Russia Against Gospel; Why the Transgender Rush?; Partnering with the Spread of the AI; Team Nano - Assemble!; EU Map; It's Russia's Syria Now; and Amphibious Centipede

Society

Proposed law in Russia would ban proselytizing washingtontimes

Should the new law go into effect, citizens wishing to share their faith will have to “secure a government permit through a registered religious organization, and they cannot evangelize anywhere besides churches and other religious sites,” according to the evangelical Christian magazine. “The restrictions even apply to activity in private residences and online.”

Also see Russia's Proposed Law: No Evangelizing Outside of Church

Ponar Tunnel; Egypt Talks Palestinian State; Turkey's Bonds Lossened; Pinched Supply Route; (Questionably) Smart Billboards; Emotional, Robotic Bonding; Rise of Virtual Humans; Grandma's Driverless Car; Parent's Cross; Christians Unwelcome; Oh Person!; and Methodists Keep Pushing Down

Isreal

Famous Holocaust escape tunnel located in Lithuania using hi-tech jpost

For the first time since the end of World War II, the famous tunnel dug by Jewish prisoners of Ponar, near Vilnius in Lithuania, to escape from the Nazis, has been located using new state-of-the-art technology for underground predictive scanning.

SCOTUS: Death Regardless; Transgender Marriages OK'd by Fatwa; Russian Nautical Dancer; Poland Moves Russia to Corner; Netanyahu's Internal Battle for Peace; Hannibal Directive Canceled; Largest Rocket Tested; Soft Motor for Soft Bots; and Sliding on Flys

Abortion

The FAQs: Supreme Court Rules on Texas Abortion Case thegospelcoalition.org

In one of the most significant rulings on abortion in decades, the Supreme Court ruled on Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt in a 5-3 decision to overturn state laws designed to regulate abortion clinics in a way that would protect women’s health.

For a related story, see US Supreme Court Declines to Hear Pharmacists' Case against Extreme Washington Law

Quietly Blocking Videos; Solar 66; 496 Ton Dump Truck; Losing in Battle to AI; Jupiter or Bust; Stay Wet; Injecting Cameras; Superbug Again; CA's College Existence Exam; Canadian Assisted Suicide not Broad Enough; Brexit Heartache; No 2nd Try; Au Revoir Anglais; China Cuts off Taiwan; and Turkey and Israel Get Cozy

Censorship

Google, Facebook quietly move toward automatic blocking of extremist videos reuters

The move is a major step forward for internet companies that are eager to eradicate violent propaganda from their sites and are under pressure to do so from governments around the world as attacks by extremists proliferate, from Syria to Belgium and the United States.

The technology was originally developed to identify and remove copyright-protected content on video sites. It looks for "hashes," a type of unique digital fingerprint that internet companies automatically assign to specific videos, allowing all content with matching fingerprints to be removed rapidly.

Stonewall; With Stutzman; Accommodating the Transgender Solider; Article 50; Brexit - Now What?; UK Split; London Exit Plan; All Markets Down; Pound-ed; Defensive Boeing; PCUSA: No More Men!; Taong Putik; World Cup Stadiumettes; Seeing Around Corners; DARPA Wants Thinking Machines; Military's Driverless Cars; and The Temple March

As expected, Brexit's "Leave" vote basically stole the show today. It's a "mess" out there, and I included several articles to give a feel for the day-after rocking from the earthquake that is Brexit. Main news is falling markets worldwide, threats by Scotland to break away from the UK, and other nations emboldened to follow in Britain's steps. If that isn't enough, Obama managed to slip in the first National Monument celebrating homosexuality and the PCUSA has decided to phase men out of all leadership roles entirely. No, really.

Society

President Obama Designates Stonewall a National Monument nbcnews

As the NYPD attempted to enforce a law making it illegal to serve alcohol to "homosexuals," the resistance of the bar patrons turned into an uprising - the Stonewall Uprising - an event now widely credited with sparking the modern LGBTQ rights movement in the U.S.

