans-the_donald-forum-as-part-of-major-hate-speech-purge-fbc8a185-0f81-402a-8629-08bec50be4f9.html?source=Snapzu

Cheddar empire: Rise of a cheese superpower

How a tangy, mellow cheese developed in the English countryside more than 200 years ago became loved around the world
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/cheddar-cheese-history/index.html?source=Snapzu

The chicken first crossed the road in Southeast Asia, ‘landmark’ gene study finds

Domestication of world's most common farm animal had been debated since Charles Darwin
Read more: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/chicken-first-crossed-road-southeast-asia-landmark-gene-study-finds?source=Snapzu

The richest man who ever lived

West African king Mansa Musa had more wealth than the Forbes' five richest billionaires combined.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47379458?source=Snapzu

Why the American Consumer Has Fewer Choices—Maybe for Good

“We may not need 40 different choices of toilet paper.” U.S. companies spent the past decades trying to please everyone. The pandemic made that impossible, and now some no longer plan to try.
Read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-the-american-consumer-has-fewer-choicesmaybe-for-good-11593230443?source=Snapzu

A Scheme of Heaven is a deep investigation of astrology from a scientist’s perspective

Why is astrology considered unscientific, while economics—which also uses complex mathematical formulas to 'predict' the future—is regarded as a perfectly respectable field of study, despite its many failed forecasts?
Read more: https://boingboing.net/2020/06/26/a-scheme-of-heaven-is-a-deep-i.html?source=Snapzu

Italy for 1st time sees single-digit daily deaths from coronavirus

Italy on Saturday reported eight more novel coronavirus-related fatalities – the lowest daily rise since the beginning of the outbreak in early March – bringing the country's death toll to 34,716. The record low in daily deaths, however, contrasts with news of new clusters that recently emerged across the country, from north to south. Authorities and experts worry that the start of the summer season, with huge crowds of Italians traveling to holiday sites, could spark a second wave of contagion.
Read more: https://www.dailysabah.com/world/europe/italy-for-1st-time-sees-single-digit-daily-deaths-from-coronavirus?source=Snapzu

New polymer easily captures gold extracted from e-waste

One thing holding back e-waste recycling is the actual recycling process itself. We need cheaper, safer, cleaner, or more effective methods of separating and recovering the valuable elements from electronics before we can make the whole endeavor more attractive and profitable. Some current methods use large amounts of energy to melt components down, but chemistry could provide some tempting alternatives.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/06/new-polymer-easily-captures-gold-extracted-from-e-waste/?source=Snapzu

Why Pro-Police Is Racism: Systemic Racism in America

Recently, I saw a friend post an alarming pro-Police copypasta and say that “White Privilege” isn’t real. In response, I have written an essay that addresses Systemic Racism that I think everyone can benefit from. You will find the text of the copy pasta and my rebuttal including sources for my claims below. This is long but I implore you to be an active participant in the discourse.
Read more: https://medium.com/@madisonjiongo/why-pro-police-is-racism-systemic-racism-in-america-90d49603807c?source=Snapzu

An embattled group of leakers picks up the WikiLeaks mantle

For the past year, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has sat in a London jail awaiting extradition to the US. This week, the US Justice Department piled on yet more hacking conspiracy allegations against him, all related to his decade-plus at the helm of an organization that exposed reams of government and corporate secrets to the public. But in Assange's absence, another group has picked up where WikiLeaks left off—and is also picking new fights.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/06/an-embattled-group-of-leakers-picks-up-the-wikileaks-mantle/?source=Snapzu

Brazil's Fake News Bill Would Dismantle Crucial Rights Online and is on a Fast Track to Become Law

Despite widespread complaints about its effects on free expression and privacy, Brazilian Congress is moving forward in its attempts to hastily approve a "Fake News" bill.
Read more: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/06/current-brazils-fake-news-bill-would-dismantle-crucial-rights-online-and-fast?source=Snapzu

Your Personal Data Is Worth Money, and Andrew Yang Wants to Get You Paid

Contact tracing has been a somewhat controversial tool for fighting coronavirus in the US. American consumers wanted privacy to be preserved, so Apple and Google set about devising an API that could help track potential Covid-19 outbreaks while keeping users’ identities anonymous. But what many of us seemed to forget during conversations about contact tracing is that we’re already living under a digital microscope, with multiple companies following and recording our every move.
Read more: https://singularityhub.com/2020/06/28/your-personal-data-is-worth-money-and-andrew-yang-wants-to-get-you-paid/?source=Snapzu

Is It Legal for Cops to Force You to Unlock Your Phone?

