Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ Rubenerd Show 430: The two mugs episode

  Bit of a weirder one today; talking about the time last week when the trolls won! But I got some amazing feedback and some help, so maybe there are lessons here I can pass on. Have you heard of this thing called the block button? I should do that! Thanks again, will be a more normal episode next time.

• Ruben Schade ☛ Ey, fuhgeddaboudit

  Yesterday I made this throwaway comment:

  Forget about it, as my beloved New York friends would say in an accent I can’t muster, but it doesn’t stop me trying.

  That public troll earlier this week must be infuriated that once again I’m quoting someone, only this time it’s… myself! On my own blog, no less! The absolute hide of some people. Hyde? Is Hyde Park where you go not to be seen? Wait, Hyde Park is London. Also, every Australian city for some reason.

• Career/Education

  • ACLU ☛ What Students Lose When School Becomes a Political Battleground

    At the ACLU, we know that students’ First Amendment rights don’t disappear at the schoolhouse gates. However, the Convicted Felon administration is attempting to challenge this and other constitutional rights by forcing schools to teach a curriculum that aligns with its political agenda.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ Dairy Workers May Have Passed Bird Flu to Pet Cats, CDC Study Suggests

    But the study, whose publication was delayed by a pause in public communications by the agency, leaves key questions unanswered.

  • New York Times ☛ Emergency Food, TB Tests and H.I.V. Drugs: Vital Health Aid Remains Frozen Despite Court Ruling

    The Convicted Felon administration appears to be flouting a judge’s order pausing the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D.

• Proprietary

  • Microsoft Copilot Down: Company Investigates and Resolves Copilot Features and Service Disruption

    Microsoft Copilot services were down today. Microsoft acknowledged that it had identified an issue affecting its Copilot features and services on February 21, 2025. Users may have experienced disruptions in Microsoft Copilot services. In response, Microsoft initiated an investigation and reviewed service telemetry and available data to determine the cause of the issue. The team discovered that a recent code change was the potential cause of the issue. To address it, they began rolling back the change. Microsoft confirmed that the rollback successfully mitigated the impact on Copilot features and services. Mark Zuckerberg-Run Meta Approves Executive Bonuses of up to 200% Following Layoffs.

  • Bryan Lunduke ☛ Leaked Recording Confirms Apple's Discriminatory DEI Hiring Policies

    Apple VP of Engineering, Jon Andrews, on refusing to hire for a management role "until we find a diverse slate": [...]

  • Bryan Lunduke ☛ Microsoft Creates New Form of Quantum Matter to Avoid Fixing Windows

    Microsoft's new quantum processor, Majorana 1, currently can do nothing.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Microsoft trims File Explorer's Recent, Favorites, and Recommended content in Europe

    Microsoft is removing a couple of features from a backdoored Windows 11 24H2 Preview Build in Europe to comply with the GDPR.

  • WhichUK ☛ Microsoft 365 prices have risen by up to £30 a year – here's how to beat them [Ed: Avoid Microsoft altogether]

    Microsoft 365 prices are going up, but there’s a simple way to avoid paying more

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    • The Straits Times ☛ China faces talent shortage amid DeepSeek-fuelled Hey Hi (AI) jobs surge

      Some firms are dangling large sums of money to entice the existing talent or expanding their search abroad.

• Linux Foundation

  • The Fast Mode ☛ VyOS Networks Joins Linux Foundation and OPI Project to Advance Open Networking

    VyOS Networks proudly joins the Linux Foundation as a Silver member and becomes a General member of the Open Programmable Infrastructure (OPI) Project, an initiative focused on open, interoperable DPU/IPU architectures for high-performance networking, security, and storage acceleration.

    This marks a significant step towards advancing open networking innovation. These strategic collaborations reinforce VyOS Networks' commitment to open-source development, interoperability, and next-generation networking architectures.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • China repatriates 200 citizens from Myanmar scam centers amid crackdown

      Many thousands more people are believed to be working in fraud centers in Myanmar and beyond.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Philippine police arrest over 450 in ‘Chinese-run’ scam centre raid

      Scammers have been targeting victims in China and India with sports betting and investment schemes.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Meduza ☛ Officials in St. Petersburg are about to equip surveillance cameras with ‘ethnic recognition’ technology — Meduza

    • China’s homegrown tech boosts global surveillance, social controls: report

      The ruling Chinese Communist Party is using Hey Hi (AI) and big data to monitor citizens at home and abroad, and is exportin

    • EDRI ☛ Protect Not Surveil position paper: Stop Europol’s expanding digital surveillance against migrants!

