Leftovers

• MWL ☛ Vultr Just Betrayed Us

  I suppose the hip kids would say this is enshittification, but it’s certainly a betrayal.

  [...]

  This is unacceptable. No other hosting company does this.

  The TLDR on the side is deceitful. They say that we own our stuff. Fine. The fine print declares that we license our stuff to them, for full exploitation, without compensation.

  I have not agreed to those ToS. Fortunately, I can migrate off their systems without console access, so I do not have to agree. If you use vultr, I suggest you do the same. Also contact them through their contact page and state your refusal. I’m told you can cancel via their page without logging in, but haven’t yet tried it.

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ Ice Skating and the Brain

    How do champion skaters accomplish their extraordinary jumps and spins? Brain science is uncovering clues.

  • Science Alert ☛ Magnetic Fingerprints of The Milky Way's Black Hole Revealed in Stunning Image

    They look eerily familiar.

  • Science Alert ☛ Melting Polar Ice Is Having a Concerning Impact on The Length of Our Year

    Not a moment to lose.

  • Science Alert ☛ An Engineering Expert Explains Why The Baltimore Bridge Collapsed

    A tragic event we can learn from.

  • Science Alert ☛ Common Plastic Additive Linked to Autism And ADHD, Scientists Find

  • Off Guardian ☛ Why Do People Claim They Own “The Science™”?

    In a truly remarkable article, seemingly packed with anti-scientific claims masquerading as scientific rigour, Dr Jonathan N. Stea asks why people fall for “Fake Science News.” It isn’t entirely clear what Dr Stea is talking about because he doesn’t give any examples, just some vague generalities about people having the gall to question “the Science™.” …

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Sort Of Electromagnet Attracts Copper, Aluminum

    It is a common grade school experiment to wind some wire around a screw, power it up, and watch it pick up paper clips or other ferrous materials. It is also grade school science to show that neither an electromagnet nor a permanent magnet will pick up nonferrous items like copper or aluminum. While technically not an electromagnet, it is possible to build a similar device that will weakly pull on copper and aluminum, and [Cylo] shows us how it works in a recent video you can see below.

  • Meduza ☛ Half the processors made by Russian computer chipmaker Baikal Electronics are reportedly defective — Meduza

  • The Straits Times ☛ China hopes Netherlands will ensure 'normal' lithography machine trade

    BEIJING - China hopes the Netherlands would support companies in fulfilling their contractual obligations and ensure "normal" trade of lithography machines, said Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ China's president says it doesn't need ASML — tells Dutch PM it will continue with advanced technological progress regardless

    China's President Pooh-tin Jinping still wants the Netherlands to stop following American export restrictions, but he also said that continuing to do so would not stop the nation's progress.

  • Hackaday ☛ 3D Printing With (Ersatz) Moon Dust

    When the people of Earth set up bases on the moon, you can imagine that 3D printing will be a key enabling technology. Of course, you could ship plastic or other filament at great cost. But what if you could print with something you can already find on the moon? Like moon dust. NASA thinks it is possible and has been doing tests on doing just that. Now [Virtual Foundry] wants to let you have a shot at trying it yourself. It doesn’t really contain moon dust, but their Basalt Moon Dust Filamet has a similar composition. You can see a video about the material below.

  • CNX Software ☛ Vecow SPC-9000 fanless embedded system is powered by an defective chip maker Intel Core 7 Ultra 165U or Core 5 Ultra 135U SoC

    Vecow SPC-9000 fanless embedded system is powered by the 14th Gen defective chip maker Intel Core Ultra 7 165U or Core Ultra 5 135U 12-core Meteor Lake processor and targets Edge Hey Hi (AI) applications for factory management, data acquisition & monitoring, autonomous mobile robots (AMR), Smart Retail, and more.

  • CNX Software ☛ Ambiq Apollo510 Arm Cortex-M55 MCU delivers up to 30x better power efficiency for AI/ML workloads

    Ambiq Apollo510 Arm Cortex-M55 microcontroller delivers 30 times better power efficiency than typical Cortex-M4 designs and 10 times the performance of the Apollo4 Cortex-M4 sub-threshold microcontroller for Hey Hi (AI) and ML workloads. The new MCU also comes with 4MB NVM, 3.75MB SRAM, a 2.5D GPU with vector graphics acceleration that’s 3.5 times faster than the Apollo4 Plus, and support for low-power Memory-in-Pixel (MiP) displays.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Democracy Now ☛ Supreme Court Seems Set to Preserve Access to Mifepristone in Likely Defeat for Abortion Foes

    The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday on the abortion pill mifepristone, which is available by mail and can be taken at home, even in states that have severely limited or banned abortions. The case was brought by a group of anti-choice medical associations that have sought to overturn moves by the Food and Drug Administration to increase access to the drug, which is used for roughly two-thirds of all U.S. abortions. This was the first abortion-related Supreme Court hearing since the court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. A decision is expected by July. “Overall the justices showed that they were skeptical of the claims brought by the plaintiffs in this case,” says Michele Goodwin, a law professor at Georgetown University and founding director of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy. Goodwin summarizes the arguments presented by both sides, the justices’ responses and the legal implications of the upcoming ruling.

  • Democracy Now ☛ Meet Eva Burch, Arizona State Senator Fighting Abortion Bans by Sharing Her Plan to Have an Abortion

    Democratic Arizona state Senator Eva Burch made headlines last week after speaking on the floor of the state Senate about her plans to obtain an abortion after receiving news that her pregnancy was nonviable. Arizona has banned all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. “I felt like it was really important for me to bring people along, so that people could really see what this looks like,” says Burch, a former nurse practitioner who worked at a women’s health clinic before running for office, about why she decided to publicly tell her story. “I wanted to pull people into the conversation so we can be more honest about what abortion care looks like” and “hopefully move the needle in the right direction,” she adds.

