Links 04/01/2024: COVID-19 Resurgence and Patent Spam

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jan 04, 2024

Leftovers

Leftovers
- Tom's Hardware ☛ Tetris was finally beaten after 34 years, game kill screen pops up at Level 157 — hypertapping and rolling were key techniques
  
  Willis, AKA Blue Scuti, has become the first human to play Tetris NES (NTSC) to its killscreen. He was also the first to reach Level 157, culminating in the 'biggest achievement in the 34-year history of the pro classic Tetris scene.'
- Kev Quirk ☛ One Month Without
  
  Last night I read Manu's post, "Yet another year of living without" where he talks about giving stuff up for an entire year. I've decided to do something similar.
  
  In his post, Manu mentions a previous challenge where he gave up different things for a month at a time. That's what I think I'm going to do throughout 2024.
  
  I've actually thought about this in the past. So much so, that I registered the domain onemonthwithout.com with the plan of starting a separate blog about it. True to form, the domain wasted away, never used, like so many of my other "bright" ideas.
- Science
  - New York Times ☛ What to Know About the Science of Reading
    
    An effort to overhaul how children learn to read, known as the science of reading movement, is sweeping the country. Here’s where it stands.
  - Science Alert ☛ NASA Successfully Tests Revolutionary Rocket That Could Get Us to Mars Faster
    
    Count down to lift-off.
  - Science Alert ☛ Golden Orb Found at Bottom of The Ocean Mystifies Scientists
  - Science Alert ☛ Chemical Produced by Gut Microbes Seems to Prevent Obesity in Mice
    
    But does it work in people?
- Hardware
  - The Next Platform ☛ With “Big Chip,” China Lays Out Aspirations For Waferscale
    
    The end of Moore’s Law – the real Moore’s Law where transistors get cheaper and faster with every process shrink – is making chip makers crazy.
  - Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s BYD overtakes Tesla as top all-electric vehicle maker
    
    US car maker Tesla has lost its crown for most sales of all-electric vehicles to Chinese firm BYD, which has capitalized on Beijing’s strong government support for the burgeoning sector.
  - Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong seizes electronic goods worth an estimated HK$1.5m in anti-smuggling border operation
    
    Hong Kong Customs have seized goods worth an estimated HK$1.5 million in a suspected smuggling case at the city’s border with mainland China. An inbound lorry with a declared cargo of Bluetooth headsets and transformers was intercepted at the Lok Ma Chau Control Point on Tuesday.
  - Hackaday ☛ Pinball With No Computers
    
    Pinball machines were the video games of their day. Back when they were king, there were no microcontrollers — everything was electromechanical. We know from experience that fixing these was difficult but we imagine that designing complex play behavior with a bunch of motors, relays, clutches, contacts, and more would have been excruciatingly difficult. [Technology Connections] has several videos about an old Aztec machine and he promises more to come. You can watch the first two below.
  - CNX Software ☛ Radxa X2L defective chip maker Intel Celeron J4125 SBC goes for as low as $39
    
    Radxa X2L is an inexpensive defective chip maker Intel Celeron J4125 Gemini Lake Refresh single board computer (SBC) that ships with 2GB to 8GB RAM, an M.2 socket for SSD storage, another M.2 socket for a wireless module, and offers a range of ports such as dual HDMI, gigabit Ethernet, four USB port, and a 40-pin GPIO header.
  - Hackaday ☛ An Extensive Walkthrough On Building Your Own KSP Controller
    
    Having a game-tailored controller is a level-up in more ways than one, letting you perform in-game actions quickly and intuitively, instead of trying to map your actions to a clunky combination of keyboard and mouse movements. [abzman] took the Pelco KBD300A, a DVR-intended camera controller panel with a joystick, reverse-engineered it, and then rebuilt it into a Kerbal Space Program controller. What’s more, he documented every detail along the way!
- Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
  - France24 ☛ Doctors in England launch longest strike in NHS history
    
    Hospital doctors in England on Wednesday began their longest consecutive strike in the seven-decade history of Britain's National Health Service (NHS).
  - teleSUR ☛ Junior Doctors in England Start Six-Day Strike
    
