Leftovers

• The Straits Times ☛ Home buyers beware: 109 housing developers blacklisted in Malaysia

  Most developers were blacklisted due to non-compliance with regulatory requirements.

• The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia cops waiting for full medical report on balloon seller’s injuries

  A video showed a confrontation between the man and enforcement officers in which he was tackled to the ground.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Tardigrades Reveal The Secret to Surviving The Extremes of Space

    But can we use it?

  • Science Alert ☛ Rare Star Doomed to Explode Finally Confirms Astronomical Prediction

    We've never seen this before.

  • New York Times ☛ Jeremiah Ostriker, Who Plumbed Dark Forces That Shape Universe, Dies at 86

    There’s more to the universe than meets the eye, he found. His studies led astronomy to the dark side, changing our view of what’s out there.

  • JURIST ☛ 21 state AGs challenges Convicted Felon’s order to cuts funding for libraries and museums

    A coalition of 21 democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit on Friday in an attempt to stop a presidential executive order that cuts funding for several federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

• Career/Education

  • University of Michigan ☛ UMich cultural student organizations respond to potential federal funding cuts

    On Feb. 14, Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights of the U.S. Department of Education, sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to the leaders of more than 30 educational institutions, including the University of Michigan, demanding they end diversity, equity and inclusion programs or risk losing federal funding.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ STMicro STM32MP23 Cortex-A35/M33 MPU features a 600 GOPS NPU for industrial IoT and ML applications

    STMicroelectronics STM32MP23 is a dual-core Cortex-A35 general-purpose microprocessor (MPU) with a Cortex-M33 real-time core, and 600 GOPS of performance operating at up to 125°C and designed for industrial and Internet-of-Things (IoT) edge computing, advanced HMI, and machine-learning (ML) applications. It follows the STM32MP25 series unveiled in 2023 and launched the following year as the first member of the STM32MP2 family.

  • Science Alert ☛ The 'World's Most Advanced Microchip' Has Been Unveiled

    A major step forward.

  • Hackaday ☛ The 1980s Computer, French Style

    Should you travel around Europe, you may notice that things in France are ever so slightly different. Not necessarily better or worse, simply that the French prefer to plough their own furrow rather than importing cultural tends from their neighbors.

  • Hackaday ☛ Keebin’ With Kristina: The One Where We Embrace The Jank

    Yeah, yeah — not a keyboard. But one keyboard-adjacent topic I’m certainly interested in is that of finding a satisfying mouse. Why settle for ticky micro-switches when you could have full-on thock in both peripherals?

  • Hackaday ☛ A Tiny Tape Synth

    Afficionados of vintage electric organs will know about the Melotron, an instrument from the 1960s that had pre-recorded sounds on a bank of tape loops. A real Melotron in working order will set you back a bit, but it’s possible to play with the idea using much more attainable hardware. [Decurus] has made a simple tape based synth using a cassette deck.

  • Hackaday ☛ Buyer Beware: Cheap Power Strips Hold Hidden Horrors

    We’ve got a love-hate relationship with discount tool outlet Harbor Freight: we hate that we love it so much. Apparently, [James Clough] is of much the same opinion, at least now that he’s looked into the quality of their outlet strips and found it somewhat wanting.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • University of Michigan ☛ How schools used aid to reach students experiencing homelessness

    U-M research sheds new light on how school districts used their share of $800 million in pandemic relief funds that were dedicated to the education of children experiencing homelessness.

  • University of Michigan ☛ American Foundation for Suicide Prevention hosts annual suicide awareness walk at Ferry Field

    Content warning: This article contains mentions of suicide. More than 400 participants gathered at Ferry Field Sunday afternoon for the annual “Out of the Darkness” walk sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

  • Science Alert ☛ Long-Term Meditation May Reduce Stress And Aging, Study Suggests

    "Health benefits at the molecular level."

  • Science Alert ☛ First-of-Its-Kind Study Identifies How The Brain Could Thwart Alzheimer's

    This could be the path forward.

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Body Fat May Be Shaped by The Month You Were Conceived

    A startling discovery!

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Positive Solitude': Expert Reveals Why Alone Time Is Good For You

    There's another side to the story.

  • Science Alert ☛ Fermenting Miso in Space Gives It a Unique Flavor, Study Finds

    Mmmm space miso...

