GNU/Linux

• It's FOSS ☛ FOSS Weekly #24.38: Arch Experience, Kernel 6.11, Mint vs Ubuntu and More GNU/Linux Stuff

  Is Mint better than Ubuntu? Is Arch GNU/Linux worth the trouble?

Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ Things I wish I knew

  This list is non-normative, non-exclusive, and non-useful. Wait.

  African and South American geography. I can pinpoint every country on a map of Europe, Asia Pacific, and North/Central America, right down to Moldova, Tuvalu, and Martinique, but there are swaths of the world I don’t know as well as I should.

  The drums. For someone who loves music as much as I do, and who taps his fingers on the table to the drum line and beat of every jazz, blues, and pop song, this seems like such a wasted opportunity and potential creative outlet. Cue epic Karen Carpenter solo… rest in peace ♡.

  Japanese, Latvian, and German. Das paldies, desu.

• Hackaday ☛ Design And The Golden Rule

  You often learn the golden rule or some variation of it as early as kindergarten. There are several ways to phrase it, but you most often hear: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” While that’s catchy, it is really an aphorism that encourages us to consider the viewpoints of others. As people who design things, this can be tricky. Sometimes, what you want isn’t necessarily what most people want, and — conversely — you might not appreciate what most people want or need.

• Hackaday ☛ Lathe Outfitted With Electronic Gearbox

  Running a metal lathe is not for the faint of heart. Without proper knowledge and preparation, these machines can quickly cause injury or destroy expensive stock, tools, or parts. The other major problem even for those with knowledge and preparedness is that some of their more niche capabilities, like cutting threads with a lead screw, can be tedious and complicated thanks to the change gear system found on some lathes. While these are useful tools for getting things done, [Not An Engineer] decided that there was a better way and got to work building an electronic gearbox to automate the task of the traditional mechanical change gear setup in this video.

• Hackaday ☛ 2024 SAO Contest: The Jolly Tagger Is A Golden Way To Share Info

  For this contest, we’re asking you to come up with the best SAO you can think of that does something cool. What could be cooler than sharing your contact information all over Supercon and beyond with a tap of a Jolly Wrencher? It’s way better than just some sticker, and with the extra solder pad on the back, you can turn it into a pin once the con is over. Contact data can be uploaded over I²C.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Entire Swarm of Black Holes Detected Moving Through The Milky Way

    This is fine.

  • Science Alert ☛ Experts Reveal The Difference Between a Psychopath And a Sociopath

    It might not be what you think.

  • Science Alert ☛ South African Rock Art Depicts 260-Million-Year-Old Extinct Animal, Study Suggests

    A creature older than the dinosaurs.

  • Science Alert ☛ Quantum Entanglement Found in Top Quarks – The Heaviest Particles Known

    Hefty spooky action.

• Hardware

  • Business Today ☛ Tech layoffs: Qualcomm set to cut jobs of hundreds of workers amid strategic shift

    Smartphone chipmaker Qualcomm is set to lay off 226 workers in San Diego later this year. According to a notice published under California's WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) Act this week, the layoffs will take effect during the week of November 12. This news was first reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune.

  • Qualcomm to slash jobs in November, lay off hundreds of employees in U.S.

    Leading chipmaker Qualcomm is reportedly laying off at least 226 employees in the U.S. later this year as part of its business diversification strategy.

  • Chipmaker Qualcomm to Lay Off Hundreds of Employees in the US

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Server chip startup Ampere reportedly exploring a sale

    Ampere Computing Inc. has hired a financial adviser to explore a potential sale, Bloomberg reported today. It’s believed that the chipmaker is seeking a takeover offer from a “larger industry player.”

  • Hackaday ☛ Is That A Coaster? No, It’s An LED Matrix!

    I’m sure you all love to see some colorful blinkenlights every now and then, and we are of course no exception. While these might look like coasters at a distance, do not be deceived! They’re actually [bitluni]’s latest project!

  • Hackaday ☛ Switching Regulators: Mistake Fixing For Dummies

    Some time ago, while designing the PCB for the Sony Vaio replacement motherboard, I went on a quest to find a perfect 5 V boost regulator. Requirements are simple – output 5 V at about 2A , with input ranging from 3 V to 5 V, and when the input is 5 V, go into “100% duty” (“pass-through”/”bypass”) mode where the output is directly powered from the input, saving me from any conversion inefficiencies for USB port power when a charger is connected. Plus, a single EN pin, no digital configuration, small footprint, no BGA, no unsolicited services or offers – what more could one ask for.

  • Hackaday ☛ Embossing Graphics By 3D Printing On Wood

    Embossing (making raised shapes) and debossing (making sunken shapes) on 3D-printed surfaces is not a new idea; we do it all the time. [Cory] from Vancouver Hack Space was playing around with 3D printing on wood, and came up with the idea of creating raised tactile surfaces using a simple transfer process.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Samsung, SK hynix, and TSMC set to overtake defective chip maker Intel in revenue in Q3

    While defective chip maker Intel continues to be one of the biggest semiconductor companies, others are catching up and even eclipsing the giant.

