Leftovers

• Latvia ☛ Rīga Wagner Theater hoped to be finished by 2028

  The more than 240-year-old Wagner House, where the composer Richard Wagner once worked, is being rebuilt in Rīga's Old Town. Due to unforeseen findings in the building's structure, the complex project is expected to be completed half a year later than planned, i.e. by the beginning of 2028, Latvian Radio reports.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ New 'Half-Ice, Half-Fire' Phase of Matter Found Lurking in a Magnet

    Sneaky.

  • Science Alert ☛ Protein That Calms Waking Hair Follicles Could Lead to Alopecia Treatment

    Shhhh ... everything is ok.

  • Science Alert ☛ Wild New Study Suggests Buttholes Once Had a Very Different Purpose

    It's a thankless job.

  • Science Alert ☛ Einstein Didn't Think This Stunning Picture Was Possible. We're Glad He Was Wrong.

    A lens into the past.

  • Science Alert ☛ Huge 56-Mile Particle Smasher Is Possible, Says CERN Report

    The great pyramids of physics.

  • Science Alert ☛ Holes in Desert Rocks May Have Been Left by Microbe Unlike Any Known

    Where are they now?

  • Science Alert ☛ Rock Used as a Doorstop For Decades Found to Be Worth Over $1 Million

    Jewel thieves walked right past it.

  • Science Alert ☛ NASA's Unexpected Discovery of The Largest Organics on Mars Explained

    A significant finding in the search for past life.

  • New York Times ☛ NASA Astronauts Speak for First Time After 9-Month Stay in Space at ISS

    Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore spoke in their first news conference since returning to Earth two weeks ago from an unexpectedly long I.S.S. stay that lasted more than nine months.

  • Stanford University ☛ The intimate Dutch portrait that poses galactic questions

    Olivier van Deuren’s painting of a young astronomer blends science, mysticism and ambitions of celestial proportions, Jin writes.

• Hardware

  • Ted Unangst ☛ dated carbon

    I have a Pixelbook which Surveillance Giant Google says I need to stop using, but they’re not the boss of me, and in the process of reflashing it (long story), I needed to get out my trusty USB stick writer, a Zenbook UX305. Well, formerly trusty. After closing the lid, I noticed a small gap in the front. The laptop’s midsection has developed a serious case of the swoles. Okay, let’s get a 3rd gen Carbon X1 Thinkpad from the laptop shelf.

    Immediate USB needs met, I decided to keep using it for a while. For a ten year old laptop, it holds up pretty well. Provides some perspective on where and how things have progressed, and not. Thinking back, I can remember how excited I was to get the X1.

  • Hackaday ☛ Software Hacks Unlock Cheap Spectrometer

    A spectrometer is one of those tools that many of us would love to have, but just can’t justify the price of. Sure there are some DIY options out there, but few of them have the convenience or capability of what’s on the commercial market. [Chris] from Zoid Technology recently found a portable spectrometer complete with Android application for just $150 USD on AliExpress which looked very promising…at least at first.

  • Hackaday ☛ Levitating Lego Generator Runs On Air

    [Jamie] decided to build a generator, and Lego is his medium of choice. Thus was created a fancy levitating generator that turns a stream of air into electricity. 

  • Hackaday ☛ A Music Box Commanded By NFC Tags

    [Luca Dentella] recently encountered a toy, which was programmed to read different stories aloud based on the figurine placed on top. It inspired him to build an audio device using the same concept, only with music instead of children’s stories.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ The UK Government Wouldn’t Ban Smartphones in Schools. These Parents Stepped Up.

