Linux Format 321

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Science

• CS Monitor ☛ NASA launches its biggest space probe to find if life can exist on Jupiter moon

  Planetary geologist Erin Leonard of NASA talks about the Europa Clipper mission – and how to see if the icy moon of Jupiter has conditions required to support life.

• The Straits Times ☛ Inside the underground lab in China tasked with solving a physics mystery

  KAIPING, China - A giant sphere 700 m (2,300 ft) underground with thousands of light-detecting tubes will be sealed in a 12-storey cylindrical pool of water in coming months for an experiment that will shine new light on elusive subatomic particles known as neutrinos.

• Hackaday ☛ Mapping A Fruit Fly’s Brain With Crowdsourced Research

  Compared to the human brain, a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) brain is positively miniscule, not only in sheer volume, but also with a mere 140,000 or so neurons and 50 million synapses. Despite this relative simplicity, figuring out how the brain of such a tiny fly works is still an ongoing process. Recently a big leap forward was made thanks to crowdsourced research, resulting in the FlyWire connectome map. Starting with high-resolution electron microscope data, the connections between the individual neurons (the connectome) was painstakingly pieced together, also using computer algorithms, but with validation by a large group of human volunteers using a game-like platform called EyeWire to perform said validation.

• Science Alert ☛ Surprise Discovery Reveals Animal Life Thriving Under The Seafloor

  A whole ecosystem we never knew about.

• Science Alert ☛ Misophonia Has Genetic Links to Anxiety And Depression, Study Shows

  A profile of this mysterious condition is emerging.

• Science Alert ☛ Promising Treatment For Devastating Brain Disease Can Cause Cancer

  A terrible choice.

• Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

  • The Scotsman ☛ Why Northern Lights look better on phones than with your eye

    Yet more often than not, even when the forecast is telling you that they will be visible here in the UK - you might rush out into the street or your garden and struggle to see them without your phone. Sure you may get the perfect picture which will absolutely light up your social media feed, but when you lower your camera it doesn’t look like they were ever there at all.

Hardware

• Hackaday ☛ Your Battery Holder Is Also Your Power Switch With ToggleSlot

  We really like PCB-level hacks, especially ones that show ingenuity in solving a real problem while being super cheap to implement. Hackaday.IO user [Steph] wanted a cheap way to switch a wearable on and off without having to keep popping out the battery, so they came up with a tweaked battery footprint, which is also a simple slide switch.

• Silicon Angle ☛ ASML shares plunge on lowered 2025 revenue forecast

  Shares of ASML Holding NV dropped more than 15% today after the company accidentally released its third-quarter financial results one day earlier than expected with a warning for the future.  The Dutch fab equipment supplier generated a €2.1 billion profit on €7.5 billion in revenue, slightly better than the numbers that analysts had expected.

• Tom's Hardware ☛ Projections show that Arm CPUs will power 40% of notebooks sold in 2029

  A semiconductor-focused market intelligence firm has charted the rise of the Arm architecture in the notebook market up to 2030. In a new research bulletin, TechInsights predicts that 40% of notebooks sold by the end of the decade will be based on SoCs using the Arm architecture

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

• Defence Web ☛ Eye tracker measuring a new addition to the Ergotech arsenal

  Armscor affiliate Ergotech has a new tool to boost research into human cognition, perception, performance and behaviour. The technology in the Biopac eye tracker allows for precise, quantitative measurements of eye movements and fixations. It resembles the frame of normal spectacles, making it minimally invasive and can be easily integrated with other clothing and equipment.

• New York Times ☛ Therapeutic Food Shortage Puts African Children at Risk of Starvation, U.N. Agency Says

  Supplies of a highly nutritious treatment are running out, according to UNICEF.

• New York Times ☛ Lebanon’s Hospitals Buckle Amid Israel’s Offensive Against Hezbollah

  The United Nations says “the targeting of health and relief operations is broadening” in Lebanon. Hospitals say they have been forced to close or are struggling to operate.