  • CNX Software ☛ NXP Trimension SR250 short-range UWB radar supports secure ranging for Smart Homes and Industrial IoT

    NXP Semiconductors has recently introduced Trimension SR250 UWB radar, which NXP is calling the industry’s first single-chip solution that combines on-chip processing with short-range ultra-wideband (UWB) radar and secure UWB ranging. Operating at 6-8.5 GHz, the SR250 supports features like 3D angle-of-arrival (AoA), time difference of arrival (TDOA), and time of flight (ToF) measurements accurate to within ±5 cm.

  • CNX Software ☛ AAEON GENE-ASL6 – A 3.5-inch industrial Amston Lake SBC with triple display interfaces and triple 2.5GbE

    AAEON GENE-ASL6 is an Intel Atom x7000RE-series Amston Lake powered 3.5-inch single board computer (SBC) featuring three 2.5GbE RJ45 ports and three independent display outputs via HDMI, LVDS, and VGA. The GENE-ASL6 can be configured with up to 16GB of LPDDR5 memory and supports a variety of storage options including SATA, mSATA, and M.2 NVMe SSD options.

  • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

    • The Atlantic ☛ Your Phone Is Not a Bomb

      According to the Associated Press, the attack was likely carried out by hiding very small quantities of highly explosive material in the pagers. In principle, intelligence operatives in Israel, which is widely believed to have conducted both attacks, could have done so by compromising the devices in the factory. Or, given that the exploding devices seem to have specifically targeted Hezbollah rather than everyone who owned a particular model of pager, the perpetrators could have intercepted the gadgets after they left the factory. But, according to The New York Times, Israeli intelligence went even further: It set up a shell company based in Hungary, B.A.C. Consulting, to manufacture and distribute rigged electronics specifically for the purpose of selling them to Hezbollah. (B.A.C. Consulting also reportedly sold normal, non-bomb pagers to other clients.) The resulting pager bombs were apparently procured by Hezbollah months ago. The pager bombs and radio bombs have since been waiting to be detonated remotely.

    • reMarkable ☛ How we made reMarkable Paper Pro | reMarkable

      Of course, pioneering hardware is nothing without a software experience that ties it all together. Our custom-built, Linux-based operating system, reMarkable OS has been given a thorough visual refresh and tune-up for the new tablet.

    • Macworld ☛ PSA: Link-sharing bug in iOS 18 Messages can cause iPhone crashes, data loss

      iPhone owners who have installed Apple’s new iOS 18 software update should be warned: There’s a Messages bug that can cause crashes and may even result in the loss of valuable data.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • NYPost ☛ Sports world already has moved on from past concern for athletes’ health

    The “Never Forget” vow is tossed around quite a bit. In sports, however, it takes minutes — until the next pitch, punt or power play.

  • University of Michigan ☛ Mi-CHEC study finds common errors in children’s race and ethnicity designations in medical records

    Race and ethnicity data in children’s electronic medical records may not be accurate, according to new research from the Michigan Child Health Equity Collaborative.

  • Scoop News Group ☛ UnitedHealth Group CISO: We had to ‘start over’ after Change Healthcare attack

    Steven Martin detailed the work that went into recovering from February’s ransomware attack, emphasizing that the mental toll was the toughest part of all.

  • European Commission ☛ Commission restricts use of a sub-group of PFAS chemicals to protect human health and the environment

    Today, the Commission has adopted new measures under the REACH Regulation – the EU chemicals legislation - to protect human health and the environment by restricting the use of undecafluorohexanoic acid (‘PFHxA') and PFHxA related substances.

  • Science Alert ☛ Experiment Suggests Scrapping The Beer Pint Would Boost Health in UK

    A small change for good.

  • Science Alert ☛ Eye Color Change Surgeries Are a Dangerous Trend, Expert Warns

    The cost of beauty could be your vision.

  • Science Alert ☛ Expensive Migraine Drugs No Better Than Cheap Painkillers, Study Finds

    This is a huge problem.

  • Science Alert ☛ Common Diabetes Medication Slows Brain Aging in Monkeys

    Could it do the same for us?

  • Federal News Network ☛ How obesity in the armed services has become a national security problem

    "When you have two-thirds plus of the active duty military force that's obese ... you know you've got a huge problem," Stephen Cheney said.

  • Medevel ☛ AI and Self-Diagnosis: A Risky Combination for Your Health

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly accessible, with AI-powered health apps and chatbots offering quick medical advice at our fingertips. The allure of instant diagnosis is undeniable, but the growing trend of self-diagnosing using Hey Hi (AI) tools poses significant risks that warrant careful consideration.