    They seek a 26 percent salary increase to compensate for the loss of purchasing power since 2008.
  - Latvia ☛ Long-awaited hospice care at home starts working in Latvia
    
    Palliative care mobile team service at the patient's residence is being provided starting this year, Latvian Radio reported January 3.
  - Latvia ☛ Latvian hospitals see frostbite cases in recent days
    
    The past few days have brought a great cold to Latvia. It can pose health risks, especially for older people, infants, and the homeless. People have come to hospitals with frostbite, even before the New Year, Sergejs Smirnovs, head of the burns center at Riga East Clinical University Hospital (RAKUS), told Latvian Radio January 3.
  - teleSUR ☛ Ethiopia: + 14,000 Dengue Fever Cases Recorded, WHO
    
    "Malaria and dengue outbreaks are a major concern during the rainy season, while internal displacement of people worsens the public health crisis due to overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions."
  - JURIST ☛ Pakistan anti-corruption agency investigating PTI leader for breach of merit-based system
    
    Pakistan’s Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACEP) initiated legal proceedings on Tuesday against former Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid and her daughter. ACEP accused them of breaching the merit system and abusing their authority.
  - Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 2.8% of Hong Kong students ‘planned’ suicide in last school year, gov’t says
    
    A total of 2.8 per cent of Hong Kong students considered suicide in the 2022-23 school year, an assessment conducted by the Department of Health has found, also noting an increase in referrals for psychosocial and behavioural problems.
  - NYPost ☛ Mask mandates back at NYC-run hospitals as COVID and flu cases rise
    
    “As we’ve seen an increase in COVID, flu, and RSV, our priority is to protect our patients, staff, and the community,” a NYCH+H spokesperson told The Post Wednesday.
  - New York Times ☛ Covid Has Resurged, but Scientists See a Diminished Threat
    
    Hospitalizations have ticked upward, and there are at least 1,200 Covid-related deaths each week. Americans should mask more often, and vaccination rates remain too low, experts say.
  - New York Times ☛ Florida Health Official Calls for Halt to Covid Vaccines
    
    Federal health officials and other experts have repeatedly sought to counter erroneous comments about the vaccines by Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s surgeon general.
- Security
  - Privacy/Surveillance
    - Techdirt ☛ India’s Government Goes After Apple For Notifying Journalists, Dissidents Of Phone Hacking Attempts
      
      Israeli malware developer NSO Group found itself the subject of international headlines a couple of years ago. Not the good kind either. A leaked document apparently showed who was being targeted by the company’s cell phone exploits — a long, disturbing list that contained journalists, lawyers, activists, dissidents, religious leaders, and plenty of politicians.
- Defence/Aggression
  - New York Times ☛ Dismissals Point to Pooh-tin Jinping’s Quiet Shake-Up of China’s Military
    
    The purge of several commanders from China’s legislature was the latest sign of widening investigations focused on the sensitive arms sector, experts say.
  - The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan will publish analysis of China's alleged election interference post vote
    
    Taiwan is documenting its experiences with China's alleged attempts to interfere in elections next week and will publish its analysis soon after the vote.
  - RFA ☛ Myanmar shadow govt voices support for China’s Taiwan policy
    
    Analysts say the move is symbolic and meant to curry favor with Beijing.
  - Atlantic Council ☛ Why Beijing’s latest pre-election attempt to coerce Taiwanese voters could backfire
    
    China recently said that it would end preferential tariff terms for some Taiwanese chemical exports. But the move may drive some Taiwanese voters away from the direction Beijing wants.
  - Vice Media Group ☛ Mysterious Section of the Great Wall of China Isn't What We Thought, Study Reveals
    
    The Mongolian Arc, an under-studied section of the Great Wall in modern-day Mongolia, wasn't a defensive structure. Its true nature remains enigmatic.
  - RFA ☛ China’s 3rd aircraft carrier nears sea trials
    
    New TV footage shows the Fujian with fitted electromagnetic catapults in preparation for sea trial.
  - RFA ☛ No new monks allowed at Buddhist monastery in Tibet
    
    The move reflects China’s tightening grip on religious activities, sources say.
  - RFA ☛ Named and shamed for ‘lying flat’
    
