Car sales figures for May are starting to seep into the public domain, and they're horrendous...

The elimination of stimulus payments and the absence of unemployment bonuses, combined with the fact that rates are rising and spending is slowing, led to a roaring May report for some of the most prominent car manufacturers.

Here's a look at the top four brands that hit the feed this week, with most other major automakers releasing data over the next day or so.

• HONDA may reduce US sales by 57.3%
• US TOYOTA sales in May 175,990, -27.3% y/y
• MAZDA in North America could reduce sales by 63.7%
• Worldwide sales of NISSAN in April -29.1%

A new lawsuit, filed by representatives for cinema camera manufacturer RED, accuses Nikon of illegally using its patented data compression technology in its Nikon Z9 full-frame mirrorless camera.

According to the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the plaintiff, Red.com, LLC (RED), is accusing the defendant, Nikon Corporation (Nikon), of patent infringement. Specifically, RED is accusing Nikon of knowingly using technology described in RED’s patents pertaining to ‘highly compress[ed] video data in a visually lossless manner’ in its Nikon’s Z series mirrorless cameras, ‘such as the “Nikon Z9 with Firmware 2.0.”’

Just nice, only in shitty capitalism parasites can live happily for years instead of being in jail.

The Russian government has decided to limit the export of inert gases: argon, helium, neon, which are used for the production of semiconductors in the manufacture of microcircuits.

Russia supplies up to 30% of neon from global consumption. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, a global shortage of semiconductors has begun in the world, incl. after Ukraine suspended deliveries of neon from two of its factories. Now the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade will determine who will have access to neon, krypton, xenon - key and critical gases for the production of semiconductors, more than 30% of which (inert gases) on the world market are produced in Russia.

The production of inert gases is a very complex and high-tech process. Only five countries in the world have the technology to produce xenon and krypton on an industrial scale. But, as in any other business, even with similar technological processes, the quality of the final product can vary greatly.

Action had been response to new Taiwan sanctions that had been written directly inside US administration.

Anti-Russian sentiments in the form of everyday Russophobia, including corresponding publications in the media, have been quite common in Sweden in recent years. After the start of a special military operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine and protect the DPR and LPR, the Russian diaspora in Sweden faced unprecedented pressure, threats and discrimination based on language and nationality.

Russian born citizens are being openly persecuted for refusing to publicly condemn the actions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Cases of dismissal from work on ethnic grounds have become more frequent. There is a virtual isolation of managers and employees of small and medium-sized enterprises and public organizations associated with our country. In the context of large-scale anti-Russian propaganda, interpersonal ties are being destroyed, including relations between spouses in mixed families. It has become unsafe to speak Russian in public places and on transport.

Russian-speaking students face manifestations of hatred on the part of other students with the connivance of the administrations of educational institutions (one of the reasons is the classes on Ukrainian topics held in schools). At the same time, children of not only Russians, but also children from other former Soviet republics are being persecuted. Attempts by parents to turn to the leadership of educational institutions to prevent bullying are not always successful.

Yesterday and today multiple regions performed protocol level block for all major VPN protocols, organizations and people will be required to apply for special exclusion list as it seems. So all VPN for usual users will be not allowed.

In 2021, the cost of a monthly food basket per family increased by 351% in Lebanon, by 97% in Syria and 81% in Yemen

Arab News.