  • Science Alert ☛ Here's Why Every Sip of Alcohol Increases Your Risk of Cancer

    There's no safe amount.

  • New York Times ☛ Kennedy Calls for States to Ban Fluoridated Drinking Water

    The health secretary’s announcement came on the first day of a tour through the Southwest to showcase nutrition legislation and other priorities.

  • University of Michigan ☛ Homeless people in Ann Arbor face life-threatening risks during Michigan winters

    This article was written as part of a Michigan Daily project exploring the homelessness crisis in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County. The Daily examined the challenges that individuals experiencing homelessness face in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, particularly during the winter months.

  • Science Alert ☛ This Traditional African Diet Appears to Boost The Immune System

    The changes were rapid and profound.

  • Science Alert ☛ Not Even America's Richest Live as Long as Some of Europe's Poorest

    Money only gets you so far.

  • Defence Web ☛ Occupational health hazards at Military Veterans HQ

    The Hatfield, Pretoria, building housing the headquarters of South Africa’s Department of Military Veterans (DMV) is seemingly not a good place to work in. This was acknowledged last Friday in a DMV statement noting “internal reports of flooding, ventilation challenges and infrastructural faults”.

  • PHR ☛ Gaza Medics Mass Grave: Urgent Investigation and Accountability Needed

    In response to United Nations (UN) reports that Israeli forces killed 15 medical and humanitarian workers and buried them in a mass grave in southern Gaza, the following statement is attributable to Sam Zarifi, JD, executive director at Physicians for Human Rights (PHR): [...]

  • Latvia ☛ Regional variations within Latvia on ease of hospital access

    In 2023, the share of the European Union population living within a 15-minute drive of a hospital was 83.2%, according to Eurostat data published April 7.

  • New York Times ☛ New Study Links Diabetes During Pregnancy to Greater A.D.H.D. Risk in Children

    Researchers reviewed data from more than 56 million pregnancies to examine the connection between diabetes and A.D.H.D., autism and intellectual disability.

  • New Yorker ☛ Return of the Plastic Straw

    Paper straws are out at the Department of Justice. Also banned: Dijon mustard, flimsy paper napkins, and the word “Whiffenpoof.”

• Proprietary

  • Ubuntu Handbook ☛ Visual Studio Code 1.99 Released with Chat Agent Mode & MCP [Ed: Why would such a site promote Microsoft's proprietary spyware?]

    The March 2025 release of Visual Studio Code, aka 1.99, was released few days ago.

  • Microsoft layoffs on the horizon if gaming gamble falters

    The year began on a sour note for Microsoft employees. In January, the company slashed about 1% of its global workforce, or roughly 2,280 jobs. The layoffs at Microsoft hit the company’s gaming division the hardest. Experts call it a ripple effect from the expensive $69 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition in 2023. It was obvious from the start that integrating a behemoth like that would be an expensive move. Microsoft workforce reductions were pitched as a way to streamline operations by 2026.

    “I saw it coming after the Activision deal, but it still stings,” a former Xbox developer told The HR Digest, reflecting on Microsoft job cuts in the gaming division. “One day you’re building the next big game, the next you’re packing up your desk.”

    Microsoft layoffs at the beginning of the year weren’t a one-off move. The tech sector has been bleeding jobs, with over 24,000 layoffs in 2025 alone. Microsoft’s job cuts are part of a larger puzzle where AI and efficiency will take the lead.

  • Net Media Europe ☛ Microsoft Ends Projects With Wicresoft In China

    Some 2,000 support staff reportedly laid off as Microsoft ends China outsourcing deal with its own joint venture Wicresoft

  • TechCrunch ☛ Microsoft reportedly fires staff whose protest interrupted its Copilot event

    On Monday, Microsoft reportedly terminated the roles of two software engineers, Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal, who protested the company’s reported dealings with the Israeli military during Microsoft’s Copilot and 50th anniversary event last week.

  • Business Standard ☛ Microsoft fires 2 employees who protested during company's 50th anniversary

    Microsoft Corp. dismissed two employees who disrupted an event celebrating the company’s 50th anniversary. Ibtihal Aboussad, who has urged the company to ax the Israeli government as a customer, interrupted a speech by Microsoft consumer artificial intelligence chief Mustafa Suleyman on Friday. Later, Vaniya Agrawal disrupted a question-and-answer session featuring Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella and his two predecessors, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Both employees were asked by event staff to leave the venue, a tent that had been erected at one of the athletic fields on Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington, headquarters campus. The company informed Aboussad that her employment had been terminated due to “acts of misconduct,” according to an email reviewed by Bloomberg. Agrawal had pledged to resign effective April 11, but Microsoft told her on Monday that it had accepted her resignation effective immediately.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)

    • The Straits Times ☛ DeepSeek Hey Hi (AI) model generates info that can be used in crime, analyses show

      Experts say the Hey Hi (AI) model's developer should focus its efforts on security measures.

  • Social Control Media

    • New Yorker ☛ Bluesky’s Quest to Build Nontoxic Social Media [Ed: "Nontoxic" is a meaningless term]

      X and Facebook (Farcebook) are governed by the policies of mercurial billionaires. Bluesky’s C.E.O., Jay Graber, says that she wants to give power back to the user.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • The Strategist ☛ Myanmar’s scam centres demand ASEAN-Australia collaboration

      China’s crackdown on cyber-scam centres on the Thailand-Myanmar border may cause a shift away from Mandarin, towards English-speaking victims. Scammers also used the 28 March earthquake to scam international victims.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Site36 ☛ New dimension in border surveillance: Frontex wants to send millions in technology into the stratosphere

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Voluntary ‘Pall Mall Process’ seeks to curb spyware abuses

      The 21 signatories support a number of steps, such as banning vendors who behave illegally, in a document agreed to last week in Paris.

    • Privacy International ☛ PRESS RELEASE: Privacy International and Liberty complaint against Government’s ‘backdoor’ access to Fashion Company Apple data to be heard by Tribunal

    • OpenRightsGroup ☛ IPT supports ORG’s call for open hearing in Fashion Company Apple encryption case

      The court responsible for hearing Apple’s challenge against the UK Government demanding that it breaks encryption has rejected the Home Office’s bid to have the case heard in secret. Earlier this year, the UK Government ordered Fashion Company Apple to grant it access to encrypted data stored by Fashion Company Apple users worldwide in its cloud service.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ Soldier claims trial to punching female driver in Malaysia traffic incident

    He had allegedly attacked the woman following a traffic accident in March.

  • The Straits Times ☛ How will Asean negotiate on US tariffs? With wares, weapons and the South China Sea, say analysts

    But without a collective trade framework, the US is unlikely to adopt a uniform tariff policy towards Asean.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Pooh-tin switches to fight mode as Convicted Felon trade deal looks unlikely

    The Communist Party’s newspaper in an editorial declared Beijing is no longer “clinging to illusions” of striking a deal.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China denounces as ‘blackmail’ Convicted Felon’s threat to ratchet tariffs higher

    The US threats were “a mistake on top of a mistake”, said a Chinese official.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China criticises Convicted Felon tariff 'blackmail' as market turmoil settles

    China said it would not bow to "blackmail" from the United States as a global trade war touched off by U.S. President The Insurrectionist's sweeping tariffs showed little sign of abating on Tuesday even as battered stock markets steadied.

  • Dihydroxyacetone Man threatens to double China tariffs, Chinese producers brace for impact

    Dihydroxyacetone Man threatens to double China tariffs as producers in China brace for impact from trade war.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Market panic deepens as China retaliates against US Hell Toupée’s tariffs

    By Simon Sturdee with Danny Kemp in Washington Panic selling gripped global markets on Monday, as US President The Insurrectionist refused to budge on his swingeing tariffs despite China retaliating and global recession warnings growing louder.

  • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man says not looking at tariff pause, will talk to China

    US President The Insurrectionist on Monday said he was not looking at a pause on tariffs to allow for negotiations with trading partners but added that he would talk to China, Japan and other countries about the duties. US stocks ended another tumultuous day lower as markets reeled from Convicted Felon’s tariff onslaught. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.

