Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ The Rubenerd Blog Quiz 2025

  I keep seeing people post and tag me in blog quizzes, but I don’t think I’ve ever proposed one myself before. This is my attempt at rectifying the situation, which means converting my AC waves into DC. Feel free to answer, quote, and share at your leisure.

• Standards/Consortia

  • Wired ☛ Trump Cuts Are Killing a Tiny Office That Keeps Measurements of the World Accurate

    Staff losses at the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), the oldest scientific agency in the US, could further cripple its mission and activities, including a long-awaited project to update the accuracy of these measurements, former employees and experts say. As the world turns more and more toward operations that need precise coordinate systems like the ones NGS provides, the science that underpins this office’s activities, these experts say, is becoming even more crucial.

    The work of NGS, says Tim Burch, the executive director of the National Society of Professional Surveyors, “is kind of like oxygen. You don’t know you need it until it’s not there.”

  • Russell Coker ☛ Digital Sovereignty and Email [Why Law Firms and Courts in Particular Should Dump Microsoft]

    The latest news is that MS is shutting down services for the International Court of Justice after a panel of ICC judges issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [1] . This is now making politicians realise the issues of email accounts hosted outside their jurisdiction.

    What we need is for each independent jurisdiction to have it’s own email infrastructure, that means controlling DNS servers for their domains, commercial and government mail services on those domains, running the servers for those services on hardware located in the jurisdiction and run by people based in that jurisdiction and citizens of it. I say independent jurisdiction because there are groups like the EU which have sufficient harmony of laws to not require different services. With the current EU arrangements I don’t think it’s possible for the German government to block French people from accessing email or vice versa.

• Science

  • University of Michigan ☛ 2026 budget cuts to NOAA could halt federal funding to Great Lakes research

    In 2024, Great Lakes researchers at the University of Michigan were awarded a $6.5 million five-year grant by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to host a research center focused on algal blooms, climate change and overall environmental impacts on human health for communities living in, working in and visiting the Great Lakes region.

  • Hackaday ☛ Gene Editing Spiders To Produce Red Fluorescent Silk

    Continuing the scientific theme of adding fluorescent proteins to everything that moves, this time spiders found themselves at the pointy end of the CRISPR-Cas9 injection needle. In a study by researchers at the University of Bayreuth, common house spiders (Parasteatoda tepidariorum) had a gene inserted for a red fluorescent protein in addition to having an existing gene for eye development disabled. This was the first time that spiders have been subjected to this kind of gene-editing study, mostly due to how fiddly they are to handle as well as their genome duplication characteristics.

  • Hackaday ☛ Roller Gearbox Allows For New Angles In Robotics

    DIY mechatronics always has some unique challenges when relying on simple tools. 3D printing enables some great abilities but high precision gearboxes are still a difficult problem for many. Answering this problem, [Sergei Mishin] has developed a very interesting gearbox solution based on a research paper looking into simple rollers instead of traditional gears. The unique attributes of the design come from the ability to have a compact angled gearbox similar to a bevel gearbox.

  • Science Alert ☛ Unusual Face Tatts Discovered on Mysterious South American Mummy

    Why is she so different?

  • Science Alert ☛ Expert Explains Why We Need to Stop Giving Milk to Cats

    It's not the treat we think it is.

  • Science Alert ☛ Early Universe's Milky Way 'Twin' Looked Surprisingly Like Our Galaxy

    We can't explain this.

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Perfume Could Be Messing With Your Chemical Force Shield

    How did we miss this?

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Sensitive Teeth May Exist So Ancient Fish Could Avoid Danger

    Blame them for your toothaches.

  • Science Alert ☛ Couples Who Cuddle at Bedtime Have Lower Stress And Feel More Secure

    Hold on tight.

  • Science Alert ☛ Jupiter Was Twice Its Current Ginormous Size, Scientists Discover

    It was HUGE. And powerful.

  • Science Alert ☛ World-First Study Reveals How Lightning Sparks Gamma-Ray Flashes

    BOOM.

