Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Morning Frost on Mars Seen Dusting Tallest Mountains in Surprising First

    It's not as dry as we thought.

  • Science Alert ☛ Third Form of Life Makes Energy in 'Remarkable' Ways, Scientists Discover

    This could be incredibly useful.

  • Science Alert ☛ DNA Analysis Overturns Myths of Maya Empire's Child Sacrifice Rituals

    It's just so sad.

  • Science Alert ☛ Mars Hit by Intense Solar Storms Just as Epically as Earth

    This impacts future human exploration.

  • Science Alert ☛ Dietary Supplement Found to Reduce Aggression by Up to 28%

    A new tool for anger management?

  • Science Alert ☛ Emergency on The ISS? Leaked Audio of Training Exercise Triggers Brief Earth Panic

    That was stressful.

  • Science Alert ☛ NASA Confirms: Every Month For Last Year Was Hottest on Record

    This can't be ignored.

  • Federal News Network ☛ How DHS plans on spending its federal research dollars

    The DHS's Science and Technology Directorate has formulated the agency's first ever Innovation, Research and Development (IRD) Strategic Plan.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Police inspector is first Hong Kong resident selected for China’s space programme – reports

    A police inspector has become the first Hongkonger selected for China’s space programme as a “preparatory astronaut,” local media reported on Tuesday. Police Chief Inspector Lai Ka-ying was named in reports as the first Hongkonger picked for the possible space role, although authorities have not yet confirmed the identity of the candidate.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Startup Claims It Can Boost CPU Performance By 2-100X

    Although Moore’s Law has slowed at bit as chip makers reach the physical limits of transistor size, researchers are having to look to other things other than cramming more transistors on a chip to increase CPU performance. ARM is having a bit of a moment by improving the performance-per-watt of many computing platforms, but some other ideas need to come to the forefront to make any big pushes in this area. This startup called Flow Computing claims it can improve modern CPUs by a significant amount with a slight change to their standard architecture.

  • Hackaday ☛ The World’s First DIY Minicomputer Was Almost Australian

    The EDUC-8, a DIY minicomputer design that came out in “Electronics Australia” magazine, was almost the world’s first in August 1974. And it would have been tied for the world’s first if inventor [Jamieson “Jim” Rowe] hadn’t held back from publishing to rework the design to expand the memory to a full 256 bytes. The price of perfectionism?

  • CNX Software ☛ RT-Thread Vision board review – Part 1: OpenMV on Renesas RA8D1 Cortex-M85 microcontroller

    I am always interested in real-time operating systems (RTOS) for microcontrollers (MCUs) with my past backgrounds in µC/OS-II, mbed, and FreeRTOS. When the opportunity arose to get my hands on the RT-Thread Vision Board, thanks to the RT-Thread team and CNX Software, I was excited to check it out. This board, a collaboration between RT-Thread and Renesas, packs a powerful Renesas RA8D1 Cortex-M85 MCU and comes pre-loaded with OpenMV firmware.

  • CNX Software ☛ $20 Zigbee & Z-Wave mPCIe module targets Home Assistant gateways

    Mixtile’s “2-in-1 Zigbee & Z-Wave mPCIe module” is a relatively inexpensive way to add Zigbee and Z-Wave connectivity to a Home Assistant server without having USB dongles sticking out of the server and taking some of its spare USB ports. The module is compatible with any computer, gateway, or SBC with a spare mini PCIe socket featuring a USB 2.0 interface such as Rockchip RK3568-powered Mixtile Edge 2 Kit gateway.

  • CNX Software ☛ SONOFF ZBMicro Review – A Micro Zigbee USB Smart Adapter tested with eWelink and Home Assistant

    We’ve just published the review of the SONOFF Zigbee Bridge Ultra, and as promised the next one will be the SONOFF Micro Zigbee USB Smart Adapter (ZBMicro for short). When we first received the device we wondered what improvements could be made beyond the first Wi-Fi version as it’s so small.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ Ancient Maya Genomes Sequenced for First Time

    Thousand-year-old DNA from Chichén Itzá offers eye-opening details of the religious rituals of ancient Maya.

  • Science Alert ☛ Dementia Breakthrough: Brain Scans Predict Disease Up to 9 Years Early

    With more than 80% accuracy.

  • Science Alert ☛ Mediterranean Diet Linked to 23% Lower Risk of Death in Women

    "Our study offers insights into why."