  • The Straits Times ☛ New study reinforces theory Covid-19 emerged at Chinese market

    Nearly five years on, the international community has not been able to determine with certainty where the virus came from.

  • New York Times ☛ Former N.Y.C. Covid Czar Partied While Preaching Social Distancing

    In a hidden-camera video posted by a conservative podcaster, Dr. Jay K. Varma boasts about flouting the public health guidelines he insisted others follow.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Language analysis in a post-LLM world

    Robyn Speer, in an article announcing the retirement of wordfreq:

    The open Web (via OSCAR) was one of wordfreq’s data sources. Now the Web at large is full of slop generated by large language models, written by no one to communicate nothing. Including this slop in the data skews the word frequencies.

    Sure, there was spam in the wordfreq data sources, but it was manageable and often identifiable. Large language models generate text that masquerades as real language with intention behind it, even though there is none, and their output crops up everywhere.

  • Chris ☛ What Does an Hey Hi (AI) Revolution Look Like? [Ed: Revolution?? It's hype for a Ponzi scheme of grifters.]

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Bryan Lunduke ☛ Oracle, Microsoft, BlackRock Building Dystopian Hey Hi (AI) Future

      Oracle CEO, Larry Ellison: "Citizens will be on their best behavior because we are constantly recording and reporting everything that's going on."

    • Cloudbooklet ☛ How to Protect Your Microsoft's Surveillance Arm LinkedIn Data from Scraping Attacks [Ed: Microsoft's Surveillance Arm LinkedIn is itself the scraping attack; also, it's not "yours"; you're just being used.]

      LinkedIn has begun scraping user data for Hey Hi (AI) training without prior consent, updating its terms of service afterward.

    • Silicon Angle ☛ FTC finds that social control media, streaming giants engaged in ‘vast surveillance’ of users

      The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has determined that a number of major social control media and streaming companies engaged in “vast surveillance” of their users. The FTC detailed its findings in a report released today. Officials prepared the report based on records supplied by Surveillance Giant Google LLC, Amazon.com Inc., Snap Inc., Discord Inc., X Corp., Reddit Inc. [...]

    • Scoop News Group ☛ FTC details how streaming services, social control media have become ‘mass surveillance’ machines

      A review of nine companies’ business practices found that using their services was just the beginning of vast data collection efforts.

    • Digital Music News ☛ Spotify Joins Meta in Open Letter to EU Decrying ‘Inconsistent Regulatory Decision Making’

      A group of companies led by Meta and including Spotify have issued an open letter to the European Union concerning “fragmented and inconsistent” decision-making on artificial intelligence and data privacy.

    • EFF ☛ Square Peg, Meet Round Hole: Previously Classified TikTok Briefing Shows Error of Ban [Ed: EFF lobbying for TikTok!!]

      The government submitted the partially redacted transcript as part of the ongoing litigation over the federal TikTok ban (which the D.C. Circuit just heard arguments about this week). The transcript indicates that that members of Congress and law enforcement recognize that Americans are engaging in First Amendment protected speech—the same recognition a federal district court made when it blocked Montana’s TikTok ban from going into effect. They also agreed that adequately protecting Americans’ data requires comprehensive consumer privacy protections.

      Yet, Congress banned TikTok anyway, undermining our rights and failing to protect our privacy.

      The members and officials didn’t make any particularly new points about the dangers of TikTok. Further, they repeatedly characterized their fears as hypothetical. The transcript is replete with references to the possibility of the Chinese government using TikTok to manipulate the content Americans’ see on the application, including to shape their views on foreign and domestic issues. For example, the official representing the DOJ expressed concern that the public and private data TikTok users generate on the platform is

• Defence/Aggression

  • RFA ☛ North Korea’s new missile can carry ‘super-large’ warhead: state media

    The warhead is among the high-tech weapons that the North had vowed to develop in 2021.

  • RFA ☛ Vietnam deputy defense minister on rare visit to North Korea

    Analysts warn that closer ties with North Korea may harm Vietnam’s improving relations with the US and South Korea.

  • RFA ☛ Japanese boy dies after being stabbed in southern China

    The attack is the second in 3 months, and comes amid ongoing nationalistic sentiment in China.

  • Bruce Schneier ☛ FBI Shuts Down Chinese Botnet

    The FBI has shut down a botnet run by Chinese hackers:

    The botnet malware infected a number of different types of internet-connected devices around the world, including home routers, cameras, digital video recorders, and NAS drives. Those devices were used to help infiltrate sensitive networks related to universities, government agencies, telecommunications providers, and media organizations…. The botnet was launched in mid-2021, according to the FBI, and infected roughly 260,000 devices as of June 2024.