  • Hackaday ☛ High Voltage For Extreme Ozone

    Don’t you hate it when making your DIY X-ray machine you make an uncomfortable amount of ozone gas? No? Well [Hyperspace Pirate] did, which made him come up with an interesting idea. While creating a high voltage supply for his very own X-ray machine, the high voltage corona discharge produced a very large amount of ozone. However, normally ozone is produced using lower voltage, smaller gaps, and large surface areas. Naturally, this led [Hyperspace Pirate] to investigate if a higher voltage method is effective at producing ozone.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ Protectli Vault Pro VP2430 – An defective chip maker Intel N150 fanless network appliance with four 2.5GbE ports, four video outputs

    The Protectli Vault Pro VP2430 is a compact, defective chip maker Intel Processor N150-based fanless network appliance designed for firewall, router, and virtualization applications in home labs, small businesses, and edge deployments. The system supports up to 64GB DDR5-4800 memory via a single SO-DIMM slot and features various storage options, including a 32GB onboard eMMC flash, an M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slot, and a SATA 3.0 interface for 2.5″ SSDs.

  • Hackaday ☛ Field Testing An Antenna, Using A Field

    The ARRL used to have a requirement that any antenna advertised in their publications had to have real-world measurements accompanying it, to back up any claims of extravagant performance. I’m told that nowadays they will accept computer simulations instead, but it remains true that knowing what your antenna does rather than just thinking you know what it does gives you an advantage. I was reminded of this by a recent write-up in which the performance of a mylar sheet as a ground plane was tested at full power with a field strength meter, because about a decade ago I set out to characterise an antenna using real-world measurements and readily available equipment. I was in a sense field testing it, so of course the first step of the process was to find a field. A real one, with cows.

  • Hackaday ☛ Honey, I Blew Up The Line Follower Robot

    Some readers may recall building a line-following robot during their school days. Involving some IR LEDs, perhaps a bit of LEGO, and plenty of trial-and-error, it was fun on a tiny scale. Now imagine that—but rideable. That’s exactly what [Austin Blake] did, scaling up a classroom robotics staple into a full-size vehicle you can actually sit on.

  • CNX Software ☛ Realtek RTL8127, RTL8159, and RTL8261C will power low-cost, efficient 10 Gbps Ethernet cards, USB adapters, and switches

    Realtek showcased RTL8126, RTL8157, and RTL8251B 5 Gbps Ethernet solutions at Computex 2023, and the first Realtek RTL8126 5 Gbps Ethernet PCIe and M.2 adapters were introduced in 2024, shortly followed by RTL8157 5GbE USB 3.2 adapters. The company has now unveiled upgraded solutions for 10 Gbps Ethernet networking at Computex 2025 with the RTL8127 10GbE PCIe controller and variants, the RTL8159 10GbE USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 controller, and the RTL8261C PHY for 10GbE switches.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • PHR ☛ Syria’s Transitional Justice Commission Must Pursue Accountability for All Perpetrators: PHR

    The following quote is attributable to Houssam al-Nahhas, MD, MPH, health and human rights researcher for Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and a Syrian physician:  [...]

  • The Strategist ☛ Taiwan, a leader in public health, should be in the WHO

    Taiwan urges the World Health Organization and all relevant parties to recognise Taiwan’s considerable contributions to global health. We view health as a fundamental human right and universal value. Improved health results in greater well-being ...

  • CS Monitor ☛ Should cellphones be in class? More states are saying no.

    The end of the academic year has brought a crescendo of laws in the U.S. aimed at restricting cellphone use in K-12 schools. The efforts reflect an increasing sense that student well-being and success depend on tech and social control media guardrails.

  • New York Times ☛ An Expensive Alzheimer’s Lifestyle Plan Offers False Hope, Experts Say

    Thousands of people have paid for Dale Bredesen’s unconventional program to reverse Alzheimer’s symptoms. The medical establishment says there’s little to no proof it works.

  • Science Alert ☛ Expert Explains FDA's New COVID Vaccine Rules in The US

    It's controversial.

• Proprietary

  • Dedoimedo ☛ Windows & Wi-Fi disconnect problems

    Funky Wednesday, too! I have another obscure article for ye. To wit, I present this tutorial showing how to work around the issue of occasional Wireless network problems in multi-network backdoored Windows setups due to low signal or intermittent Internet connectivity, covering network-related soft disconnect and simultaneous connections group policies, active probe registry key, Wireless router channel pinning, and more. Have fun.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Zimbabwe ☛ Grok’s Warning: Why Africa Must Shape Its Hey Hi (AI) Future [Ed: They mean racist CHATBOT controlled by a nazi, this has nothing to do with so-called Hey Hi (AI) Future]

      The Grok incident reminds us that Hey Hi (AI) systems reflect their makers' priorities, data, and biases and are susceptible to misuse by malicious actors. As these systems become more capable and widespread, spending time and resources guaranteeing that they are robust and fair becomes even more critical. For African nations, the path forward lies not in passive adoption but in active stewardship. We must move from being consumers of Hey Hi (AI) to becoming co-creators and regulators of its future.