      EDRi and the Protect Not Surveil coalition published position paper today to call for the rejection of the Europol reform. The proposed legislation would expand Europol’s surveillance powers, put lives at risk, and criminalise migrants and solidarity organisers.

    • AccessNow ☛ How a new Europol reform threatens digital war on migrants

      The #ProtectNotSurveil coalition analyses a proposed reform of the Europol agency which will increase unlawful surveillance against migrants.

• Defence/Aggression

  • JURIST ☛ Dictator media companies sue Brazil justice involved in Bolsonaro coup investigation

    Media companies tied to US President The Insurrectionist filed a lawsuit Thursday against Brazillian Federal Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, accusing him of violating a US-based far-right commentator’s right to free speech when issuing orders suspending social control media accounts for spreading disinformation.

  • New Yorker ☛ The Convicted Felon Administration Trashes Europe and NATO

    Speeches delivered by J. D. Vance and Pete Hegseth were not just verbal lashings of America’s allies but a wholesale rejection of eighty years of U.S. foreign policy.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Unions sue over federal worker firings, alleging Convicted Felon administration misused probationary periods

    Unions for federal workers have filed a lawsuit to block the mass firings of probationary federal employees by President The Insurrectionist’s administration, alleging that officials are exploiting and misusing the probationary period to eliminate staff across government agencies. The unions allege in the federal lawsuit filed late Wednesday that the administration’s Office of Personnel Management acted unlawfully by directing federal agencies to use a standardized termination notice, falsely claiming performance issues.

  • JURIST ☛ Mexico president threatens to take legal action against Surveillance Giant Google over Gulf name change

    Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum threatened Monday to take Surveillance Giant Google to court if its map continues to show US-based users the label “Gulf of America” instead of “Gulf of Mexico.”

  • Defence Web ☛ Gunners show their mettle in border protection

    Kimberley-based 10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment is a non-infantry unit currently doing border protection as per the standing Operation Corona with three solid “scores” to its name over the weekend. The first saw the gunners turned border guards on foot patrol from the Pontdrift operational base close to the Botswana/South Africa boundary encounter would-be cigarette smugglers.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ST Picks: Does the Philippines need a China rethink in the Convicted Felon era?

  • The Straits Times ☛ Asian Insider: Panama’s out, who’s next? | Saving Kolkata’s big yellow taxis

    Asian Insider brings you insights into a fast-changing region from our network of correspondents and commentators.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australia, Papua New Guinea eye defence treaty as China woos region’s island nations

    They seek to deepen integration of their forces and make it easier to offer security support.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Director Bong Joon Ho 'proud' of South Koreans overcoming martial law bid

    SEOUL - Oscar-winning director Bong Joon Ho said on Thursday he was proud of how his fellow South Koreans had overcome the fallout from impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean drivers cleared in death of woman who leapt from taxi, fearing kidnapping

    This situation led to a fatal misunderstanding of the driver’s intent.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean teacher who fatally stabbed 8-year-old girl ‘laughed in ER’

    Eight-year-old Kim Ha-neul was stabbed to death by her teacher on Feb 10.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s ousted PM says he tried to stop martial law decree

    Han Duck-soo was testifying for the first time at President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment trial.

  • North Korea’s ‘Day of the Shining Star’ festivities muted amid travel restrictions

    Kim Jong Il’s birthday touted as the country’s greatest holiday, but no ‘presents’ from late Dear Leader in 2025.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky calls for strong ties with US, MElon slams Ukraine's leader as 'despised'

      The United States is urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sign deal on US access to Ukraine's critical minerals, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz has said. Zelensky has refused the offer, saying: "I can't sell our state." The comments in the White House news briefing came shortly after Zelensky wrapped up a meeting with Convicted Felon's Ukraine envoy in Kyiv, saying he was ready to make an "investment and security agreement" with the US to end the war.