  • RFA ☛ Junta targeting rebel-held areas in northern Myanmar with airstrikes and artillery

    The military is regularly attacking rebel-held Nawnghkio and Hsipaw townships.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Strikes Hezbollah as Nasrallah Vows Retribution

    The Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, did not say how his group would respond to attacks on hand-held devices, which killed dozens when pagers and walkie-talkies exploded.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Strikes Lebanon in Wake of Hezbollah Threat to Retaliate, Officials Say

    Israel carried out one of the most intense bombardments of the past year, as warplanes launched 70 airstrikes, Lebanese security officials said. The barrage came shortly after Hezbollah’s leader vowed to respond after explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies killed at least 37 people.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 10-year-old Japanese boy dies after being stabbed while on way to school in China

    A Japanese boy stabbed on his way to school in China died on Thursday, Tokyo’s foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa said, an incident that has inflamed tensions between the neighbouring countries.

  • France24 ☛ US says Iran hackers offered 'stolen' Trump campaign material to Biden team

    US officials say Iranian hackers offered Joe Biden's campaign hacked information from Donald Trump’s electoral team in late June and early July, according to the FBI and intelligence agencies. The unsolicited emails were sent before Biden dropped out of the presidential race, with no evidence recipients responded to the messages.

  • Security Week ☛ Iranian Hackers Tried but Failed to Interest Biden’s Campaign in Stolen Trump Info, FBI Says

    Iranian hackers sought to interest President Joe Biden’s campaign in information stolen from rival Donald Trump’s campaign.

  • New York Times ☛ Walkie-Talkie and Pager Attacks Against Hezbollah Set Off Legal Debate

    Experts are at odds over the question of whether it violates the laws of war to hide explosives in wireless devices that may go off near civilians.

  • Security Week ☛ CISA Releases Cyber Defense Alignment Plan for Federal Agencies

    CISA has laid out the FOCAL plan, which aligns the collective operational defense capabilities across federal agencies.

  • France24 ☛ Two killed in New Caledonia during French security forces operation

    Two men were killed during a French security forces operation in New Caledonia overnight, raising the death toll to 13 after four months of unrest. Clashes continue in Saint Louis, a stronghold of the independence movement south of Noumea, as tensions persist in the French Pacific territory.

  • France24 ☛ Major jihadist attack in Mali’s capital killed more than 70, security source says

    A major attack by an al Qaeda-linked group on a military police training camp and nearby airport complex in Bamako earlier this week killed more than 70 people and wounded more than 200, a Malian security source said Thursday. News from the West African nation has been restricted since a junta takeover, but the scale of the attack raises questions about the security strategy of Mali's transitoinal authorities.

  • RFA ☛ Satellite photos show expansion of suspected North Korean uranium enrichment site

    Kim Jong Un may have visited the Kangson site last week when he said nuclear capabilities help the revolution.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Man signaling car breakdown run over by distracted driver in S. Korea

    The driver said he was occupied with his smartphone’s GPS navigation app when he hit the victim.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Man signaling car breakdown run over by distracted driver

    The driver said he was occupied with his smartphone’s GPS navigation app when he hit the victim.

  • The Kent Stater ☛ Social media post puts Kent school under lockdown

    Theodore Roosevelt High School went into a soft lockdown Thursday morning after reports of a Snapchat post of a student with a gun in their waistband.

  • JURIST ☛ British Columbia watchdog criticizes reparation plan for Doukhobor internment victims

    Canada’s British Columbia (BC) Ombudsperson welcomed on Tuesday the government’s commitment to compensate survivors of the province’s internment of members of the Doukhobor religious community in the 1950s. However, the office raised concerns about the compensation plan, citing inadequate consultation with survivors and unclear eligibility criteria.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Latvia ☛ First 'CyberBazaar' coming to Latvia in December

      From December 3 to 5, the first cyber security innovation forum in the Baltic States dubbed "CyberBazaar 2024" will be held in Rīga, organized by the Latvian National Cyber ​​Security Center in cooperation with Estonian and Lithuanian colleagues.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Compromising with the Kremlin in Ukraine will only embolden Putin

      JD Vance recently claimed a Trump peace plan would include letting Russia retain occupied areas of Ukraine. But any concessions to the Kremlin will only embolden Putin and invite more war, write Kateryna Odarchenko and Elena Davlikanova.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Why Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling on Ukraine sounds different this time

      The Kremlin has had little success invoking its nuclear arsenal to deter Ukraine and the West from using new tactics to stop Russia’s invasion. That may be changing.

    • European Commission ☛ Statement by President von der Leyen at the joint press conference with Executive Director of the International Energy Agency Birol

      The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, delivered a statement at a joint press conference with the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, on support for Ukraine's energy security in the coming winter.

    • European Commission ☛ Factsheet - Supporting Ukraine's energy security for the winter

      Supporting Ukraine's energy security for the winter Factsheet - Supporting Ukraine's energy security [...]

