The Catch-All: ICYMI May 11-17

Hello all. I just learned that I had typo'd ICYMI the past couple newsletters (it was ICMYI). Boy that's embarrassing, but it's fixed now. Hopefully you all haven't lost respect for me, but if you have, that's fair.

As you're reading this, I'm currently camping with my partner. I left midday yesterday and have promised to stay away from my phone. So all the news you see here was gathered before then. If there was a development, I'll be unaware of it until tomorrow. Enjoy the long weekend!

News Round-up

Ontario

'We have no judge for you': Man's assault charges dropped weeks before trial due to lack of judges in Toronto, Abby O'Brien, CP24 (May 11)

He was evicted and his home was later listed on Airbnb. Meanwhile, his landlord hosted a charity event to end homelessness, Jessica Burgess, Toronto Star (May 12)

Ontario will need tens of thousands of nurses and PSWs by 2032: document, Allison Jones, The Canadian Press via Global News (May 13)

'You're all cowards': Ford government quashes debate on sexual assault justice bill, Siobhan Morris, CTV News (May 14)

Ford government to explore moving more ServiceOntario outlets into private 3rd-party retailers, Richard Southern and John Marchesan, CityNews (May 16)

Child under 5 dies of measles in Ontario: PHO, Codi Wilson, CP24 (May 17)

Canada

Oil company asks judge to arrest and jail Cree chief leading Alberta blockade, Brandi Morin, Ricochet (May 14)

Quebec Superior Court judge rejects McGill injunction request to remove encampment, Matthew Lapierre and Verity Stevenson, CBC News (May 15)

Crown declines to lay charges against Edmonton police officer who fatally shot unarmed man, Madeline Smith, CBC News (May 16)

CBC has whitewashed Israel’s crimes in Gaza. I saw it firsthand, Molly Schumann, The Breach (May 16)

Speaker cuts ties with Sask. Party, alleges he faced threats, harassment from gov't MLAs, Drew Postey and David Prisciak, CTV News (May 16)

US

Blinken offers new US aid as Kyiv reels from renewed Russian attacks, Simon Lewis, Reuters (May 15)

Crew trapped on Baltimore ship, seven weeks after bridge collapse, Bernd Debusmann Jr, BBC News (May 15)

Interior Dept staffer becomes first Jewish Biden appointee to publicly resign over war in Gaza, Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press (May 15)

California university president put on leave for ‘insubordination’ after meeting Gaza protesters’ demands, Blake Jones, POLITICO (May 15)

Business titans privately urged NYC mayor to use police on Columbia protesters, chats show, Hannah Natanson and Emmanuel Felton, Washington Post (May 16)

World

‘Pressured to withdraw’: BJP accused of intimidation tactics in India polls, Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Aakash Hassan, The Guardian (May 14)

(UK) More Protesters to Face Prison as Government Plans Bans on Face Masks and Flares at Demonstrations, Josiah Mortimer, Byline Times (May 15)

Macron Calls State of Emergency Over Protests in New Caledonia, Ania Nussbaum, Samy Adghimi and Paul-Alain Hunt, Bloomberg (May 15)

Ireland to recognise Palestinian state by end May, foreign minister says, Reuters (May 15)

Slovakia's PM Fico still in intensive care after assassination bid, government says, Ayhan Uyanik and Jan Lopatka, Reuters (May 17)

Israel-Palestine

Strapped down, blindfolded, held in diapers: Israeli whistleblowers detail abuse of Palestinians in shadowy detention center, CNN (May 11)

Hamas says British-Israeli hostage has died from airstrike wounds, Lorenzo Tondo, The Guardian (May 11)

More than half a million Palestinians flee as Israel escalates Gaza attacks, Al Jazeera (May 14)

War on Gaza: US to send $1bn more in weapons, ammo, to Israel despite Rafah tensions, Nader Durgham, Middle East Eye (May 15)

Joe Biden has done more than arm Israel. Leaked documents reveal his own officials see him as complicit in Gaza’s devastating famine, Richard Hall, Bel Trew and Andrew Feinberg, Independent (May 15)

Israel kills more than 500 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7, Al Jazeera (May 16)

‘Liars!’, Israeli official heckled at ICJ genocide hearing, Al Jazeera (May 17)

COVID

‘FLiRT’ COVID-19 subvariant dominant in Canada. What to know about the strain, Katie Dangerfield, Global News (May 10)

Four Years On, Covid-19 Remains a Worse Killer Than the Flu, US Study Finds, Jason Gale, Bloomberg (May 15)

NC Senate votes to ban people from wearing masks in public for health reasons, Will Doran, WRAL News (May 15)

Court upholds B.C.'s COVID-19 health-care vaccine mandate, Akshay Kulkarni, CBC News (May 16)

COVID-19 linked to increased preterm birth, other problems in pregnancy, Stephanie Soucheray, CIDRAP at University of Minnesota (May 16)

Tech

Google is redesigning its search engine — and it’s AI all the way down, David Pierce, The Verge (May 14)

Revolutionary New Google Feature Hidden Under 'More' Tab Shows Links to Web Pages, Samantha Cole, 404 Media (May 15)

AI Generated Hentai Is Viral All Over Facebook, Jason Koebler, 404 Media (May 15)

How Makers of Nonconsensual AI Porn Make a Living on Patreon, Emanuel Maiberg, 404 Media (May 16)

OpenAI strikes Reddit deal to train its AI on your posts, Emilia David, The Verge (May 16)

AV Corner

Podcast: How BYD is Upending the EV Market - Tech Won't Save Us
Video: There was never a "Hitler-Stalin" Pact - Hakim
Music: Nell' Ora Blu - Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats