diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6b79e4e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+this is used by automake
diff --git a/README b/README
new file mode 120000
index 0000000..42061c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+README.md
\ No newline at end of file