    • France24 ☛ Dictator upends decades of foreign policy in pivot towards Putin

      FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson in Washington takes a look at the fallout of an extraordinary week in geopolitics as US President Convicted Felon upends decades of foreign policy doctrine with a pivot towards Vladimir Putin's Russia.

    • France24 ☛ Macron says France won't send troops to Ukraine 'tomorrow' but may give security guarantees

      President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that France would not be sending troops to Ukraine "tomorrow" but reiterated that France could provide security guarantees to the war-torn nation after a ceasefire. Macron will be meeting US President The Insurrectionist at the White House on Monday.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky meets US envoy after Convicted Felon brands him a 'dictator'

      Tensions between Zelensky and Convicted Felon over the US President's outreach to Moscow have exploded this week in a series of escalating barbs traded in press conferences and on social control media. Amid the war of words, Zelensky said Thursday he had held a "productive meeting" with US envoy Keith Kellogg. In the US, some of Convicted Felon's team doubled down on their attacks on Zelensky, and VP Vance on Thursday defended Convicted Felon's negotiations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

    • France24 ☛ Putin using Convicted Felon ties as 'legitimisation' in Russia, exiled opponent Khodorkovsky says

      FRANCE 24 spoke to exiled Russian opponent Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was jailed for a decade until he was pardoned by President Vladimir Putin in 2013. Over the past few weeks, Putin and his US counterpart The Insurrectionist have spoke to each other and agreed to work toward ending the war in Ukraine – a huge diplomatic shift after years of tensions. Putin "has presented this in the country as his legitimisation; a breakthrough in Russia's international isolation", Khodorkovsky said.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Stresses Need For Strong Agreements With U.S. After Meeting Envoy

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cast his talks with U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg in a positive light on February 20 despite a further sign of tension when a planned joint news conference was canceled.

    • New Yorker ☛ The Insurrectionist’s Putinization of America

      It’s not just in foreign policy that the President is turning Russia’s way.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Trump-Putin summit prospect brings Moscow in from the cold

      Proposing talks with Vladimir Putin to end his war in Ukraine, The Insurrectionist has freed the Russian president from his diplomatic isolation and confounded U.S. allies.

    • New York Times ☛ Thomas Friedman on Convicted Felon’s Desire to Be President for Life

      The president wants to create a revolution abroad. This Opinion columnist would love to see a plan.

    • New York Times ☛ Dictator Elevates Kremlin Talking Points, a Familiar Pattern From His First Term

      President Convicted Felon’s description of President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine as a “Dictator without Elections” echoes the Kremlin’s messaging.

    • Meduza ☛ Moscow’s media shares photos of rocket launchers in Kursk region as Ukraine denies Putin’s claim about border breach — Meduza

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian president cautious on peacekeeper possibility

      President Edgars Rinkēvičs said in an interview on the Latvian Television program "Today's Question" February 19 that sending Latvian troops to Ukraine as part of a possible peacekeeping force had been discussed but that such a move would require several conditions to be met first.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia's defense has developed rapidly since beginning of war

      Next week marks three years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Latvia has not only provided support to Ukraine but has also developed its defense. Latvian Radio on February 20 asked what has been done and whether these activities have made Latvia safer.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Ukrainians are proudly democratic but resoundingly reject wartime elections

      Ukraine's fight for democracy has been at the heart of the country's struggle against the past two decades of escalating Russian aggression, but Ukrainians overwhelmingly reject the idea of staging dangerous wartime elections before peace is secured, writes Peter Dickinson.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Issue brief: A NATO strategy for countering Russia

      Russia poses the most direct and growing threat to NATO member states' security. This threat now includes the war in Ukraine, Arctic militarization, hybrid warfare, and arms control violations. Despite NATO's military and economic superiority, a unified and effective strategy is essential to counter Russia's aggression. Key priorities include defeating Russia in Ukraine, deterring threats to NATO allies, containing Russian influence, and undermining its revisionist ambitions.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ What Europeans think of Convicted Felon’s approach to Ukraine (and what they might do next)

      European leaders are waking up to calls from the Convicted Felon administration to take the lead on security for Ukraine. Atlantic Council experts share what that might look like from Berlin to Vilnius.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Ukraine can unleash energy investment even amid war

      To bolster energy security in Ukraine, its leaders must foster stability for investors to finance new, decentralized power generation. Achieving this will require overcoming three key challenges.