    Guangdong employees targeted in a move that could be aimed at those getting paid without turning up for work.
  - RFA ☛ China suspends news anchor for calling Japan quake 'retribution'
    
    Xiao Chenghao is under investigation over 'inappropriate comments' posted to a personal social control media account.
  - New York Times ☛ Attack on Opposition Leader Raises Alarms in Divided South Korea
    
    The attack on Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost the 2022 presidential vote, came amid a deepening political divide and increasingly extreme discourse in South Korea.
  - The Straits Times ☛ South Korea opposition leader leaves ICU after knife attack: Surgeon
    
    South Korea's opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was out of intensive care and was recovering from surgery to repair a major vein that was sliced in a knife attack two days ago, a surgeon who operated on him said on Thursday.
  - RFA ☛ N Korea vows military strength expansion in message to S Korean president
    
    The move signals a strong response to any future extended deterrence against Pyongyang, expert says.
  - RFA ☛ ‘Whatever the party orders, we are screwed!’
    
    Slight alteration in propaganda slogan insults North Korean leadership, sparking big investigation.
  - RFA ☛ S Korean spy agency sees Kim Jong Un’s daughter as ‘probable successor’
    
    Kim Ju Ae, born in 2013, gained attention in Nov 2022, following her first public appearance with her father.
  - New York Times ☛ Thursday Briefing: Blasts in Iran Kill Dozens
    
    Plus, China shakes up its military.
  - France24 ☛ Iran blames Israel, US for deadly twin blasts near grave of Guards general Soleimani
    
    Iran blamed Israel and the United States on Wednesday for twin bomb blasts that killed at least 95 people in the country's south, ripping through a crowd commemorating Revolutionary Guards general Qasem Soleimani four years after his death in a US strike.
  - RFERL ☛ Iran Vows Response After Explosions Kill Nearly 100 During Ceremony For Slain General
    
    At least 95 people died and more than 200 others were injured in two explosions set off during commemorations of the fourth anniversary of the death of Qasem Soleimani, a former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps' elite Quds Force killed in January 2020 in an air strike by U.S. forces near Baghdad.
  - New York Times ☛ Over 100 Killed in Iran Blasts at Qassim Suleimani Memorial
    
    No one claimed responsibility for the bombing at a memorial for Qassim Suleimani, the top commander killed by a U.S. drone strike four years ago.
  - France24 ☛ Dozens killed in blasts at ceremony for slain Iranian general Soleimani
    
    Two explosions minutes apart Wednesday in Iran targeted a commemoration for slain general Qassem Soleimani, killing at least 95 people and wounding more than 211, according to Iranian officials. The attack came on the anniversary of Soleimani's killing in a US drone strike as the Middle East remains on edge over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
  - France24 ☛ Saleh al-Arouri’s Beirut killing takes out key Hamas link with Iran, Hezbollah
    
    Saleh al-Arouri, the senior Hamas official killed in a suspected Israeli strike in the suburbs of Beirut, played a crucial role in building up the Palestinian group's military capabilities and maintaining its links with regional allies.
  - New York Times ☛ Hezbollah’s Leader Pledges Revenge for Killing of a Hamas Leader in Beirut
    
    “Yesterday’s crime will not go unpunished,” Hassan Nasrallah warned ominously, but he gave no specifics, saying he would speak again on Friday.
  - teleSUR ☛ West Bank Goes on Strike After Assassination of Hamas Leader
    
    The Palestine resistance urged Arab countries to take a decisive stance against the killing of Saleh Al-Arouri.
  - CS Monitor ☛ Hezbollah vows ‘punishment’ after Hamas leader is killed in Beirut
    
    The killing of Hamas’ No. 2 leader Saleh al-Arouri in an apparent Israeli airstrike raised fears of retaliation from the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, whose leader Hassan Nasrallah said “this dangerous crime” will not go “without response.”
  - France24 ☛ Hezbollah will ‘fight without restraint’ if Israel wages war on Lebanon, Nasrallah warns
    
    Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday warned that his group would "fight without restraint" if Israel wages war on Lebanon. Nasrallah's address came a day after Hamas deputy Saleh al-Arouri was assassinated in a surgical strike in a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut. Amid fears of a regional spillover of Israel's war against Hamas, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) called for restraint and urged "all parties to cease their fire".
  - New York Times ☛ Former Guard Official Says Army Retaliated for His Account of Jan. 6 Delay
    