  • Latvia ☛ Government report suggests improved medical test measures

    On Tuesday, June 11, the Latvian government reviewed a report "On provision of state-paid laboratory tests", which foresees the additional allocation of 10.97 million euros for laboratory examinations this year, as well as other systemic improvements.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea cracks down on misleading growth hormone ads

    25,900 adolescents in the country received growth hormone therapy in the first half of 2023.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Congress Passes Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act

    The Senate on Tuesday passed legislation that, for the first time, expressly permits states to spend millions of federal dollars on stillbirth prevention.

    The Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act, which passed the House in mid-May, now goes to President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign the measure into law.

  • Science Alert ☛ Experts Fear Bird Flu Could Be Next Pandemic After 4 New Developments [Ed: Selling more worthless vaccines using media hype for patent holders?]

  • Over 10% Increase in Deaths in Week 21

    ...10,909 deaths in England and Wales compared to 9,747 on average between 2014 and 2019, i.e. before the pandemic. That’s an increase of almost 1,200 deaths in just one week.

  • uni Emory ☛ Eating Healthy on Campus: Tips for College Students

    College life is an exciting time filled with new experiences, challenges, and opportunities for personal growth. However, it also comes with stressors, including managing a busy schedule, academic pressures, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. One of the critical components of staying healthy during your college years is proper nutrition.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Obsidian not worried about Microsoft shutting the studio down

    Speaking to PC Gamer, the exec and founder expressed his distress at the wave of layoffs and studio closures

  • PC Gamer ☛ Obsidian CEO responds to worries Xbox could shut them down, too: 'I'm not worried about tomorrow'

    To developers, the unexpected closures sent a clear message: Making good, profitable games is no longer good enough. Public trust in Microsoft as stewards of the studios it spent years gobbling up has been shaken—what beloved, storied studio will Xbox suddenly decide to shut down next?

  • Vox Media ☛ 2024 has already had more video game industry layoffs than all of 2023 — and it’s only June

    The confusion of it all extends to Microsoft, too, which recently shut down three studios and absorbed a fourth into another — and one of the shuttered studios, Tango Gameworks, released a critical and commercial hit for Microsoft in 2023. According to The Verge, Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty told staff that Microsoft needed more “smaller games that give [it] prestige and awards” — arguably a good description of the success of Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush.

  • CS Monitor ☛ These English PhDs helped train Google’s Hey Hi (AI) bot. Here’s what they think about it now.

    Half a dozen English Ph.D.s who worked on Surveillance Giant Google Gemini share their experiences training Hey Hi (AI) with the Monitor.

  • Google ☛ Building a faster, smarter, Chromebook experience with the best of Surveillance Giant Google technologies

    ChromeOS will soon be developed on large portions of the Android stack to bring Surveillance Giant Google AI, innovations, and features faster to users. Over the last 13 years, we’ve evolved ChromeOS to deliver a secure, fast, and feature-rich Chromebook experience for millions of students and teachers, families, gamers, and businesses all over the world. With our recent announcements around new features powered by Surveillance Giant Google Hey Hi (AI) and Gemini, Chromebooks now give us the opportunity to put powerful tools in the hands of more people to help with everyday tasks.

  • Security Week ☛ When Vendors Overstep – Identifying the Hey Hi (AI) You Don’t Need [Ed: Just more Hey Hi (AI) nonsense]

    AI models are nothing without vast data sets to train them and vendors will be increasingly tempted to harvest as much data as they can and answer any questions later.

  • New Yorker ☛ Is Surveillance Giant Google S.E.O. Gaslighting the Internet? [Ed: Well, it is worse than just SEO now, it is fake content [sic] and plagiarism]

    Leaked documents provide a glimpse into the inner workings of Surveillance Giant Google Search—and contradict the company’s public claims.

  • SANS ☛ Port 1801 Traffic: Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Message Queue, (Wed, Jun 12th)

    I planned a bit a more conclusive story here, but after running into issues decoding the packets and running out of time between looking at student papers, I figured I would leave it up to the audience ;-) Maybe someone here better understands the Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) protocol.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Waymo issues another recall after driverless taxi crash

    Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo LLC is reportedly pulling in its robotaxis for software updates after one of its vehicles hit a telephone pole last month. The incident happened in Phoenix, Arizona, when the  Jaguar I-Pace EV driverless car was on its way to pick up a passenger.

  • BIA Net ☛ Artificial Intelligence's attempt at university exam

    Young people, who sweat for three hours to finish secondary education and enter university, start preparing for the exam months in advance. In fact, many of them have been studying for the exam that will determine their future since seventh grade. We asked the large language model to answer their exam questions.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • AccessNow ☛ Commercial Bank of Ethiopia: stop public shaming, respect human rights

      Access Now and CARD are demanding the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) to stop the unlawful publication of customer's data.