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Ukraine’s innovative defense industry can play a key role in Western security

      Ukraine's innovative defense industry has emerged as the country's secret weapon in the war with Russia and can a play a key role in strengthening the West, writes Pavlo Verkhniatskyi .

    • Atlantic Council ☛ NATO-Russia dynamics: Prospects for reconstitution of Russian military power

      The Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, brought war to the North Atlantic Alliance’s doorstep—altering the political-military dynamics between NATO and its neighbor to the east. Since the Russian invasion, NATO has been undergoing a dramatic change that has impacted its plans, command structure, Force Model, and capabilities requirements. The effectiveness of this change must be gauged against the adversary’s ability to field its forces and resource them in a way that negatively impacts the Supreme Allied Commander Europe’s ability to execute the new regional plans.

    • France24 ☛ Despite cosy relations with Russia, India’s munitions enter Ukraine

      Indian munitions are being diverted by European intermediaries to support Ukraine's defence against Russia, according to government and defence sources and customs data. Despite Indian arms export regulations and protests from Moscow, transfers of Indian ammunition by European providers have been ongoing for more than a year as sources say Delhi intends to develop its nascent arms export sector.

    • LRT ☛ Klaipėda resident faces charges for painting Russia war symbols

      A Klaipėda resident is facing charges of the violation of public order after painting letters Z, the symbol of the Russian war in Ukraine, in several places around the city.

    • LRT ☛ ‘War in Ukraine won’t end this year or next’ – interview with Dutch defence minister

      Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans says the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine remains difficult, so he does not expect the war to end this year or next. In an interview with LRT TV, he talks about striking Russian territory and defending NATO’s Eastern flank.

    • RFERL ☛ Biden, Harris To Meet Zelenskiy At White House Next Week

      U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will hold separate meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on September 26, the White House said in a statement on September 19.

    • RFERL ☛ Outgoing NATO Chief Says Members Must Be 'Willing To Pay The Price' Of Peace

      In his farewell after leading NATO for a decade, Jens Stoltenberg warned against “isolationism” among members of the military alliance saying the alliance’s 32 members must be "willing to pay the price for peace" in the face of an emboldened Russia.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Diverted 40,000 Troops After Ukraine's Kursk Insursion, Zelenskiy Claims

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on September 19 that Ukraine's incursion into Russia's southwestern Kursk region had resulted in the Russian military diverting 40,000 troops to the area.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukrainian Lawmaker Put On Wanted List Amid Bribery Allegations

      Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court has added Andriy Odarchenko, a lawmaker for the pro-presidential Servant of the People party, to its international wanted list for allegedly attempting to bribe a senior official.

    • RFERL ☛ Satellite Images Show Aftermath Of Devastating Drone Strike In Russia

      Satellite images have revealed the devastation wrought by a massive Ukrainian drone strike on an important Russian arms depot 400 kilometers west of Moscow.

    • RFERL ☛ Ammunition From India Enters Ukraine, Raising Russian Ire

      Artillery shells sold by Indian arms makers have been diverted by European customers to Ukraine and New Delhi has not intervened to stop the trade despite protests from Moscow.

    • New York Times ☛ Their Countries Are at War. These Couples Are Still Together.

      Relationships between Ukrainians and Russians have long been common. Russia’s invasion has brought stigma, separation, legal troubles and a reconsideration of identity.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Says Russia Hits Nursing Home Near Border, Killing 1

      A dozen other people were injured, some seriously, in the attack in the city of Sumy, which has come under increased bombardment since Ukraine’s offensive into Russia’s nearby Kursk region.

    • Defence Web ☛ Russian state defence export agency pushes hard at AAD 2024

      Rosoboronexport, the Russian defence export and import agency, is presenting a wide range of products aimed at the African market at the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2024 exhibition underway at Air Force Base Waterkloof this week. The state-owned company is part of the giant defence conglomerate Rostec State Corporation.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania welcomes IMF decision to postpone mission to Russia

      Lithuanian Finance Minister Gintarė Skaistė on Thursday welcomed the International Monetary Fund’s decision to postpone its planned mission to Russia indefinitely.

    • LRT ☛ As Latvia moves to ban Russian in ATMs, Lithuania is not following suit

      As Latvia is moving to ban Russian instructions in ATMs, Lithuania is not considering similar measures. Banks say the Russian-language option is used by about 8 percent of their clients.

    • RFERL ☛ U.S. Hits Network Allegedly Facilitating Russia-North Korea Sanctions Evasion

      The United States on September 19 imposed sanctions on a network of five entities and one individual for enabling payments between Russia and North Korea, the Treasury Department said.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Launches Probe Against Chief Editor Of Novaya Gazeta Europe

      Russian media reports said on September 19 that the Investigative Committee launched a probe against chief editor of Latvia-based Novaya Gazeta Europe newspaper, Kirill Martynov, on charge of "conducting activities of an undesirable organization."