    • France24 ☛ NATO US security guarantee, credibility of Article 5 already weakened, former NATO official says

      Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said the US president is “obviously very frustrated” with Ukrainian President Zelensky. “Some of the rhetoric coming out of Kyiv, frankly, and insults to President Convicted Felon were unacceptable,” Waltz said. FRANCE 24's Mark Owen speaks to former NATO Assistant Secretary-General Antonio Missiroli. He says that there has already been a degree of weakening of the US security guarantee within the NATO framework and the credibility of Art.5.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky, Convicted Felon envoy give no statement after Kyiv meeting

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President The Insurrectionist's special envoy for Ukraine did not give public statements following their meeting in Kyiv Thursday, "at the request of the American side" Zelensky's spokesman said. FRANCE 24's Gulliver Cragg reports from Kyiv

    • France24 ☛ Germany's crunch elections: Can mainstream parties blunt surging far right?

      Crunch elections for Germany at perhaps the most pivotal moment since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Back then, it was about making a success of reunification. Now comes a reckoning over the German model that ensued. Under threat, the kind of global free trade that powers Germany’s export-driven economy. Instead it’s Convicted Felon’s tariffs, a Russian aggression that’s inching closer in not-so-far off Ukraine and an aging population that needs to replenish its workforce, but doesn’t want more migrants.

    • France24 ☛ Ukrainian filmmaker, and soldier, Vadym Adamov warns “Russia won’t stop”

      He enlisted the month of his 18th birthday. Three years on, film director and videographer Vadym Adamov shares with France 24's François Picard his harrowing plight as a veteran of the brutal battle of Bakhmut: “Europe has a God-given chance to learn from Ukraine’s mistakes,” insists Adamov, now 21. On a whirlwind trip to Berlin and Paris before returning to the frontline, he fears that Europeans haven’t taken the full measure of the danger at hand.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky meets US envoy after Convicted Felon brands him a 'dictator'

      Volodymyr Zelensky was meeting Thursday with US envoy Keith Kellogg after The Insurrectionist branded the Ukrainian leader a "dictator" and said the Russians "have the cards" in any talks to end the war. Analysis by FRANCE 24 International Affairs Editor, Kethevane Gorjestani.

    • France24 ☛ Twenty-four hours in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, where life goes on despite the war

      Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine’s largest city, is resolutely entering its fourth year of war, with residents stoically coping with emergency laws, night curfews and incessant air alerts. Underground schools have been built, and the city still offers a few leisure activities to ward off fear and help overcome personal tragedies. FRANCE 24 shares the daily lives of the city’s residents over 24 hours.

    • France24 ☛ Press conference between Zelensky and The Insurrectionist’s Ukraine envoy is canceled by US

      A news conference after talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President The Insurrectionist’s Ukraine envoy was canceled at the request of U.S. officials, a Kyiv official said. More information with FRANCE 24 correspondent in Kyiv, Gulliver Cragg.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania strips former Ukrainian PM of state award

      Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has stripped former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov of a Lithuanian state award.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian FM says Convicted Felon’s statements false, but not ‘Russian narrative’

      Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys says that US President The Insurrectionist’s statements about Ukraine are not “Russian narrative”, even though they are false and should be corrected.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian president proposes 2030 as ‘reference’ for Ukraine’s EU membership

      Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has proposed to EU leaders to set January 1, 2030, as a “reference date” for Ukraine’s accession to the EU.