  • France24 ☛ Global market turmoil continues as The Insurrectionist threatens additional 50% tariffs on China

    Global stocks continued to tumble for a third straight session, with Europe's main market indexes losing more than 4% for the day. Taking to social control media, The Insurrectionist called for patience saying "don't be a stupid".  In a separate post, the Insurrectionist threatened to impose additional 50% tariffs on Chinese imports if Beijing didn't withdraw its retaliatory measures.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man threatens additional 50% tariffs on China, stacking on earlier rate

    US President The Insurrectionist on Monday threatened huge additional tariffs on imports from China if Beijing did not withdraw its retaliation plans, adding that Washington would begin talks with other countries that want negotiations.

  • France24 ☛ 🔴 European stocks extend slump as China retaliates to Convicted Felon tariffs

  • France24 ☛ What's Europe going to do about it? EU weighs options as Convicted Felon insists on tariffs

    Asian and European markets are nosediving for a third straight day as The Insurrectionist doubles down on tariffs. Weighing further on investors, China is the first to pull the trigger on reciprocal tariffs.

  • France24 ☛ European shares plunge to 16-month low as China retaliates for Convicted Felon tariffs

    European stocks tumbled on Monday following a collapse of Asian equities as US President The Insurrectionist refused to back down on sweeping tariffs after China retaliated in an escalating trade war that many fear could spark a global recession.

  • France24 ☛ China vows to remain a 'promising land' for foreign investment amid Convicted Felon tariff war

    China on Monday promised to protect US firms as it responded in kind to 34 percent tariffs imposed last week by US President The Insurrectionist. China's retaliatory tariffs were "aimed at bringing the United States back onto the right track", said vice commerce minister Ling Ji.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ China's rare earth export restrictions threaten global chipmaking supply chains

    China's latest export restrictions on Scandium and Dysprosium threaten to disrupt global supply chains for major tech players, but also emphasize potential weaknesses of its anti-sanctions approach.

  • MIT Technology Review ☛ How the Pentagon is adapting to China’s technological rise

    It’s been just over two months since Kathleen Hicks stepped down as US deputy secretary of defense. As the highest-ranking woman in Pentagon history, Hicks shaped US military posture through an era defined by renewed competition between powerful countries and a scramble to modernize defense technology.

  • Philippines calls China’s arrests of alleged spies ‘retaliation’

    Manila said the 3 were ordinary citizens with no intelligence background.

  • Defence Web ☛ Violence in South Sudan is rising again: what’s different this time, and how to avoid civil war

    A rise in political tensions in South Sudan and an escalation of violence in the Upper Nile State have raised fears of a return to civil war in the world’s youngest nation. In early March 2025, neighbouring Uganda sent troops to South Sudan on the request of the government, and was involved in aerial bombardments.

  • Dihydroxyacetone Man says Fentanylware (TikTok) sale stalled by China’s objections to US tariffs

    The agreement was reportedly imminent before Convicted Felon imposed sweeping tariffs, including a 34% rate on China.

  • Digital Music News ☛ China Pulls Back On Oh-So Close Fentanylware (TikTok) Deal After Convicted Felon Tariffs — Investors Sue ByteDance Over Alleged Antitrust Violations

    Dihydroxyacetone Man’s broad-ranging tariffs may have ultimately delayed a Fentanylware (TikTok) deal, leading to the latest 75-day extension to make room for more negotiations.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Apple Is Keeping Fentanylware (TikTok) on the App Store — At Least for Now — Amid Newest Forced-Sale Extension

    Despite the absence of a confirmed deal for TikTok’s U.S. operations, Fashion Company Apple is reportedly keeping the app on its App Store – at least for the time being. This latest development in the Fentanylware (TikTok) divestment saga follows strong indications of a sale agreement.

  • Digital Music News ☛ And After All That, Fentanylware (TikTok) Could Still Go ‘Poof’

    Months after ‘the ban,’ there’s no telling what happens to Fentanylware (TikTok) next in the US. After inching oh-so-close to a deal to secure Fentanylware (TikTok) in the US, China apparently pressed hard pause on the arrangement following Convicted Felon’s tariff slap. So what does that mean for the music industry?

  • The Straits Times ☛ Vietnam to buy American defence and security products

    Vietnam will also seek faster deliveries of commercial planes from the US.

  • New York Times ☛ How Convicted Felon’s Fentanylware (TikTok) Negotiations Were Upended by China and Tariffs

    The future of the popular video app is now at the center of a geopolitical tussle between Washington and Beijing.