• Pseudo-Open Source

  • Openwashing

    • Linux Foundation: Slash costs, boost growth with open-source AI

      The Linux Foundation and Meta are putting some numbers behind how open-source AI (OSAI) is driving innovation and adoption.

      The adoption of AI tools is pretty much everywhere now, with 94% of organisations surveyed already using them. And get this: within that crowd, 89% are tapping into open-source AI for some part of their tech backbone.

    • TechRepublic ☛ After 9 Years, Microsoft Fulfills This Windows Feature Request [Ed: Windows (proprietary) disguised as "open" and "Linux"]

• Entrapment (Microsoft GitHub)

  • UNIXdigest ☛ Why is your open source project still hosted on Microsoft's proprietary prison GitHub ?

    Perhaps the younger generation don't know anything about the past "evils" of Abusive Monopolist Microsoft and naively believe that Abusive Monopolist Microsoft is now the good friend to open source, but the truth is that all Abusive Monopolist Microsoft acquisitions of open source projects is a business tactic that is put in place to improve Microsoft's loosing position to open source. It is a matter of control. And you should not host your open source project on Microsoft's proprietary prison GitHub.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • Security Week ☛ Coinbase Says Rogue Contractor Data Breach Affects 69,461 Users

      A mandatory filing to the Maine Attorney General says 69,461 customers nationwide were affected and dates the breach back to last December.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Federal News Network ☛ Federal judge blocks Convicted Felon’s firing of two Democratic members of privacy oversight board

      The ruling Wednesday from U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton ends the lawsuit brought by two of the three fired board members in February.

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Appeals court rejects attempt by Khashoggi widow to renew suit against NSO Group

      Hanan Elatr Khashoggi has alleged that the spyware vendor played a role in the death of her husband.

    • AccessNow ☛ LIBE vote on Europol reform blow to the Commission, but still legitimises an expanding surveillance regime

• Defence/Aggression

  • Defence Web ☛ Another Libyan ceasefire after Tripoli violence

    Almost 15 years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi and the emergence of rival administrations in 2014, Libya remains divided, with an internationally recognised Government of National Unity (GNU) based in Tripoli and a Government of National Stability (GNS) in Benghazi.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan’s ruling party expels 5 members accused of spying for China

    Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s party expelled on Wednesday five members accused of spying for China, including a former aide to the self-ruled island’s national security chief. Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for decades, but experts say the threat to Taiwan is greater given the risk of a Chinese invasion.

  • New York Times ☛ India’s Security Forces Kill Dozens in a Bid to Crush Leftist Rebels

    Military operations have intensified in recent weeks as the government has set a deadline of next year to defeat a decades-old Maoist insurgency.

  • France24 ☛ Israeli supreme court rules Netanyahu's sacking of security chief 'unlawful'

    Israel's supreme court on Wednesday ruled as "unlawful" the government's decision in March to fire domestic security chief Ronen Bar, a move which had triggered mass protests in the country.

  • National Police Commissioner highlights Operation Shanela arrests, urges collective action to combat bullying

    The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola, has urged parents, guardians, community leaders, and young people to collaborate with law enforcement to foster a culture of discipline, respect and accountability among the youth.

  • New York Times ☛ Iran Executes Man Over Deadly 2023 Attack on Azerbaijan Embassy

    The killing of the embassy’s head of security strained an already tense relationship between the neighboring countries.

  • LRT ☛ From hope to instability: Aid cuts will lead to lost lives and less security – opinion

    Imagine a deserted border area in Africa where there is little but red dust so fine it gets everywhere. Now imagine a line of people arriving with nothing after having walked for days to escape certain death. One old man leans on a weathered stick for support, one woman carries a child on her hip and a jute bag with belongings on her head.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China can't decide whether we are a country, Taiwan foreign minister says

    TAIPEI - China has no right to decide whether or not Taiwan is a country given it chooses its own government, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said on Wednesday, adding that he would be happy to shake the hand of his Chinese opposite number in friendship.