    In Britain, amid growing evidence of harm to young people from extreme content online, a “Smartphone Free Childhood” campaign is going viral.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania rolls out e-health app [Ed: Mass surveillance in "Health" clothing]

    The Lithuanian Health Ministry has launched a free mobile e-health app to make it easier and faster for patients to book doctor appointments, check referrals and prescriptions, and access their medical history.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong breast milk bank begins 2nd phase of service: distributing donated milk to neonatal intensive care units

    Hong Kong’s first breast milk bank, which aims to save the lives of high-risk newborns, has commenced its second phase of service by distributing donated milk to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), the Hospital Authority has said.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Junk food ban goes into effect in Mexican schools

    Chicharrones, hot dogs and juice boxes are a few of the items that will no longer be welcome in Mexican public and private schools.

  • Federal News Network ☛ At the VA, modernizing healthcare delivery rests in patient’s control of their data

    Neil Evans, acting Program Executive Director for electronic health record modernization at VA said the VA has always had some form of electronic health record.

  • Latvia ☛ Latvia continues looking for cause of E. coli outbreak

    New patients with confirmed Shiga toxin-causing E. coli infection continue to be admitted to the Children's Clinical University Hospital (BKUS) every day. The source of the infection has also still not been found, Latvian Television reported on April 1.

  • The Straits Times ☛ 33 hurt in massive inferno spotted near Subang, Malaysia

    The fire was caused by a burst gas pipe.

  • Seniors with HIV: A ticking time bomb for China

    Rising infections in the over-50s shed light on the changing sex lives of older people.

  • PHR ☛ New Evidence Details Credible Fear of Return for Individuals Detained and Expelled from the United States to Panama

    Individuals expelled from the United States to Panama in February 2025 without being allowed to present asylum claims appear to have psychological and physical symptoms consistent with their reports of torture, mistreatment, and/or persecution in their countries of origin, according to new evidence from Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) submitted today [...]

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • JURIST ☛ France antitrust watchdog fines Fashion Company Apple $162M for violating privacy laws

      The French competition regulator, Autorité de la concurrence, fined Fashion Company Apple on Monday $162 million over its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) tool. The regulator found that the ATT framework was unnecessarily complex and biased, violating France’s and EU’s privacy laws.

    • EDRI ☛ CDT Spring Fling 2025

      Organised by the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), the Spring Fling is an annual celebration held alongside the IAPP Global Privacy Summit in Washington, D.C. This evening event brings together leaders in privacy, AI, civil society, industry, and government for an informal networking moment that supports CDT’s mission to advance civil rights and liberties in the digital age.

  • Confidentiality

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ The Signal Chat Leak and the NSA

      US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who started the now-infamous group chat coordinating a US attack against the Yemen-based Houthis on March 15, is seemingly now suggesting that the secure messaging service Signal has security vulnerabilities.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ After Duterte’s arrest, Philippine drug war victims face abuse and online falsehoods

    At least 200 Facebook (Farcebook) accounts and pages are pushing false claims, fact-checker say.

  • Digital Music News ☛ US-Based Fentanylware (TikTok) Will Have New Owner By This Weekend, According to Convicted Felon

    Hell Toupée has stated that a deal for TikTok’s U.S. operations will be struck “by the weekend” ahead of the extended April 5 deadline. “We have a lot of potential buyers,” Convicted Felon shared with reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ As Fentanylware (TikTok) ban looms, Substack launches short video content

    As the deadline for the Fentanylware (TikTok) sale approaches, the San Francisco-based publishing platform Substack hopes to capitalize on the loss by releasing a short video feature in its app. Creators will now be able to create TikTok-style videos in what was previously the Substack app’s Media tab.

  • CS Monitor ☛ How a 43-port business deal threatens China’s global power

    How far is China willing to go to protect its geopolitical interests overseas? As a Hong Kong company prepares to sell 43 ports to a U.S.-led group, Beijing has launched a campaign to modify – or ideally stop – the deal.

  • The Straits Times ☛ What Malaysia can do to align with Washington’s chip export curbs

    It remains to be seen how amenable Malaysia is to complying with demands to curb exports of Hey Hi (AI) chips to China.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China, Japan, South Korea to jointly respond to US tariffs: Chinese state media

    The comments came after the three countries held their first economic dialogue in five years.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says crew members are safe after suspected piracy kidnapping on Ghanaian vessel

    All crew members aboard a Ghanaian-registered fishing vessel that was hit by a "suspected pirate attack" are currently safe, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday.