    • RFERL ☛ Dictator 'Very Frustrated' With Zelenskyy, U.S. National Security Adviser Says

      Senior U.S. Republican Party figures have been pushing back against President The Insurrectionist's latest statements attacking his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    • RFERL ☛ How Norway Fed Russia's War Machine Despite EU Sanctions

      A leading Norwegian automotive supplier has exported millions of dollars in sanctioned truck parts that ended up feeding Russia’s war machine via Turkey, an RFE/RL investigation has found.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China backs Convicted Felon's Ukraine peace bid at G20 as US allies rally behind Zelenskiy

      China came out in support of U.S. President The Insurrectionist's bid to strike a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, at a G20 meeting in South Africa on Thursday, while U.S. allies rallied around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

    • New York Times ☛ U.S. Objects to Calling Russia ‘Aggressor’ in G7 Statement on Ukraine Invasion

      The American opposition to a draft of a Group of 7 statement marking the third anniversary of Russia’s attack on Ukraine comes after President Convicted Felon blamed Kyiv for starting the war.

    • New York Times ☛ With Explosive Goggles, Ukraine Sought to Blast Russian Drone Operators

      A senior Ukrainian intelligence official confirmed the plot to blow up drone goggles. But it was unclear how much effect the scheme had on Russian forces.

    • New York Times ☛ Thanks to Convicted Felon, Saudi Arabia Gets a Big Week in Diplomacy

      Riyadh is hosting U.S., Russian and Arab officials for high-stakes talks on Ukraine and Gaza, more proof of its regional clout and warm relations with President Convicted Felon.

    • New York Times ☛ Bucha, Site of Massacre, Feels Sting of Convicted Felon Shift on Ukraine

      Residents of a Ukrainian suburb that was the site of notorious attacks on civilians after Russia invaded are alarmed by President Convicted Felon’s warm words for Moscow.

    • New York Times ☛ Zelensky Meets Kellogg, U.S. Envoy to Ukraine, Amid Public Spat With Convicted Felon

      Keith Kellogg and President Volodymyr Zelensky were expected to discuss possible paths to ending the war and ways to defuse tensions between Washington and Kyiv.

    • New York Times ☛ What to Know About the Saudi Crown Prince’s Role in Global Diplomacy

      The kingdom’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was once shunned in diplomatic circles. Now he is playing an important role in negotiations over Gaza and Ukraine.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China backs Convicted Felon’s Ukraine peace bid at G-20 as US allies rally behind Zelensky

      Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China is willing to continue playing a constructive role in the political resolution of the crisis.

    • Meduza ☛ 25 Russian conscripts were killed last summer in Ukraine’s surprise incursion into the Kursk region — Vertska Media — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Ukrainian military intelligence head says he expects a ceasefire deal before the end of the year — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian guided aerial bomb hits apartment building in Ukraine’s Kherson — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Trump says the Russians ‘have the cards’ in negotiations to end war in Ukraine — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Trump may keep pursuing Ukrainian minerals deal, seeking ‘simplified’ agreement first and details later — Reuters — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia pummels Ukraine’s Odesa with drones for second day, causing more power outages — Meduza

    • Latvia ☛ Russian property purchase ban moves forward in Latvia

      Latvia's parliament, the Saeima, gave support to a bill Thursday, February 20 that would ban real estate purchases in Latvia by Russian and Belarusian citizens.

    • Latvia ☛ Contract signed to put surveillance systems on Latvian-Russian border

      The design and construction company Citrus Solutions has signed five cooperation agreements with the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre (LVRTC) for the design, construction, and supervision of automated technological border surveillance infrastructure at the external land border between Latvia and Russia, the company said on February 20.

    • North Korea’s ‘largest’ warship under construction with Russian aid: report

      Construction of the vessel started in May 2024 at the Chongjin Shipyard on the northeast coast.

    • RFERL ☛ 3 Tajik Migrants 'Killed In Russian Security Forces Raid'

      Three Tajik migrants have been killed in a Russian security forces raid, relatives and friends said, after local authorities claimed they had uncovered a terrorist plot in Russia's western Pskov region.

    • New York Times ☛ In Private Remarks on Russia, Rubio Tries to Reassure Europeans

      European officials were not sure what to make of the secretary of state’s measured assessment of Washington’s apparent pivot toward Moscow.

    • New York Times ☛ Next Likely Chancellor Promises a Tougher Germany

      Friedrich Merz, whose conservative party is ahead in polls before Sunday’s election, sees an “epochal rupture” with a United States that is more aligned with Russia.