  • Defence Web ☛ Egypt and China conclude historic Eagles of Civilization 2025 joint air exercise

    Egypt and China have marked a significant milestone in their bilateral relations and regional military dynamics by hosting the inaugural Eagles of Civilization 2025 joint air exercise – the first such drill between the two nations.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Suicide blast targeting school bus kills five in Pakistan’s Balochistan

    Pakistan blamed the attack on Indian proxies, although no group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.

  • France24 ☛ North Korea state media reports 'serious' accident at warship launch ceremony

    A serious accident occurred on Wednesday during the launch of a new North Korean warship while leader Kim Jong Un was attending the event, with him calling it a "criminal act" that could not be tolerated, state media KCNA reported. South Korean media reported that the destroyer was lying sideways in the water.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Serious’ accident at North Korea warship launch ceremony: State media

    Kim Jong Un said the mishap was a “criminal act”.

  • North Korean escapees speak at UN General Assembly, drawing anger from Pyongyang

    The two women address an unprecedented plenary session on North Korean human rights at the UNGA.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China ‘seriously concerned’ over US Golden Dome defence system

    Dihydroxyacetone Man said he had selected a design for the US$175 billion programme aimed at blocking threats from Russia and China.

  • New York Times ☛ When U.S. and Israel Bomb the Houthis, Civilians Pay the Highest Price

    Military strikes in Yemen and sanctions targeting the Iran-backed militia have compounded a humanitarian crisis in the poorest country in the Middle East, officials say.

  • JURIST ☛ Rights group expresses concern over US air-strikes in Yemen

    Amnesty International on Monday called for an investigation into the US air-strike on a migrant detention center in Sa’ada, Yemen, on April 28, that killed and injured dozens of migrants.

  • France24 ☛ Palestinian president in Lebanon to discuss disarmament of refugee camps

    A member of Mahmud Abbas' delegation to Beirut told AFP on Tuesday that the Palestinian president will discuss the issue of weapons in Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps during his three-day visit to the country. For more, FRANCE 24 correspondent, Rawad Taha.

  • France24 ☛ The UN says no aid that has entered Gaza this week has reached Palestinians

    FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to Rob Williams, CEO of War Child UK, about the spiralling humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The U.N. said Wednesday it was trying to get the desperately needed aid that has entered Gaza this week into the hands of Palestinians amid delays because of fears of looting and Israeli military restrictions. Israeli strikes pounded the territory, killing at least 86 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

  • France24 ☛ Aid arrives but falls short of Gazans' needs amid renewed Israeli strikes

    The UN said Wednesday that it had started handing out supplies from around 90 truckloads of aid into Gaza. This marks the first delivery since an Israeli blockade began in early March. As famine looms and international pressure mounts, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel may consider a temporary ceasefire to secure hostage releases but vowed to continue its military campaign for "total control" of Gaza.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • The Straits Times ☛ China opposes EU’s Russia-related sanctions on its firms, cites ‘double standards’

      The EU and Britain announced new sanctions against Russia that target some Chinese firms.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Used Brazil to Create Deep-Cover Spies

      Russia’s intelligence services turned Brazil into an assembly line for deep-cover operatives. A team of federal agents from the South American country has been quietly dismantling it.

    • Meduza ☛ Rubio says U.S. waiting for Russia to send its conditions for ceasefire — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Priced out Chinese travel to Russia is booming. So why is the tourism industry complaining? — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia’s justice minister proposes ‘defense of moral values’ as basis for criminal immunity — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Behind the ruble’s resilience Propped up by Trump and sky-high interest rates, Russia’s currency is on borrowed time — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian authorities temporarily close Moscow airspace after more than 30 drones target city overnight — Meduza

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Putin aims to destroy Ukraine and has zero interest in a compromise peace

      Russia’s ongoing campaign to destroy Ukraine as a state and as a nation is taking place in front of the watching world and makes a complete mockery of US-led efforts to broker some kind of compromise peace, writes Peter Dickinson.

    • RFERL ☛ Putin Makes Surprise Visit To Russia's Kursk Region Amid Accusations of Stalling Peace Talks

      President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to the Kursk region, his first since Russian troops pushed out Ukrainian troops who had been occupying parts of the region since launching an incursion last year.

    • New York Times ☛ Putin Visits Kursk for First Time Since Russia Drove Out Ukrainian Forces

      The Russian leader traveled to the region in the west of the country where a surprise incursion last year embarrassed Moscow.