    • AccessNow ☛ Access Now and CARD letter to Commercial Bank of Ethiopia on the publication of customers personal data

      Access Now and CARD are demanding the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) to stop the publication of its customer's data.

    • EFF ☛ The Next Generation of Cell-Site Simulators is Here. Here’s What We Know.

      A proposal document from Jacobs Technology, provided to the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) and first spotted by the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism (BINJ), outlines elements of the company’s CSS services, which include discreet integration of the CSS system into a Chevrolet Silverado and lifetime technical support. The proposal document is part of a winning bid Jacobs submitted to MSP earlier this year for a nearly $1-million contract to provide CSS services, representing the latest customer for one of the largest providers of CSS equipment.

      The proposal document from Jacobs provides some of the most comprehensive information about modern CSS that the public has had access to in years. It confirms that law enforcement has access to CSS capable of operating on 5G as well as older cellular standards. It also gives us our first look at modern CSS hardware. The Jacobs system runs on at least nine software-defined radios that simulate cellular network protocols on multiple frequencies and can also gather wifi intelligence. As these documents describe, these CSS are meant to be concealed within a common vehicle. Antennas are hidden under a false roof so nothing can be seen outside the vehicles, which is a shift from the more visible antennas and cargo van-sized deployments we’ve seen before.  The system also comes with a TRACHEA2+ and JUGULAR2+ for direction finding and mobile direction finding. 

    • EDRI ☛ Privacy win: Microsoft's Surveillance Arm LinkedIn limits ad targeting after EDRi complaint

      LinkedIn gave in to pressure from civil society and Digital Services Act (DSA) enforcers based on a complaint by EDRi and three partner organisations. The platform will no longer allow advertisers to target ads based on sensitive personal data from users. That’s a big win for privacy and the DSA, but it also exposes one of the DSA’s more hidden weaknesses.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Defence Web ☛ US starts to exit Niger

    The departure, last Friday (7 June), of a United States Air Force (USAF) C-17 Globemaster III from Niamey marked the start of US assets and forces withdrawing from Niger. A US Africa Command (Africom) statement has it the withdrawal progressed from initial preparations to re-deployment, calling the C-17 flight the beginning of “a significant transition”.

  • The Strategist ☛ They left a trail of ash: decoding the Arakan Army’s arson attacks in the Rohingya heartland

    The village of Maw Ni Bill (Oe Thei) being burnt by arson attack on May 18th.

  • New York Times ☛ Hezbollah Launches Rocket Barrage After Commander Is Killed in Israeli Strike

    Around 215 rockets were launched from Lebanon into northern Israel in an apparent response to the strike, Israeli army radio said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

  • New York Times ☛ Senior Hezbollah Commander Is Killed in Israeli Strike

    The commander was among the highest-ranking Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon to have been killed in the eight-month-long conflict, a Lebanese official said.

  • JURIST ☛ Germany court rejects motion to stop arms exports to Israel

    Germany’s Berlin Administrative Court dismissed a lawsuit on Tuesday in which several Palestinian applicants sought to prohibit the German government from supplying arms to Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

  • Democracy Now ☛ Bananas and Blood: Chiquita Ordered to Pay Colombian Families $38 Million for Backing Death Squads

    In a landmark case in Florida, a federal jury has ordered Chiquita Brands International to pay over $38 million in damages to the families of eight Colombian men who were killed by paramilitaries the banana giant funded. Chiquita previously pleaded guilty to paying the far-right United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia paramilitary group, or AUC, $1.7 million from 2001 to 2004.

  • Democracy Now ☛ Hunter Biden: President’s Son Convicted in Federal Gun Case, Faces Tax Evasion Trial Next

    A federal jury found Hunter Biden guilty Tuesday of three felony charges for illegally purchasing a gun at a time when he was using drugs, making him the first child of a sitting U.S. president to be found guilty of a crime. “This was a fairly straightforward case,” says Ben Schreckinger, reporter for Politico. “Most criminal trials result in convictions. This wasn’t an exception.” Schreckinger lays out the political implications for President Joe Biden, compares this conviction to Trump’s criminal proceedings and explains Hunter Biden’s upcoming trial for tax fraud in California.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Senior US diplomat believes China determined to stabilise relations

    WASHINGTON - The United States believes China's primary focus currently is its economy and that it is determined to work to stabilize bilateral relations with the United States, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said on Wednesday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US wishes India luck with ‘structural issues’ in strained China ties

    Mr Kurt Campbell said Chinese leader Pooh-tin Jinping finds it very hard to show any flexibility on territorial issues.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China's Premier Li lands in New Zealand for talks with prime minister

    It is the highest level Chinese visit in seven years.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China hopes EU will reconsider EV tariffs

    The EU said it will impose extra duties of up to 38.1% on imported Chinese electric cars from July.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ China's chip exports are booming but may be nearing overcapacity, stoking fears of chip glut — SMIC revenues rise as profits fall

    China's semiconductor imports and exports have both grown in the first half of 2024, but growth falls behind competing nations and points to long-term problems.