    • RFERL ☛ Husband Of Russia's Richest Woman Detained Over Deadly Shoot-Out In Moscow

      Vladislav Bakalchuk, the husband of Russia's richest woman, Tatyana Bakalchuk, has been detained for 48 hours after a deadly shoot-out at the offices of Wildberries, the country's largest online retailer, founded and led by his estranged wife.

    • RFERL ☛ European Parliament Urges Serbia Not To Extradite Belarusian Activist Hnyot

      The European Parliament on September 19 passed a resolution on political prisoners in Belarus that called on Serbia not to extradite Belarusian activist and journalist Andrey Hnyot (aka Andrew Gnyot).

    • Latvia ☛ 'Moscow House' auction asking price to be lowered

      A first auction for the 'Moscow House' at Marijas Street 7 in Rīga has failed to attract the interest of potential investors. Therefore, "Valsts nekustamie īpašumi  (VNĪ)" (State Real Estate) plans to reduce the starting price by 20%, VNĪ informed.

    • JURIST ☛ Belarus detains teachers as part of crackdown on dissent

      Teachers from across Belarus have been arrested and summoned for interrogation by the country’s State Security Committee (KGB RB) for joining an educational project, the local Viasna Human Rights Centre reported on Wednesday. The project, named “Adukavanka,” is aimed at improving the skills of education workers in Belarus.

    • LRT ☛ Allegations about Volkov’s attack ‘serious’, investigation underway – Lithuanian FM

      Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis described as “serious” the allegations made by the team of the late Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny about the masterminds behind the attack on his close ally Leonid Volkov in Vilnius.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • RFA ☛ Will Cambodia’s Funan Techo canal be a success?

      Questions raised about the viability of the China-backed project, hailed as strongman Hun Sen’s great legacy.

    • DeSmog ☛ From UK to Norway, Drillers Legally Dump Tonnes of Toxic, Radioactive Waste Into the North Sea

    • DeSmog ☛ New Anti-Greenwashing Rules Are ‘Silencing’ Industry, Oil Advocates Say

    • The Kent Stater ☛ The US led on nuclear fusion for decades. Now China is in position to win the race

      The bustling city of Shanghai marks national celebrations with world-famous light shows, illuminating its skyscrapers with dazzling colors, like beacons of Chinese innovation. It is here that scientists and engineers work around the clock to pursue the next big thing in global tech, from 6G internet and advanced Hey Hi (AI) to next-generation robotics.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Science Alert ☛ Tiny Hats of Air Could Give 'Scuba-Diving' Lizards a Fighting Chance

      It's not just for fashion.

    • Science Alert ☛ Tiny Hippos And Elephants Once Roamed Cyprus, Until Humans Arrived

      We have a habit of ruining things.

  • Overpopulation

    • New Yorker ☛ The End of Adoptions from China

      A program that offered new lives to abandoned infants also increasingly depended on abuse, abduction, and trafficking.

• Finance

  • RFA ☛ China to cut tariff exemptions on 34 agricultural items from Taiwan

    China’s Taiwan Affairs Office blamed the Taiwanese president’s ‘stubborn adherence’ to a pro-independence stance.

  • WhichUK ☛ Base rate remains at 5% – will mortgage rates continue to fall?

    Decision was widely expected after inflation remained unchanged

  • France24 ☛ US Federal Reserve lowers interest rates weeks before presidential election

    The Federal Reserve slashed US interest rates by 50 basis points, its first cut in four years, lowering the benchmark rate to 4.75-5.00 percent. The move, double the typical 25 basis point adjustment, signals heightened concern about economic growth as inflation slows. The decision aims to safeguard the labour market amid growing uncertainties.

  • Federal News Network ☛ You can almost taste the repeal of these social security holdbacks

    "The biggest challenge on this has been the cost of repeal," NARFE's staff vice president John Hatton said.

  • Latvia ☛ Latvia offers new 'nuclear powered' collector coin

    On Thursday, 26 September the Latvian central bank, Latvijas Banka, will issue a collector coin "dedicated to the role of science in our lives and the scientists' persistence in seeking answers to questions about the future of humanity," it announced September 19.

  • New York Times ☛ Interest Rates Fall, but Central Banks Are No Longer in Lock Step

    Officials in some countries started cutting rates last year, but others, including those in Europe and the United States, have taken a more cautious approach.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Scoop News Group ☛ Despite challenges, Minnesota’s top election official is ‘an optimist’ heading into November

    Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon spoke with CyberScoop about election security, funding fights with Congress and how to tackle disinformation.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Testimony on Israel and the Middle East at a crossroads: How Tehran’s terror campaign threatens the US and our allies

    Kirsten Fontenrose, nonresident senior fellow at the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative in the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs, testifies before the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs on how Tehran’s terror campaign threatens the US and allies. Below are her prepared remarks.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ How the European Commission’s new portfolio is building security policy from the ground up

    The appointment of a commissioner for defense signals the bloc’s intention to become a major strategic actor on security policy.

