Leftovers

• The Straits Times ☛ Ajeo-chic? How middle-age became cool in the eyes of Korean youth

  Typically used for middle-aged men, the Korean term ajeossi carries a connotation of being uncool.

• Standards/Consortia

  • Wouter Groeneveld ☛ My First Console

    I do miss the innocence and happy ignorance of childhood. We now research the hell out of a potential buy, carefully weighing in the pros and cons, and very probably immediately regretting the purchase afterwards. My parents got us a SEGA MegaDrive as our very first console and me and my siters were over the moon. But had I known a thing called the Nintendo SNES existed, I would have been very upset. I want that one, not this one!

  • Macworld ☛ EU confirms that a portless iPhone would be completely legal

    Journalists are taught that if someone says it’s raining, and someone else say it isn’t, your job isn’t to quote both sides. It’s to look out of the window. On Wednesday, Ben Lovejoy at 9to5Mac looked out of the window by contacting European Commission press officer Federica Miccoli to ask if a portless smartphone would be allowable under EU regulations.

    “Yes,” Miccoli replied. “Since, such radio equipment cannot be recharged via wired charging, it does not need to incorporate the harmonised (wired) charging solution.”

• Hardware

  • The Straits Times ☛ Tech start-up in China eyes cheaper robots, new applications

    The factory is the first in Shanghai to mass produce humanoid robots.

  • The Next Platform ☛ Why Did SoftBank Just Buy Ampere Computing?

    The world is getting stranger, isn’t it? We understand, given the difficulties of selling Arm server chips to hyperscalers and cloud builders that are also designing and manufacturing their own Arm CPUs, why Ampere Computing, the only successful freestanding Arm server CPU supplier to even get its chips into its chosen tech titan customers, would want to be acquired by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank.

  • APNIC ☛ A load of old…

    Is quantum computing and post-quantum cryptography really that big of a deal?

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Rise in HIV/AIDS cases in Laos tied to dam and mine projects, NGO official says

    Health officials worry about unsafe sexual practices and a lack of knowledge on how the disease is transmitted.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea Constitutional Court to rule on PM Han's impeachment on March 24

    South Korea's Constitutional Court said on Thursday it will deliver a decision on Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's impeachment on March 24 after he was suspended as acting president last year.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea opposition to bring motion to impeach acting President Choi, notice says

    South Korean opposition parties will bring a motion to impeach acting President Choi Sang-mok on Friday, the majority Democratic Party said in a notice to reporters, in a move likely to escalate recent political strife in the country.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea, US wrap up annual military drills, stage joint river-crossing

    South Korea and the United States wrapped up on Thursday 11 days of annual joint military drills known as Freedom Shield, which included staging a river-crossing exercise close to the heavily militarised border with North Korea.

  • The Straits Times ☛ S. Korean President’s impeachment verdict likely to follow closely after PM’s on March 24

    Analysts believe that Mr Yoon’s verdict could be delivered as early as March 28.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Forbidden K-pop to centre stage: North Koreans set for music debut

    There are two young North Koreans in a new K-pop band called 1Verse.

  • North Korea urges citizens to unplug TVs to save electricity

    Residents think that the power-saving campaign will not boost the economy like the government says.

  • North Korean defector numbers plunge amid Pyongyang’s strict control: UN report

    Restrictions on freedom of movement also have far-reaching consequences for the North’s public health, sanitation.

  • New York Times ☛ Pentagon Set Up Briefing for MElon on Potential War With China

    The access would be a major expansion of MElon’s government role and highlight his conflicts of interest.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines explores converting islands of former US base into military reservation

    The islands offer a clear view of key sea lanes in waters being contested by China.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Meduza ☛ Zelensky says he and Trump discussed Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, but not U.S. ownership — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ ‘Enemy would loot and destroy’ – are Lithuanian museums ready to protect valuables?

      Memory institutions in Lithuania are working on algorithms to save national treasures in case of an emergency. Museum directors are in no doubt that in the event of war, the enemy would loot and destroy national treasures, as history and the war in Ukraine have shown.

    • Ukraine says it hit 3 North Korean artillery guns in Russia’s Kursk

      North Korea troops, weaponry played a role in Russia wearing down Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

    • France24 ☛ Europe's 'porcupine strategy': EU leaders welcome plan to boost defence spending

      As U.S.-led talks with Russia and Ukraine progress, without the Europeans at the table, the 27-nation bloc is pressing ahead with what Ursula Von der Leyen has branded a steel “porcupine strategy”

      Her words - "We need to make Ukraine strong enough to be indigestible for potential invaders,"Her plan aims to build the Ukrainian armed forces, and the country’s defense industry, into a formidable opponent for Russia. To give Ukraine a hope of self defence in the future.

    • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Says Ukraine, US To Sign Minerals Deal Soon

      US President The Insurrectionist says the United States soon will sign a minerals and natural resources deal with Ukraine as negotiations with Russia and Ukraine to end the war continue.

    • CS Monitor ☛ In Ukraine mining region, a US minerals deal raises hopes and doubts

      Across Ukraine’s minerals-rich region, word of a potential U.S. deal has renewed confidence in the future. Most see U.S. investment as a positive.

    • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Wants to Take Over Ukraine’s Nuclear Plants. What Would That Mean?

      The White House said taking ownership of Ukrainian plants would give them the “best protection.” The idea faces legal hurdles and operational challenges, and it’s unclear if Ukraine would agree to it.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Attacks Air Base Deep Inside Russia

      The two sides traded strikes overnight as the Convicted Felon administration worked to hammer out the details of a partial cease-fire.

    • New York Times ☛ Russian Public Is Ready to End War but Skeptical of Concessions, Analysis Finds

      There is little appetite in Ukraine and Russia for major concessions, according to a U.S. firm’s analysis of online posts. But a minority of Russians want to keep fighting until Ukraine’s president is overthrown.

    • Meduza ☛ Ukraine reportedly targets airbase in Russia’s Saratov region in area’s ‘most massive’ drone attack to date — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia attacks Ukraine with nearly 200 drones in major overnight assault — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia and Ukraine announce separate talks with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia on March 24 — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ U.S. eyes Ukraine’s nuclear plants in minerals deal

    • LRT ☛ Could the EU become a military superpower?

      Only two weeks after a European Union summit where the bloc's leaders pledged to spend billions on defence in a "watershed moment for Europe", they are returning to Brussels for another meeting on March 20–21. This time, the EU's leaders aim to solidify plans for strengthening Europe's defence autonomy amid ongoing doubts about the US commitment to protecting European nations and sustaining military support for Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ Europe never prepared to 'take care of their extreme dependency on the US for their own security'

      European Union leaders said on Thursday that they will continue to support Ukraine, but they did not immediately endorse a call by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to approve a package of at least 5 billion euros for artillery purchases. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's Delano D'Souza welcomes Dr. Paul van Hooft, Research Leader in Defence and Security at RAND Europe. Dr. Hooft is an expert on great power politics, grand strategy and nuclear deterrence.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky urges EU to keep pressuring Russia ahead of new round of peace talks

      President Volodymyr Zelensky pressed his case for more weapons supplies to Ukraine during a summit with EU chiefs on Thursday. He also urged leaders to keep pressuring Russia to commit to a ceasefire deal ahead of a new round of peace talks with the US next week.

    • France24 ☛ Macron says 'coalition of the willing' to hold fresh Ukraine peace talks

      The coalition backing Ukraine will meet again next week in Paris, Macron said on Thursday, aiming to concretise a path towards a ceasefire with Russia, soon after the warring countries are scheduled to hold talks in Saudi Arabia on Monday.

    • Defence Web ☛ Unmanned surface vessels and their role in African maritime security

      Unmanned surface vessels (USVs) have emerged as a transformative technology in modern naval warfare, offering a cost-effective solution to maritime challenges. Ukraine’s pioneering use of USVs in the Black Sea provides a compelling case study for their potential application in addressing African maritime security concerns.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Silencing Voice of America will only strengthen autocrats around the world

      United States President The Insurrectionist's decision to shut down US-funded media outlets including Voice of America will boost authoritarian regimes around the world, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian citizen handed 5-year stretch for committing sabotage in Ukraine

      On Wednesday March 19, the Riga City Court sentenced Latvian citizen Ivans Tarabanovs to five years and six months in prison, as well as probationary supervision for three years, for participating in the war in Ukraine, the LETA newswire reported.

    • European Commission ☛ Solidarity with Ukraine

    • European Commission ☛ Commission delivers a further €1 billion to Ukraine under its part of the G7 loan, to be repaid with proceeds from immobilised Russian assets

      European Commission Press release Brussels, 20 Mar 2025 Today, the European Commission has disbursed an additional €1 billion tranche of its exceptional Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) loan to Ukraine, to be repaid with proceeds from immobilised Russian State assets in the EU, reinforcing the EU's role as the largest donor since the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ Giving up US NATO command in Europe would give Russia the chance 'to make a lot of mischief'

      The Forrest Dump administration is weighing relinquishing the U.S. role as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe. The position, which oversees all NATO operations in Europe, has been filled by a four-star U.S. general since its creation in 1950. FRANCE 24's Yinka Oyetade speaks to James Townsend Jr, Senior Advisor at the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council. He says that the move will give Russia 'the opportunity to make a lot of mischief'.