  • AccessNow ☛ Joint statement: Myanmar must lift internet restrictions following devastating earthquake

    Monday March 31, 2025 ​Read in Burmese ​We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, strongly condemn the Myanmar military for continuing to impose communication blackouts, including internet shutdowns, following Myanmar’s worst

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ US Homeland Security Secretary meets with Sheinbaum, says ‘much work’ needed on border issues

    President Sheinbaum and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met at the National Palace in Mexico City on Friday after Noem visited El Salvador and Colombia.

  • France24 ☛ Israeli airstrike targeting Hezbollah militant kills three in Beirut

    Israel's military struck a southern suburb of Beirut early Tuesday in an attack on a Hezbollah militant, killing at least three peoplle. The bombing came a few days after another strike there, further testing a shaky four-month ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-aligned group.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel’s Military Says It Struck Beirut’s Suburbs

    The attack was the second in less than a week, raising fears that a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah could unravel.

  • New York Times ☛ South Korea’s President Will Learn His Fate on Friday

    The Constitutional Court will announce on Friday whether Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached in December for declaring martial law, will be permanently removed from office or restored to power.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea Constitutional Court to rule on President Yoon’s impeachment on April 4

    The ruling will be delivered at 11am (10am Singapore time) and it will be broadcast live.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Landmark war in South Korea’s Myeongdong: Lotte, Shinsegae face off in flagship showdown

    Lotte has been upgrading its main flagship department store since 2019 through phased renovations.

  • France24 ☛ Iran will have 'no choice' but to get nukes if attacked, says Khamenei adviser

    Iran complained to the United Nations Security Council on Monday about "reckless and belligerent" remarks by US President The Insurrectionist, who threatened Iran on Sunday with bombing and more tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program. An adviser to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that Iran would have to acquire a nuclear weapon if attacked by the United States or its allies.

  • France24 ☛ South Sudan: peace on brink of collapse as crisis deepens

    Concerns have ratcheted up about security in South Sudan since fighting broke out between forces loyal to the two men behind the devastating civil war that only ended in 2018. That fragile peace between President Salva Kiir and Vice-president Riek Machar has been pushed to breaking point by Machar's house arrest last week. On Monday, Juba denied that Machar and his Interior minister wife were being detained at home.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China warns Taiwan independence ‘means war’ as launches drills around island

    The exercises are aimed at sending a “stern warning and forceful deterrence” to alleged Taiwan separatists, Beijing says.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Pentagon chief says US will ensure ‘robust, credible deterrence’ across Taiwan Strait

    By Kyoko Hasegawa The United States will ensure “robust, ready and credible deterrence” across the Taiwan Strait, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday, calling China “aggressive and coercive”. Hegseth also stopped short of publicly calling on Tokyo to hike military spending, saying in Japan he trusted the close US ally to “make the correct […]

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • New York Times ☛ Putin Keeps Pushing, With Convicted Felon and in Ukraine War

      The Russian leader’s drones are deluging Ukrainian cities, while his negotiating tactics test the patience of the friendliest White House he has faced in decades.

    • Meduza ☛ Trump says he’s ‘pissed off’ at Putin and threatens Russian oil tariffs if Moscow prevents Ukraine deal — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Putin envoy says U.S. and Russia discussing their own rare earth metals projects — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ The aftermath of deadly Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities

    • Meduza ☛ Putin calls up 160,000 men in largest conscription campaign in 14 years — Meduza

    • RFERL ☛ Bosnian Serb Leader Announces Arrival In Moscow Days After Court Requests Arrest Warrant

      Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik announced on March 31 that he had arrived in Moscow after prosecutors in Bosnia-Herzegovina requested an international arrest warrant over accusations that he flouted the Balkan country’s constitution.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian-made 'land drones' to expand production

      Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, have become an integral part of warfare, with less attention paid to land-based unmanned technologies. They help deliver cargo in the hottest battle zones and perform other tasks. Such unmanned ground technology is also produced here in Latvia and is now being tested in Ukraine, Latvian Television reported on March 31.