  • RFA ☛ Vietnam president stresses rule of law in South China Sea

    New President To Lam said maritime disputes should be better managed in accordance with international law.

  • RFA ☛ Third foreign judge to quit Hong Kong’s final appeal court

    Canadian Beverley McLachlin will step down next month amid warnings of ‘totalitarian’ rule.

  • RFA ☛ Congress passes bill urging China to resolve Tibet dispute

    The legislation calling for Beijing to re-engage in talks with the Dalai Lama now heads to the president.

  • RFA ☛ US doesn’t want ‘regime change’ in China, diplomat says

    Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said the fall of communism would be undesirable right now.

  • RFA ☛ China gives 6 patrol boats to Myanmar’s military junta

    A former army officer says the boats could be modified to fit weapons for use in restive Rakhine state.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong woman convicted of murdering relatives in Quarry Bay park in 2018 loses appeal at top court

    A Hong Kong woman sentenced to life imprisonment over the murder of two relatives has lost her appeal against her conviction at the city’s top court. The Court of Final Appeal upheld the High Court’s verdict in the trial of Ada Tsim on Wednesday.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China says ex-navy captain arrested in Taiwan over illegal entry was acting of his own accord

    A former navy captain arrested in Taiwan for illegal entry was acting of his own accord and would be punished if returned to China, Beijing said Wednesday, after Taipei raised spying suspicions.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Rudder mentioned in international media on Taiwan-US Defense Industry Forum

    This week, IPSI nonresident senior fellow Steven R. Rudder was mentioned in a South China Morning Post article and pieces by Focus Taiwan, China Daily, the Taipei Times, and Taiwan News regarding his participation in the Taiwan-US Defense Industry Forum, where he engaged in discussions regarding Taiwan’s procurement requirements for advanced defense technologies. 

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Latvia ☛ Ukrainian aid organization in Latvia asks for more donations

      The warehouse of the association "Tavi draugi" (Your friends) on Ventspils Street in Riga is as empty as ever this summer. Once a week, aid shipments to Ukraine barely manage to fill a small van. Dry food, tea, nappies for children and hygiene products are in short supply, Latvian Television reported on June 11.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Ukraine is making the Russian occupation of Crimea untenable

      Ukraine's growing air strike capabilities are decimating Russian air defenses in Crimea and making the occupation of the peninsula increasingly untenable, writes Olivia Yanchik.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky lands in Saudi Arabia for unannounced visit

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, Saudi state media reported, his latest visit to the Gulf kingdom which has sought to stay neutral in Ukraine's war with Russia.

    • France24 ☛ Russian warships and nuclear-powered submarine arrive in Cuba

      A Russian navy frigate and a nuclear-powered submarine churned into Havana harbor on Wednesday, a stopover the U.S. and Cuba said posed no threat but which was widely seen as a Russian show of force as tensions rise over the Ukraine war.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Warships Enter Havana Harbor Following Military Exercises

      A Russian navy frigate and a nuclear-powered submarine docked on June 12 in Havana harbor, a stopover the United States and Cuba said posed no threat but which was widely seen as a Russian show of force as tensions rise over the Ukraine war.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky appeals for air defence, reconstruction support at Berlin conference

      Ukraine and its allies drummed up support to shield Ukrainian cities from Russian missiles at a conference in Berlin on Tuesday and urged international businesses to put their faith, and billions of dollars, into post-war reconstruction.

    • JURIST ☛ Switzerland reveals detection of cyberattacks ahead of Ukraine Peace Summit

      Switzerland’s government revealed in a press conference on Monday that authorities registered cyberattacks in the run- up to the Summit on Peace in Ukraine planned on 15-16 June in Bürgenstock, Canton of Nidwalden.

    • RFERL ☛ U.S. Aware Of Reports Russia Is Listing Ukrainian Children For Adoption

      U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States is aware of “new and credible reports” that Russia has listed abducted Ukrainian children on Russian adoption websites.

    • RFERL ☛ U.S. Treasury Widens Sanctions To Curb Russia's War Production

      The U.S. Treasury Department on June 12 announced new sanctions on over 300 entities suspected of providing Russia with products and services needed to sustain military production for its war in Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Peace Summit Draft Calls On 'All Parties' To Work On Future Talks

      A draft of a communiqué being worked on for the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland says future peace negotiations should involve "representatives of all parties" in the conflict.

