Leftovers

• Peter 'CzP' Czanik ☛ Obituary of my favorite CD shop: Stereo

  Last December, the CD shop where I bought most of my collection closed its doors for good. I had seen it coming — the owner had been gradually winding down the business in preparation for retirement — but after nearly 30 years of shopping there, it was still a tough moment.

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ HKFP Lens: Art Central’s 10th edition opens, showcasing over 500 artists at Central Harbourfront

  Art Central has returned to Hong Kong’s harbourfront for its 10th edition. The art fair will be open to the public from Thursday until Sunday at the Central Harbourfront, showcasing 108 galleries and over 500 artists from more than 40 countries and territories.

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ NASA’s Webb Telescope Spots Auroras on Neptune for the First Time

    The James Webb Space Telescope identified the lights in the distant planet’s atmosphere, which could not be seen by earlier telescopes or spacecraft.

  • Latvia ☛ Latvian scientists studying cells in their natural conditions

    The cleanroom at the University of Latvia’s (LU) House of Science is equipped with a live-cell analysis system, Incucyte S3, acquired through a MikroTik project competition in the fields of natural sciences, technology, and medical sciences.

  • New York Times ☛ Gaia to Shut Down After More Than a Decade of Mapping the Milky Way

    After more than a decade of mapping the stars, the European spacecraft will shut down on Thursday. But its legacy lives on.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Scoop News Group ☛ Commerce limits 19 Chinese, Taiwanese companies from buying U.S. tech

    The sanctions place the companies under a strict licensing regime meant to limit their access to foundational technology for quantum computing, cloud and AI.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ US expands China trade blacklist, closes susidiary loopholes

    U.S. expands trade blacklist with 80 new entities to prevent China's advancements in AI, exascale supercomputing, quantum technology, and hypersonic weapons.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Atlantic Council ☛ If Convicted Felon wants peace in Ukraine, he must increase the pressure on Putin

      Weeks after Ukraine backed a US proposal for an unconditional ceasefire, Russia continues to stall and push for further concessions. If Convicted Felon wants to secure peace, he must increase the pressure on Putin, writes Doug Klain.

    • France24 ☛ Coalition of the willing must press Convicted Felon to avoid Russia's 'outrageous conditions', analyst says

      French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday warned Russia was still showing a "desire for war" despite efforts to forge a ceasefire in Ukraine, ahead of a summit aimed at boosting Ukrainian security under a potential truce brokered by the United States. Orysia Lutsevych, Deputy director of the Russia & Eurasia Programme at Chatham House, says that the coalition of the willing must pressure US to avoid the 'outrageous conditions' that Putin is putting on the table.

    • University of Michigan ☛ Former political prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza discusses Russian fight for democracy

      About 250 University of Michigan students, faculty and community members gathered Monday afternoon at the Rackham Auditorium to hear Vladimir Kara-Murza, a historian, former political prisoner and current vice president of the Free Russia Foundation speak on the effects of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s dictatorship on the future of Russian democracy.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian PM Siliņa to attend 'coalition of the willing' meeting in Paris

      Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa will participate in the next meeting of leaders of the group dubbed the "coalition of the willing" in Paris on Thursday, March 27, organized by French President Emmanuel Macron in support of Ukraine, the State Chancellery has confirmed.

    • France24 ☛ France to commit $2 billion more in Ukraine aid, says Macron

      French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday announced France would commit another $2 billion in aid to Ukraine, as European leaders are set to gather in Paris on Thursday to discuss eventual security guarantees for Ukraine under a potential ceasefire with Russia. Zelensky, who landed in Paris on Wednesday, said in an interview with French media that he hopes the US will back Ukrainian interests, but the 30 European nations set to attend the summit are looking to each other to outline a pathway towards lasting peace in Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ Replay: Zelensky, Macron hold joint press conference ahead of Ukraine summit

      French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to the press in Paris on Wednesday, ahead of a security meeting on Ukraine which will gather 30 European leaders seeking to create security guarantees for Ukraine under a potential US-brokered truce. Macron, who announced France would send $2 billion more in aid to Ukraine, warned of Russia's "desire for war", while Zelensky Zelensky said he was expecting "strong decisions" from the Thursday meeting: "Now is definitely not the time to reduce pressure on Russia or weaken our unity for the sake of peace," he said.

    • France24 ☛ Russia targets Ukraine with mass drone attacks

      Russia launched fresh drone strikes against Kharkiv in Eastern Ukraine, just hours after a tentative agreement with Ukraine to pause attacks on energy sites and ensure safe shipping in the Black Sea. FRANCE 24's Catherine Norris-Trent reports from Kharkiv.

    • France24 ☛ Macron announces €2 billion in military aid to Kyiv ahead of Ukraine security summit

      France will provide €2 billion of extra military aid to Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday ahead of a summit aimed at boosting Ukrainian security. Speaking alongside Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris, Macron said Russia must accept a 30-day ceasefire offered by Ukraine “without preconditions”, accusing Moscow of still showing a “desire for war”.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian president says Moscow is ‘trying to buy time’ with peace talks

      As US officials continue peace talks with Russia and Ukraine, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda says he believes Moscow is merely stalling for time and not genuinely seeking an end to the conflict.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Urges US, Other Partners To Stand Strong In Face Of Russian Demands

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukraine’s partners to be “at least as resilient as we are” in the face of conditions Russia has placed on the implementation of a limited cease-fire agreement.