  • New York Times ☛ Tuesday Briefing: Convicted Felon’s Tariff Threat to China

    Plus, “The White Lotus” finale.

  • JURIST ☛ Thousands protest in Washington DC against US involvement in Israel-Palestine conflict

    Thousands gathered Saturday for an emergency protest in Washington D.C. to fight the “US-funded Israel genocide” and the government crackdown of free speech. Protestors reasoned that US President The Insurrectionist has spent “billions of US tax dollars to aid Israel in committing atrocities against the Palestinian people.”

  • France24 ☛ Deadly Israeli strikes hit media tent, area near charity kitchen in Gaza

    An Israeli strike hit a media tent outside a Gaza hospital on Monday, killing two people, including a local reporter, and wounding six other journalists, medics said. Another strike hit a tent next to a charity kitchen outside the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis as Israel escalated its bombardment of the besieged Palestinian enclave since a ceasefire collapsed last month.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China holds military drills at newly expanded Cambodian naval base

    The exercises were held one day after the expanded Ream Naval Base was inaugurated.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China netizens defiant as Beijing hits back at Convicted Felon tariffs

    Chinese netizens have attacked posts calling for China to accede to Mr Convicted Felon’s trade demands.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China calls US tariffs ‘bullying’, urges others to continue with consultation

    Beijing has retaliated with levies of its own that, it says, also protect American firms in China.

  • The Straits Times ☛ G-7 says China’s military drills around Taiwan are destabilising

    Top diplomats say the "destabilising activities" are raising tensions and putting global security at risk.

  • JURIST ☛ Syria welcomes UN Human Rights Council resolution demanding investigation into former Assad regime

    The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday passed a resolution demanding accountability for violations and abuses by the Syria’s ousted Bashar Assad regime through transitional justice, and declaring support for “the commitments of the interim authorities’ in their efforts to form a transitional government and ensure free elections in the future.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • NYPost ☛ Ukrainian-born congresswoman slammed after suggesting country should give up land to Russia: ‘An insult’

      “I just don’t see how they [Ukraine] can be positioned to demand to keep the land. If they would be winning the war, that will be very different,” Spartz said in an interview published on Monday.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky says Ukrainian troops operating in Russia's Belgorod region

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Ukrainian forces are present in Russia's Belgorod, marking a first public acknowledgment. He also mentioned Ukraine's hold on part of Kursk region, following a significant offensive last year, although Moscow has recaptured most of the territory.

    • Meduza ☛ Surveillance footage from Ukrainian restaurant debunks Moscow’s claims that soldiers were present before deadly missile strike — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Trump says ’not happy’ with bombing in Ukraine

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania to use helicopter to escort Russian transit trains

      On Monday, Lithuanian border guards will unveil a new helicopter to be used for escorting Russian trains transiting the country between Belarus and the Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic coast.

    • CS Monitor ☛ From Russia, with joy

      Breaking one of hockey’s biggest records – all-time goals scored – took more than talent for Alexander Ovechkin. He also exudes humility and a love of the game.

    • Meduza ☛ Japan says it remains committed to reaching treaty with Russia over Kuril Islands — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Orsk, Russia: one year after the flood, the recovery is far from over

    • Meduza ☛ Confusion surrounds disappearance of popular Telegram channel known for scoops on Russia’s intelligence agencies and police

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian officers seize smuggled 17th-century church bell at border

      Lithuanian customs officials intercepted a smuggled church bell at the Šalčininkai border crossing point with Belarus on March 16, authorities said on Saturday.

    • France24 ☛ Estonian city of Narva prepares for potential Russian invasion

      Located on the border with Russia, the Estonian city of Narva could be Russian President Vladimir Putin's ideal spot if he were to plan an invasion. Only a bridge separates the two countries. The population is divided: while some members of the town's Russian-speaking community are nostalgic for their Soviet-era past, others fear Moscow's war ambitions. In view of a potential attack, Estonian civilians are undergoing military training and preparing for all possible outcomes. Our France 2 colleagues report, with FRANCE 24's Lauren Bain.