  • Science Alert ☛ Hoarding Junk Proteins Could Increase Our Risk of ALS

    And speed up aging.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Mexico postpones glyphosate ban citing lack of available alternatives

    The World Health Organization classifies the controversial herbicide as a “probable carcinogen.”

  • Science Alert ☛ Younger Generations Have Larger Brains. Is That Healthier?

  • teleSUR ☛ AU for Ensuring Africa’s Self-Sufficiency in Medicines, Vaccines

    The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of Africa's dependence on external sources for essential medicines and vaccines.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ HKFP Lens: Art Basel 2024 returns to pre-pandemic scale with works from 242 local and int’l leading galleries

    Art Basel Hong Kong has returned to Wan Chai’s exhibition centre at full-scale, welcoming 242 galleries from 40 countries, with 65 more exhibitors participating compared to last year. “[T]he show will provide an unparalleled and dynamic overview of artistic production across the Asia-Pacific region, from historical rediscoveries to work by contemporary practitioners.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Allianz Field to host its first musical event, a two-day dance music festival in June

    Officials say the pandemic slowed down plans for live music at the venue.

  • YLE ☛ Pandemic babies less likely to be vaccinated, compared to previous age groups [Ed: If you FORCE people to take EXPERIMENTAL vaccines that end up not working as advertised you risk people becoming hesitant to trust ANY vaccine and, by doing so, you only endanger the population]

    Regional differences in the number of children's vaccinations are narrowing.

  • YLE ☛ Five of Finland's hospital maternity wards at risk of closure

    Health officials have decided to no longer allow hospitals with fewer than 1,000 births a year to provide maternity services.

  • YLE ☛ Doctors temporarily laid off in South Ostrobothnia

    Due to the wellbeing services county's budget shortfall, doctors on non-urgent duties will be furloughed for three days.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Carer support hotline sees 14,600 calls since launch, 35% sought emotional counselling, official says

    A Hong Kong government hotline designed to support carers for elderly and disabled people has received about 14,600 calls since its launch last September, with 35 per cent of callers seeking emotional counselling, labour and welfare chief Chris Sun has said.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Techdirt ☛ Why Bluesky Remains The Most Interesting Experiment In Social Media, By Far

    These days, everyone hates big tech, and that’s often for very good reasons. You shouldn’t trust giant centralized companies that have collected a ridiculous amount of data on you. There are few reasonable alternatives, so they can keep you stuck in their silos. They just move more and more rapidly along the enshittification curve, extracting more and more value from you for less value given back.

  • Games ☛ Sega sells Relic and will cut 240 jobs across UK studios

    Sega has sold Relic Entertainment, and will cut 240 roles across Sega Europe, Creative Assembly and Sega HARDlight.

    Relic is best known for the Company of Heroes and Dawn of War games, and recently developed the new Age of Empires for Microsoft. Relic will transition to an independent studio and will no-longer be part of the Sega group of studios.

    The majority of the 240 job cuts are across Creative Assembly and Sega Europe, while there will be a ‘small number’ cut from Sega HARDLight. There was no mention of other Sega UK studios, including Two Point Studios and Sports Interactive.

    Creative Assembly had already suffered a range of redundancies following the cancellation of its Hyenas project last year.

  • Sega Sells Relic Entertainment And Announces Layoffs Across Multiple Teams

    As reported by IGN, the job losses will be split across Sega Europe, Creative Assembly, and Sega Hardlight. It's reported that the latter will be the least affected, with the majority of layoffs hitting Sega Europe and Creative Assembly.

  • Nintendo to lay off 86 Redmond employees this spring

    Gaming news site Kotaku noted the layoffs are coming ahead of the launch of Nintendo’s highly anticipated successor to its Switch console, now said to be coming in 2025 after delays. The Switch is the 15th and most recent gaming console Nintendo has launched dating back to 1977. Released in 2017, this has been one of the longest gaps between consoles in company history.

    “These changes will involve some contractor assignments ending, as well as the creation of a significant number of new full-time employee positions,” a spokesperson for Nintendo told Kotaku in an email. “For those contractor associates who will be leaving us, we are tremendously grateful for the important contributions they’ve made to our business, and we extend our heartfelt thanks for their hard work and service to Nintendo.”

  • The Business Journals ☛ Nintendo lays off 86 contract workers in Redmond

    Nintendo of America is laying off 86 contract workers in Redmond from tech staffing and consulting firm TEKsystems.

  • Nintendo is Laying Off Internal Testers Amidst First-Party Games ‘Lull’

    Nintendo has confirmed that it’s laying off some internal testers amidst a first-party ‘lull’ that has a lack of exclusive games prepped for 2024, including the Switch 2 reportedly being delayed. The company confirmed that impacted testers will receive severance packages and be provided “assistance during their transition.”

    Following a report from Kotaku about the layoffs, Nintendo officially responded with its own statement confirming that it is restructuring its internal testing, leading to some internal testers being let go due to a lack of first-party games and hardware being ready.

  • Sega’s Labor Union Wins, After Sega & CWA Agree On Union Contract

    As reported by GamesIndustry.Biz, Sega and the Communication Workers of America (CWA) have agreed to terms of their labor union contract. Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega (AEGIS), the Sega union that organized under the CWA, and came in the news in the past few months, has ratified their collective bargaining contract.

  • Neowin ☛ Sega announces major layoffs across UK studios, sells Company of Heroes maker Relic

    Sega has announced some major changes to its Western gaming divisions. 240 positions across its Sega Europe, Creative Assembly, and Sega HARDlight game development studios are being cut, while developer Relic Entertainment is being sold off completely.

    Sega has said most of the jobs being cut are from the Creative Assembly and Sega Europe divisions. Creative Assembly is responsible for the hit strategy franchise Total War on the PC platform, and only last year released the Ancient Egypt-set Total War: Pharaoh. The studio was also developing a AAA hero-based multiplayer project named Hyenas, which Sega canceled last year during open beta phases. It's unclear how many of the 240 lost positions are from Creative Assembly.