    • RFERL ☛ Pro-Kremlin Ballet Dancer's Performance Canceled In Slovenia

      Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said authorities in the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, canceled a performance by Svetlana Zakharova, the pro-Kremlin prima ballerina of Moscow's Bolshoi Theater, at the requests of Ukraine's embassy and Slovenia’s Ukrainian community.

    • RFERL ☛ Senior U.S. Diplomat Says Ukraine-NATO Policy Unchanged Despite Biden Comments

      U.S. President Joe Biden's recent comments signaling Ukraine is unlikely to become a NATO member during its war to repel invading Russian troops is not a change in Washington's position on the issue ahead of a key summit for the military alliance's leaders

    • RFERL ☛ U.S. Diplomat Says Armenia-Azerbaijan Deal A 'Momentous' Step Forward

      Armenian and Azerbaijan leaders say they are committed to a “momentous” demarcation accord signed last month that is designed to end hostile relations in the volatile region, a top U.S. diplomat said during a visit to Yerevan.

    • RFERL ☛ Imprisoned Kremlin Critic Yashin Says He Will Reject Swap With Russians Jailed In West

      Imprisoned Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin, who is serving an 8 1/2-year prison term for his criticism of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, says he will not agree to get exchanged for Russian citizens jailed in the Western countries if such a proposal occurs.

    • RFERL ☛ Stoltenberg Says Hungary Agrees Not To Block NATO Support To Ukraine

      NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says Hungary will not block support to Ukraine, though it will exercise its opt-out and not provide soldiers or funds the military alliance supplies to Kyiv as it battles to repel invading Russian forces.

    • RFERL ☛ 1 Person Injured, Buildings Damaged In Latest Russian Attacks In Kyiv Region

      Russian forces targeted Ukraine’s Kyiv region with drones and missile attack overnight, injuring one person and damaging several buildings, Ukrainian officials said on June 12.

    • RFERL ☛ 8 Killed In Russian Attack As U.S. Pledges To Send Ukraine Patriot Missile System

      A Russian ballistic missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Kryviy Rih on June 12 killed at least eight people and injured at least 21, including children, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

    • CS Monitor ☛ For this housewife-turned-commander, the Ukrainian battlefield is the place to be

      War is often portrayed as a man’s world. But in Ukraine, women like drone commander Ananda are providing leadership with their own unique expertise.

    • New York Times ☛ The Most Courageous Thing That Joe Biden Can Do

      Israel, Ukraine and American democracy are on the line.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Plans Privatization Push to Help Fund War Effort

      The government hopes to sell off a range of companies to fund the military and stabilize the economy as the grueling conflict with Russia drains its coffers.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Says It Shot Down Most of a Russian Missile and Drone Barrage

      Drawing on replenished supplies, Ukraine used mostly Western-provided air defense systems to deter the overnight assault.

    • New York Times ☛ Russian Warships Arrive in Cuban Waters as Part of Planned Military Exercises

      Experts called the naval exercises routine but also a show of strength as Washington maintains military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.

    • New York Times ☛ U.S. Expands Sanctions on Russia as G7 Leaders Gather

      The Biden administration is taking new measures aimed at stopping China from helping the Kremlin sustain its war effort against Ukraine. U.S. officials hope European nations will take similar steps.

    • New York Times ☛ At the G7, Biden Will Push for Frozen Russian Assets to Help Ukraine

      President Biden faces the hurdle of convincing his allies that the United States plans to stay in the fight with Ukraine, no matter what happens in November.

    • Meduza ☛ Right weapon, wrong timing Ukraine has been waiting for F-16s for over a year — can these warplanes still change the situation at the front? — Meduza

    • The Strategist ☛ Russia, Azerbaijan exploit New Caledonian strife against France; China stays mum [Ed: China uses TikTok to cause the violence there]

      As the recent troubles in New Caledonia gradually calm down, the reputational damage for France is becoming increasingly obvious. But what is primarily a French domestic problem is being exploited by external actors.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian passports for Russians: lax law leaves space for abuse – LRT Investigation

      Some 12,500 Russian citizens have received Lithuanian citizenship on the basis of their ancestry. While some of them genuinely cherish their links to the country, others use the opportunity for purely pragmatical reasons – while serving in the Russian army or working for government-linked companies.

    • RFERL ☛ Microsoft Says Russia 'More Aggressive' In Cyberspace [Ed: Microsoft trying hard to shift the blame after Azure etc actively helped Russia break into government systems]

      U.S. tech giant Abusive Monopolist Microsoft said Russian cyberattacks are becoming even “more aggressive” and warned that Moscow could deepen collaboration with U.S. adversaries in cyberspace, making it much harder to prevent intrusions.