Because the relevant Supreme Court precedents predate the smartphone era, the courts are divided on how to apply the Fifth Amendment.
Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/is-it-legal-for-cops-to-force-you-to-unlock-your-phone/?source=Snapzu

Mark Zuckerberg has $7 billion wiped off his fortune as Coca-Cola halts all social media advertising for 30 days

A boycott of Facebook by major advertisers is hammering the social media giant's stock price and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg's personal fortune. Zuckerberg's net wealth is down by $7.21 billion as of Saturday, while Facebook's share price dropped more than 8% at the close of Friday trading, as the ad boycott snowballs.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-worth-craters-coca-cola-boycott-ads-2020-6?source=Snapzu

U.S. likely regained 3 million jobs in June, but coronavirus flareups hamper recovery

Investors already got fooled once after several million people returned to work in May. They might get fooled again in June, but they worry the next surprise won’t be so pleasant. Wall Street DJIA, -2.83% predicts the U.S. regained an additional 3 million jobs in June, with forecasts going as high as 8 million.
Read more: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-likely-regained-3-million-jobs-in-june-but-coronavirus-flareups-hamper-recovery-2020-06-27?source=Snapzu

Mars mission would put China among space leaders

Tianwen-1, a “quest for heavenly truth,” aims for a orbiter-lander-rover trifecta
Read more: https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/mars-mission-would-put-china-among-space-leaders?source=Snapzu

A Judge Ordered ICE To Release Immigrant Children Over Coronavirus Concerns

Citing COVID-19 concerns, a federal judge ordered US officials on Friday to release immigrant children detained at facilities for families by July 17. "The [family residential centers] are 'on fire' and there is no more time for half measures," US District Judge Dolly Gee wrote.
Read more: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adolfoflores/judge-orders-immigrant-children-released-over-covid-fears?source=Snapzu

Sexual violence as a weapon of war

Sexual violence and mass rape have long been used as a weapon of war. It is not only the victims and survivors who suffer trauma - an entire generation of men, women and children are affected. All too often, the perpetrators remain unpunished.
Read more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQLMQ2Q9_I8?source=Snapzu

Cotton fields could soon be pink, black or gold, thanks to CSIRO breakthrough

A few dozen petri dishes in a high-tech greenhouse in Canberra hold the potential to transform the global textiles industry. They contain plant tissue, which within days will grow into cotton plants: not standard, everyday white cotton, but ones with a dazzling array of colours.
Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-27/csiro-scientists-grow-coloured-cotton/12395250?source=Snapzu

Charles Webb, who inspired a Hollywood classic with 'The Graduate,' dies at 81

The first $20,000 went quickly. Charles Webb simply just gave it all away, along with the VIP passes for the premiere of “The Graduate,” the soon-to-be Hollywood classic based on his book. Though Webb kept on writing — sometimes to acclaim, sometimes not — he lived in poverty, a life choice he made by giving away his earnings, his inheritance and the occasional house he bought. After giving away the $20,000 he received for the film rights to “The Graduate,” he gave the copyright for the novel to the Anti-Defamation League, only because he admired the group’s work.
Read more: https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2020-06-26/charles-webb-the-graduate-dies?source=Snapzu

Major Automakers Choose Not To Back Trump On Fuel Economy Standards Rollback

The Trump administration wants to require automakers to improve fuel economy standards by only about 1.5% per year, less than the previously required roughly 5% per year. An influential group of automakers won't take a side but wants a say.
Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottcarpenter/2020/06/26/major-automakers-choose-not-to-back-trump-on-fuel-economy-standards-rollback/#797e463b34f9?source=Snapzu

Europe will bar Americans traveling from the US as the coronavirus pandemic spirals out of control in the states

European Union officials confirmed on Friday that the EU would bar American travelers when it reopens its external borders on July 1, The New York Times reported. The US is among dozens of countries deemed too risky because their coronavirus outbreaks are poorly contained, according to The Times.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/europe-travel-ban-americans-eu-coronavirus-final-2020-6?source=Snapzu

This may be America's first known wrongful arrest involving facial recognition

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed an administrative complaint with Detroit's police department over what the advocacy organization claims is the country's first known wrongful arrest involving facial-recognition technology.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/24/tech/aclu-mistaken-facial-recognition/index.html?source=Snapzu

Special Report: As world approaches 10 million coronavirus cases, doctors see hope in new treatments

Dr. Gopi Patel recalls how powerless she felt when New York's Mount Sinai Hospital overflowed with COVID-19 patients in March.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-lessons-special-re/special-report-as-world-approaches-10-million-coronavirus-cases-doctors-see-hope-in-new-treatments-idUSKBN23X1I5?source=Snapzu

Forget UBI, says an economist: It's time for universal basic jobs

Pavlina Tcherneva talks about "The Case for a Job Guarantee," and how public-sector work can pull us out of crises both immediate and long-term.
Read more: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2020-06-24/forget-ubi-says-an-economist-its-time-for-universal-basic-jobs?source=Snapzu

Satellites reveal major new gas industry methane leaks

Last fall, European Space Agency satellites detected huge plumes of the invisible planet-warming gas methane leaking from the Yamal pipeline that carries natural gas from Siberia to Europe.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-methane-satellites-insi/satellites-reveal-major-new-gas-industry-methane-leaks-idUSKBN23W3K4?source=Snapzu