    • Latvia ☛ European parliamentary speakers demand Russia be held to account

      European parliamentary speakers, including Latvia's Daiga Mieriņa, issued a Joint Statement at the summit commemorating the third anniversary of the Bucha Massacre in Ukraine March 31, where they demand that Russia must be held to account for its war of aggression against Ukraine.

    • The Strategist ☛ Diplomacy is the newest front in the Russia-Ukraine war

      The war between Russia and Ukraine continues unabated. Neither side is in a position to achieve its stated objectives through military force. But now there is significant diplomatic activity as well.

    • France24 ☛ 'The Master and Margarita': Highly successful Russian film takes aim at regime

      The director of a highly controversial film that's accused of criticising the regime in Russia has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the incredible success of the film and the threats he has faced because of it. "The Master and Margarita" was filmed before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but once released after the invasion it took on a new meaning. It has now become one of the highest grossing films ever in Russia. Its director Mikhaïl Lockshin, who is also highly critical of the war in Ukraine, spoke to us in Perspective.

    • LRT ☛ Russia may deploy more troops near Baltic states following Ukraine truce – FT

      A ceasefire in Ukraine would allow Moscow to deploy more troops near the Baltic states, defence ministers from Estonia and Lithuania told the Financial Times newspaper.

    • New York Times ☛ Monday Briefing

      An earthquake’s devastation in Myanmar.

    • Meduza ☛ Zelensky begins preparing for elections in Ukraine

    • Meduza ☛ Ukrainian refugees in the U.S. on fears of deportation under Trump

    • LRT ☛ Russian passport ads target people in Lithuania

      Advertisements offering Russian passports without requiring individuals to renounce their Lithuanian citizenship have appeared on Facebook. However, these ads may also be used as a recruitment tool for the Russian secret services, Lithuanian institutions have warned.

    • New York Times ☛ A NATO Plane Tracks and Dodges Russia in the Baltic Sea

      The assignment was part of a new program aimed at suspected Russian sabotage. None has occurred since NATO began patrols.

    • New York Times ☛ A Mystery in the Baltic Sea

      After a series of suspicious cable cuttings feared to be Russian sabotage, NATO began a new mission called Baltic Sentry to patrol the Baltic Sea. Michael Schwirtz, an investigative reporter with the International desk at The New York Times, takes us aboard one of these patrol flights.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania to auction off seized Belarusian vehicles

      Lithuania will auction off lorries and fire engines brought in from Belarus, which were seized due to sanction evasion.

    • Meduza ☛ Trump says Zelensky trying to back out of minerals deal, warning of ‘big problems’ if he does — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania faces cybersecurity specialist shortage amid rising threats

      Demand for cybersecurity specialists in Lithuania has surged following amendments to the country’s cybersecurity law, but the labour market is struggling to keep up.

• Environment

  • France24 ☛ Myanmar quake: economic losses from the disaster could exceed the nation's GDP

    The USGS has warned that the final death toll from the magnitude 7.7 quake in Myanmar could top 100,000 and economic losses may exceed the country's GDP.  Since the 2021 coup, the nation of 51 million people has been facing an unprecedented "polycrisis" marked by economic collapse, civil war, climate hazards and deepening poverty.  Plus, France's competition watchdog has imposed a 150 million euro fine on Fashion Company Apple over its App Tracking Transparency privacy feature.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Korean man leaps across Bangkok condo’s damaged sky bridge during quake to seek family

    His feat was captured on video and circulated online among other indelible images of the earthquake.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Safety at the top of the world

    As many nations compete for a stronger presence in a warming Arctic, Western allies stick with cooperation on security.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Myanmar earthquake: Hong Kong deploys 51 search and rescue specialists, donates HK$30m to relief effort

