Leftovers

• Science

  • University of Michigan ☛ $3.1M grant to aid research on high school career development

    With a new $3. 1 million grant from the Institute of Education Sciences, a U-M researcher and his colleagues are exploring approaches to career development.

  • New York Times ☛ Polaris Dawn Astronauts in SpaceX Dragon Reach Record Orbit Above Earth

    After launching early on Tuesday, the billionaire Jared Isaacman and his crew traveled to altitudes not visited by any astronaut since the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s and ’70s.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ IBM’s 1969 Educational Computing

    IBM got their PCs and PS/2 computers into schools in the 1980s and 1990s. We fondly remember educational games like Super Solvers: Treasure Mountain. However, IBM had been trying to get into the educational market long before the PC. In 1969, the IBM Schools Computer System Unit was developed. Though it never reached commercial release, ten were made, and they were deployed to pilot schools. One remained in use for almost a decade! And now, there’s a new one — well, a replica of IBM’s experimental school computer by [Menadue], at least. You can check it out in the video below.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • BIA Net ☛ Sixty-six children killed while working in a school year in Turkey

    As the new school year begins, the Health and Safety Labor Watch released statistics on child labor fatalities from the previous school year.

  • New York Times ☛ Cholera Deaths Soar Worldwide Despite Being Easily Preventable

    Fatalities spiked 71 percent last year, far outpacing the 13 percent rise in cases, the World Health Organization said.

  • New York Times ☛ U.K.’s Revered NHS Is in Deep Trouble, Darzi Report Finds

    A government-commissioned review into the National Health Service laid bare the challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces after years of underinvestment.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ US uninsured rate was stable in 2023, even as states’ Medicaid purge began

    Enrollment in Medicaid, the government health program for people with low incomes and disabilities, reached its highest level in April 2023.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong customs arrest 2 directors of gym chain Physical after authorities receive more than 2,600 complaints

    Hong Kong customs officers have arrested two directors of the gym chain Physical Fitness after the company abruptly closed last week, as law enforcement authorities and the city’s consumer watchdog racked up some 2,600 reports.

  • France24 ☛ Frenchman in mass rape trial again excused from testifying due to ill health

    Dominique Pelicot, the Frenchman on trial for enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his wife Gisele after he drugged her into unconsciousness over a period, was on Wednesday excused a second time from attending a hearing due to ill health, the presiding judge said. If his condition improves, Pelicot could be summoned to speak on Thursday afternoon in connection with the case of one of his co-defendants, identified as Jean-Pierre M.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Sharp rise in suicide rates among teen girls in Hong Kong, study finds

    Hong Kong has seen a sharp rise in suicide rates among teen girls, a study has found, with researchers citing the Covid-19 pandemic’s effect on mental health.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • AccessNow ☛ Why we need tailored identity systems for our digital world

      Digital identity systems are no silver bullet for social challenges.

    • AccessNow ☛ Encryption FAQ: encrypted messaging, AI, content moderation, and more

      Encryption is increasingly in the news, whether it’s governments seeking access to encrypted messages, or the CEO of an encrypted messaging platform getting arrested.

    • Silicon Angle ☛ Meta confirms it scrapes Australian users’ posts for Hey Hi (AI) training without opt-out option

      Meta Platforms Inc. is scraping Australian users’ Facebook (Farcebook) and Instagram posts without providing an opt-out option, the company acknowledged today. Melinda Claybaugh, Meta’s global privacy director, detailed the practice during a hearing before the Australian Senate.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Off Guardian ☛ Remember when Matt Taibbi Called 9/11 Truthers “Hopelessly Stupid”?

    I came out as a truther in 2015 with my 9/11 novel, Locus Amoenus. It wasn’t an easy decision. I anticipated being called “clinically insane,” a “dickwad,” promoting “rank steaming bullshit” by the likes of Matt Taibbi. Among other notable left-leaning 9/11 truth debunkers, such as Chris Hayes and Noam Chomsky, Taibbi stands out...

  • New York Times ☛ Family of American Woman Held in China for 10 Years Asks for Help

    Dawn Michelle Hunt, who is serving a life sentence, says she was duped into carrying drugs. Her family says she is seriously ill and should be sent home.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China's Li, Saudi crown prince discuss cooperation in Riyadh, meeting

    BEIJING/DUBAI - Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman discussed cooperation in several sectors including energy, investment and trade in a meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

  • RFA ☛ US ELECTIONS 2024: Trump, Harris trade barbs over China in presidential debate

    Trump insisted dictators saw him as a strongman, while Harris said U.S. military leaders called him a ‘disgrace.’

  • France24 ☛ Israeli airstrikes hit UN school and homes in Gaza, killing dozens

    Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Wednesday hit a UN school sheltering displaced Palestinian families as well as two homes, killing at least 34 people, including 19 women and children, hospital officials said. In the occupied West Bank, an Israeli soldier was killed Wednesday when the driver of "a Palestinian truck" rammed into "forces conducting operational activity", said the Israeli soldier.