• France24 ☛ Hands off the Doliprane: French outcry over plan to sell popular painkiller to US

  Politicians from across the political spectrum are up in arms over healthcare giant Sanofi's plans to sell France's best-known medical drug Doliprane to US investors, a move critics say would lead to a "loss of sovereignty" for the country in a sensitive industry.

• The Kent Stater ☛ Escaping the dread of seasonal depression

  It can be easy to dread the colder seasons as the days get shorter and slip into a state of depression. As many as 19.7% of college students experience Seasonal Affective Disorder, according to the National Institute of Health.

• Latvia ☛ Why doesn't Latvia pay for all cancer patients?

  This year's charity marathon "High Five!" is all about urgently helping those people the state cannot help with medical expenses. 125 oncology patients have faced refusal this year. The total cost of their lives is €3.2 million, Latvian Radio reported October 15.

• Science Alert ☛ Microplastics Absorbed by Fetus Persist After Birth, Study in Mice Finds

  This is a huge problem.

• Science Alert ☛ Human DNA Found in Lions' Teeth Confirms a Tragic Legend of History

  A century-old mystery.

• Science Alert ☛ Eating Less Can Extend Lifespan But There's a Hidden Catch, Scientists Say

  The devil is in the details.

Defence/Aggression

• The Straits Times ☛ At tipping point? North Korea’s bombing of inter-Korea roads the latest provocation as tensions rise

  Analysts say drones launched from the South crossed the line and Pyongyang wants this to stop.

• The Straits Times ☛ North Korea claims 1.4 million young people joined the army this week

  This comes at a time when tensions in the Korean peninsula are running high.

• RFA ☛ North Korea blows up northern side of inter-Korean roads: Seoul

  The South Korean military responded by firing shots south of the Military Demarcation Line.

• RFA ☛ Media Watch: Anti-Japan sentiment targets Japanese schools in China

  Misleading claims about Japanese schools are rampant on Chinese social control media platforms, AFCL found.

• RFA ☛ China to prosecute rights lawyer arrested in Laos

  Lu Siwei was arrested en route to join family in the US. His case has been transferred to a court.

• RFA ☛ Myanmar rebels capture border base near Chinese rare-earth mining hub

  Panwa township, which residents say will be next to fall, is also a gateway for trade with China.

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Philippines, US marines launch 10-day drills a day after China’s Taiwan military exercises

  Thousands of US and Filipino marines launched 10 days of joint exercises in the northern and western Philippines on Tuesday, a day after China held huge drills around Taiwan.

• France24 ☛ Taiwan reports record 153 Chinese aircraft near island during military drills

  A record 153 Chinese military aircraft were detected near Taiwan as China held large-scale drills encircling the island on Monday, Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Tuesday. Beijing has in recent years ramped up military pressure on Taipei to accept its claims of sovereignty over the self-ruled island.  Monday's activities were the fourth round of large-scale drills in just over two years.

• Atlantic Council ☛ How the US and the Philippines should counter Beijing’s aggression in the South China Sea

  Washington, Manila, and their Indo-Pacific allies must work together to counter China’s maritime aggression in Philippine waters.

• The Strategist ☛ India has a China problem, not just a border problem

  It’s not just the border. India has a deeper problem with China, and it looks like it’s part of the same problem that other countries have with China: the country has become much more aggressive.

• The Strategist ☛ China’s jurisdictional traps: the risks of silent transits in the Taiwan Strait

  When non-Chinese navies send warships on undeclared passages through the Taiwan Strait, they may be achieving exactly the opposite of what they want.

• ADF ☛ Terrorist Attacks Multiply in Junta-Led Countries

  The number of violent events involving extremist groups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger has nearly doubled since 2021.

• ADF ☛ Egypt Sends Troops to Somalia as Tensions Grow with Ethiopia over Nile Dam

  The fifth filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has raised more than the level of the hydropower dam’s sprawling reservoir: It has also raised tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt over control of the Nile River.