  • JURIST ☛ Finland president calls for major reforms to UN Security Council

    Finland’s President Alexander Stubb on Wednesday called for significant changes in the UN Security Council (UNSC), including ending the single-seat veto power of permanent members and doubling the number of permanent seats.

  • DeSmog ☛ Giorgia Meloni’s ‘Centre Right’ EU Block Dominated by Far Right Parties

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Senator Joni Ernst on how to expand cooperation among US allies in the Middle East

    Event recap of the N7 Initiative's public event with Senator Joni Ernst

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • EFF ☛ Strong End-to-End Encryption Comes to Discord Calls [Ed: EFF is once again lying about "End-to-End Encryption"; Discord now lying with help of pro-Hamas EFF]

      End-to-end encryption is used by many chat apps for both text and video offerings, including WhatsApp, iMessage, Signal, and Facebook Messenger. But Discord operates differently than most of those, since alongside private and group text, video, and audio chats, it also encompasses large scale public channels on individual servers operated by Discord. Going forward, audio and video will be end-to-end encrypted, but text, including both group channels and private messages, will not.

      When a call is end-to-end encrypted, you’ll see a green lock icon. While it's not required to use the service, Discord also offers a way to optionally verify that the strong encryption a call is using is not being tampered with or eavesdropped on. During a call, one person can pull up the “Voice Privacy Code,” and send it over to everyone else on the line—preferably in a different chat app, like Signal—to confirm no one is compromising participants’ use of end-to-end encryption. This is a way to ensure someone is not impersonating someone and/or listening in to a conversation.

    • JURIST ☛ California governor signs 3 new laws regulating Hey Hi (AI) ‘deepfakes’ related to elections

      Gavin Newsom, governor of the US state of California, signed three bills into law on Tuesday that collectively aim to regulate election-related content generated by artificial intelligence (AI). AB 2655 specifies that a “large online platform” must “block the posting of materially deceptive content related to elections in California.”

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 1 year, 2 months jail for first person convicted under Hong Kong’s new security law for ‘seditious’ T-shirt

    The first person convicted under Hong Kong’s new security legislation has been jailed for 14 months, after pleading guilty on Monday to sedition over wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan on it.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong man jailed for 10 months under new security law over ‘seditious’ graffiti left on back of bus seats

    A Hong Kong man charged under Hong Kong’s new security law has been sentenced to 10 months in jail after pleading guilty over writing “seditious” graffiti on bus seats.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Nancy Pelosi calls Jimmy Lai ‘hero,’ as US lawmakers vow to keep calling for release of detained Hong Kong tycoon

    US lawmakers on Wednesday vowed to keep up pressure to free Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, whose son warned that time was running out.

  • EFF ☛ Prison Banned Books Week: Being in Jail Shouldn’t Mean Having Nothing to Read

    New data collected by the Prison Banned Books Week campaign focuses on the widespread use of tablet devices in prison systems, as well as their pricing structure and libraries of eBooks. Through a combination of interviews with incarcerated people and a nationwide FOIA campaign to uncover the details of these tablet programs, this campaign has found that, despite offering access to tens of thousands of eBooks, prisons’ tablet programs actually provide little in the way of valuable reading material. The tablets themselves are heavily restricted, and typically only designed by one of two companies: Securus and ViaPath. The campaign also found that the material these programs do provide may not be accessible to many incarcerated individuals.

  • EFF ☛ Canada’s Leaders Must Reject Overbroad Age Verification Bill

    First introduced in 2023, S-210 seeks to prevent young people from encountering sexually explicit material by requiring all commercial internet services that “make available” explicit content to adopt age verification services. Typically, these services will require people to show government-issued ID to get on the internet. According to bill authors, this is needed to prevent harms like the “development of pornography addiction” and “the reinforcement of gender stereotypes and the development of attitudes favorable to harassment and violence…particularly against women.”

    The motivation is laudable, but requiring people of all ages to show ID to get online won’t help women or young people. If S-210 isn't stopped before it reaches the third reading and final vote in the House of Commons, Canadians will be forced to a repressive and unworkable age verification regulation. 

    The bill’s scope is vast. S-210 creates legal risk not just for those who sell or intentionally distribute sexually explicit materials, but also for those who just transmit it–knowingly or not.

  • France24 ☛ Musk’s X to face $900,000 daily fine in Brazil as top court orders it to respect ban

    Brazil’s top court on Thursday said social control media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, would be hit with a daily fine of over $900,000 if it does not comply with a ban the court imposed last month. Access to the platform returned for many Brazilian users on Wednesday after a software update bypassed the block. The update utilised third-party cloud services, including Clownflare, allowing users to access X without a VPN by routing traffic outside the country, according to Brazil's Internet and Telecommunications Providers Association.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ TBIJ, Open Democracy and Bristol Cable join press regulator Impress

    Impress says the new members are "three of the most innovative publishers" in the UK.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Nottingham Post vindicated over characterisation of police ‘non-disclosable’ briefing

    Police held a background briefing about the killer of Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley and Ian Coates.