    • RFERL ☛ Austria Says Security Concern Was Behind Decision To Pull TASS Accreditation

      The Austrian Interior Ministry told Germany's dpa news agency on June 11 that Vienna had annulled the accreditation of two correspondents for Russia's TASS news agency in April "due to a negative security assessment by the security authorities."

    • RFERL ☛ Pashinian Defends Yerevan Police After Bloody Clashes With Demonstrators

      Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has defended police actions taken against demonstrators outside parliament where he was participating in a regular question period that saw him indicate Armenia would withdraw completely from the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

    • New York Times ☛ Thursday Briefing: G7 Leaders Prepare to Debate Frozen Russian Assets

      Also, an E.U. blow to China’s electric-vehicle ambitions.

    • Meduza ☛ A slow crawl Russia is pressing forward with its offensive, but at the current pace, it could take over a year to reach any of its goals — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ Vilnius says spying conviction for Lithuanian woman in Minsk ‘baseless’

      After a Belarusian court found a Lithuanian woman guilty of spying on Tuesday, Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD) calls the verdict “baseless insinuations”.

    • RFERL ☛ Poland Forces Man Back To Belarus After Deportation Notice

      A Belarusian man was forced to cross the Poland-Belarus border back into his homeland on June 12, a day after he resisted leaving Poland after receiving a deportation notice.

    • RFERL ☛ Trial Begins Of Belarusian Rights Defender In Exile

      A court in the Belarus city of Homel on June 12 started a trial in absentia of noted rights defender Leanid Sudalenka on a charge of participating in extremist activities.

    • Meduza ☛ Moscow Exchange to halt USD and euro trading as of June 13 — Meduza

    • Atlantic Council ☛ A Putin summer surprise for NATO? Worries are growing.

      The Russian president likely wants to undercut NATO’s upcoming summit in Washington. The Alliance should ready a surprise of its own.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ From northwest to east China, parched and baking regions face drought

    BEIJING - Weeks of scarce rainfall in parts of China, coupled with sweltering heat, has brought drought to several provinces, prompting alerts and actions from authorities to minimise impacts on agriculture, and water and energy supplies.

  • Zimbabwe ☛ Balancing Act: Zim working on framework to manage e-waste etc. when used electronics imports are critical to economy

    I think it’s fair to say Zimbabweans are not good at maintenance. In our defense, the economy has been unstable for so long that we tend not to think about the long term. Hence why climate change and the environmental challenges the globe faces are of little interest to most Zimbos.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ E.U. Hits Electric Vehicles From China With Higher Tariffs

      Leaders in Brussels, Washington and beyond are trying to curb China’s automobile ambitions amid rising trade tensions and fears of a glut of Chinese cars flooding global markets.

    • Federal News Network ☛ Lawmakers advance DHS bills to ban Chinese batteries, help TSAers with commute

      The homeland security committee passed a flurry of DHS bills, including several with implications for TSA operations and employees.

    • New York Times ☛ What to Know About Europe’s Extra Tariffs on Chinese Electric Cars

      The tariffs had been expected for months, but many European automakers warned that they would drive up prices for consumers and set off a trade war with China.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Europe is gearing up to hit Chinese EVs with new tariffs. Here’s why.

      The European Commission just proposed new tariffs on China-made electric vehicles of up to 38 percent. Atlantic Council experts explain why—and what might happen next.

    • European Commission ☛ Commission investigation provisionally concludes that electric vehicle value chains in China benefit from unfair subsidies

      European Commission Press release Brussels, 12 Jun 2024 As part of its ongoing investigation, the Commission has provisionally concluded that the battery electric vehicles (BEV) value chain in China benefits from unfair subsidisation, which is causing a threat of economic injury to EU BEV producers

    • European Commission ☛ Questions and Answers on the pre-disclosure of duties on imports of subsidised electric cars from China*

      What is pre-disclosure and why is it necessary?

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • RTE ☛ Footage of Cruelty and Abuse of Horses in Kildare revealed by RTÉ Investigates

      – Hidden cameras capture horses being repeatedly hit and punched around the head 

    • Mexico News Daily ☛ Meet the Veracruz reforesters bringing back natural ecosystems

      Mexico's Caribbean coast is being restored tree by tree thanks to a dedicated team of volunteers.

    • The Revelator ☛ Species Spotlight: The Laguna Mountains Skipper Butterfly — What’s in a Name, Anyway?