• ADF ☛ Iran Seeks Influence in Sudan Through an Influx of Weapons

  Iran is working to take advantage of the chaos caused by Sudan’s civil war to gain a foothold on the Red Sea. Establishing a presence in Sudan would, in essence, enable Iran to box in its regional opponents, including Saudi Arabia and Israel, and threaten shipping through the Suez Canal, according to experts.

• ADF ☛ Amhara Insurgency Threatens to Consume Ethiopia

  A string of clashes in Ethiopia’s Amhara region between government forces and an ethnic militia are sparking fears of a widening war. In September, fighting in the towns of Debark and Dabat in North Gondar left at least nine dead and 30 injured.

• ADF ☛ Kidnappings in Ethiopia’s Amhara, Oromia Regions Stoke Fear

  Aynalem was on a bus traveling from Ethiopia’s Amhara region to Addis Ababa in late August when the vehicle was ambushed by militants from the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which claims to fight for the self-determination of the ethnic Oromo group.

• Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Ukraine may allow drone exports in bid to support domestic producers

    Ukraine may allow the export of drones in a bid to boost domestic production amid limited state procurement budgets and to prevent Ukrainian drone manufacturers from relocating abroad, writes Marcel Plichta.

  • Latvia ☛ Insights from inside Ukrainian public media

    Latvian Radio (LR) has conducted an English-language interview with Chairman of the Board of Ukraine's Public Media service, 'Suspilne'.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ As the US election nears, anxiety is mounting in Ukraine

    Few countries have more at stake in the coming US presidential election than Ukraine, which is heavily dependent on US aid to sustain its fight against Russia's ongoing invasion, writes Kate Spencer.

  • RFERL ☛ Russia Launches Drone Attack On Kyiv

    Russia launched a drone attack on Kyiv late on October 15, prompting the mayor to tell people to stay in shelters.

  • RFERL ☛ Woman Killed In Russian Strike In Southern Ukraine

    Russian forces struck the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv with S-300 missiles early on October 15, killing a woman and wounding 16 other people, regional Governor Vitaliy Kim said.

  • RFERL ☛ Iran Summons Hungarian Ambassador To Protest New EU Sanctions

    The Iranian Foreign Ministry on October 15 summoned the ambassador of Hungary over EU sanctions against seven individuals and seven entities linked to Iran.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US ‘concerned’ by reports of North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week accused North Korea of transferring personnel to Russia's armed forces.

  • New York Times ☛ Political Infighting Hampers Ukraine’s Efforts to Avert Energy Crisis

    Top energy officials have fallen and key energy policy decisions have been delayed because of political calculations, lawmakers and experts say, costing Ukraine valuable time in preparing for winter.

  • Latvia ☛ Most of Latvian-Russian border fence built

    Approximately 80% or 222 out of 283 kilometers of the planned fence on the Latvian-Russian border have been constructed, the State Enterprise State Real Estate (SJSC "Valsts nekustamie īpašumi") said October 15.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ BBC head warns Russia, China filling space left by scaled back World Service with ‘unchallenged propaganda’

    The head of the BillBC warned Monday that Russia and China were exploiting funding cuts that have forced Britain’s public broadcaster to scale back its much-lauded World Service network.

  • JURIST ☛ Poland announces temporary asylum limits amid migration crisis

    Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced plans Sunday to temporarily limit asylum from neighboring countries Belarus and Russia, sparking criticism from human rights groups.

  • RFA ☛ East Asia fails to adopt South China Sea statement amid finger pointing

    A recent summit ended without a final declaration after disagreements over the disputed sea.

  • RFA ☛ Russia urges South Korea to avoid provocations amid drone dispute with North

    North Korea said the South had sent drones over Pyongyang three times this month, but Seoul denied the claim.

  • RFERL ☛ Russia Releases Man Jailed After His Daughter Drew Anti-War Picture

    A Russian man sentenced to prison on a charge of discrediting Russia's armed forces after an anti-war drawing by his teenage daughter drew attention to him was released on October 15, saying conditions inside the institution were horrible and that he fears he may not be free for long.