    • RFERL ☛ How Ovechkin's Record-Breaking Goal Was A Gift To Russian Propaganda

      Russian hockey star Alex Ovechkin made history when he overtook Wayne Gretzky as the National Hockey League’s (NHL) all-time goal scorer, but he also served up a win for the Kremlin’s propaganda machine.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘The pressure still isn’t enough’: A Russian missile attack on Kyiv killed one and injured three on Sunday. Zelensky called it ‘Putin’s response’ to international diplomacy. — Meduza

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia sees more GPS disturbances in air traffic lately

      For three years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the number of navigation system disruptions in Europe, including Latvian airspace, has been on the rise. However, those responsible stress that they do not affect flight safety, Latvian Radio reports on 7 April.

    • JURIST ☛ UNICEF director condemns Russian missile strike in Ukraine that killed civilians and children

      UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Regina De Dominicis on Saturday condemned Russia’s rocket attack on Kryvyi Rih in the Ukrainian Dnipro region last week, noting that the organisation is working to support affected families while coordinating emergency assistance.

    • LRT ☛ Ukrainian refugees in Lithuania: new arrivals struggle to afford food – UNHCR survey

      The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has published a study into Lithuania’s integration of Ukrainian refugees. In a press release on Monday, UNHCR said better integration was needed to address issues, including some 30 percent of new arrivals struggling to afford food.

    • LRT ☛ Estonian minister: After Ukraine, Russia will move forces close to Baltics – interview

      Estonia’s Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur talks to LRT.lt about his country’s plans to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, the Russian military threat, and the prospects and desirability of getting under the French nuclear umbrella.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Mourns Children Killed In Deadly Russian Attack On Zelenskyy's Home Town

      Several vigils were held in the Ukrainian city of Kryviy Rih for some of the 20 people -- nine of whom were children -- killed over the weekend at a playground and restaurant that were struck by an air strike as Russia again denied firing on civilian infrastructure despite evidence to the contrary.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Questions Value of Black Sea Truce With Russia

      Ukrainian Navy officers and business owners in the port city pondered what Kyiv could gain from a truce after it pushed back Russian vessels and resumed commercial shipping.

    • Meduza ☛ Dushanbe demolishes iconic Rohat Teahouse

    • Meduza ☛ Man in Chechnya kills police officer in knife attack

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Pro Publica ☛ Connecticut DMV Never Set Up System to Enforce a Century-Old Towing Law

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • New York Times ☛ Scientists Revive the Dire Wolf, or Something Close

      Dire wolves, made famous by “Game of Thrones,” went extinct some 13,000 years ago. Now, researchers have bred gray-wolf pups that carry genes of their ancient cousins.

    • Pro Publica ☛ How Trump’s Forest Service Cuts Could Affect Wildland Firefighting

      President Donald Trump’s executive orders shrinking the federal workforce make a notable exception for public safety staff, including those who fight wildland fires. But ongoing cuts, funding freezes and hiring pauses have weakened the nation’s already strained firefighting force by hitting support staff who play crucial roles in preventing and battling blazes.

      Most notably, about 700 Forest Service employees terminated in mid-February’s “Valentine’s Day massacre” are red-card-carrying staffers, an agency spokesperson confirmed to ProPublica. These workers hold other full-time jobs in the agency, but they’ve been trained to aid firefighting crews, such as by providing logistical support during blazes. They also assist with prescribed burns, which reduce flammable vegetation and prevent bigger fires, but the burns can only move forward if there’s a certain number of staff available to contain them. (Non-firefighting employees without a red card cannot perform such tasks.)

• Finance

  • New York Times ☛ China Tries to Downplay the Trade War’s Effects on Its Economy

    Faced with economic disruption, Beijing is presenting itself as too powerful to succumb to U.S. pressure. It is also censoring criticism at home.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia says US tariffs may weigh on economy for years to come; setting up task force

    The direct hit will include reduced demand and revenue, as well as conservative investment spending.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China investigates financier son of ex-economic czar Liu He: Financial Times

    The probe into Mr Liu Tianran is said to be over suspected corruption.