See also NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton predicts 2016 Gay Pride Parade to be largest in NYC history

It's All Israel's Fault; Nuclear-Loaded Border; Russia is Closer; Spy Satellite Reveal; Puerto no es Rico; Capitalism Plus Marxism; CA Requires Abortion Coverage; CRISPR Questions; Contagious Cancer Cellfish; Hearts Made in Space; Human Ethics for Robots; Domesticated Robot; and Ken's Ark

The Brexit vote is today (over now - results starting to come in). The market is betting on a Remain vote, but pre-voting polls were neck and neck. We should see the reaction to the vote in tomorrow's US market but, no matter the outcome, expect about half of Britain to be upset! Meanwhile, check out Abbas' gall when he said the Israel 'occupation' was the source of terrorism in the entire world...and the EU Parliament who applauds the crazy man :)

Peace

If occupation ends, so will terror worldwide, Abbas tells EU timesofisrael

“We are against terrorism, in whatever form it may take, and whoever carries it out,” Abbas told members of the European Parliament to a resounding applause. “Once the occupation ends, terrorism will disappear, there will be no more terrorism in the Middle East, or anywhere else in the world,” he said.

See also EU to Back Mideast Peace With 'Unprecedented' Support

NK Missile Not Such a Flop; The Quartet; Roman Empire Expands; U.S. Treasury Contemplates Brexit; EU Banks Fear American Ones; 20 Satellites at Once; Rover Drone; Leo, the Bag Handler; Real Time Movements; Particle Zoo; Russian Teleporter; 66 M Dead Trees; Lightning 93; Measuring the Rise and Fall of CA; and Pittsburgh Transgender School Policy

North Korea

North Korea’s Latest Missile Test Shows Signs of Progress, Analysts Say nytimes

Although the missile fell far short of its estimated full range of more than 2,000 miles — far enough to reach American military bases in the Pacific — the test is the first for the Musudan that was not immediately dismissed as a failure by the United States or South Korea.

See also North Korea missiles 'a serious threat' after new tests and North Korea leader says missile gives ability to attack U.S. in Pacific

AI Editor in Chief; Musk-Bot; (Taxable) Electronic Persons; Transgender Soldier; School Violates HB2; CRISPR Approved (Kinda); Considering Russian Sanctions; Pentagon's Hidden Wounded; NK Missile Flops, Again; Iran Flies Boeing; Israel's QME; NY's Anti-BDS and Beyond; Smithsonian's Qur'an Exhibit; Unity Fire; A Space Base Hop Away; and The X-57

AI

IBM’s AI system Watson just edited an entire magazine all on its own digitaltrends

According to a press release published via The Drum, the magazine edited by Watson consists of a variety of features that cover Watson’s different analytical functions, as well as how it can assist modern-day marketers. Moreover, The Drum reports that Watson has also been programmed to have the ability to answer a series of questions pertaining to “advertising legend” David Olgivy. and has even predicted a list of winners for this year’s Cannes Lions awards.

Carrots for Peace; Jerusalem Dividing Deal; Israel-Turkey Coming to Terms; Iran's Unsurprising Finds; Brexit's Global Economy Effect; Paul Allen's Giant Plane; Starting Human Zika Trials; Hitler the Author; FBI's Redacted History; Okinawa Protests; and Historian's Pragmatism

Israel

Backing French peace push, EU ministers add carrots to sweeten deal timesofisrael

“The EU is determined, alongside other international and regional partners, to bring a concrete and substantial contribution to a global set of incentives for the parties to make peace with a view to an international conference planned to be held before the end of the year,” the foreign ministers said in a statement.