  • France24 ☛ Israeli air strikes on occupied West Bank kill at least five Palestinians

    At least five Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. The Israeli military, which did not provide a death toll, said that its forces were "currently conducting counterterrorism activity in the area of Tubas and Tamun" and that one of its aircraft "struck an armed terrorist cell" during an operation in Tubas in the northern West Bank.

  • New York Times ☛ Middle East Crisis: Israeli Airstrikes Hit School Complex Housing Displaced in Gaza, Killing 18

    Six U.N. employees were among those killed in the strikes at a school turned shelter in Nuseirat, U.N. officials said. The Israeli military said Hamas fighters were using the school to carry out attacks.

  • New York Times ☛ 2,000-Pound Bombs Likely Used in Al-Mawasi Strike

    The large size of the two craters left in the aftermath of the attack suggest that Israel used the powerful bombs, according to experts and a New York Times analysis.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ More Belarusians Go On Trial Over 2020 Anti-Lukashenka Rallies

      A court in the Belarusian city of Brest on September 11 began the trial of seven men charged with "taking part in mass unrest" for their participation in rallies in 2020 over the official results of the presidential poll that pronounced authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka as the winner.

    • RFERL ☛ Jailed Belarusian Activist Charged With Disobeying Prison Guards

      The Vyasna human rights center said on September 11 that political prisoner Andrey Buday, who is serving a 15-year prison term on terrorism charges that he and his supporters reject, has been charged with "blatantly disobeying prison guards' orders."

    • RFERL ☛ Belgrade Court Annuls Decision To Extradite Belarusian Activist, But Orders Case To Be Retried

      An appeals court in Belgrade has annulled the decision to extradite Belarusian journalist and political activist Andrey Hnyot to Belarus, but the court said the case must be retried.

    • RFERL ☛ Bashkir Activist Flees To U.S. Via Mexico Fearing Arrest

      Bashkir activist Zagir Mukhamedyarov has fled Russia and entered the United States via Mexico fearing arrest.

    • RFERL ☛ Soyuz Craft Heads To ISS With 2 Russians, 1 American

      A Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russians and an American blasted off on September 11 for an express trip to the International Space Station.

    • RFA ☛ Does a video show a US F-16 fighter jet being shot down by Russians?

      Verdict: False

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania calls for swifter air policing response after Russia drone crash in Latvia

      Lithuanian Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas has called for a change in the algorithm of NATO’s Air Policing mission in the Baltic states following the recent crash of a Russian military drone in Latvia.

    • LRT ☛ Cargo ship carrying chemicals from Russia seeks repairs in Lithuania’s Klaipėda

      The captain of Ruby, currently moored off the coast of Norway and carrying about 20,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, would like to carry out repairs on his cargo ship in Lithuania’s Klaipėda Port.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian Saeima plans stricter rules on workplace language requirements

      The Social and Labor Affairs Committee of the Saeima has finalized amendments to the Labor Law and will direct them to the Saeima. The amendments aim to strengthen the role of Latvian language and minimize requirements for Russian in employment, Latvian Television reported on September 10.

    • Latvia ☛ Russian stand-up gets mic drop from Latvia

      Latvia's list of people deemed personae non grata got slightly longer September 11 with the inclusion of a Russian stand-up comedian.

    • Latvia ☛ Town twinning with Russia, Belarus could be banned by law in Latvia

      At present, there is no information that any municipality in Latvia still has a twinning agreement with a local authority in Russia or Belarus, but to avoid issues in the future, a law could be passed, Latvian Radio reported on September 11.

    • New York Times ☛ North Korean Missiles Rain Down on Ukraine Despite Sanctions

      Russia has received new shipments of Hwasong-11 short-range ballistic missiles, according to a new report.

    • New York Times ☛ Blinken Visits Kyiv During Precarious Moment in Ukraine War and U.S. Politics

      Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and his British counterpart, David Lammy, made a rare joint trip to Ukraine to show allied solidarity as the American presidential election looms.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Freight Train Derails In Region Near Ukraine Border

      A freight train derailed in Russia’s Belgorod region, near the border with Ukraine, due to what the rail operator said was an “interference in operations.”

    • Latvia ☛ Just under 50,000 Ukrainians have found protection in Latvia

      Latest figures from Eurostat show that there were 46,000 Ukrainian refugees registered in Latvia in July, finding protection here from Russia's war of aggression.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian PM announces 40 million euro aid package in Kyiv

      Latvia's third military aid package to Ukraine this year will be worth around EUR 40 million, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa announced during her visit to the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, on September 11.

    • European Commission ☛ Statement by President von der Leyen on the occasion of the 4th Crimea platform Summit, via video message

      European Commission Statement Brussels, 11 Sep 2024 Dear President Zelenskyy, dear Volodymyr,

      It has been ten years since Russia began its aggression against Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ Another Ex-Wagner Mercenary Recruited From Russian Prison Sentenced For Murder

      A court in Russia's southwestern region of Volgograd on September 11 sentenced a former Wagner mercenary group fighter to eight years in prison for beating his wife to death.

• Environment

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Mexico News Daily ☛ ‘Tony’ the tiger captured 5 days after escape from Reynosa zoo

      The tiger was found in good health and will be transferred to the Tamatán Zoo in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas.