    Col. Earl Matthews, the top lawyer for the D.C. National Guard during the assault on the Capitol, said in a whistle-blower complaint that he was punished for contradicting the testimony of two top generals.
  - Digital Music News ☛ Tupac Accused Murderer Struggling to Stay Out of Jail
    
    Court-appointed attorneys for the man accused of murdering Tupac Shakur are seeking house arrest rather than jail ahead of the trial. Lawyers for Duane “Keefe D” Davis argue that their client is in poor health and poses no danger to the community, nor will he flee to avoid trial.
  - ADF ☛ Unexploded Ordnance Continues to Plague Northern Ethiopia
    
    ADF STAFF Fourteen-year-old Abel and some friends were playing in the remote north Ethiopian town of Adi Hageray, in the Tigray region, when one of them found a new toy. “We were throwing it at each other,” he told the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
  - RFA ☛ Junta helicopter crashes following KIA attack in northern Myanmar
    
    Junta is known to utilize Russian-made military helicopters for both transport and combat purposes, experts say.
  - Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
    - Meduza ☛ Kazakhstan reportedly hands over cybersecurity expert Nikita Kislitsin to Moscow after rejecting U.S. extradition bid — Meduza
    - YLE ☛ Conscripts' will to defend Finland highest in a decade
      
      A survey found that conscripts were satisfied with conscription service, according to the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF).
    - Meduza ☛ Several missiles reportedly shot down over Russia’s Belgorod region — Meduza
    - Meduza ☛ Hundreds of Belgorod residents evacuate after unexploded ordnance found in Russian border town — Meduza
    - Meduza ☛ Russian town without power after substation, damaged in attack, shut down for repairs — Meduza
    - Meduza ☛ Chechen Governor Ramzan Kadyrov says relatives of criminals who cannot be apprehended should be punished — Meduza
    - France24 ☛ Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of POWs in UAE-brokered deal
      
      Russia and Ukraine said Wednesday that they had swapped hundreds of captive soldiers, their first publicly announced prisoner of war exchange in almost five months.
    - RFERL ☛ Ukraine, Russia Swap Hundreds Of POWs In U.A.E.-Mediated Deal
      
      Amid the trading of heavy aerial attacks, Russia and Ukraine have completed an exchange of hundreds of prisoners of war under a deal sponsored by the United Arab Emirates.
    - JURIST ☛ UN condemns new wave of Russia attacks on Ukraine
      
      A UN expert condemned on Tuesday a new wave of Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine. The recent attacks targeted densely-populated cities and towns across Ukraine as the war between the two countries rages on.
    - RFERL ☛ Atomic Watchdog Says Experts Blocked From Some Reactor Halls At Zaporizhzhya Plant
      
      The UN's nuclear watchdog said on January 3 that its experts had recently been blocked for the first time from inspecting the reactor halls of three units of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya power plant.
    - RFERL ☛ Norway To Send Two F-16s To Denmark For Ukrainian Pilot Training
      
      Norway's government said on January 3 that it would send two F-16 fighter jets to Denmark to help train Ukrainian pilots in the use of the planes, which are highly anticipated by Kyiv.
    - RFERL ☛ Polish Farmers To Resume Blockade Of Ukraine Border Crossing
      
      Polish farmers will resume their blockade of the Medyka border crossing with Ukraine from January 4, protest leaders told the state-run news agency PAP, as Prime Minister Donald Tusk attempted to defuse the dispute.
    - RFERL ☛ EU Sanctions Russia's Largest Diamond Producer
      
      The European Union on January 3 imposed sanctions on Russia's state-run diamond giant Alrosa and its CEO as part of a ban on imports of the precious stones over the Ukraine war.
    - RFERL ☛ Death Toll Rises To 30 In Russia's Deadliest Attack On Kyiv
      
      The death toll has risen from the deadliest missile attack on Kyiv since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
    - teleSUR ☛ Russian Air Defense Repels Ukrainian Attack on Belgorod
      