    • Meduza ☛ Putin makes first trip to Kursk region since Russia reported Ukrainian troops fully expelled — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Putin ‘jokes’ with Russian officials about annexing Ukraine’s Sumy region — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Peace, postponed As Trump fails to push Putin toward a ceasefire, what comes next for Ukraine? — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Trump tells European counterparts that Putin isn’t ready for peace — The Wall Street Journal — Meduza

    • European Commission ☛ Speech by Commissioner Kubilius at the Conference of the United for Ukraine Network "Readiness 2030: New Framework For Ukrainian-European Partnership"

      Dear all -

      Very well known and all the new faces in this most powerful community of the friends of Ukraine.

    • Security Week ☛ CISA Says Russian Hackers Targeting Western Supply-Lines to Ukraine

      Russian military intelligence hackers intensify targeting of Western logistics and technology companies moving supplies into Ukraine. 

    • France24 ☛ More drones intercepted over Russian capital, flights disrupted

      Russia said it intercepted more drones heading towards Moscow early Thursday. The attacks came a day after over two dozen drones were launched at the Russian capital. Both Moscow and Kyiv have deployed drones in the conflict.

    • France24 ☛ Replay: Convicted Felon meets South Africa's Ramaphosa, plays 'genocide' video

      US President The Insurrectionist confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Wednesday with allegations of mass killings and land seizures from white people, in a scene reminiscent of his February ambushof Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky.

    • France24 ☛ Could the Finland-Russia border be the next conflict zone after the Ukraine war?

      Russia has been increasing its military presence near the more than 1,300-kilometre border it shares with Finland, prompting concern in European capitals over Russia’s future plans. For its part, Helsinki has made a concerted effort to bolster its own border defences, including ramping up defence spending and holding large-scale joint training exercises with US and NATO troops.

    • LRT ☛ Why Lithuania stays silent on Israel’s actions in Gaza?

      As the world watches the brutal wars unfolding in both Ukraine and Gaza, Lithuania remains vocal about Russia’s actions and Hamas’ attacks on Israel. Yet, it maintains a striking silence when it comes to Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, where numerous humanitarian organisations and international institutions have raised the alarm over what they describe as potential war crimes and violations of international law.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukrainian Former Yanukovych Adviser Andriy Portnov Reportedly Shot Dead In Spain

      Andriy Portnov, an adviser to former pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, was shot dead on May 21 just outside of Madrid after dropping off his children at school.

    • New York Times ☛ Andriy Portnov, Former Ukrainian Official, Is Shot Dead in Spain

      Andriy Portnov was a senior aide to Ukraine’s former president Viktor F. Yanukovych, who was ousted in a 2014 uprising over his alignment with Moscow.

    • Meduza ☛ Former Ukrainian politician who served in Yanukovych administration reportedly shot dead in Madrid suburb — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘A court fixer’ Who was Andriy Portnov, the former Ukrainian official and Yanukovych ally shot dead outside Madrid? — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ EU Approves New Sanctions on Russia in Push for Ukraine Cease-fire

      The European Union has now targeted Moscow’s fleet of covert oil tankers and plans more restrictions, as the Convicted Felon administration’s approach to the war shifts.

    • Meduza ☛ Russia–Ukraine talks at the Vatican expected to be held in mid-June — The Wall Street Journal — Meduza

    • European Commission ☛ Opening statement by Commissioner Jørgensen in plenary debate on Russian energy phase out, Nord Stream and the EU's energy-sovereignty

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Europe is striking back at Russia’s shadow fleet. Here’s what to know about the latest EU and UK sanctions.

      This week, Brussels and London unveiled new sanctions against Russia and the fleet of oil tankers and other vessels covertly trading in Russian oil. Atlantic Council experts assess the moves.

    • LRT ☛ Leaked files reveal lawyers, politicians in Lithuania on Kremlin’s payroll – investigation

      Lawyers working with a retired Lithuanian general and various pro-Russian and fringe politicians are under direct payroll from the Kremlin, LRT Investigation Team has found as part of an international report spanning 30 countries.

    • LRT ☛ ‘Absolutely pathetic’: Lithuanian FM voices frustration over EU’s inaction on Russia

      Europe should either follow up on its threats to seriously sanction Russia or admit its impotence, says Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys.