    • CS Monitor ☛ This Namibian park has skyscraper-high dunes and a spectacular view of dawn

      A trusty guide in love with the smallest of beings draws attention away from the impossibly high mounds of sand in the Namib-Naukluft National Park.

    • New Yorker ☛ A New Book About Plant Intelligence Highlights the Messiness of Scientific Change

      In “The Light Eaters,” by Zoë Schlanger, the field of botany itself functions as a character—one in the process of undergoing a potentially radical transformation.

• Finance

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Give people homes

    The Colorado Sun:

    Jefferson Center and WellPower of Denver are building permanent supportive housing complexes modeled after a 2017 Denver building that still has a waitlist.

    Both projects are run by community mental health centers and both invite people who are living outside — the ones burning through taxpayer dollars as they cycle in and out of jail, detox and hospital emergency rooms — to move directly into their own apartments.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Where Social Security could start, as it tries to improve itself

    The Social Security Administration has a decent list of ongoing issues, as identified by the Government Accountability Office.

  • CS Monitor ☛ US consumer prices show smallest increase since October

    U.S. inflation cooled in May, hinting that the early 2024 price surge might be over. Core inflation rose 0.2% from April to May, its smallest increase since October, which could prompt the Fed to consider lowering interest rates.

  • New York Times ☛ Inflation Cooled, but the Fed Expects Just One Rate Cut This Year

    Also, Southern Baptists voted to oppose I.V.F. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.

  • New York Times ☛ The Fed Holds Rates Steady and Predicts Just One Reduction This Year

    Federal Reserve officials signaled that interest rates could stay higher this year as policymakers pause to ensure they’ve stamped out inflation.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Daniel Pocock ☛ Midlands-North-West end game uncertainty continues

    The distrubtion of preferences continued today in the ballot for Midlands-North-West. One of the sitting MEPs, Chris MacManus of Sinn Fein, has been eliminated. He is pictured watching as his 33,000 votes are divided up and transferred to the remaining candidates.

    The Sinn Fein voters appear to be very loyal and just under two thirds of people who gave a 1 to Chris MacManus have given a 2 to his Sinn Fein colleague Michelle Gildernew. The staff are sitting beside a pile of just over 20,000 votes that transfer from MacManus to Gildernew.

    Approximately 4,000 votes are in a pile for the sitting independent Luke "Ming" Flanagan. The fact that an independent can seize so many preference votes that would normally pass between the two Sinn Fein candidates demonstrates the strong local support for Flanagan.

  • RFERL ☛ South Korean Leader Signs Deals As Central Asian Tour Hits Kazakhstan

    South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, on a tour of Central Asia, signed agreements on energy, oil, and chemical industry cooperation with Kazakhstan after meeting with President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev in Astana on June 12.

  • RFA ☛ South Korea and Cuba finalize plans for opening embassies

    The move to forge diplomatic ties is a blow to North Korea, which regarded Cuba as one of its ‘socialist brethren.’

  • JURIST ☛ South Korea prosecutors indict opposition leader Lee Jae-myung in $8M North Korea bribery scheme

    South Korean prosecutors indicted Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday on bribery charges for allegedly facilitating a scheme with Ssangbangwool Group to illegally transfer US$8 million to North Korea, according to reports from local media.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Penang schools wrestle with Malaysian govt over science and maths classes in English

    PM Anwar’s government appears to be pushing for students to learn the two core subjects in Malay.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Grandparents of murdered autistic boy in Malaysia also arrested; parents to be charged

    The six-year-old was found dead near a stream about 200m from his home last December.

  • Pro Publica ☛ ProPublica Updates “Supreme Connections” Database With New Justice Disclosures

    We updated our “Supreme Connections” database on Wednesday with new entries from recently released financial disclosures from Supreme Court justices, as well as five filings from 2003 to 2007 we had previously been missing.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Callout for Reader Tips: Power ProPublica’s 2024 Election Coverage

    A few hours after we published a story on the luxury travel a billionaire provided to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the email arrived in my inbox.

    A reader had tapped out a single sentence on their iPhone and hit send: We should look, it said, at a relative Thomas had taken in and raised as a son. The reader informed me that Harlan Crow, the same politically connected billionaire who had bankrolled the justice’s travels around the globe, had also paid private school tuition for the relative.

  • France24 ☛ France's rightwing Les Républicains vote out leader Éric Ciotti over election pact with far right

    French conservatives on Wednesday said they had removed their leader Eric Ciotti for trying to strike an electoral alliance with the far-right National Rally (RN), although he insisted he was still in the post.