  • SEGA to reportedly lay off 240 staff, as Company of Heroes developer Relic announces plans to go independent following sale

    SEGA is reportedly planning to cut 240 jobs across a number of its studios, with Total War developer Creative Assembly, SEGA Europe, and Sonic Dream Team developer Hardlight being the studios set to be affected by these layoffs. Meanwhile, the publisher has announced that it's sold Company of Heroes developer Relic, which now plans to go independent.

  • Sega Layoffs 2024: What to Know About the Latest Sega Job Cuts

    Sega, a division of Sega Sammy (OTCMKTS:SGAMY), has announced layoffs as the video game company sells off one of its development studios.

    Sega has announced that 240 employees will be affected by this latest round of layoffs. The company says that this will include workers at its Sega Europe, Creative Assembly and Sega Hardlight divisions.

    The latest news notes that Sega Hardlight is going to be the group least affected by these layoffs. Instead, Sega Europe and Creative Assembly will bear the brunt of the cuts.

  • Sega sells Relic Entertainment and cuts 240 jobs in UK studios

    The gaming industry continues to be feverish. It has become known that Sega has sold Relic Entertainment, which is known as the developer of such popular games as Company of Heroes and Dawn of War. The studio has recently developed a new Age of Empires for Microsoft. Relic is transforming into an independent studio and will no longer be part of the Sega group of studios.

  • India Times ☛ Canada-based telecommunications giant lays off hundreds of employees in 10-minute video call meetings

  • India Times ☛ Microsoft is removing this 30-year-old software from Windows: How you’ll be affected, alternatives and more

  • Gaming Industry Layoffs: Nintendo Confirms Testing Department Cuts

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  • TechRadar ☛ Nintendo of America to lay off contractors ahead of Switch 2's release, according to report

    In case you were wondering, yes, the games industry is still undergoing a period of mass layoffs. According to a new report, the latest round seems to be from Nintendo of America ahead of the release of the much-anticipated Nintendo Switch successor which appears to be slated for a 2025 launch.

    The report, from Kotaku, states that Nintendo of America's contractors - who perform testing for upcoming games and hardware - are undergoing a wholesale restructuring.

    According to eight contractors who work (or have worked) for Nintendo of America, the testing department is undergoing a period of downsizing that includes an undetermined numbers of layoffs, though some contractors have reportedly been offered full-time roles at the company.

• Pseudo-Open Source

  • Openwashing

    • IT Jungle ☛ What’s Up with Open Source on I.C.B.M. i? [Ed: Openwashing. This product is proprietary, monopolised, very expensive.]

      Open source software has become a steadfast component of the I.C.B.M. i stack. But what open source software are I.C.B.M. i shops using today? Results from Fortra’s recent I.C.B.M. i Marketplace Survey provide answers.

      It may seem odd now, but open source hasn’t always been a staple of the I.C.B.M. i server’s software diet. Until PHP arrived on the platform two decades ago, proprietary software was the only option for I.C.B.M. i shops.

      >

    • Silicon Angle ☛ Databricks open-sources its own large language model, DBRX

      Databricks Inc. today launched DBRX, a general-purpose large language model that it says outperforms all existing open-source models — and some proprietary ones — on standard benchmarks. The company said it’s open-sourcing the model to encourage customers to migrate away from commercial alternatives.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong police arrest 15-year-old girl linked to phone scams involving HK$1.75 million in losses

      A 15-year-old girl has been arrested by police on suspicion of involvement in seven “guess who I am” style phone scams, which swindled HK$1.75 million out of victims, mostly elderly people living alone.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Site36 ☛ Frontex tests upload of selfies: “Quick Border App” to supplement new regulation for entry into the EU

    • Techdirt ☛ ShotSpotter Pitches In To Help Cops Open Fire On A Teen Setting Off Fireworks

      Back in 2021, the Chicago Office of the Inspector General released a report on the PD’s ShotSpotter tech. The acoustic detection system was apparently mostly useless, no matter what ShotSpotter may have commented in response.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong mulls compulsory surveillance and dash cameras in taxis

      Hong Kong will consult the taxi industry as to whether surveillance and dash cameras will be made mandatory in their vehicles. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung was responding in writing to a legislative question on Wednesday from lawmaker Luk Chung-hung.

    • Site36 ☛ More German authorities introduce facial recognition, while the police photo database breaks through 5 million mark

    • EFF ☛ EFF Asks Oregon Supreme Court Not to Limit Fourth Amendment Rights Based on Terms of Service

      EFF signed on to an amicus brief drafted by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers earlier this month petitioning the Oregon Supreme Court to review State v. Simons, a case involving law enforcement surveillance of over a year’s worth of private internet activity. We ask that the Court join the Ninth Circuit in recognizing that people have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their browsing histories, and that checking a box to access public Wi-Fi does not waive Fourth Amendment rights.

      Mr. Simons was convicted of downloading child pornography after police warrantlessly captured his browsing history on an A&W restaurant’s public Wi-Fi network, which he accessed from his home across the street. The network was not password-protected but did require users to agree to an acceptable use policy, which noted that while web activity would not be actively monitored under normal circumstances, A&W “may cooperate with legal authorities.” A private consultant hired by the restaurant noticed a device on the network accessing child pornography sites and turned over logs of all of the device’s unencrypted internet activity, both illegal and benign, to law enforcement.

      The Court of Appeals asserted that Mr. Simons had no reasonable expectation of privacy in his browsing history on A&W’s free Wi-Fi network. We disagree.

    • Techdirt ☛ GM Pinky Swears It Will Stop Selling Driving Data To Insurers After Lawsuits, NYT Bombshell

      Earlier this month the New York Times published a major story confirming that automakers collect driver behavior data then sell it to a long list of companies. That includes insurance companies, who are now jacking up insurance rates if they see behavior in the dataset they don’t like.