    • New York Times ☛ 4 Climbers Are Found Dead on Mont Blanc in the French Alps

      The climbers from Italy and South Korea were found on Tuesday after they went missing three days earlier during a period of bad weather on the peak.

• Finance

  • Boston Globe ☛ Recorded Future bought by MasterCard for $2.65 billion

    Recorded Future specializes in real-time tracking of cybersecurity threats and hazards worldwide. It will now have a particular eye on financial institutions and transactions.

  • The Business Journals ☛ Mastercard to acquire Somerville cybersecurity firm for $2.65B

    Credit-card company Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA) signed a deal Thursday to buy Somerville-based Recorded Future from New York-based Insight Partners. The deal is expected to close by the first quarter of 2025.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • RFA ☛ EXPLAINED: Why are there questions about foreign judges in Hong Kong’s high court?

    Debate persists whether judges uphold rule of law or legitimize a regime that no longer respects rights.

  • RFA ☛ INTERVIEW: Hong Kong pro-democracy councilor finds renewed purpose in exile.

    'We have to learn how to master that fear,' says Carmen Lau.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • EDRI ☛ Denmark will issue removal orders without court approval: Impacts on free speech and pro-Palestinian voices

    Removal orders in the Terrorist Content Online (TCO) Regulation currently require prior court authorisation in Denmark, but this will soon change as a consequence of a political agreement to strengthen the fight against antisemitism. Together with a broadened definition of antisemitism focusing on the State of Israel, the already highly problematic TCO Regulation could be further leveraged by Danish authorities for arbitrary censorship of pro-Palestinian voices on social control media.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • France24 ☛ Mali junta suspends French-language channel TV5 Monde for lack of 'balance'

    Mali's junta leaders suspended the French-language channel TV5 Monde for three, allegedly for a lack of "balance" in covering civilian drone strike deaths without providing the Malian army's version of events.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • JURIST ☛ South Korea Truth Commission releases further findings on 1980s shelter abuses and ‘forced adoptions’

    South Korea’s truth commission announced further findings this Monday on human rights violations in the country’s adult homeless detention facilities, including the Seoul Metropolitan Rehabilitation Center in the 1980s.

  • EDRI ☛ Mass hacking and fundamental rights: a missed opportunity for the Court of Justice of the Euorpean Union?

    On 30 April 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) published its decision in the ‘EncroChat’ case. The case emerged from recent European police cooperation operations against organised crime, involving the mass interception of encrypted communications by means of spyware (‘hacking’).

  • New York Times ☛ Defying Protests, Mexico’s Senate Approves Judicial Overhaul

    The chamber’s approval clears away the last major hindrance to the sweeping proposals championed by the president, which have prompted nationwide strikes.

  • EDRI ☛ EDRi-gram, 11 September 2024

    With the post-election shake-up and the upcoming appointment of new European Commissioners, both governments and tech giants are making moves that could threaten our rights.

    In Denmark, efforts to broaden the definition of antisemitism, including criticism of the Israeli state, may lead to the misuse of the Terrorist Content Online Regulation to silence pro-Palestinian voices. In France, legal action against Telegram’s co-founder has intensified calls for stricter enforcement of the Digital Services Act. At the EU level, we’ve seen a troubling decision by the European Commission to cut funding for free software projects.

  • EDRI ☛ Prioritising planet care: A vision for our digital future

    Together, we can protect human rights, strengthen democracy, and reshape societal systems. Read about our commitment to empowering people to flourish and thrive, as part of our Vision for 2024 and beyond.

  • EDRI ☛ Celebrating 25 years of Bits of Freedom!

    In 2024, EDRi member Bits of Freedom celebrates its 25th anniversary. For a quarter of a century it has been their mission to shape internet policy in support of an open and just society. One in which people can hold those in power accountable and effectively question the status quo. Bits of Freedom does this through advocacy, campaigning and litigation, in the Netherlands and Brussels. Time to look back: what are the highlights of the past 25 years?

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Is LEATHER MAN LTD & Design Deceptive for Belts Not Made of Leather?

    Invoking Section 2(a) of the Trademark Act, the USPTO refused to register the mark shown below, finding it deceptive for the following goods not comprised of leather: Belts; Belts for clothing; Belts made out of cloth; Belts of textile; Fabric belts; Waist belts. Applicant argued that the words "LEATHER MAN" would be perceived as referring to the “old Leather [M]an, … a vagabond [who] was famous for the leather suit of clothes he wore.” At the end of the 19th Century, the Leather Man meandered around the Essex, Connecticut area, "where he would have food and necessities ready for him upon his arrival." How do you think this appeal came out? In re Brockway Ferry Corp DBA Leather Man Ltd., Serial No. 90127025 (September 3, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Angela Lykos).

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Bad Bunny Secures Latest Role in Netflix-Led Happy Gilmore Sequel

    Bad Bunny secures his latest acting role, joining Adam Sandler in the Netflix-led ‘Happy Gilmore’ sequel. Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasió, better known by his stage name, Bad Bunny, has landed his latest acting role as he joins the cast of Adam Sandler’s ‘Happy Gilmore’ sequel.