  • The Straits Times ☛ In a strongman state, Convicted Felon order against US aid extinguishes flickers of freedom

    China steps in as the West pulls funding for for independent media and democratic institutions in Cambodia.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong stocks end 13.22% down following Convicted Felon tariffs – worst since 1997 Asian financial crisis

    Shares in Hong Kong plummeted more than 13 percent Monday on their worst day in almost three decades as China’s retaliation against The Insurrectionist’s tariffs ramped up a trade war and fuelled recession fears.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Michael Geist ☛ The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 231: Sara Bannerman on How Canadian Political Parties Maximize Voter Data Collection and Minimize Privacy Safeguards

    As the 2025 federal election passes the midway point, it is increasingly apparent that the federal political parties are not only battling for votes, but also for data. Canadians may not see it but political parties are data machines anxious to collect and use as much data about potential supporters as possible.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea Cabinet to decide on June 3 presidential election date: Yonhap

    South Koreans will likely go to the polls on June 3 for a snap presidential election.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea to hold snap presidential election on June 3

    The law requires a new presidential election within 60 days if the position becomes vacant.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Koreans celebrate Yoon Suk Yeol’s removal with green onion-sprinkled noodles

    The trend had been going on for several weeks leading up to the Constitutional Court's April 4 ruling.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Pilot, co-pilot got into fist fight over Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law: Korean Air

    They are the two pilots of a flight that flew from Incheon to Brisbane in December 2024.

    [...]

    The two have since been fired from the job, Korean Air said, following a review by the company’s disciplinary committee.

    In order to prevent similar incidents from happening, Korean Air said it has conducted training sessions on the company guidelines for its employees.

    Mr Yoon, the disgraced former president of South Korea, was impeached for illegally declaring martial law in the country for the first time in over 40 years on Dec 3, 2024. His impeachment was confirmed by the Constitutional Court on April 4.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea to prepare support measures as US tariffs loom

    The government is readying safety nets for its auto industry.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea trade minister says considering measures to boost US imports

    Mr Convicted Felon announced a 25 per cent reciprocal tariff rate for South Korea.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s national security legislation does not affect artistic creation, new police chief says

    Hong Kong’s national security legislation does not affect artistic creation, the city’s new police chief has said, days after warning of “soft resistance” in the media, arts and culture sectors.

  • Chronicle Of Higher Education ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Has Revoked Student Visas at Dozens of Colleges. Here's What That Means.

    Immigration authorities have also ended the legal statuses of some international students or recent graduates, often without notifying them.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Stanford University ☛ Letter from the Editors: On the freedom of the press

    The executive editing team addresses chilled speech on campus and in the newsroom in the wake of rumors of ICE on campus.

  • JURIST ☛ Reporters Without Borders urge EU to address free press violations in Serbia

    Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged the European Union (EU) on Friday to consider Serbia’s freedom of press violations for its EU candidacy process. Journalists in Serbia are systemically repressed, facing threats, assaults and arbitrary surveillance, RSF argued.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Guardian editor Kath Viner: ‘Clear public interest’ in exposing Noel Clarke allegations

    Kath Viner says newspaper reported on what was "something of an open secret" in the film and TV industry.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Mexico City mourns 2 photojournalists killed at AXE Ceremonia music festival

    Colleagues of the fallen photojournalists criticized Ceremonia for failing to provide a safe space for its attendees and called on the festival industry to advocate for better working conditions for members of the press.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australian opposition ditches Convicted Felon-style plan to end work from home

    Australia is set for an election on May 3, with the opposition currently trailing in most opinion polls.

  • Meduza ☛ ‘No’: Meduza’s new art exhibition in Berlin A tribute to those who have the courage to resist — Meduza

  • AccessNow ☛ All democratic forces must act for a strong and independent civil society

    We call on all democratic forces to oppose disinformation around
    the role of civil society organizations to protect the unique role in European
    democracy.

  • One Label Under Blackmail: The Early Intersections of Diddy and the Epstein Network

    In Part I of this series on the overlap between the worlds of Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jeffrey Epstein, we examine Combs’ early years, his mentors and the industry figures who ensured their, as well as Combs’ own, commercial success. Ties to organized crime and intelligence are readily apparent and point toward a truly sinister reason behind this network’s patronage of Combs and his close associates, like Andre Harrell and Russell Simmons.

  • Federal News Network ☛ CIA officers now have due process rights in employment litigation

    CIA director John Ratcliffe sought to abuse this unique authority to attempt to terminate fifty-one career agency intelligence officers.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Appeals court reverses Convicted Felon firings of 2 board members in cases likely headed for the Supreme Court

    A split appeals court says two board members fired by The Insurrectionist can go back to their jobs for now in a ruling ahead of a likely Supreme Court showdown on the president’s power over independent agencies. A divided U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Monday issued the ruling in the lawsuits separately brought by Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris and National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox.