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea test-fires new weapons ahead of Russian security chief visit

      Moscow’s top security official Sergei Shoigu is scheduled to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Cherry blossom, free visas and stronger rouble see Russians flock to Japan

      Wrapped up in warm coats and woolly hats, hundreds of people have braved Moscow's chilly spring weather to form an orderly queue. But they have not come to see a celebrity or an exclusive exhibition. What they want are Japanese visas.

    • Meduza ☛ A Russian mayor tried to rig his re-election — but the scheme backfired

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Structural transformation’ A new study reveals the winners and losers of Russia’s wartime economy — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ E.U. won’t seize frozen Russian assets — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Everyone just looks the other way’: How Moscow hijacked tens of thousands of local government social media pages to fill users’ feeds with ‘garbage news’ — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Putin orders Ukrainians in Russia and occupied territories to obtain ‘legal status’ or leave by September 10 — Meduza

    • The Straits Times ☛ Top Russia security official arrives in North Korea, TASS says

      Russian President Vladimir Putin's top security adviser Sergei Shoigu has arrived in North Korea and plans to meet its leader Kim Jong Un, the TASS news agency reported on Friday, his latest visit amid dramatic advances in security ties between the countries.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Says Ukraine To Send Team For Talks With US In Saudi Arabia Next Week

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a delegation from Kyiv will hold talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia next week even as Ukraine and Russia traded air strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine’s Fight To Return Thousands Of Abducted Kids Put In Peril By US Cuts, Experts Say

      Kyiv’s efforts to bring back thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia are expected to be seriously hampered after the United States defunded a research unit that helped to trace the kids.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s energy sector ceasefire could be good news for Putin’s war machine

      Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has backed US President The Insurrectionist's proposal for a partial ceasefire on energy sector attacks, but this may be a strategic step rather than an indication of his readiness to end the invasion of Ukraine, writes David Kirichenko.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Putin is ruthlessly erasing Ukrainian identity in Russian-occupied Ukraine

      Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin is pursuing policies in Russian-occupied Ukraine that almost certainly meet the definition of ethnic cleansing and may qualify as genocide, writes Peter Dickinson.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ 1 person dies every 2 hours in a road accident in Malaysia, official statistics show

      Malaysia had the second-highest road fatality rate among Asean nations in 2021.

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea to offer visa-free entry for Chinese visitors to boost tourism

      The visa exemption will be introduced in the third quarter of 2025.

  • Overpopulation

    • The Straits Times ☛ More cities in China offer ‘mother-friendly’ jobs to women with childcare obligations

      The jobs are able to accommodate women who are of legal working age and have caregiving obligations.

• Finance

  • Latvia ☛ Education Minister: better use of EU funds required

    Although quite large amounts of European Union funds have been earmarked for the education sector, they are currently being poorly absorbed because the Ministry of Education and Science (IZM) lacks capacity, said Minister of Education and Science Dace Melbārde (New Unity) in an interview with Latvian Television's "Rīta panorāma" (Morning Panorama) March 20.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s restaurants race to the bottom in deflation-hit economy

    A record three million restaurants in China went out of business in 2024.

  • Global CEOs flock to Beijing as China tries to woo foreign investors

    Reports say some may meet with President Pooh-tin Jinping or other high-ranking leaders.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s embattled CK Hutchison says profits down 27% in 2024

    Embattled Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings, caught in a US-China spat over control of the Panama Canal, said on Thursday that profits fell 27 percent in 2024.

  • Federal News Network ☛ How to deal financially with your emerging federal job insecurity

    "All Americans need to worry about how timely their payments will be, and that includes Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid recipients," Art Stein said.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • ACLU ☛ A Letter From Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil

    Earlier this month, recent graduate, activist, soon-to-be father, and legal permanent resident Mahmoud Khalil, was arrested and detained in direct retaliation for his advocacy for Palestinian rights at Columbia University. Later, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) transferred him to a Louisiana detention facility 1,400 miles away from his home and his family.

  • France24 ☛ US judge rejects deportation of researcher accused of having Hamas ties

    Amid fears of a US government crackdown on freedom of speech in academic circles, US judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ordered that Indian researcher at Georgetown University Badar Khan Suri not be deported, calling Suri's detention and expulsion "patently unconstitutional."

  • New Yorker ☛ Can The Insurrectionist Deport Anyone He Wants?