    Hong Kong deployed a search and rescue team of 51 specialists to earthquake-stricken Myanmar on Saturday and donated HK$30 million for emergency relief effort. The 7.7-magnitude quake hit Myanmar on Friday, with an epicentre near Sagaing and Mandalay cities. It was the most powerful quake to strike the war-torn country since 1912.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Atlantic Council ☛ The future of global energy policy is abundance

      The United States and Europe are diverging on energy policy, with the United States prioritizing low costs and economic growth while the United Kingdom and the European Union focus on decarbonization. But reconciling these approaches is possible through the lens of energy abundance—each country must leverage its most plentiful resources to drive down costs, enhance security, and support sustainability without burdening consumers.

    • China claims discovery of 100 million-ton oilfield in South China Sea

      The announcement came days after US, Philippines, Japan staged naval drills near a contested shoal.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Science Alert ☛ Orcas Are Terrorizing Sharks, And The Consequences Could Be Profound

      Far-reaching repercussions.

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s wildfire-devastated ecosystem may take a century to recover

      More than a dozen fires have been fanned by high winds and dry conditions.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Tourists and locals enjoy ‘ephemeral’ Tokyo cherry blossoms

      Crowds flocked to the city’s top locations to take photos and hold picnics under sakura trees.

• Finance

  • Scoop News Group ☛ The North Korea worker problem is bigger than you think

    The yearslong scheme goes much deeper than contract work, extending to roles beyond traditional IT and sometimes granting the insider threat “keys to the kingdom,” DTEX President Mohan Koo said.

  • Latvia ☛ Counterfeit currency still at 'insignificant' level in Latvia

    The new Spring 2025 "Payment Radar"  bulletin has been published by Latvijas Banka, the Latvian central bank, and throws up a few interesting pieces of information.

  • Pro Publica ☛ DOGE Says It Wants to Find Government Waste. Here’s How Investigative Journalists Do It.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian cannon firing tradition heralds start of Eid al-Fitr

    KUALA KANGSAR, Malaysia - As Malaysian Muslims began celebrating Eid al-Fitr after a month of fasting, the sound of cannons echoed through the rice fields of a northern village, in a decades-long tradition heralding the start of the festivities.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • EDRI ☛ Defending Your Organization Against Rage Farming

      Organised by PWorld, this live webinar offers a deep dive into the mechanics of rage farming — a digital strategy where malicious actors provoke public outrage to distort narratives and damage reputations. This 3-hour interactive session provides strategic frameworks, case studies, and tools to detect, neutralise and prevent coordinated misinformation attacks. Led by crisis communication expert Philippe Borremans, the webinar is designed for professionals in communications, public relations, crisis response, and policy.

    • EDRI ☛ Disinformation in Belgium and Luxembourg: EDMO BELUX 2.0 Workshop & Networking Event

      This in-person workshop brings together researchers, journalists, fact-checkers, policymakers and civil society organisations from Belgium and Luxembourg to discuss ongoing and future challenges in the fight against disinformation. Organised by EDMO BELUX, the event offers keynote presentations, breakout sessions and networking opportunities focused on improving cross-sector collaboration, sharing tools and building trust in information ecosystems.

    • EDRI ☛ 2nd European Congress on Disinformation and Fact-Checking – DisinfoCongress 2025

      Organised by UC3M MediaLab, the DisinfoCongress 2025 brings together researchers, journalists, policymakers and civil society to discuss emerging threats and solutions in the global information ecosystem. This hybrid event will focus on topics such as artificial intelligence, fact-checking, civic resilience, elections, crisis communication and media literacy.

    • EDRI ☛ Cambridge Disinformation Summit 2025

      Hosted by the Cambridge Judge Business School, the Cambridge Disinformation Summit will gather global experts to explore the current landscape of disinformation, the evolving tactics of information manipulation, and the policy and technological responses needed to counter it. With a multidisciplinary approach, the summit brings together academia, government, tech companies and civil society to build a more resilient information environment.