  • France24 ☛ 🔴 Live: 'Time for haggling to stop' on Gaza truce, Blinken says

    US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed Wednesday to keep pressing to seal a Gaza ceasefire deal, saying that not all of Hamas’s proposed amendments were acceptable but voicing hope that gaps could be closed. "The longer this goes on, the more people will suffer, and it's time for the haggling to stop," he said.

  • JURIST ☛ Hamas responds to US ceasefire proposal for Gaza with amendments

    Hamas responded to a US-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al-Mayadeen TV on Tuesday. While expressing support for the broad outlines of the plan, the Palestinian group submitted “a few remarks” aimed at aligning the proposal with its positions.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Reason ☛ Oklahoma S. Ct. Vacates Restraining Order Against Self-Described Pastor Who Was Sharply Condemning Pro-Gay-Equality Activists

    The court concludes the pastor's posts were about the activists' organization (Oklahomans for Equality) and not about them personally; it thus avoided having to decide whether the First Amendment would have protected the speech if it was indeed about the activists personally.

  • New York Times ☛ A Palestinian Professor Spoke Out Against the Gaza War. Israel Detained Her.

    The investigation of Prof. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian of Hebrew University has prompted a debate inside Israel about the repression of free speech and academic freedoms since the war began.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ PA Media forced to recognise NUJ as official union for editorial staff

    The CAC said a ballot was unnecessary as most PA editorial staff are already union members.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Publishers around the world hit by Facebook (Farcebook) labelling news as spam

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • RFA ☛ Myanmar labor leader to fight dictatorship after prison release

    Assaulted and tortured during her interrogation, she describes two years in cramped and crumbling prisons.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 for CardiacSense monitoring patent monopoly prior art

    Unified Patents added a new PATROLL contest, with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on at least claim 1 of U.S. Patent 7,980,998, owned by CardiacSense LTD, an NPE. The ‘998 patent monopoly relates to methods, systems, and devices for monitoring activities performed by a person, and for allowing communication with respect thereto, in particular where such activities includes sports, e.g. swimming.

  • Unified Patents ☛ DynaIP entity, Autonomous IP, self-driving patent monopoly challenged

    On June 11, 2024, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 10,127,818, owned and asserted Autonomous IP, LLC, an NPE and DynaIP entity. The '818 patent monopoly is directed to autonomous vehicle navigation including detecting and avoiding emergency vehicles.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Pending En Banc Petitions at the Federal Circuit

    The Federal Circuit recently decided the en banc design patent monopoly case of LKQ v. GM, but the court has not issued an en banc decision in a utility patent monopoly case since 2018.  There are currently four interesting petitions pending before the court.

• Trademarks

  • Digital Music News ☛ Drake Merch Company Sued for Alleged Trademark Infringement Over ‘Members Only’ T-Shirt

    Drake’s Away from Home merch and production company is officially facing a trademark infringement lawsuit from the business behind the Members Only brand. That business, JR Apparel World, submitted the straightforward complaint to a New York federal court yesterday.

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Precedential No. 12: TTAB Rejects Sovereign Immunity Claim in Opposition to Virginia College System Marks

    In this opposition to registration of the mark MOUNTAIN GATEWAY COMMUNITY COLLEGE for educational services and various clothing items, Applicant Virginia Community College Systems moved for summary judgment, asserting that the Board lacked subject matter jurisdiction due to state sovereign immunity. The Board denied the motion, ruling that sovereign immunity does not apply to opposition proceedings. Mountain Gateway Order, Inc. v. Virginia Community College System, Opposition Nos. 91283412 (parent) and 91283416 (June 6, 2024) [precedential].

• Copyrights

  • France24 ☛ Elon Musk withdraws California lawsuit against Proprietary Chaffbot Company and Sam Altman

    Elon Musk on Tuesday dropped his lawsuit against Proprietary Chaffbot Company and its co-founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman for betraying the startup's founding mission.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Elon Musk drops lawsuit that claimed Proprietary Chaffbot Company abandoned its founding mission

    Elon Musk, Tesla Inc.’s chief executive and co-founder of OpenAI, today dropped his lawsuit against Proprietary Chaffbot Company CEO Sam Altman that had accused the company of a breach of contract for abandoning its founding mission of creating artificial general intelligence to benefit humanity. Musk filed the lawsuit in a San Francisco court in February.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ From Fire Hazards to Family Trees: The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

    Created for US insurance firms during a period of devastating fires across the 19th and 20th centuries, the Sanborn maps blaze with detail — shops, homes, churches, brothels, and opium dens were equally noted by the company’s cartographers. Tobiah Black explores the history and afterlife of these maps, which have been reclaimed by historians and genealogists seeking proof of the vanished past.