    • Mozilla ☛ Mozilla Privacy Blog: Pathways to a fairer digital world: shaping EU rules to increase consumer protection and choice online [Ed: Mozilla is only pretending to value privacy; it is all relative]

      In the evolving digital landscape, where every click, swipe, and interaction shapes people’s daily lives, the need for robust consumer protection has never been more paramount. The propagation of deceptive design practices, aggressive personalization, and proliferation of fake reviews have the potential to limit or distort choices online and harm people, particularly the most vulnerable, by tricking them into taking actions that are not in their best interest, causing financial loss, loss of privacy, security, and well-being.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Democracy Now ☛ “We Don’t Need More Detention Centers, More Border Patrol”: Fernando García on SB4 & New Spending Law

    An immigration battle continues on the border between Texas and Mexico, as Texas’s state government increases its militarization of the region, deploying hundreds of National Guard troops and constructing new infrastructure on the border. Meanwhile, a new federal spending bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden has increased funding for ICE and CBP, and state and federal courts have been wrangling over the legality of SB4, a new Texas state law that gives local police sweeping powers to arrest and deport anyone they suspect has entered the United States without authorization. We hear more from Fernando García, founder and executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights, in El Paso. García says the influx of special forces with “no training with how to deal with a civilian population,” alongside the “show me your papers’’ atmosphere created by SB4, is increasing the daily violence faced by Latinx residents on the U.S. side of the border, all while “illegally impeding” the right to seek asylum by those in “desperate” straits on the Mexico side. Instead of capitulating to anti-immigrant politicians, he continues, “We needed for the federal government to stop Texas, stop the governor” from targeting “Latinos, people of color, migrants and people looking for asylum, for protection.”

  • Pro Publica ☛ Inside Gary, Indiana’s Suit Against the Gun Industry

    Twenty-five years ago, Scott King, then mayor of Gary, Indiana, spoke solemnly as he described a new strategy the city was taking to deal with the flow of illegally purchased guns fueling violent crime there.

    Undercover Gary police officers had fanned out across the area for Operation Hollowpoint, successfully purchasing guns and ammunition at federally licensed firearm retailers despite representing themselves as suspicious buyers. King presented surveillance footage in an 18-minute video produced by the city.

  • Democracy Now ☛ Baltimore Key Bridge Collapses, Killing Six Immigrant Workers Who Had No Access to Emergency Warnings

    Six people are missing and presumed dead after a 984-foot cargo ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the bridge’s collapse early Tuesday morning. All six have been identified as immigrant construction workers originally hailing from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Maryland Governor Wes Moore said the crew on the ship was able to issue an emergency mayday call before colliding with the bridge, which allowed authorities to stop incoming traffic and prevent more casualties. However, reports say the workers already on the bridge were not given similar warnings. “The question we should be asking about is why the folks on that bridge … had no direct line to emergency dispatch when they are clearly working in a potentially hazardous environment,” says journalist Maximillian Alvarez, the editor-in-chief of the Baltimore-based organization The Real News Network, who has been closely following the story and how it has affected immigrant and working-class communities. “What does this story actually show us? That immigrants are filling our potholes at night so that we can have a smooth drive to work in the morning,” Alvarez says. “I hope people can see this and see the humanity in us.”

  • Meduza ☛ ‘They wanted to humiliate me’: How the Russian authorities tried to charge a handless activist with strangling a police officer — Meduza

  • RFA ☛ Taiwan’s Kinmen Island: On the front lines of tension with China

    Amid fishing disputes and saber-rattling, residents say the tacit understandings that allowed everyone to get along are eroding.

  • France24 ☛ Haiti's future governing council vows to restore public order

    The governing council that aims to oversee a political transition in Haiti vowed Wednesday to restore "public and democratic order" in its first statement to the Caribbean nation wracked by a worsening security crisis.

  • RFA ☛ Report: Despite its displeasure, China maintains sway with Myanmar junta

    The International Crisis Group says China and UN Security Council members should seek a ‘coordinated response.’

  • New York Times ☛ Security Forces Clash With Pro-Palestinian Protesters in Jordan, Video Shows

    Protesters gathered near the Israeli embassy in Amman, the capital, calling for the country to cancel its agreements with Israel.

  • Reason ☛ Squatters Invaded His Mom's House—so He Fought Back

    Thanks to "squatters' rights" laws, evicting a squatter can be so expensive and cumbersome that some people simply walk away from their homes.

  • JURIST ☛ Virginia governor vetoes 30 bills concerning gun regulation

    Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed 30 pieces of legislation Tuesday related to the state regulation of guns. Though all related to guns, the vetoed bills ranged in topic, from criminalizing the dealing of guns near primary schools to requiring fingerprinting for a concealed weapons permit.

  • New York Times ☛ After the U.N. Cease-Fire Resolution, Israeli Strikes on Gaza Haven’t Let Up

    Israel and Hamas appear no closer to negotiating a stop in fighting, with significant gaps remaining between them.

  • France24 ☛ Israel recalls Gaza truce negotiators, strikes Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

    Israel recalled its negotiators from Doha after deeming mediated talks on a Gaza truce "at a dead end" due to demands by Hamas, a senior Israeli official said on Tuesday. Lebanese official media said fresh Israeli strikes on eastern Lebanon on Tuesday killed two people, after the deepest raid since cross-border hostilities erupted between Israel and Hezbollah amid the Gaza war.

  • France24 ☛ 🔴 Live: Lebanon's Hezbollah fires barrage of rockets into northern Israel

    Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel on Wednesday killing a civilian, after Israel carried out a deadly strike in south Lebanon. The news came as the southern Gaza Strip came under intense Israeli bombardment overnight, despite international pressure for an immediate ceasefire in the Palestinian territory where famine is looming.

  • The Strategist ☛ War risks to Australian maritime trade

    If push comes to shove between China and the United States, Australia’s international trade with Asia is at risk of becoming collateral damage.