    • New York Times ☛ Text Messages Between Russian Spies, Annotated

      The messages offer a glimpse at life deep undercover. Our correspondents break down four revealing exchanges.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Torrential rain ravages Australian towns, thousands brace for isolation

    Police said a man's body was found in a flooded home.

  • France24 ☛ Several missing, tens of thousands stranded in eastern Australia floods

    Torrential rain pummelled Australia's southeast on Thursday, triggering flash flooding and forcing officials to issue fresh evacuation orders, while 50,000 residents were warned to prepare to isolate with more downpours expected over the next 24 hours.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ Don’t Mention Climate: Now, Clean Energy Is All About the Money

      The Inflation Reduction Act was once hailed as the biggest climate law in U.S. history. But as supporters try to save it, they’ve stopped talking about the environment altogether.

    • Hackaday ☛ Jettison Sails For Electric Propulsion

      Although there are some ferries and commercial boats that use a multi-hull design, the most recognizable catamarans by far are those used for sailing. They have a number of advantages over monohull boats including higher stability, shallower draft, more deck space, and often less drag. Of course, these advantages aren’t exclusive to sailboats, and plenty of motorized recreational craft are starting to take advantage of this style as well. It’s also fairly straightforward to remove the sails and add powered locomotion as well, as this electric catamaran demonstrates.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • The Straits Times ☛ Mammoth road rage: Elephants attack car in Malaysia allegedly after getting horned at

      The incident happened along the same highway where an elephant calf was killed by a lorry in May.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Pakistan, China agree to deepen trade, maintain close communication

    ISLAMABAD - Pakistan said on Wednesday it had agreed to deepen trade and investment with China, days after the end of a deadly conflict with India that Beijing urged should be resolved through dialogue.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China and Pakistan reaffirm ironclad ties in FM Dar’s first trip after conflict with India

    China said it would firmly support Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian PM Anwar says US trade talks unaffected by China ties

    He said the US pledged to “sympathetically” review its appeal for lower tariffs.

  • Chinese workers stage protests over unpaid wages as economic woes persist

    Tightening government finances impact workers around China, across multiple sectors.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong exports up in first quarter amid businesses’ preemptive moves to beat US tariffs, minister says

    Hong Kong’s exports rose in the first quarter of this year, as businesses raced to preempt US tariffs before they came into force, the city’s transport and logistics minister has said.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Dr. Phil’s Son Jay McGraw Is Tied to Minto Money’s 700% APR Loans

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s Fashion Company Apple Threat Complicates India’s Tariff Negotiations

    Apple and India have invested years and billions of dollars in teaming up against China. India sees it as a strength. To Hell Toupée, it looks like leverage.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ PM Anwar seeks to tighten grip on Malaysia’s ruling PKR despite cries of nepotism

    Victory for his daughter and allies at party polls will cement his control but likely become fodder for the opposition.

  • JURIST ☛ US Supreme Court permits Convicted Felon administration to remove temporary protection status of Venezuelans

    On Monday, the US Supreme Court granted a stay to a US district court order in NTPSA v. Noem, allowing the vacatur of the temporary protection status (TPS) for 350,000 Venezuelans to proceed.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Organization breaks ground on $1.5 billion golf club in Vietnam

    HUNG YEN - Vietnam's prime minister and U.S. President The Insurrectionist's son Eric held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for a $1.5 billion luxury residential development with three 18-hole golf courses outside Hanoi.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • JURIST ☛ Apple fined amid latest Russia anti-LGBTQA+ crackdown

    The Tagansky District Court of Moscow fined Fashion Company Apple 10.5 million rubles (approximately $130,000) on Monday in three administrative charges of LGBTQA+ “propaganda,” and one charge of refusing to remove prohibited material.

  • Meduza ☛ Russian investigators raid homes of Pussy Riot members' relatives — Meduza

  • JURIST ☛ US watchdog sues Convicted Felon administration over alleged political targeting of Harvard

    Government watchdog American Oversight filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the US Department of the Treasury, and the Department of Education, alleging that President The Insurrectionist’s administration unlawfully targeted Harvard University’s tax-exempt status for political retaliation.

  • Public Knowledge ☛ Public Knowledge Refutes “Censorship” Claims, Urges FTC To Protect Consumers and Competition [Ed: Did Public Knowledge acknowledge corporate interference?]