    • Michael Geist ☛ The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 230: Aengus Bridgman on the 2025 Federal Election, Social Media Platforms, and Misinformation

      The 2025 federal election is now in its second week and the battle for attention and ultimately votes is taking place both online and offline. The enormous influence of online sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Fentanylware (TikTok) and a handful of others raises real issues about how information spreads, its reliability, and risks of misinformation and disinformation.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Former Hong Kong exam official accused of spreading rumours about student’s death during China exchange trip

      Hong Kong’s security chief has accused a former examinations official of spreading rumours about the recent death of a secondary school student during a study tour in mainland China.

    • Press Gazette ☛ Southport knife attack misinformation due to police PR secrecy say crime journalists

      College of Policing has written to Attorney General seeking changes to PR policies.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Press Gazette ☛ Guido Fawkes owner Paul Staines pays £75,000 libel case costs to Dale Vince

    Libel action over Times Radio interview write-up settled - but war of words continues.

    Guido Fawkes website owner Paul Staines has paid green industrialist Dale Vince £75,000 towards legal costs, according to a new High Court statement about the legal battle.

    It follows news last month that Staines had agreed to pay the Ecotricity founder £9,950 in damages and settle the case to avoid “ruinous” future costs.

    Vince’s lawyer Annabell Hood made a lengthy statement in open court on Friday which appears to conclude the legal side of the dispute.

    Staines said afterwards that he thought Vince was “thin-skinned” and “we simply couldn’t afford to keep fighting”.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Why is X suing the Indian govt over censorship? MElon’s heft within US administration could play a part

    A ruling in its favour will give X a valuable win in India, its third-biggest user market globally.

  • New York Times ☛ A Quarter-Billion Dollars for Defamation: Inside Greenpeace’s Huge Loss

    A pipeline company’s lawsuit against the environmental group could chill free speech, experts said. First Amendment issues are likely to figure prominently in an appeal.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • EDRI ☛ 17th Dubrovnik Media Days

    The Dubrovnik Media Days is an annual international conference hosted by the University of Dubrovnik, gathering media scholars and communication experts from across Europe and beyond. Now in its 17th edition, the conference explores current trends in journalism, media technologies, public communication and digital culture. The event serves as a platform for the exchange of research findings and dialogue between academia, civil society, and media practitioners.

  • EDRI ☛ Media & Learning 2025: Educational media that works

    Media & Learning 2025 is a two-day international conference focused on the strategic use of educational media in higher education. Co-organised by the Media and Learning Association and KU Leuven’s Learning Lab, this event brings together educators, researchers, media producers, policymakers and edtech innovators to explore the latest approaches, tools and research shaping media-enhanced learning across Europe and beyond.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Reach CEO Jim Mullen steps down with immediate effect

    Reach chief revenue officer Piers North promoted to CEO.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • EDRI ☛ Freedom Not Fear 2025

    Freedom Not Fear (FNF) is an annual self-organised conference on privacy and digital rights. People from all across Europe meet and work towards more freedom in the digitalised world, plan actions against increasing surveillance and other attacks on civil rights.

  • EDRI ☛ The future of public values in the algorithmic society

    Organised by AlgoSoc, this two-day international conference brings together scholars, policymakers, regulators, and civil society advocates to discuss the evolving role of public values in the design, deployment, and governance of AI, algorithms, and digital infrastructures. Moving beyond technology-centric narratives, the conference explores how social, political and institutional contexts shape our responses to algorithmic systems — and how public values must adapt in an age of automation.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong Police Force No 2 Joe Chow to take helm as Raymond Siu retires – report

    Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) Joe Chow is reportedly set to take the helm at the Hong Kong Police Force after Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu retires on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Director of Crime and Security Keith Yip will take on Chow’s role, pending approval, according to local media citing sources on Monday.