  • Defence Web ☛ Africom Commander points to terrorism “shattering” African lives

    The senior United States (US) soldier in Africa told the US Congress that global events, including Russia’s war on Ukraine and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, have impacted the lives of millions of Africans.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Meduza ☛ Traffic cam data suggests Moscow terrorism suspects were apprehended hours earlier than previously reported — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Death toll from Moscow terrorist attack surpasses 140 — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘We broke down the doors’: How people caught in the Moscow terrorist attack saved the lives of those around them — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘It’s a prevention measure’: Why the Russian authorities shared graphic footage of the Moscow terrorism suspects being tortured — Meduza

    • The Straits Times ☛ Russian delegation visits Pyongyang to discuss cooperation against spying, KCNA says

      The meeting comes as Pyongyang seeks to expand its diplomatic engagement after Covid-19 lockdowns.

    • teleSUR ☛ North Korean Minister Yun Jong-Ho Visits Moscow

      Previously, the Putin administration asserted that it will develop relations with North Korea in all fields.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian entrepreneurs report 10 million euros' worth of aid to Ukraine

      Since the start of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, the Entrepreneurs for Peace Foundation, which brings together more than 300 Latvian companies, has sent more than €10 million in aid to Ukraine, the foundation said on March 27.

    • France24 ☛ No, this viral video of 'bombings' wasn’t actually filmed in Russia

      The Ukrainians have intensified their bombing campaign on border towns in Russia in recent weeks. But a viral video said to show the aftermath of a recent Ukrainian strike on the Russian city of Belgorod actually shows nothing of the kind. The footage was filmed during protests in Kazakhstan two years ago.

    • LRT ☛ Ukrainian teachers help plug the hole in Lithuania‘s education system

      More than 500 teachers and teaching assistants from Ukraine now work in Lithuania’s schools. With schools struggling to find staff, they welcome Ukrainian specialists who teach foreign languages and sciences to Lithuanian-speaking students.

    • RFERL ☛ More Civilians Killed Amid Kyiv's Desperation For Air-Defense Systems

      Russian forces shelled the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, killing one person and injuring 16, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said, as Ukraine's president and foreign minister again appealed for more air-defense systems from the United States.

    • RFERL ☛ Pussy Riot Member Gets 6 Years In Absentia

      A self-exiled member of the Pussy Riot protest group, Lyusya Shtein, has been sentenced in absentia to six years in prison over her online posts about Russian armed forces involved in the war in Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ UN Report Accuses Russia Of Executing Ukrainian Prisoners Of War

      A new report by the United Nations has said Russia may have executed at least 32 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) in the three months to February 29.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine, Georgia Qualify For Euro 2024

      Ukraine came from behind to beat Iceland in a play-off to qualify for Euro 2024 on March 26, while Georgia qualified for a first ever major tournament after beating Greece on penalties.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Amps Up Online Campaign Against Ukraine Before U.S. Elections

      Moscow has found better ways to conceal influence operations that spread arguments for isolationism, officials and experts say.

    • New York Times ☛ Thursday Briefing: Russia’s Online Attack on Ukraine Aid

      Plus, Stephen King’s greatest hits.

    • Latvia ☛ Russian diplomat ordered out of Latvia

      A Russian diplomat has been ordered to leave Latvia by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

    • Latvia ☛ Rīga port: severing ties with Russia would bring 20% turnover drop

      Breaking economic ties with Russia would reduce the turnover of Riga port by 20%, according to the port's calculations, Rīga Freeport Manager Ansis Zeltiņš told Latvian Radio on March 27.

    • RFERL ☛ Latvia Expels Russian Diplomat For 'Unacceptable' Actions

      Latvia has declared one employee of the Russian Embassy persona non grata and expelled him from the country. At the request of the Latvian Foreign Ministry, the diplomat must leave by April 10.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Rights Defender Subject To 'Inhumane' Treatment In Jail: Lawyers

      Lawyers for imprisoned Russian human rights defender Oleg Orlov say their client is being held in "inhumane" conditions. Orlov, 70, is being deprived of rest, hot food, and confidential meetings with his attorneys, they said on March 27.

    • RFERL ☛ Alleged Former North Caucasus Insurgent Detained In Daghestan

      Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on March 27 that a suspected former member of the North Caucasus insurgency was detained in Daghestan last week.

    • RFERL ☛ Samsung Pay System To Stop Using Russia's Mir Payment Cards

      Samsung announced on March 27 that its Samsung Pay system will stop using Russia's Mir payment cards as of April 3.

    • RFERL ☛ Death Toll From Concert Hall Attack In Russia Rises To 143

      The death toll in the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack near Moscow has risen to 143, the Ministry of Emergency Situations said on March 27.

    • RFERL ☛ Uzbek Citizens Urged To Obey Tougher Security Measures In Russia

      Uzbekistan has urged its citizens who work in Russia to comply with the stepped-up security measures that Moscow introduced following last week's deadly attack at a concert hall near Moscow.

    • The Straits Times ☛ New US sanctions target North Korean military finances

      The United States on Wednesday announced sanctions on six individuals and two entities based in Russia, China and the United Arab Emirates, accusing them of channeling funds to North Korea's weapons programs.

    • New York Times ☛ Russian Group Spread Disinformation About Kate Middleton, Experts Say

      A Kremlin-linked group known for online campaigns to sow falsehoods and distrust among Russia’s foes helped fuel the frenzy of conspiracy theories about Catherine and her health.

    • New York Times ☛ Kremlin Treads Carefully After Moscow Attack Over Fears of Ethnic Strife

      Anti-migrant rhetoric in the aftermath of the attacks at the concert venue outside Moscow has spurred fears that the tragedy could cause ethnic strife inside Russia.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Has No Formal Death Penalty. Some Want to Change That.

      Some prominent Russians are calling for the execution of those responsible for the massacre at a concert hall near Moscow, and an end to Russia’s 28-year moratorium on capital punishment.