    A rarely invoked 1798 law, the Alien Enemies Act, may have set off a constitutional crisis.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • RFERL ☛ 2 Men Convicted In New York For Plotting To Kill Iranian Dissident Journalist

    Two men identified by prosecutors as members of the Russian mob have been convicted in New York City for plotting to kill Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad in a murder-for-hire scheme financed by Iran's government.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • China forces Uyghurs to work during Ramadan in bid to prevent fasting

    The move is the latest to restrict religious observances in the name of stamping out extremism.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 20 months in prison for US businessman over China repatriation plot

    A New York businessman was sentenced to 20 months in prison on Wednesday for his role in a plot to force a US resident to return to China. Quanzhong An, 58, was one of seven people charged in October 2022 for involvement in a Chinese government repatriation scheme known as “Operation Fox Hunt.”

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China says it acted ‘in accordance with the law’ after Ottawa’s condemnation over execution of 4 Canadians

    China said on Thursday it acted “in accordance with the law” despite condemnation from Canada over the execution of four Canadian citizens in recent weeks. Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday that China had executed four Canadian citizens in recent weeks, defying pleas from Ottawa for leniency.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong falls in World Happiness Report index for 5th consecutive year, to lowest-ever position

    Hong Kong has fallen to its lowest-ever position on the World Happiness Report, falling down the index for the fifth consecutive year. The study was released on Thursday to coincide with the UN’s International Day of Happiness. The city dropped from 86th last year to 88th, sitting between Albania and Armenia.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • JUVE ☛ Munich Higher Regional Court confirms new FRAND [sic] guidelines in VoiceAge vs HMD [Ed: FRAND is not fair, it's a monopolistic racket]

    The Higher Regional Court Munich under presiding judge Lars Meinhardt has rejected HMD’s appeal against a ruling by the Regional Court Munich. The court found that HMD infringes the EVS speech-coding patent monopoly EP 2 102 619 owned by VoiceAge and is not a willing licensee (case ID: 6 U 3824/22 Kart).

  • Unified Patents ☛ $4,000 for TG--2006 Holdings info tracking patents prior art

    Unified Patents added two new PATROLL contests, each with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on the list below. The patents are owned by TG--2006 Holdings, LLC, an NPE. The patents relates generally to information tracking, and in particular, to a system and method of tracking information in a business environment.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Narrowly Broad: The Federal Circuit’s Improper Expansion of Unreviewable Agency Discretion

    The Federal Circuit's short precedential decision in Realtek v. ITC & DivX addresses ITC sanctions proceedings. The alleged bad act here involves patentee DivX who arguably altered its infringement theory against Realtek midstream and then ultimately dismissed its complaint against the Taiwanese semiconductor company after that pathway was also cut off. Realtek thought that the ITC should sanction the patentee, but the ITC refused.  The Federal Circuit recently dismissed the appeal -- holding that the court had no power to review this abuse of discretion claim.

  • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 for Jeffrey M. Gross entity, Auth Token, authentication patent monopoly prior art

    Unified Patents added a new PATROLL contest, with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on at least claim 1 of U.S. Patent 8,375,212, owned and asserted by Auth Token LLC, an NPE and entity of Jeffrey M. Gross. The '212 patent monopoly describes an authentication token system utilizing smart card technology for secure access control.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Current Roster of TTAB Judges

    With the retirements of Chief Judge Gerard F. Rogers at the end of 2024, and Judges Peter W. Cataldo and Karen S. Kuhlke last month, the Board’s membership now stands at twenty-seven (27) Administrative Trademark Judges. The current roster is set forth below, beginning with Acting Chief Judge Thomas V. Shaw and then proceeding alphabetically.

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Mariah Carey Resoundingly Triumphs In ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ Copyright Infringement Case

    A federal judge has dismissed a copyright monopoly lawsuit against Mariah Carey and her Christmas hit, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” In June 2022, country singer Vince Vance (real name Andy Stone) filed a $20 million lawsuit against Carey. He later withdrew the lawsuit without prejudice.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Cosynd Partners with BMI for Unprecedented Copyright Protection for Music Creators

    Trusted copyright monopoly protection platform Cosynd has announced a new partnership with performance rights organization BMI. The partnership will benefit BMI’s new Spark program, designed to support BMI’s global community of music creators at every stage of their career. The following was created in collaboration with Cosynd, a proud partner of Digital Music News.

• Gemini* and Gopher

  • Technology and Free Software

    • Gnome Web

      Decided to try out switching from Chrome to Gnome Web (Epiphany), with the FreeTube app for my YouTube viewing. Seems to be going alright, although Epiphany stutters when using the scroll wheel, but doesn't when using the touchpad. Not sure what that's all about.