Rio Trouble; Easing Greece; Doctors w/o Borders Snub EU; Syria's Tourism Ministry; NATO Warmongering; KA-52; and The Lonely Diodes Club

Economy

Financial calamity declared in Rio weeks before Olympics, but Games will go on washingtonpost

In an official decree published Friday afternoon by acting governor Francisco Dornelles, the state government said the crisis could cause a “total collapse in public security, health, education, transport and environmental management.”

The Tale of Jesus' Wife; Canada's Death Sentence; Calling Religious Liberty Hate; Sin, a Minor Doctrine; Wedding Pagans; Fingerprinting Babies; Meet Olli; Common Sense, AI; Amelia; Human Edit Request; Final Warning to Hamas; Palestinians' Water Border; Calls to Strike Assad Now; and Shark Traffic

Fraud

The Unbelievable Tale of Jesus’s Wife theatlantic v

The American Association of Museums’ Guide to Provenance Research warns that an investigation of an object’s origins “is not unlike detective work”: “One may spend hours, days, or weeks following a trail that leads nowhere.” When I started to dig, however, I uncovered more than I’d ever expected—a warren of secrets and lies that spanned from the industrial districts of Berlin to the swingers scene of southwest Florida, and from the halls of Harvard and the Vatican to the headquarters of the East German Stasi.

This is a fascinating long-form article by a reporter who set out to find the origins of a (supposed) 1,300 yr-old papyrus about Jesus' wife, and the ensuing series of lies, historical invention, and deceit of the man behind it. It's a long read, but worth it - particularly for those who've heard the Biblically unsupported "Jesus had a wife" argument. Warning: some aspects of the primary figure's personal life uncovered during the investigation are sexually graphic in nature (the article doesn't dwell TOO MUCH on them).

Enemies United in Fear; Switzit; Bank of England Braces for Impact; Space Fire; NASA Wants You!; Fluffy Printing; Moral Mice Genetics; Eye-Tracking Phone; Body Swap; Abortion Drone; and Blame the Christians

Syria

In Syria's Aleppo, divided locals share fear of total siege foxnews

As government forces mount attacks to close the only road to the opposition-held areas in the east of the city, rebels outside Aleppo are slowly constricting the passage to the western, government-held side. International relief organizations have warned that the city of Aleppo is "effectively cut off from humanitarian aid.

Also see Russia says 48-hour truce reached in Syria's Aleppo

Attitude's Prince; Lady Draft; O Gender-Neutral Canada; WHO Gag; Twitter Suspends Freedom; BOFA Lightens Overhead; U.S. Talks Israeli Defense Aid; Iran's Expanding Oil Export; Ancient Throne or Water Basin?; Whistler's Ammo; Let the Cars Figure it Out; Robot Escaped; Deep Learning Reality Check; Britain's Feeble Space Program; Saturn Ring Disruption; Obama and Dalai Hang; and Zukerberg's Thought

Society

Prince William appears on cover of gay magazine Attitude theguardian

The second-in-line to the throne appears in the July issue of Attitude magazine, discussing the mental health implications of homophobic, bi-phobic and transphobic bullyings.

Defensive Open Hand; NK's Bombs; Plane Deal 'N Iran; China's Fan-countries; Perpetually Ready; Calling Out UNHRC; Bank Against BDS; Canadians Dying with Help; Pope's 666 Problem; Ancient Egypt's New Gold; Nano-materials: More than Meets the Eye; and Pepper Goes to Hospital

War

Despite defense buildup, NATO also seeks to assure Russia bigstory.ap.org

NATO's chief said Tuesday the alliance is reinforcing its defenses against Russia from the Baltic to the Black Sea, but keeping all possible contacts with Moscow open to avoid any unwarranted escalation of tension.

Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary-general, confirmed previous statements that alliance defense ministers gathered in Brussels for a two-day meeting will back a deployment plan to send four multinational battalions to the Baltic states and Poland. He also said decisions are expected on forming a new multinational unit of ground forces in Romania.