    Yesterday, Public Knowledge filed comments in response to the Federal Trade Commission’s request for public comment on “technology platform censorship,” which the agency describes as “how technology platforms deny or degrade users’ access to services based on the content of their speech or affiliations.”

  • Public Knowledge ☛ What Does Research Tell Us About Technology Platform “Censorship”? [Ed: Microsoft conflict of interest here]

    While Convicted Felon administration officials claim a "censorship cartel" is targeting conservatives online, the available data tells a different story.

  • Public Knowledge ☛ The Conservative Political Playbook Driving the FTC Platform Censorship Inquiry [Ed: GAFAM drives this nonprofit]

    The recent request for comment appears to be part of a broader effort escalating claims of a "censorship cartel."

  • AccessNow ☛ #KeepItOn in Tanzania: President Suluhu’s government must restore access to X now

    Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition unequivocally condemn the blocking of X in Tanzania that started on May 20, 2025. Technical data recorded by the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) measurement community shows that the blocking is underway, impacting several mobile networks.

  • AccessNow ☛ Civil society warns of human rights risks in Mexico’s telecom reform

    Leer en español A proposed reform to Mexico’s Telecommunications and Broadcasting Law has raised serious concerns among civil society organizations, academics, and industry groups after it was approved on April

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Hong Kong journalists face tax audits in latest pressure on independent media

    Journalists’ association says 8 news outlets and 20 individuals are targeted, casting a shadow over press freedom.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Robert Peston leads Jewish journalists’ call for media access into Gaza

    Read full letter signed by 17 journalists, who are also Jews, urging access through Israel or Egypt.

  • RFERL ☛ RFE/RL Journalist Alleges Torture, Fabricated Charges Amid Azerbaijan's Media Crackdown

    Prosecutors in Azerbaijan on May 20 asked a court to sentence journalist Farid Mehralizada to 12 years on smuggling charges that he says are politically motivated and tied directly to his critical reporting for RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service, known locally as Azadliq Radiosu.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • JURIST ☛ US federal judge temporarily blocks Oklahoma law criminalizing irregular entry

    Oklahoma District Court Judge Bernard Jones granted a temporary restraining order on Tuesday, temporarily blocking HB 4156 from allowing the criminalization of noncitizens’ irregular entry and unauthorized stay in Oklahoma.

  • New York Times ☛ End of Federal Oversight Plan for Minneapolis Police Draws Criticism Over Timing

    The Forrest Dump administration announced the withdrawal of the plan just days before the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s killing.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Lessons From Hurricane Helene on Evacuation Orders, Messaging and Emergency Managers

    When Hurricane Helene plowed over the Southeast last September, it caused more inland deaths than any hurricane in recorded history. The highest per capita death toll occurred in Yancey County, a rural expanse in the rugged Black Mountains of North Carolina devastated by flash flooding and landslides.

    On Monday, we published a story recounting what happened in Yancey. Our intent was to show, through those horrific events, how highly accurate weather warnings did not reach many of those most in harm’s way — and that inland communities are not nearly as prepared for catastrophic storms as coastal ones. No one in Yancey received evacuation orders — and many, including those living in high-risk areas and caring for young children and frail older people, didn’t flee because they didn’t see clearer signs of urgency from the county.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Marriage registration in China becomes easier, more romantic than ever

    Lovers can now tie the knot anywhere they choose in China.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • New York Times ☛ Fortnite Returns to Apple’s App Store After Scoring a Legal Victory

    Apple kicked the popular game out of the App Store nearly five years ago, prompting a court battle that was partially resolved on Tuesday.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Squires Calls for ‘Born Strong’ Patents in Light of USPTO’s Dire ‘Defective’ Patent Rate

    Earlier today, John Squires, who is Hell Toupée’s pick to become the next Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), had his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. For better or worse, the panel today also included nominees Stanley Woodward, Jr. for Associate Attorney General; T. Elliott Gaiser for Assistant Attorney General; and Joseph Edlow for Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, all of whom attracted more attention and questions than did Squires.

  • JUVE ☛ Graf von Stosch scores wins for CureVac in EPO oppositions

    CureVac is defending several patents at the EPO and before national civil courts in Germany and UK. At the center of the current dispute are EP 3 708 668 and its divisional patent monopoly EP 4 023 755.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ The Remedies Remedy is Almost Complete: EcoFactor v. Google

    The Federal Circuit’s en banc decision in EcoFactor v. Surveillance Giant Google marks a significant tightening of standards for admitting patent monopoly damages expert testimony. The court (in an 8–2 split) overturned a $20 million jury award by excluding the patentee’s expert evidence as insufficiently reliable under Federal Rule of Evidence 702 and Daubert.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ UK barristers and the UPC: Avoiding the Irish route [Ed: UPC is illegal. UPC keeps promoting illegal things because it got paid to do so.]