Op-Ed: Those who exercise free speech should also defend it — even when it's offensive

People love to claim the 1st Amendment to protect speech they favor, but resist similar safeguards for expression they dislike.
Read more: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-06-19/protests-free-speech-first-amendment?source=Snapzu

New DNA Analysis Reveals Ancient Scythian Warrior Was a 13-Year-Old Girl

In a time of ancient gods, warriors and kings, the tale of a tribe of warrior women was established in Greek mythology. Said to be daughters of the gods, these fierce female fighters from Asia Minor have caught people's imaginations for centuries and
Read more: https://www.sciencealert.com/new-dna-analysis-reveals-an-ancient-scythian-warrior-was-a-13-year-old-girl?source=Snapzu

Views of Homosexuality Around the World

Despite major changes in LGBT rights around the world, acceptance of homosexuality remains sharply divided by country, region and economic development.
Read more: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/06/25/global-divide-on-homosexuality-persists/?source=Snapzu

Facebook announces new hate speech and misinformation policies amid advertiser revolt

Announcement came after Unilever said it would join 100 other companies in pulling ads from platform over hate speech policies
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jun/26/facebook-policies-hate-speech-advertisers-unilever?source=Snapzu

Russian Criminal Group Finds New Target: Americans Working at Home

A hacking group calling itself Evil Corp., indicted in December, has shown up in corporate networks with sophisticated ransomware. American officials worry election infrastructure could be next.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/us/politics/russia-ransomware-coronavirus-work-home.html?source=Snapzu

Farewell to privacy: Lindsay Graham unveils a bill that would make encryption useless

The LAED Act "[mis]understands how encryption works. You can't create a backdoor just for 'good guys,'" one expert tells Salon.
Read more: https://www.salon.com/2020/06/25/farewell-to-privacy-lindsay-graham-unveils-a-bill-that-would-make-encryption-useless/?source=Snapzu

Barr’s Interest in Google Antitrust Case Keeps It Moving Swiftly

Attorney General William Barr’s attention to the Justice Department investigation shows the high stakes for the agency and for him.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/technology/barr-google-investigation.html?partner=IFTTT?source=Snapzu

Twitter not liable in Devin Nunes’ beef with cow account, judge rules

The judge reviewing the case found defamation claim to be a load of bull.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/06/twitter-not-liable-in-devin-nunes-beef-with-cow-account-judge-rules/?source=Snapzu

Amazon Workers Urge Bezos to Match His Words on Race With Actions

From racist graffiti to missed promotions, employees say a “systemic pattern of racial bias” permeates the company.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/24/technology/amazon-racial-inequality.html?source=Snapzu

NASA Names Headquarters After ‘Hidden Figure’ Mary W. Jackson

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced Wednesday the agency’s headquarters building in Washington, D.C., will be named after Mary W. Jackson, the first African American female engineer at NASA.
Read more: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-names-headquarters-after-hidden-figure-mary-w-jackson?source=Snapzu

Facebook's new Fact-Checking policies have carved out an exemption for climate deniers

A "conservative" Facebook employee quietly intervened, overturning the fact check, and the misinformation was no longer labeled as false. Facebook will consider it "opinion" and therefore immune to fact-checking.
Read more: https://boingboing.net/2020/06/25/facebooks-new-fact-checking.html?source=Snapzu

Tanzanian miner becomes overnight millionaire

Saniniu Laizer sold two Tanzanite stones, with a combined weight of 15kg, for £2.4m.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53148612?source=Snapzu

Republicans push bill requiring tech companies to help access encrypted data

The proposed legislation is Congress' latest attempt to weaken encryption from tech giants.
Read more: https://www.cnet.com/news/republicans-push-bill-requiring-tech-companies-to-help-access-encrypted-data/?source=Snapzu

Europe's job retention schemes have created 9 million 'zombie jobs,' analyst warns

Europe's "blanket job-retention schemes" mean that around 9 million workers risk becoming unemployed in 2021, according to asset management firm Allianz.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/23/zombie-jobs-9-million-jobs-at-risk-in-europe-after-support-schemes.html?source=Snapzu

Fauci gives Congress COVID-19 warning

Anthony Fauci, the administration’s top infectious disease doctor, told a House panel on Tuesday that rising U.S.
Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/504197-fauci-gives-congress-covid-19-warning??source=Snapzu

Xi plays tough, but can China afford to make an enemy of India?

The brutal ambush in the Himalayas is the latest aggressive move from Beijing by a nation battling crises on several fronts
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/21/xi-plays-tough-but-can-china-afford-to-make-an-enemy-of-india?source=Snapzu

Facebook accused of trying to bypass GDPR, slurp domain owners' personal Whois info via an obscure process

Antisocial network floods registrars with unjustified data requests
Read more: https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/23/facebook_gdpr_workaround/?source=Snapzu