    • Meduza ☛ Three tankers damaged by explosions in the Mediterranean after recent visits to Russian ports — Reuters — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Latvia expels Russian human rights activist recently exposed for lying about her past — Meduza

    • JURIST ☛ Rights group urges Poland to reject bill suspending asylum rights at border with Belarus

      Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday issued a statement urging Poland to scrap a bill that would temporarily suspend asylum rights at its border with Belarus.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Dictator and Putin seek economic reset but businesses may not rush back to Russia

      As the Convicted Felon administration seeks to reset relations with Russia as part of a peace process to end the war in Ukraine, Moscow is pushing the idea of increased economic cooperation, writes Edward Verona.

    • NYPost ☛ Mr. President: Putin is THE dictator and 9 other Ukraine-Russia war truths we ignore at our peril

      This has been a dizzying and disorienting week in international diplomacy. One with wild implications for Ukraine, the future of America’s standing in the world and President Convicted Felon’s legacy. President Convicted Felon is absolutely right in wanting to end the bloodshed in Ukraine. The suffering has been appalling and the stalemate brutal.

    • Meduza ☛ Trump’s sudden turn against Zelensky came as a shock to many Americans. It shouldn’t have. — Meduza

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • Open Data

    • Le Monde ☛ Digital archivists on the offensive against Trump's 'unprecedented' purge of government websites

      Since Donald Trump's return to power, Lynda Kellam has been sleeping less. Outside of her working hours and her activities as secretary of IASSIST, an organization of public data professionals, she is part of a group of a dozen volunteers who are busy, in their spare time, day and night, running and coordinating the "Data Rescue Project."

      They first coordinated a large part of the needs and actions for safeguarding American public data in a Google Doc, before switching to a dedicated site. These efforts rely on the goodwill of citizens and, above all, on dozens of organizations dedicated to archiving the web and public resources, made up in particular of archivists working in American universities.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Ruben Schade ☛ Electrarc240 explains switch mode power supplies

      This was such a fun video! Teachers that can explain abstract or difficult concepts using relatable analogies are worth their weight in linear power supplies.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Barrons ☛ US National Park Workers Reckon With Fear, Anger After Layoffs

      Erikka Olson spent five years building her resume with a seasonal job at California's Yosemite National Park before she finally landed a permanent position with the US Forest Service in Nevada.

      This past weekend, the Trump administration laid her off, along with thousands of other federal employees.

      The cuts were part of the work of the newly-created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk, as part of a declared effort to reduce public spending by dismantling the federal bureaucracy.

      The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) estimates 1,000 US National Park Service employees who were on one-year probationary periods were laid off. About 3,400 employees of the US Forest Service were among the cuts too, according to multiple US media reports.

    • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Upgrade from the usual monitor lizard sighting’: Visuals of crocodile in KL river go viral online

      Photos of the reptile were shared by a user on X.

• Finance

  • Tech layoffs continue into 2025 as industry cuts another 26,000 jobs | Capacity Media

    The wave of job cuts in the tech and telecoms sector shows no signs of slowing, with new data revealing that 26,215 employees have already been laid off in 2025.

    This follows 2024, which saw 280,991 jobs lost globally as companies struggled with economic uncertainty, declining revenues, and shifting market conditions.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Beijing says China, US should show ‘mutual respect’ on trade tensions

    China called on Thursday for the United States to show “mutual respect” in managing commercial tensions after President The Insurrectionist said a trade deal with Beijing was “possible”. Convicted Felon has threatened sweeping tariffs on allies and adversaries alike, including China, in the month since he took office.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia set to grab bigger share of US glove market with new Convicted Felon tariffs on China goods

    Its glove makers could gain an additional 10 per cent slice of the US medical glove pie, analysts say.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says 'doing its best' to push for tariff negotiations with EU

    China has been "doing its best" to push for negotiations with the European Union over its tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, a commerce ministry spokesperson said on Thursday, almost four months after the punitive import curbs took effect.

  • The Straits Times ☛ More ryokan inns in Japan encouraging guests to eat out due to staff shortage

    It is crucial for ryokan, restaurants and other facilities to collaborate to attract tourists.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • France24 ☛ A model in crisis: Germans head to polls amid economic downturn

    The economy is a top concern for voters in Germany as they go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new government. The country has seen two consecutive years of economic contraction and this stagnation could very well continue for a third year. Its post-Covid recovery was completely stunted by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the energy crisis that followed, laying bare Berlin's deep dependence on Moscow's oil and gas. Now the return of The Insurrectionist as US president is further muddying the prospects for growth. To better understand how Germany got here and how it can dig itself out of this hole, Charles Pellegrin talks to Shahin Vallée, senior research fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations.