  • ACLU ☛ I Should Not Have to Fight for Fair Treatment in the Workplace

    As a Pawnee woman who is Deaf, I’ve long faced barriers to being evaluated fairly, not because I lack experience or qualifications, but because of systemic bias and technology that wasn’t built with people like me in mind.

  • Stanford University ☛ GSC calls for transparency on University’s sanctuary status and campus policing

    Amid larger fears about immigration enforcement, the Graduate Student Council (GSC) called upon the University to clearly state whether it will follow federal or state policy. The council also voiced concerns regarding The Daily's reporting.

    The post GSC calls for transparency on University’s sanctuary status and campus policing appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

  • New York Times ☛ American Tourist Arrested After Trying to Film Isolated Tribe and Offer Diet Coke

    A 24-year-old YouTuber went to a far-flung island in hopes of filming an encounter with the Sentinelese, the Indian authorities said. It is illegal to make contact with the tribe.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Public Knowledge ☛ The Mysterious Case of the Chair of the F(icticious) C(haos) C(lub) [Ed: Meanwhile, this one is pushing Microsoft instead of "serving the public interest"]

    The controversial new FCC Chair seems to be more interested in attacking diversity than serving the public interest.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• New York Times ☛ Google Says Employees Can Discuss Antitrust Case

  The Silicon Valley giant had ordered employees to stay silent on the landmark case before reaching a settlement with a workers’ union over the issue.

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ Touchstream Technologies media controller patent monopoly challenge instituted

    On April 4, 2025, three weeks 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 11,468,118, owned and asserted by Touchstream Technologies, Inc., an NPE.

  • JUVE ☛ Close race at the top of the UK patent monopoly litigation market [Ed: Bristows are liars and lobbyists for illegal systems, just like JUVE; hardly surprising that JUVE publishes this.]

    Had Bristows and Powell Gilbert remained a single entity after 2007, they would now be miles ahead of competitors in the UK patent monopoly market. But, as is often the case, a handful of Bristows lawyers, led by Penny Gilbert, decided to establish their own firm, Powell Gilbert, in the early 2000s.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Federal Circuit on Trade Secret Remedies in AMS-OSRAM v. Renesas

    The Federal Circuit issued a significant trade secret remedies decision AMS-OSRAM USA Inc. v. Renesas Electronics America, Inc., Nos. 2022-2185, 2022-2186 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 4, 2025). The court made a number of holdings (applying Texas trade secrecy law), most notably: [...]

  • Unified Patents ☛ LitFin entity, QPrivacy, data encryption patent monopoly challenged

    On April 1, 2025, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 11,816,249, owned and asserted by QPrivacy USA LLC, an NPE and entity of LitFin Capital. The ‘249 patent monopoly relates to the management of private data without decrypting that data.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Factor2 Multimedia authentication patent monopoly challenge instituted

    On April 2, 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 9,870,453, owned and asserted by Factor2 Multimedia Systems, LLC, an NPE. The ‘453 patent monopoly relates to two-factor authentication methods and systems.

  • JUVE ☛ Cases at Paris patent monopoly chamber decline for first time in years [Ed: Is the bubble imploding yet?]

    The Judicial Court in Paris saw 155 new patent monopoly lawsuits, representing a 16.7% decrease from the previous year. According to recently published statistics from the court’s 3rd chamber, which handles IP cases, this is down from 186 cases in 2023.

  • Software Patents

    • Unified Patents ☛ $16,000 for OptiMorphix video optimization patents prior art

      Unified Patents added eight new PATROLL contests, each with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on the list below. The patents are owned by OptiMorphix, Inc, an NPE. The patents generally relate to various video optimization technologies. The patents have been asserted against Fortinet, Meta, Akamai Technologies, Intel, NVIDIA, and Brightcove.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Which of These Three Section 2(d) Refusals Was/Were Overturned on Appeal?

    The TTAB affirmance rate for Section 2(d) appeals last year fell just under 90%. So far this year it's back to 90%. Here are three recent Board decisions, at least one of which reversed the refusal. How do you think they came out? [Answer in first comment].