Also see NATO to send troops to deter Russia, Putin orders snap checks

NATO Makes Nervous; Another Mediterranean Carrier; Israel has Robotic Weapons Too; UN Votes Israel; Losing Russian Citizenship; Brexit...or Not?; Seoul Pride; Equal Destitute is Equality, Too; Reading, Writing, 'Rithmatic, and Robots; Invisible. Wearable. Electronic.; Passenger Drone-Test Approved; Turing Test Beat; Harmful, Thinking Robot Made; NASA and UAE; and Tiny, Dense Bird Brains

Two times in almost as many days, the UN has done something in favor of Israel. The world really must be ending! :) Also, MIT might have beaten the Turing Test with AI that fooled people twice as often as not that the sound added to the video was selected by a human.

War

Nervous Baltics on war footing as NATO tries to deter Russia reuters

Leaders in the Baltic countries and Poland fear the force NATO plans to deploy on their territory is too small and symbolic to deter an attack by Russia, whose 2014 annexation of Crimea is fresh in the memories of the former Soviet-bloc states.

They will this week press other ministers of the western military alliance to help them build an air defense system against Russian aircraft and missiles. But that would be a highly sensitive step, likely to be condemned by Moscow as yet more evidence of a NATO strategy threatening its borders.

Also see NATO To Site 4,000 Troops In Baltic Over Russia

Non-Binary; Shoeputer; Child's Exoskeleton; Super-Bacteria in Rio; Spy High; and Meteorites Overhead

Society

Oregon court allows person to change sex from 'female' to 'non-binary' oregonlive

...in what legal experts believe is a first in the United States....Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Amy Holmes Hehn legally changed 52-year-old Jamie Shupe's sex from "female" to non-binary.

Scottish Church Votes Anti-God; Cuban Flights Cleared(ish); LA Parks' Bathroom of Choice; Scores of Attacks, UN Condemns One; 10,000 Leagues Below the Sea; Elon's Dream; MS Stem Cell Treatment; Brain Bifocals; 3D Printed Brain Funded; and Vyo

Apostasy

Scottish Episcopal church leaps towards allowing gay marriage theguardian

The Scottish Episcopal church voted on Friday by 97 to 51, with three abstentions, to remove a clause in its canon law that states that marriage is a union of a man and a woman. Before the change can be enacted, it must win a two-thirds majority in a second vote next year.

Synod members voted to delete the first clause of canon 31, which states: “The doctrine of this church is that marriage is a physical, spiritual and mystical union of one man and one woman.”

Israel's Rise; Misunderstanding Shavuot; Unchaining Jewish Women; Blackmailing UN; UN's Ire(land); CA Chooses Death; Hidden in Sight in Petra; Flying Cars in Secret; Mobile Modular Phones; Internet on ISS; and Musk's Pentagon Visit

Israel

[OPINION, Caroline Glick] Israel rises in the East jpost

There was something poetic about the events that bookended the past week of diplomacy. This week began with French President François Hollande’s “peace” conference and ended with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s state visit to Moscow.

Very well written reality check.

Mount Glick; Netanyahu Talks Assad; Why Netanyahu + Putin?; Palestinians Count; Russian Sub Intercepted; Europeans 'Eh' For EU; Ignoring Hague; China's 'Unsafe' Interception; Intelligence Community or Moral Guide; Editing Species; and Chanukah-Era Coins

Israel

Controversial religious activist enters Israel’s parliament washingtonpost

For years, Yehuda Glick has pushed for greater Jewish access to Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site — promoting an ideology that has unnerved Palestinians and made him the target of an assassination attempt. Now, as a new member of Israel’s parliament, Glick is vowing to use his office to press his cause, bringing his explosive campaign to the nation’s corridors of power.

“Twenty years ago, Temple Mount activists were considered totally delusional, extreme, marginal. Today, half of the Knesset’s members agree with the basis of what I express,” Glick, 51, told The Associated Press in an interview.