      Since Dec. 30, Ukrainian forces have been attacking the civilian population in this Russian city.
    - New York Times ☛ Russia and Ukraine Exchange Record Number of P.O.W.s
      
      The exchange of prisoners was the first in months and came as both sides were engaged in an escalating cycle of air assaults.
    - New York Times ☛ ‘It’s State Propaganda’: Ukrainians Shun TV News as War Drags on
      
      A government-approved news program intended to counter Russian disinformation and boost morale is coming under criticism for painting a rosy picture of the war.
    - Meduza ☛ Silence and success Ukrainian-born singer Anna Asti became a superstar in Russia by ignoring the war. Then she attended the ‘almost naked’ party. — Meduza
    - Meduza ☛ Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners of war in biggest swap since February 2022 invasion — Meduza
    - Meduza ☛ Ex-head of Russia’s Internal Affairs Ministry’s Yekaterinburg department, convicted of bribery and illegal weapons possession, killed in war in Ukraine — Meduza
    - Latvia ☛ Kozlovskis: Unknown how many Russians will have to be forcibly expelled
      
      On Wednesday, January 3, 1,213 Russian citizens' permanent residence permits expire, so they might be expelled from Latvia. How many people will actually have to be forced to leave cannot be said at the moment, Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis told Latvian Radio.
    - Latvia ☛ Russian citizen detained in Latvia on suspicion of spying
      
      The State Security Service (VDD) detained a Russian citizen on December 20 on suspicion of espionage for the benefit of the Russian special service, the service reported January 3.
- Environment
  - The Straits Times ☛ As Japan's Wajima city digs out from quake, hopes fade for tourism recovery
    
    Hotel chef Makoto Wakabayashi was among those in Wajima hoping for a banner year as visitors returned to the scenic, seaside town that weathered more than two years of pandemic gloom.
  - Energy/Transportation
    - YLE ☛ EV drivers beware — Severe cold may halve typical battery range
      
      Electric cars sold in Finland are designed for arctic conditions, however their performance can be greatly reduced in freezing temperatures.
    - YLE ☛ Olkiluoto nuclear power plant cranked out more than 30% of Finland's electricity last year
      
      Finland's newest nuclear reactor, OL3, was behind 42 percent of the facility's output.
    - Hackaday ☛ Cessna 208B Grand Caravan Flies Under Remote Control
      
      Reliable Robotics has been working on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) since its founding in 2017, with a number of demonstrations for the FAA so far as it works towards getting the technology licensed. Most recently, it flew an unmanned Cessna 208B Grand Caravan with a pilot in a ground-based control center. This comes a few years after the company flew a Cessna Skyhawk 172 in a similar manner, demonstrating the functionality of its systems in a fairly small airplane.
  - Wildlife/Nature
    - New York Times ☛ First Case of Lethal Bird Flu in Polar Bears Reported in Alaska
      
      Tissue samples from a polar bear that was found dead have tested positive for the virus.
- Finance
  - RFA ☛ IMF chief: US-China rivalry could dent global GDP by 7%
    
    ‘This is like France and Germany disappearing,’ Kristalina Georgieva warned on CNN.
  - Reason ☛ America Has Borrowed $1 Trillion Since the Start of Football Season
    
    The federal government is borrowing money at a mind-spinning rate, and you can't blame it on the COVID-19 pandemic anymore.
  - Silicon Angle ☛ Xerox to lay off 15% of its workforce amid broad restructuring initiative
    
    Xerox Holdings Corp.’s stock plunged 12% today after the printer maker announced plans to let go 15% of its workforce, which comprised more than 20,000 employees at the end of 2022. The layoffs are part of a restructuring initiative meant to reverse the company’s recent revenue declines.
  - BIA Net ☛ Two-fold difference between inflation rate announced by TÜİK and ENAG
    
    According to TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute), the annual inflation is 64.77%, while according to ENAG (alternative research institution), it is 127.21%. With the rates announced by TÜİK, the salary increases for retirees and civil servants have also become clear.
- AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
  - JURIST ☛ Trump appeals Maine Secretary of State’s decision to keep him off state ballot
    