  • RFERL ☛ Western Foreign Ministers In Moldova In Show Of Support

    Moldova has signed a memorandum of understanding with a group of Western countries to counter Russia's hybrid attacks just days ahead of crucial elections that could cement Chisinau's path toward Euro-Atlantic integration and untether the former Soviet republic from decades of Moscow's influence.

  • RFERL ☛ Russian Man Alive After 2 Months Drifting At Sea In Catamaran

    A Russian man was found alive in a catamaran two months after it went missing off the Russian Pacific region of Khabarovsk and drifted about 1,000 kilometers across the Sea of Okhotsk.

Environment

• Energy/Transportation

  • Science Alert ☛ Mysterious Space Plane X-37B to Try 'First of a Kind' Maneuvers in Orbit

    Groundbreaking stuff.

• Wildlife/Nature

  • New York Times ☛ Giant Pandas From China Return to National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

    A motorcade through the capital revived “panda diplomacy” between Washington and Beijing for the first time in nearly a year.

  • RFA ☛ Giant pandas arrive in US en route to Washington’s zoo

    Xi calls the animals ‘envoys of friendship,’ but zookeepers downplay politics.

  • New York Times ☛ China’s Wild Panda Census is Widely Regarded as Flawed

    The panda census methodology is widely seen as flawed, and China keeps the data shrouded in secrecy.

Finance

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Make it easier for Hong Kong-based mainland Chinese talent to move money from China, pro-Beijing party urges

  Authorities should lower the threshold for Hong Kong-based mainland Chinese talent to move their capital from mainland China to the city, a pro-Beijing party has urged as growing numbers of professionals arrive from across the border.

• CS Monitor ☛ Real estate once drove China’s economic growth. Now it’s holding it back.

  As China signals bold moves to revive its economy, all eyes are on its collapsing property market. Can the government restore the confidence of would-be homebuyers?

• New York Times ☛ Would a Strong Job Market Stop Fed Rate Cuts? This Official Says No.

  Mary C. Daly, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, said that the central bank shouldn’t act “out of fear.”

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

• New York Times ☛ Trump’s Changing Views on Talking to Foreign Leaders

  The former president, who once pushed to prosecute a former secretary of state for talking with foreign officials, said that it would be “a good thing” for himself to have secretly kept in touch with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia — if he did.

• RFA ☛ EXPLAINED: Who will be the next leader of Macau?

  As a top judge, Chinese-born Sam Hou Fai had a hand in suppressing the city’s pro-democracy movement.

• New York Times ☛ Justin Trudeau’s Accusations Spotlight Reach of India’s Intelligence Agencies

  The Canadian prime minster’s accusation of Indian government involvement in the killing of a Sikh nationalist signifies a sharp escalation in diplomatic tensions between India and Canada.

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

• Press Gazette ☛ Business and specialist titles opt for Flip-Pay to power paid content

  From political news to fantasy sports - Flip-Pay offers publishers flexible registration and subscriptions technology.

• Press Gazette ☛ Kent Online publisher Iliffe rolls out metered paywalls across group

  The number of free articles a user will see varies hugely depending on the site.

• Press Gazette ☛ BBC News to close Hardtalk and Asian Network news service in latest round of 185 job cuts

  The Asian Network will lose its bespoke news service amid a 4% BillBC News budget cut.

• Press Gazette ☛ Newspaper ABCs: FT up month-on-month, but picture of decline continues

• Press Gazette ☛ Charlie Elphicke’s legal bill cut after Sunday Times libel battle

  A judge found Times Media failed to "preserve evidence" in the case.

Civil Rights/Policing

• France24 ☛ Inside Cambodia's cyber-scam centres, where workers are victims of human trafficking

  It’s happened to us all: a message arrives on our phone that looks genuine but turns out to be a scam. The internet has enabled scammers worldwide to find and contact potential victims. In Southeast Asia, the problem has reached alarming proportions and generates billions of dollars. FRANCE 24's William de Tamaris, Aruna Popuri and Justin McCurry report from Cambodia and the Myanmar border. Warning: this report contains graphic content.