Obama's November Surprise; Victory or a Syrian Bust; The Selfie Statue; Fish Know Faces; and Robobee

Israel

[OPINION] Obama’s November surprise for Israel? jpost

Word is going around in diplomatic circles that the Obama administration is planning a November surprise for Israel. Here’s what is said to be going on.

Israeli officials and Jewish communal leaders have told me that they expect that the Obama administration will not veto the [(possible United Nations Security Council Resolution condemning Israel)] at the UNSC. Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the UN, will not exercise the American veto.

Swiss Nix (Free Money); Working Towards Paradise this Ramadan; Netanyahu and Putin; NY Bans BDS; Human-Pig Embryo; Forget About It; Brain Flyer; Leaping Eels!; There's Platinum in Them Thar Craters; and Registering Churches in Wales

Basic Income

Swiss say 'no' to a guaranteed income from the government usatoday v

Nearly 77% of the voters opposed the controversial measure that would mandate the government to pay $2,600 a month to each adult — regardless of work status or wealth — and $650 to each child. Only 23% favored the referendum.

Liquid Biopsy; Stem Cell Walk; RNA Splicer; Butterfly Screens; Artificial Leaf; Transgendering Games; Banning Gas Cars in Norway; The Big Red Button; Space Station Tour; and Get Angry, Lose Work

Medical

A Blood Test for Cancer Gets Closer time

...new advances in genetic sequencing is leading to more hope for a liquid biopsy for cancer, a way to track cancer through the blood. In a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, researchers from Guardant report encouraging results from a study involving 15,000 patients who were tested with the company’s test that looks at 70 different tumor genes. The technology picks up tiny fragments of DNA shed by tumors into the blood, and sequences the DNA to provide a picture of which mutations are present in the tumor. That helps doctors decide which treatments are most effective against that person’s cancer, since many of the newer anti-cancer drugs specifically target certain mutant processes common in cancer.

Peaceless in France; Bracing in Israel; Making Russia Great, Again; Poland Builds Up; Turkey Stares Down; Racing for Scrolls; Orthodox Unity; AI's Bach; Human Genome Proposal; Diving HUDs; and Expensive, Tiny Floating Plants

Peace

France felt 'compelled to act' on Middle East peace talks theguardian

The US secretary of state, John Kerry, and UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, attended, along with representatives from the Arab League, the European Union and key Arab states. Israeli and Palestinian representatives were absent.

Also Middle East peace talks open without Israeli, Palestinian representatives and Israel can sigh relief at parve Paris communique

Peace Peace!; Genocide Recognition; Withdrawing from NK; Be Cyborg or Be Obsolete; Bovine Johne's in AU; Trojan Horse Attack on Cancer; Instant, Global Trading; and Basic Income Test

Peace

Israel-Palestinian peace initiatives are suddenly popping up everywhere washingtonpost

Until a week ago, it seemed the Israeli-Palestinian peace process was a flat-liner. President Obama thought so. In March, he said he wouldn’t seek to jump-start talks — the two sides were too far apart; it was not in the cards.

Jumping the Stealth Gun; Gushing at the Future Now; Driverless City; Robot Bowl; Robots that Kill; Robot Babies; Robot Morality; Ark Drone; and Recycling by Hand

Today we're loaded up on robot stories! Robots preparing for the NFL, robots making baby robots (yes, that's a thing), robots being programmed to kill, and robots learning morality...from us (yikes!). All these robots remind me: If you haven't had a chance to read Why AI?, points raised there have been showing up in the news lately :)

Robot.

Military

China says first stealth fighter not yet in service, but coming soon in.reuters

In a statement, China's air force described as "unreliable" reports that the J-20 had appeared in training exercises, following a weekend state television broadcast that showed grainy pictures of what some viewers took to be the aircraft.

"At present, the J-20 has yet to be equipped for air force service," the air force said on its official microblog late on Tuesday afternoon.