    Trump’s lawyer submitted on Tuesday a petition in Maine, to reverse the decision to strike Trump off the state’s primary election ballot. Trump’s legal team argues that the Secretary of State who ruled on the decision “failed to provide lawful due process” because she was proven to be biased.
  - New Yorker ☛ Ronan Farrow on the “Shadow Rule” of Elon Musk
    
    How the tech billionaire built a one-man monopoly over American infrastructure and became too powerful for the U.S. government to rein in.
- Censorship/Free Speech
  - Press Gazette ☛ Editors reject extra protection in Code for Jews, Muslims and those with ADHD
    
    Editors' Code of Practice Committee say ban on "generalised remarks" could harm free speech.
- Civil Rights/Policing
  - BIA Net ☛ Sputnik Turkey files complaint stating journalists they fired are staging a strike
    
    Eight journalists who have been on strike for 140 days and board members of the Journalists Union of Turkey have been called to give statements to the police following a complaint from Sputnik.
  - Techdirt ☛ Court Tells California Cops (Again!) That Law Requires Disclosure Of Old Misconduct Records
    
    Let’s roll into the new year by saying what needs to be said: if you’re arguing against government transparency, you’re on the wrong side of history.
- Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
  - Public Knowledge ☛ Privileged Conversations | Jan 2024
    
    Public Knowledge is proud to host a dynamic program dedicated to nurturing and empowering the next generation of tech policy experts and public interest advocates, with a special focus on students and recent graduates of color.
  - Techdirt ☛ Republicans Trying To Kill Program That Brings Affordable Broadband To The Poor
    
    Last month we noted how a program aimed at helping low income Americans afford broadband was at risk of being dismantled thanks to congressional incompetence and corruption.

^* Gemini (Primer) links can be opened using Gemini software. It's like the World Wide Web but a lot lighter.

Links 04/01/2024: COVID-19 Resurgence and Patent Spam

Contents

Leftovers

Tom's Hardware ☛ Tetris was finally beaten after 34 years, game kill screen pops up at Level 157 — hypertapping and rolling were key techniques

Kev Quirk ☛ One Month Without

Science

New York Times ☛ What to Know About the Science of Reading

Science Alert ☛ NASA Successfully Tests Revolutionary Rocket That Could Get Us to Mars Faster

Science Alert ☛ Golden Orb Found at Bottom of The Ocean Mystifies Scientists

Science Alert ☛ Chemical Produced by Gut Microbes Seems to Prevent Obesity in Mice

Hardware

The Next Platform ☛ With “Big Chip,” China Lays Out Aspirations For Waferscale

Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s BYD overtakes Tesla as top all-electric vehicle maker

Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong seizes electronic goods worth an estimated HK$1.5m in anti-smuggling border operation

Hackaday ☛ Pinball With No Computers

CNX Software ☛ Radxa X2L defective chip maker Intel Celeron J4125 SBC goes for as low as $39

Hackaday ☛ An Extensive Walkthrough On Building Your Own KSP Controller

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

France24 ☛ Doctors in England launch longest strike in NHS history

teleSUR ☛ Junior Doctors in England Start Six-Day Strike

Latvia ☛ Long-awaited hospice care at home starts working in Latvia

Latvia ☛ Latvian hospitals see frostbite cases in recent days

teleSUR ☛ Ethiopia: + 14,000 Dengue Fever Cases Recorded, WHO

JURIST ☛ Pakistan anti-corruption agency investigating PTI leader for breach of merit-based system

Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 2.8% of Hong Kong students ‘planned’ suicide in last school year, gov’t says

NYPost ☛ Mask mandates back at NYC-run hospitals as COVID and flu cases rise

New York Times ☛ Covid Has Resurged, but Scientists See a Diminished Threat

New York Times ☛ Florida Health Official Calls for Halt to Covid Vaccines

Security

Privacy/Surveillance

Techdirt ☛ India’s Government Goes After Apple For Notifying Journalists, Dissidents Of Phone Hacking Attempts

Defence/Aggression

New York Times ☛ Dismissals Point to Pooh-tin Jinping’s Quiet Shake-Up of China’s Military

The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan will publish analysis of China's alleged election interference post vote

RFA ☛ Myanmar shadow govt voices support for China’s Taiwan policy

Atlantic Council ☛ Why Beijing’s latest pre-election attempt to coerce Taiwanese voters could backfire