  • Defence Web ☛ 23 South Africans forced to work as cyber criminals rescued from Myanmar

    The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has confirmed that 23 South Africans – who were part of a group of 7 000 people from various countries forced to engage in illegal activities – have been rescued from Myanmar.

  • Breach Media ☛ On criminal justice, Pierre Poilievre offers punishment as safety

    The Conservatives’ push for more incarceration will not make the country safer. It will only put more strain on already overcrowded facilities

  • New York Times ☛ Minnesota Student Detained by ICE Was Not an Activist, Lawsuit Says

    Lawyers and experts say the arrest last week of a University of Minnesota graduate student may signal a new front in the Convicted Felon administration’s approach to immigration.

  • New York Times ☛ Democrats Sue Convicted Felon Over Executive Order on Elections

    The lawsuit accuses Hell Toupée of vastly overstepping his authority to “upturn the electoral playing field in his favor and against his political rivals.”

  • The Straits Times ☛ UK's Starmer calls for coordinated fight against people smugglers

    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Monday for nations to pool resources to tackle the problem of illegal migration at "every step" of the route, from North Africa and the Middle East to Britain's streets.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • EDRI ☛ EPR Summer Course on European Platform Regulation 2025

    Organised by the Institute for Information Law (IViR) at the University of Amsterdam, this five-day summer course offers an in-depth look at the legal and policy framework governing online platforms in the EU. With a particular focus on the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA), the course combines academic rigour with practical insights, delivered by a distinguished international faculty of experts in law, government, civil society, and academia.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Advice for technical newsletter writers

    I read a lot of technical newsletters, product announcements, feature update notices, and related messages as part of my job. I guard my personal email like a hawk, to the point where I have a filter that matches on the word unsubscribe. At work, I have to keep tabs on our suppliers, customers, partners, leads, and other parties I can include in a list of things on a blog that I keep tabs on.

  • Public Knowledge ☛ Slowing BEAD to Speed Up Satellites: Evaluating Trade-Offs in Rural Connectivity [Ed: Microsoft intruded]

    After years of delay, BEAD funds are finally ready for deployment — but a proposed last-minute rule change threatens to halt the program once again.

  • Public Knowledge ☛ Privileged Conversations | April 2025 [Ed: Microsoft monopoly in "diversity" clothing]

    Public Knowledge has the pleasure of inviting you to a multifaceted program focused on training and developing the next generation of tech policy experts and public interest advocates that reflects the diversity of voices and experiences in our society. Please join us for our monthly Career Breakfast Series.

  • APNIC ☛ Recapping PIMF Malaysia: 11 views on Internet Resilience

    Guest Post: Mapping cables, measuring locally, security, security, security, and more from the first Pulse Internet Measurement Forum.

  • EDRI ☛ Oxford Media Policy Summer Institute 2025

    For over two decades, the Oxford Media Policy Summer Institute has convened scholars, regulators, technologists, and activists to explore the global impact of media and technology. Organised by the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy at the University of Oxford, the Institute offers an intensive academic experience combining expert seminars, critical debate, and global networking.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Digital Music News ☛ YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Pandora Premium Subscriptions Flatlined in 2024 in the US, DMN Pro Data Reveals

    Major digital service providers (DSPs) saw their subscriber growth flatline in 2024 as the US market for music subscriptions becomes saturated. Spotify and Fashion Company Apple Music are still growing—but everyone else has seemingly stalled out.