    • RFERL ☛ Serbian Court Holds Hearing On Extradition Of Belarusian Journalist Wanted By Minsk

      A Belarusian journalist, filmmaker, and political activist who has been held in prison in Serbia for nearly six months pleaded with a court in Belgrade on March 26 not to be sent back to Belarus, saying his life would be endangered if he were extradited to his home country.

    • The Strategist ☛ Regional environment behind recent terror attacks will likely support extreme groups

      Last week’s terror attacks in Moscow and in the southern Afgan city of Kandahar have once again raised the spectre of international terrorism.

    • teleSUR ☛ Death Toll From Terrorist Attack in Moscow Rises to 143

      In addition to the large number of dead, the attack left 180 people injured, many of them in critical health and life-threatening situations.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • RFA ☛ US and China feud over subsidies for green tech

      Both countries accuse each other of distorting prices for green technology by subsidizing domestic firms.

    • DeSmog ☛ Report: As Climate Crisis Expands, Canada Still Hands Billions to Fossil Fuel Industry

      Last year was one of the worst on record for climate change-related disasters, yet Canada’s federal government spent $18.6 billion supporting the fossil fuel and petrochemical industry.

      A new report by the nonprofit Environmental Defence indicates that, despite record profits for the fossil fuel industry and Canadian claims to eliminate subsidies, the government of Justin Trudeau continues to spend massive quantities of public money supporting the primary cause of climate change.

    • YLE ☛ Petrol shortages may affect holiday buses

      Bus services will run normally through Thursday at least in the capital region, and until Saturday in the Lahti region.

    • Hackaday ☛ The Roller Ship Was Not An Effective Way To Cross The High Seas

      Boats come in all shapes and sizes. We have container ships, oil tankers, old-timey wooden sailing ships, catamarans, trimarans, and all sorts besides. Most are designed with features that give them a certain advantage or utility that justifies their construction for a given application.

    • Hackaday ☛ Retrotechtacular: TOPS Runs The 1970s British Railroad

      How do you make the trains run on time? British Rail adopted TOPS, a computer system born of IBM’s SAGE defense project, along with work from Standford and Southern Pacific Railroad. Before TOPS, running the railroad took paper. Lots of paper, ranging from a train’s history, assignments, and all the other bits of data required to keep the trains moving. TOPS kept this data in real-time on computer screens all across the system. While British Rail wasn’t the only company to deploy TOPS, they were certainly proud of it and produced the video you can see below about how the system worked.

    • H2 View ☛ Treasury hearing told to incentivise nuclear for hydrogen under IRA rules

      Existing nuclear resources should be incentivised to support clean hydrogen production, a US Treasury public hearing on the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA’s) 45V guidance has been told.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Science Alert ☛ Sperm Whales Have Been Seen Using Their Ultimate Weapon Against Attacking Orcas

      Never get on a sperm whale's bad side.

    • France24 ☛ Macron and Lula announce €1 billion investment plan for the Amazon

      French President Emmanuel Macron kicked off a visit to Brazil Tuesday with the launch of a billion-euro Amazonian green investment plan alongside his counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

  • Overpopulation

    • RFA ☛ Chinese doctor bewails vanishing obstetrics wards as births plummet

      Shanghai doctor Duan Tao says the number of beds in obstetrics clinics is falling 'every day.'

• Finance

  • RFA ☛ Alibaba cancels unit’s Hong Kong IPO, citing sluggish market

    The move comes amid fears that the new security law will boost the risk of doing business in the city.

  • Latvia ☛ Tax service checks math of Daugavpils mayor's lifestyle and income

    Although the State Revenue Service (VID) has already announced that there was nothing wrong with the income declaration of Daugavpils Mayor Andrejs Elksniņš, the Service continues to verify the conformity of the income of Elksniņš as a natural person with his lifestyle, VID Head Baiba Šmite-Roķe said in an interview Latvian Television on March 26.

  • YLE ☛ Political strikes continue into fourth week

    The main employers’ group, the EK, estimates that the strike has already cost some €2bn.

  • YLE ☛ Wednesday's papers: Split over strikes, fuel supplies, Stubb's first local tour

    A fresh poll shows nearly equal public support for, and opposition to, government labour market policies and the current wave of political strikes in Finland.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ The ‘super peso’ strikes again, hitting an 8-year high against the dollar

    Despite a narrowing difference in interest rates with the U.S., the peso is at its strongest point since 2015.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ How Elon Musk Became ‘Kind of Pro-China’

    Mr. Musk helped create China’s electric vehicle industry. But he is now facing challenges there as well as scrutiny in the West over his reliance on the country.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s Pooh-tin Jinping meets US business representatives in Beijing

    Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping met Wednesday with representatives of US businesses, state media reported, as Beijing seeks to woo foreign investment and reassure American firms in the face of a slowing economy.

  • New York Times ☛ Tesla’s Pivot to China Saved Musk. It Also Binds Him to Beijing.

    Tesla and China built a symbiotic relationship, with credits, workers and parts that made Mr. Musk ultrarich. Now, his reliance on the country may give Beijing leverage.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Footballer Son Jun-ho ‘grateful to be home’ after 10 months’ detention in China

    Son Jun-ho said he was grateful to be safely home with his family after the South Korean international’s release from 10 months’ detention in China. The 31-year-old World Cup midfielder made his first public comments since Seoul’s foreign ministry said on Monday that he had been freed and was home.

  • JURIST ☛ US federal judge dismisses Pennsylvania lawmakers’ challenge to state automatic voter registration

    US District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson dismissed a lawsuit Tuesday against President Joe Biden and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro challenging several actions to boost voter registration.

  • YLE ☛ Court annuls 2023 Sámi Parliament elections, orders new vote

    More than 100 appeals were filed concerning the electoral roll for the assembly, which represents Finland's indigenous Sámi people.