  • Press Gazette ☛ James Harding says plan to buy Observer is boost to ‘liberal journalism’

    Observer staff fear for their futures as Guardian colleagues back them in opposing the potential deal.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • AccessNow ☛ UN Global Digital Compact: FAQ

    What is the UN Global Digital Compact, why does it matter for the future of digital rights, and what are its human rights implications? Read our FAQ to know.

  • AccessNow ☛ Access Now at the 11th edition of CIPESA’s FIFAfrica

    Radisson Blu Hotel, Dakar Sea Plaza in Dakar, Senegal The Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), in partnership with Dakar-based AfricTivistes, will host the Forum

  • EDRI ☛ Making decision-making just and accountable: A vision for our digital future

    Together, we can protect human rights, strengthen democracy, and reshape societal systems. Read about our commitment to making decision-making just and accountable, as part of our Vision for 2024 and beyond.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Veteran Hong Kong activist Koo Sze-yiu vows to continue protesting after recent release from jail

    An elderly Hong Kong activist who recently completed a jail term for a sedition offence has vowed to continue protesting, including on China’s upcoming National Day. Koo Sze-yiu and other activists protested outside the Japanese consulate on Wednesday, which marked the 93rd anniversary of the Mukden incident, which preceded Japan’s invasion of China in 1931.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Press Gazette ☛ Google killing publisher voucher codes overnight part of wider trend, says Mail exec

    Mail Online global head of SEO shared insights at Future of Media Technology Conference.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Digital Music News ☛ MLC Fires Back Against Spotify Dismissal Push in Unpaid-Royalties Lawsuit, Doubles Down on Anti-Bundling Arguments

    At August’s end, Spotify moved to dismiss the “nonsensical” unpaid-royalties lawsuit filed against it by the Mechanical Licensing Collective. Now, the MLC is urging the court to reject that motion and allow the case to proceed.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• European Commission ☛ Commission starts first proceedings to specify Apple's interoperability obligations under the Digital Markets Act

  European Commission Press release Brussels, 19 Sep 2024 Today, the European Commission has started two specification proceedings to assist Fashion Company Apple in complying with its interoperability obligations under the Digital Markets Act (‘DMA').

• Patents

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Nintendo sues Palworld developers Pocketpair for patent monopoly infringement

    Nintendo sues Pocketpair, developers of Palworld, for patent monopoly infringement. Palworld is an indie game often described as "Pokemon with Guns" and has many uncannily similar character designs.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ 101 Ways Not to Invalidate: Federal Circuit Rejects Sua Sponte Eligibility Ruling

    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Astellas v. Sandoz emphasized the importance of the "party presentation principle" -- that, for the most part, courts should rely upon the parties to frame the issues that need a ruling.  Visiting Delaware, Nebraska District Court Judge Bataillon had issued a sua sponte ruling that certain pharmaceutical patent monopoly claims were invalid under 35 U.S.C. § 101 -- even though the defendant had not moved for such a ruling. 

  • New York Times ☛ Nintendo and Pokémon Sue Palworld Maker for Patent Infringement

    Palworld, a video game mocked as “Pokémon with guns,” became one of the most popular games in the world when it was released in January.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Is KID CHRISTIAN for Sweatshirts Confusable with CHRISTIAN for Wrestling Entertainment Services?

    The USPTO refused to register the mark KID CHRISTIAN for "Hats; Shirts; Sweatshirts; Bandanas; Hooded sweatshirts," for entertainment services in the nature of wrestling contests, and for the provision of wrestling news and information. The Office found confusion likely with the registered mark CHRISTIAN for, "entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by professional wrestlers and entertainers; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network," The marks are certainly close and the services overlap, but what about applicant's clothing items? How do you think this appeal came out? In re Christian Michael Montemurro-Navarro, Serial No. 97407965 (September 13, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Cindy B. Greenbaum).

  • CS Monitor ☛ She’s chubby, wet, and fierce. Meet Moo Deng, a baby hippo and internet darling. [Ed: "Now, the Thai zoo seeks to patent “Moo Deng the hippo.”" No, you cannot PATENT it, they mean trademark. The term "IP" is leading to lies and myths.]

    Spawning memes, merch, and crowds at the zoo, baby hippo Moo Deng went viral within weeks of being born. Appropriately, she likes to “deng,” or bounce, and her zookeepers post clips of her giddy frolics. Now, the Thai zoo seeks to patent “Moo Deng the hippo.”

• Copyrights

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Theodor de Bry’s Engravings for Thomas Harriot’s Briefe and True Report (1590)

    Engravings based on watercolour images made at the first British colony in North America.