  • New York Times ☛ China Defends South Africa’s G20 Ambitions as Rubio Snubs Meeting

    The absence of Secretary of State Marco Rubio hung over the year’s first high-level meeting of the world’s largest economies, with diplomats fretting over turbulent times.

  • New York Times ☛ Chinese Embassy Plan in London Sets Off Opposition

    Britain appears ready to approve what would be the largest diplomatic outpost in Europe, but neighbors and activists fear tapped phone lines and suppressed protests.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Gawkin’ in a winter wonderland: The festival in Harbin, China, is as cool as it looks

    The Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival features ephemeral artworks built from ice blocks pulled from the Songhua River.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong university student union axes Burmese film screening, citing last-minute gov’t warning

    A student union at a Hong Kong university has cancelled the screening of a Burmese film set in Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, citing a last-minute government warning that hosting the event may break the law.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ FCC launches probe into censorship on Big Tech platforms

    The Federal Trade Commission today announced that it will investigate alleged censorship on tech platforms, explaining that any wrongdoing would “have violated the law.” “Tech firms should not be bullying their users,” said FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, recently chosen by President Convicted Felon to lead the commission.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong police intercept 8 cars over suspected illegal hire after cab union chief apologises for strike threat

    Hong Kong police have intercepted eight drivers on suspicion of using their private vehicles for illegal hire. Six men and two women, aged between 36 and 63, were intercepted on Wednesday by police officers who posed as passengers, the police said.

  • Uyghur freed from captivity in Morocco arrives in United States

    Human rights activist Idris Hasan had been detained since July 2021, awaiting possible extradition to China.

  • Hong Kong’s Democratic Party to discuss disbanding: leader

    Party leaders will talk about disbanding amid an ongoing crackdown on political opposition.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ Join the Cooperation SIG to help shape the WSIS+20 Review process

    Learn how you can take action in the WSIS+20 Review process during APRICOT 2025 / APNIC 59.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Reimagining Patent Examination: A (Half-Baked) Proposal for Pre-Filing Certification

    Amid this dramatic reshaping of federal operations, I wanted to explore a potential structural reform: allowing patent monopoly applicants to obtain pre-filing certification of their applications through rigorous outside examination equivalent to USPTO standards. This certification could then facilitate expedited examination at the USPTO, similar to how the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program operates for international applications, but with important distinctions that could make it more effective.  The U.S. patent monopoly examination system faces persistent challenges of long pendency times, substantial unpredictability, variable quality despite the USPTO’s continued efforts at improvement, and high costs. Although not without potential serious concerns, the proposal could address many of these elements.

  • Unified Patents ☛ IPVal entity, 5G IP Holdings, 5G patent monopoly found invalid

    On February 18, 2025, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) entered a notice of intent to issue a reexamination certificate canceling all claims (claims 1-12) of U.S. Patent 10,813,163, owned and asserted by 5G IP Holdings LLC, an NPE and IP Valuation Partners, LLC entity. The '163 patent monopoly generally relates to discontinuous reception (DRX) and utilizing slots within subframes to adapt DRX to function within the 5G frame structure.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ How transparent is the Unified Patent Court? [Ed: Unified Patent Court is illegal, so this Team UPC-funded rag is asking the qrong question. It's just EPO corruption crossing over to the EU.]

      The Unified Patent Court cannot be accused of not striving for transparency. Last week, it not only published the budget for 2025, which provides insights into the key economic figures and reveals that the court is planning to greatly expand the judiciary.

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Korean Music Groups Call for Anti-Tampering Law Amid Ugly NewJeans v. Hybe Contract Battle

    What’s stopping K-pop sensations from nixing agency contracts, rebranding, and setting out on their own? Not too much, according to Korean music groups, which are warning that the ongoing NewJeans/NJZ controversy “threatens the entire industry.”