  • University of Michigan ☛ Donald Trump and Sneaker Con: How the right uses youth culture to spread its agenda to Gen Z

    On Feb. 17, 2024, former U.S. President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump made an appearance at the Philadelphia Convention Center for the city’s iteration of Sneaker Con, a yearly event focused on streetwear and sneakerhead culture. His purported mission at this event was to promote the now-sold-out $399 “Never Surrender High-Top Sneakers.”

  • Breach Media ☛ Canada deporting highest level of migrants in a decade, despite promises to let more stay

    Despite pledging a pathway to status for more migrants, Canada spent more than $100 million deporting them in the last two years

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • FAIR ☛ ‘Free Speech’ Fan Elon Musk Enlists State Allies to Silence Critics

    I wrote last November (FAIR.org, 11/22/23) about how Twitter owner Elon Musk’s lawsuit against Media Matters—alleging the group’s research “manipulated” data in an effort to “destroy” Musk’s social media platform—was an episode of a right-wing corporate media mogul using his wealth to crush free speech.

  • Reason ☛ Steven Pinker: What Went Wrong at Harvard

    The psychologist and bestselling author argues that Harvard's free speech policy was so "selectively prosecuted that it became a national joke."

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Jimmy Lai trial: Sanctions among ‘immature ideas’ activist Andy Li ‘floated,’ court hears

    Sanctions against individuals – or economic sanctions at the country level – were among the “immature ideas” Hong Kong activist Andy Li “floated” to an international parliamentary alliance days before the 2020 national security law came into force, a court has heard at the high-profile trial of media mogul Jimmy Lai.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Article 23: Hong Kong condemns New York Times op-ed on city’s ‘lost freedom’

    The government has condemned an opinion piece about the city’s “lost freedom” published by the New York Times, the latest letter to media in a campaign to counter critical press coverage of the recently-enacted homegrown security law.

  • New Yorker ☛ Should Big Tech Stop Moderating Content?

    We know that social control media breeds propaganda, misinformation, and feelings of isolation among users, especially children. How do we resist its effects without encroaching on civil liberties?

  • Net2 ☛ Clear Vision: Protecting Users from Harmful Content

    In the digital age, the rapid proliferation of visual content across online platforms has presented unique challenges for content moderation. With millions of images uploaded daily,ensuring these visuals adhere to community standards and laws is paramount for maintaining user trust and safety. >

  • Reason ☛ Don't Forget Your First-Year Civil Procedure Lessons on Personal Jurisdiction

    From Castro v. Doe, decided Monday by Judge Mark Pittman (N.D. Tex.): John Anthony Castro filed this lawsuit on June 16, 2023, alleging that former President Donald Trump, among others, conspired to publish defamatory, verifiably false statements about him on his Wikipedia page.

  • Reason ☛ Free Speech Is Under Attack in the U.S., but It's on the Ropes Elsewhere

    “Even open democracies have implemented restrictive measures,” finds a global report.

  • Reason ☛ State Employer's Requiring Employees to Watch "Antiracist"/"Gender Identity" Videos Isn't Unconstitutional Speech Compulsion

    But plaintiff's claim that he was retaliated against for raising religious objections to the training, and discriminated against based on religion as to promotion, can go forward.

  • Techdirt ☛ Last Week Missouri Told The Supreme Court No Gov’t Should EVER Interfere With Speech; This Week It Sues Media Matters For Its Speech

    I know that hypocrisy is no longer a political liability, especially for the most egregious political grifters out there, but it should still be called out. This week’s example of extreme hypocrisy and nonsense is Missouri’s ridiculous Attorney General, Andrew Bailey.

  • BIA Net ☛ Prof. Nükhet Sirman released after 3 days in custody

    Sirman was detained because an individual she interviewed for her research was under "technical surveillance" by the police.

• Whistleblowers / Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • JURIST ☛ US granted extension by UK High Court to provide ‘satisfactory assurances’ for fair trial of WikiLeaks founder

    WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange “lives to fight another day” according to his brother Gabriel, as the UK High Court halted his potential transfer to the US on Tuesday due to inadequate assurances on his treatment if extradited to the US.

  • RFERL ☛ Hungarians Rally As Whistle-Blower Exposes Alleged Corruption In Orban's Government

    Hungarians are keeping up public pressure on the ruling Fidesz party fueled by an audio recording a longtime insider claims is evidence of rampant corruption among senior prosecutors and members of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuanian president rejects Seimas commission findings in ‘whistleblower case’

    Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has rejected the conclusions of the parliamentary commission that investigated the State Security Department (VSD) whistleblower’s case.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Met Police issues apology nearly ten years after detaining journalists at protest

    One photographer was hit in the face in the lead-up to the detention of the journalists.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • RFA ☛ Uyghur refugees in Pakistan face deportation in April

    The 18 families don’t have legal residence and face restrictions in jobs and education – and now fear being sent to China.

  • ACLU ☛ How We're Fighting for Gender Equity Nationwide

    Across the country, our affiliates are challenging discriminatory policies and practices that disproportionately affect women, and particularly women of color. From housing discrimination in Illinois, to inhumane treatment of incarcerated pregnant individuals in North Carolina, and discriminatory dress codes in Texas schools, the ACLU and its affiliates are at the forefront of legal and advocacy efforts that promote gender equality and justice for all.

  • YLE ☛ Union: Lapland seasonal workers report safety concerns on a regular basis

    Safari guides and others in northern Finland's tourism sector regularly cite scanty training, vehicles in poor condition and insufficient rest time, says the service union PAM.

  • France24 ☛ 'Unprofessional, dirty and wild': French parliament takes up hair discrimination bill

    Those sporting Afro-styled hair, blonde or ginger hair, dreads, braids or even balding heads could gain new protections in France, where a lawmaker from the French Caribbean has introduced a bill that would make discrimination based on hair texture, length, colour or style illegal. While some argue the law is unnecessary, others say it will fill a gap in existing legislation tackling discrimination.