      No barristers from 11 South Square are currently listed as UPC representatives on the set’s website. However, they are definitely keen to run UPC cases,

  • Software Patents

    • Unified Patents ☛ $3,000 for Jeffrey M. Gross entity, Calibrate Networks, Kubernetes/open source patent monopoly prior art

      Unified Patents added a new PATROLL contest, with a $3,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on at least claim 11 of U.S. Patent 9,584,633, owned and asserted by Calibrate Networks LLC, an NPE and a Jeffrey M. Gross entity. The '633 patent monopoly relates to a system for enhancing network communications by avoiding data copy, task switching, and simplifying protocol processing.

    • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Key takeaways from the EPO’s study “Standards and the European patent monopoly system” [Ed: Corrupt office which illegally grants monopolies on software]

      On 14 May, the EPO published the study Standards and the European patent monopoly system. The study seeks to improve transparency in the relationship between standards and patents in Europe, by providing insights from an EPO dataset linking patents and standards.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Ted Davis: "Federal Court and Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Review"

    Ted Davis has graciously consented to my posting a link here to his article, "Recent Developments in United States Trademark and Unfair Competition Law."

• Copyrights

  • Heather J Meeker ☛ Postmodern Art and Cannabis Law [Ed: Plagiarism is not art and slop isn't creativity or "fair use"]

    I’m intrigued as to why an article about cannabis law cites to an article I wrote over thirty years ago about copyright monopoly fair use in postmodern art. But the Tulsa Law Review has paywalled their prestigious journal, forcing me to pay if I want to find out, and honestly, I’m not quite that intrigued.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Universal Music Fires Back Against Salt-N-Pepa’s ‘Unreasonable Demands,’ Says It’s ‘Committed to Working Towards an Amicable Resolution’

    Let the copyright-recapture battle intensify: Universal Music is firing back against Salt-N-Pepa’s newly submitted lawsuit.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ In the Penal Colony: Now and Then #3

    French overseas imprisonment, in 2025 and 1852.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ “The Great Enigma of Our Times”: Henry George’s Poverty and Progress (1881 edition)

    A landmark work of social reform — proposing a land value tax — that helped usher in the Progressive Era.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Old Tricks: Tiny Cryptic #9

    Ninth instalment in our series of extremely small and free-form cryptic crossword puzzles, themed on our latest essay.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ The Old, Old, Very Old Man: Thomas Parr and the Longevity Trade

    As the story goes, Old Tom Parr was relatively healthy for being 152 until a visit to noxious, polluted London in 1635 cut his long life short. Katherine Harvey investigates the early modern claims surrounding this supercentarian and the fraudulent longevity business that became his namesake in the 19th century.

  • Digital Music News ☛ No Fakes Act Draws Support from Reba McEntire, Boyz II Men, Dave Matthews Band, and Many Others Ahead of Senate Hearing

    It’s time for Congress to pass the No Fakes Act – at least according to 21 Savage, Billy Idol, Deadmau5, Joe Walsh, Lainey Wilson, and a number of others who are backing the bill ahead of a Senate hearing today.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Understanding Copyright in Music (Part III): Copyright Infringement

    Part I of this article discussed the different type of works and copyright monopoly rights in music. In Part II, we discussed different types of music licenses.

  • Amin Bandali: Don't "buy" e-books from Oxford University Press

    Last month I watched the book talk Music Copyright, Creativity, and Culture by Jennifer Jenkins with James Boyle facilitating the discussion, co-hosted by the Internet Archive and the Authors Alliance:

    
    Music Copyright, Creativity, and Culture - Jennifer Jenkins

    Looking to get a copy of the book, I found the book’s page on the publisher’s website, Oxford University Press. Seeing it available as an e-book, I opted to go with that as a more eco-friendly option and to save some physical space. I worked my way through the checkout and payment steps, under the impression that I would be purchasing a copy of the book that I could download and do with as I wished. The use of the words “buy” and “purchase” throughout the book page on the publisher’s website certainly did not suggest otherwise.