  • University of Michigan ☛ Cancel your DRM spreader Netflix subscription

    For as long as I can remember, DRM spreader Netflix has reigned as the streaming service king. The streaming service race was my Space Race, with online streaming platforms appearing left and right hoping to capitalize on the impending doom of cable.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ $3,000 awarded in second Cloud-Native Heroes Challenge on PATROLL

    Unified Patents and Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) are pleased to announce the winning prior art submissions in the second Cloud Native Heroes Challenge, a patent monopoly troll bounty program. The results of this contest demonstrate the benefits of engaging open source developers and technologists with domain expertise in the fight against patent monopoly trolls. This challenge sought prior art that can be used to challenge U.S. Patent 11,178,104, owned and asserted by Croga Innovations Ltd., an NPE and entity of Atlantic IP Services. The ‘104 patent monopoly describes a host computer system designed to enhance network security.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Empire IP entity, Fleet Connect, Wi-Fi patent monopoly challenge instituted

    On March 25, 2025, two months after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on the challenged claims of U.S. Patent 7,742,388, owned and asserted by Fleet Connect Solutions, LLC, an NPE and entity of Empire IP. The '388 patent monopoly focuses on a system and method for increased bandwidth in digital communications, particularly within local and wide area networks including WLANs and mobile networks.

  • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ The WTO dispute between China and EU over Chinese SEPs global rate-setting

    Back in January 2025, the EU initiated consultations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to challenge the practice of Chinese courts to unilaterally set binding global royalty rates for non-Chinese standard essential patents (SEPs) without the consent of the parties to the litigation.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ En Banc: Lesko v. US and the Future of Agency Deference Post-Loper Bright

    The Federal Circuit has ordered sua sponte en banc review in Lesko v. United States, No. 2023-1823. The case presents important questions about statutory interpretation in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, 603 U.S. 369 (2024), and could significantly impact the ability of the Office of Personel Management (OPM) to determine the scope of its own power.  Although this is not a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) case, DOGE has utilized OPM as a central conduit of its RTO and RIF initiatives.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Diamond Art Club Challenges USPTO’s Mass Termination of Chinese-Origin Applications in Federal Court

    In October 2024, the USPTO terminated proceedings in approximately 3,100 patent monopoly applications due to the fraudulent use of a U.S. practitioner’s signature. The bulk of the applications are Chinese origin filed through Dr. Yu "Mark" Wang, who operated a patent monopoly services firm called Wayne and King LLC (W&K). According to USPTO findings, Wang, who was not a registered patent monopoly practitioner, used the electronic signature of registered patent monopoly agent without her knowledge or consent. Most recently, one of the impacted patentees - Diamond Art Club LLC - filed a lawsuit challenging the the termination based upon "arbitrary and capricious" action by the agency.  In particular, the patent monopoly applicant argues that it is being unfairly punished as the victim: "If the misconduct described by the Defendants did in fact occur, Plaintiff was the victim of the misconduct." [DAC Complaint]

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ Nokia and Amazon sign agreement settling global patent monopoly dispute '[Ed: UPC is illegal; its very existence should have been challenged in this case; Nokia has staff as "judges"]

      The settlement resolves all patent monopoly litigation between the parties across all jurisdictions, including proceedings in Germany, at the UPC and the ITC.

    • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ G1/24 hearing: primacy of the claims vs. the diamond test [Ed: Kangaroos of the EPO at it again,. pretending they're not indebted to the corrupt dictator]

      G 1/24 addresses the extent to which the description can be used to interpret the claims. As previously discussed, it looks set to be one of the most consequential EPO decisions of the decade.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Is MUSH Generic for Oat-Based Cereals?

    The USPTO refused to register the proposed mark MUSH for "Ready-to-eat cereals; Breakfast cereals; all the foregoing made in whole or significant part of oats," finding the term to be generic for the goods. Applicant Mush Foods argued that none of its competitors use "mush" to name their goods, and further that the evidence failed to show that consumers primarily use the term generically. How do you think this came out? In re Mush Foods, Inc., Serial No. 97315576 (March 28, 2025) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Thomas W. Wellington).

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ xAI Acquires X in [scammy] Deal — But the Social Platform Is Still Grappling With Music Publishers’ Infringement Suit [Ed: Scam]

    xAI has acquired X (formerly Twitter) in an all-stock transaction. Despite the multibillion-dollar deal, however, the social platform is still facing an infringement suit from almost 20 music publishers. MElon unveiled the purchase in a post on the relevant social service.