  • Reason ☛ The Court Should Cast Doubt On Havens Realty "Diversion" Standing and Establishment Clause "Offended Observer" Standing

    If Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine lacks standing, so should progressive groups.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Internet Society ☛ The Future is Now: A Young Changemaker’s Journey

    The Night That Altered Everything One night a decade ago, an 11-year-old boy named Nojus Saad drifted off to sleep in rural northern Iraq, lulled by a cool breeze coming through the window and the song of crickets outside. Suddenly, this moment was shattered by frantic pounding on his front door.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Digital Music News ☛ Does Receiptify Work for Fashion Company Apple Music?

    A trend on Instagram showcasing album tracks as store receipts kicked off a trend after programmer Michelle Liu released ‘Receiptify.’ While Fashion Company Apple Music users could use the service in a limited capacity from 2020-2023—the ability was removed last year.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Techdirt ☛ Justice Department Wants To Take Its Bite Out Of Apple

  Over the course of the last few years, it feels like the FTC & DOJ have slowly started getting better at figuring out how to craft a better antitrust lawsuit. The earliest attempts were often beyond silly, but the more recent cases (while far from perfect) have finally started alleging things that seem like potential actual anticompetitive behavior.

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Federal Circuit Debates Scope of 271(e)(1) Safe Harbor and the Meaning of “Solely”

    The Federal Circuit’s recent 2-1 decision in Edwards Lifesciences Corp. v. Meril Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. highlights tensions in the court’s interpretation of the patent monopoly infringement safe harbor under 35 U.S.C. § 271(e)(1). A forceful dissent by Judge Lourie argues that the majority’s approach, while following precedent, improperly reads the word “solely” out of the statute and unduly expands the safe harbor exemption.  Lourie ends his opinion with a call for en banc rehearing.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Broadphone tracking patent monopoly found invalid

    On March 13, 2024, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) entered a final rejection of claims 24-32 of U.S. Patent 8,594,698, owned and asserted by Broadphone LLC. The ‘698 patent monopoly generally relates to determining the location of a device based on the relative signal strength for each of a plurality of nearby, identified “antenna stations” and determining whether the device is within the proximity of a “device-specific target location”.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Vision Works IP automotive patent monopoly found invalid

    On March 13, 2024, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) entered a final rejection of the asserted claims of U.S. Patent 8,437,935, owned by Vision Works IP Corp., an NPE. The ’935 patent monopoly generally relates to a vehicle monitoring system for turning off an idling engine.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ Race for talent: How the UPC is influencing the French associate market [Ed: UPC is illegal and unconstitutional, but this site bagged bribes to promote this crime and it continues trying to legitimatise this unlawful kangaroo 'court' run for and by Big Business]

      The launch of the Unified Patent Court is good news for aspiring lawyers – and for associate recruitment. Due to short deadlines and various national influences within the system, teamwork in pan-European cases is now of even greater importance.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ WE’RE HERE TO HELP WITH YOUR LEGAL NEEDS! Fails to Function as a Source Indicator for . . . Guess What?

    The Board affirmed a refusal to register the proposed mark WE’RE HERE TO HELP WITH YOUR LEGAL NEEDS!, finding that the phrase fails to function as a service mark for "legal services." Applicant Russell feebly attacked the Office's evidence, but the Board found that the evidence established the informational nature of the supposed mark.  In re Richard M. Russell, Serial No. 90432695 (March 25, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Cynthia C. Lynch).

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Warner Music Group Re-Inks George Benson

    Warner Music Group announces the return of jazz legend George Benson to their roster via Rhino, beginning with archival footage of the icon from the 1970s on Rhino’s YouTube channel. A giant in the jazz world renowned for his smooth vocals and unmatched guitar skills, George Benson’s career spans more than six decades.

  • Federal News Network ☛ CISA’s cyber incident reporting rules will apply to 316K entities

    The cyber incident reporting regulations will apply to about 316,000 organizations in critical infrastructure, ranging from IT contractors to hospital systems.

  • Torrent Freak ☛ Z-Library Scammers Use Email Campaigns to Lure Users and Extract Payments

    Popular pirate ebook repository Z-Library remains online despite a criminal prosecution by the United States. The site continues to release new features with support from users who appear happy to chip-in as part of a new fundraising campaign. At the same time, however, scammers are trying to 'steal' the site's traffic and money, through targeted email campaigns.

  • Torrent Freak ☛ ‘Operation 404’ Results in First Prison Sentence for Pirate IPTV Operator

    Brazilian anti-piracy campaign 'Operation 404' has taken down many pirate sites and services over the past five years, but criminal prosecutions have been scarce. This week, anti-piracy group ALIANZA announced a "historic" victory: The operator of pirate IPTV service "Flash IPTV" was sentenced to more than five years in prison, marking the first criminal conviction of this kind in Brazil.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Grotesqueries at Gethsemane: Marcus Gheeraerts’ Passio Verbigenae (ca. 1580)

    A Passion series in which ornamental motifs invade the Christ’s narrative.

• Gemini* and Gopher

  • Personal/Opinions

    • newspapers

      /me enters the Pub and gravitates towards the bar, placing an almost-blank newspaper atop

      You a fan of newspapers, ~bartender? I picked this one up from the Print Web Stop Shop nearby. Not a very catchy name, is it?

    • the year doesn't start until opening day

      i love baseball. i have a hard time not getting very corny and rambly about it so apologies in advance.

      it's been a very special part of my life for as long as i can remember. it was just about the only thing my father and i had in common and even then, we never rooted for the same team. but it was something to talk about. we no longer speak and for a while after we stopped, the sport was too full of memories to fully enjoy. but i got back into it about 8 years ago and my previous casual fandom turned into something slightly more rabid. that's what happens when you move to chicago and get into the cubs in 2016.

  • Technology and Free Software

    • Internet/Gemini

      • Headers, Footers, Sidebars, and Footnotes

        Yesterday I wrote quite a long article with a lot of concepts and ideas. It took me a long time to write, and was frankly pretty exhausting. So, today I'm taking a breather by discussing some features from the Web and from documents, and how they translate to Geminispace.