    • RFERL ☛ Alone In A War-Torn Village, Ukrainian Man Buried His Wife And Walked To Safety

      Humanitarian workers in Ukraine’s Donetsk region continue risking their lives to evacuate civilians trapped near the front lines. Among them is Yevhen Tkachov, head of the Proliska Humanitarian Mission, who recently rescued an elderly man left alone after his wife was killed.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy, Macron Call for Unconditional Cease-fire As Russia Tables Demands

      French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy say Russia should accept a US-brokered cease-fire with no preconditions.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Court Convicts Azov Fighters Of Terrorism In Trial Kyiv Calls A 'War Crime'

      A Russian court has convicted 23 Ukrainian who were captured in the siege of the city of Mariupol on terrorism charges and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from 13 to 23 years after a trial that Kyiv has described as a violation of international law and a "war crime."

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine, Russia Report Drone And Energy Infrastructure Attacks As Kremlin's Conditions Cloud Black Sea Truce

      Ukraine reported multiple Russian drone strikes overnight, including the largest such strike on the city of Kriviy Rih since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion, while Russia claimed it downed two Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea and seven in other locations.

    • New York Times ☛ European Leaders to Try to Hammer Out Ukraine Support Plans

      Over 30 officials are expected in Paris for the gathering. But who is willing to do what in this coalition is still unclear.

    • New York Times ☛ How Russia’s Tactics Give Them an Advantage in U.S.-led Peace Talks

      Moscow’s demands are slowing the process and giving it the advantage in talks with a deal-hungry United States, experts said.

    • New York Times ☛ Europe Talks Tough on Military Spending, but Unity Is Fracturing

      European leaders are struggling to find the money and the political will to replace the bulk of the U.S. contribution to Ukraine and to their own defense.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia and Ukraine Agree to Black Sea Cease-Fire: What to Know

      It remains unclear if the commitments to stop attacks and ensure safe shipping in the Black Sea, which came with many caveats, would happen soon.

    • Meduza ☛ Rubio says Russia seeks SWIFT access; E.U. says full withdrawal from Ukraine must come first — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Ukraine’s energy strikes have done hundreds of millions of dollars of damage

    • Meduza ☛ Trump envoy claims nukes in Ukraine were ‘Russia’s’

    • Meduza ☛ Trump says Russian leaders may be ‘dragging their feet’ on Ukraine peace deal — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia’s Industry Ministry proposes drone war video game

    • Latvia ☛ Rinkēvičs: Europe needs stricter migration controls

      The European Union needs to review its existing regulations on migration and asylum in view of the hybrid threats posed by Russian and Belarusian weaponisation of migration, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said March 26.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ There’s a right way to lift sanctions on Russia. Follow these Dos and Don’ts.

      A former US diplomat and a former US Treasury official offer eleven guiding principles for moving forward in negotiations on sanctions relief with Russia.

    • RFERL ☛ In Sign Of Move Away From Moscow, Armenian Parliament Votes To Start EU Bid

      Armenia’s parliament took another step in the country’s Westward march, passing a bill calling for the government to seek European Union membership.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Japan ‘seriously concerned’ over Russia-N. Korea ties: Draft paper

      The Diplomatic Bluebook for 2025 will reiterate Japan’s commitment to building trust with the US.

    • RFERL ☛ New Russian Ambassador To US To Present Credentials On March 27

      Russia's new ambassador to the United States will present his credentials to the Convicted Felon administration on March 27, the US State Department said.

    • Meduza ☛ How Russian emigrants are adjusting to life abroad

    • Meduza ☛ Russian electronics makers push to curb foreign imports

    • France24 ☛ Four US soldiers killed during training exercise in Lithuania, NATO leader says

      Four US soldiers died while on a training mission in Lithuania near the border with Belarus, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday. The soldiers were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time of their deaths according to a statement from the US Army in Wiesbaden, Germany.

    • RFERL ☛ NATO Walks Back Rutte’s Remarks On US Troop Deaths In Lithuania

      Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene has said there is "no confirmation" that four US soldiers who went missing in Lithuania during a military training exercise have died.

    • New York Times ☛ Vehicle Carrying 4 U.S. Soldiers Is Found in a Lithuanian Swamp, Officials Say

      A U.S. military official said the soldiers were on a training mission when their heavy vehicle sank in a swamp in eastern Lithuania, near the border with Belarus.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • JURIST ☛ Japan district court orders disbandment of controversial Unification Church

    The Tokyo District Court ordered the dissolution of the Japanese branch of the Unification Church, colloquially known as “moonies”, following an inquest from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology into alleged violations of the Japanese Civil Code and Religious Corporations Act, according to local media.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Site36 ☛ After the fall of a student fraternity member in Graz, right-wing Styria cracks down on the left-wing scene

    The Graz police prosecute seven left-wingers as a ‘criminal organisation’ after the right-wing Academics’ Ball. Three are to be deported to Germany. Their defence lawyer sees a criminalisation of anti-fascism.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Standards/Consortia

    • APNIC ☛ Network traffic telemetry on modern routers: Part 1

      This article focuses solely on traffic telemetry protocols that export information about network packets (either in parsed format or as the first X bytes of the packet itself) observed or forwarded by network equipment. Protocols such as gNMI, NETCONF, and SNMP are out of scope for this discussion.

    • APNIC ☛ Network traffic telemetry on modern routers: Part 2

      Guest Post: The next generation of network monitoring: sFlow v5, Sampled Port Mirroring, GRE Tunneling, and Inline Monitoring with IPFIX/NetFlow v9.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Federal Judge Denies Music Publishers’ Injunction Request in Anthropic Copyright Suit, Citing ‘Significant Concerns Regarding Enforceability and Manageability’

    A federal judge has denied music publishers’ push for a training-related preliminary injunction against Hey Hi (AI) giant Anthropic. Judge Eumi Lee rejected the injunction request in a 13-page order, following considerable back-and-forth between the plaintiff publishers and the Claude developer. Among other things, the injunction sub-dispute saw Anthropic defend its existing training safeguards for protected works.