Vice Media Group ☛ Mysterious Section of the Great Wall of China Isn't What We Thought, Study Reveals

RFA ☛ China’s 3rd aircraft carrier nears sea trials

RFA ☛ No new monks allowed at Buddhist monastery in Tibet

RFA ☛ Named and shamed for ‘lying flat’

RFA ☛ China suspends news anchor for calling Japan quake 'retribution'

New York Times ☛ Attack on Opposition Leader Raises Alarms in Divided South Korea

The Straits Times ☛ South Korea opposition leader leaves ICU after knife attack: Surgeon

RFA ☛ N Korea vows military strength expansion in message to S Korean president

RFA ☛ ‘Whatever the party orders, we are screwed!’

RFA ☛ S Korean spy agency sees Kim Jong Un’s daughter as ‘probable successor’

New York Times ☛ Thursday Briefing: Blasts in Iran Kill Dozens

France24 ☛ Iran blames Israel, US for deadly twin blasts near grave of Guards general Soleimani

RFERL ☛ Iran Vows Response After Explosions Kill Nearly 100 During Ceremony For Slain General

New York Times ☛ Over 100 Killed in Iran Blasts at Qassim Suleimani Memorial

France24 ☛ Dozens killed in blasts at ceremony for slain Iranian general Soleimani

France24 ☛ Saleh al-Arouri’s Beirut killing takes out key Hamas link with Iran, Hezbollah

New York Times ☛ Hezbollah’s Leader Pledges Revenge for Killing of a Hamas Leader in Beirut

teleSUR ☛ West Bank Goes on Strike After Assassination of Hamas Leader

CS Monitor ☛ Hezbollah vows ‘punishment’ after Hamas leader is killed in Beirut

France24 ☛ Hezbollah will ‘fight without restraint’ if Israel wages war on Lebanon, Nasrallah warns

New York Times ☛ Former Guard Official Says Army Retaliated for His Account of Jan. 6 Delay

Digital Music News ☛ Tupac Accused Murderer Struggling to Stay Out of Jail

ADF ☛ Unexploded Ordnance Continues to Plague Northern Ethiopia

RFA ☛ Junta helicopter crashes following KIA attack in northern Myanmar

Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

Meduza ☛ Kazakhstan reportedly hands over cybersecurity expert Nikita Kislitsin to Moscow after rejecting U.S. extradition bid — Meduza

YLE ☛ Conscripts' will to defend Finland highest in a decade

Meduza ☛ Several missiles reportedly shot down over Russia’s Belgorod region — Meduza

Meduza ☛ Hundreds of Belgorod residents evacuate after unexploded ordnance found in Russian border town — Meduza

Meduza ☛ Russian town without power after substation, damaged in attack, shut down for repairs — Meduza

Meduza ☛ Chechen Governor Ramzan Kadyrov says relatives of criminals who cannot be apprehended should be punished — Meduza

France24 ☛ Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of POWs in UAE-brokered deal

RFERL ☛ Ukraine, Russia Swap Hundreds Of POWs In U.A.E.-Mediated Deal

JURIST ☛ UN condemns new wave of Russia attacks on Ukraine

RFERL ☛ Atomic Watchdog Says Experts Blocked From Some Reactor Halls At Zaporizhzhya Plant

RFERL ☛ Norway To Send Two F-16s To Denmark For Ukrainian Pilot Training

RFERL ☛ Polish Farmers To Resume Blockade Of Ukraine Border Crossing

RFERL ☛ EU Sanctions Russia's Largest Diamond Producer

RFERL ☛ Death Toll Rises To 30 In Russia's Deadliest Attack On Kyiv

teleSUR ☛ Russian Air Defense Repels Ukrainian Attack on Belgorod

New York Times ☛ Russia and Ukraine Exchange Record Number of P.O.W.s

New York Times ☛ ‘It’s State Propaganda’: Ukrainians Shun TV News as War Drags on

Meduza ☛ Silence and success Ukrainian-born singer Anna Asti became a superstar in Russia by ignoring the war. Then she attended the ‘almost naked’ party. — Meduza

Meduza ☛ Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners of war in biggest swap since February 2022 invasion — Meduza