Leftovers

• Science

  • University of Michigan ☛ UMich introductory computer science courses face possible shift with CS open letter

    Over 250 CEOs, including the heads of College Board, Lyft and Khan Academy, released an open letter early May calling for computer science to be a required part of high school curriculum nationwide.

  • New York Times ☛ There’s Probably No Life on K2-18b After All, Three Studies Conclude

    In April, astronomers said they had detected a possible signature of life on the exoplanet K2-18b. Now, three independent analyses discount the evidence.

  • New York Times ☛ New Studies Dismiss Signs of Life on Distant Planet

    In April, astronomers said they had detected a possible signature of life on the exoplanet K2-18b. Now, three independent analyses discount the evidence.

  • New York Times ☛ Historic Shipwrecks Come to Light in the Great Lakes

    With an underwater drone named Rhody, archaeologists are mapping some of the dozens of sunken vessels in Lake Ontario.

  • New York Times ☛ US Archaeologists Face Uncertain Future With Convicted Felon Administration Cuts

    Federal layoffs and grant terminations threaten efforts to understand and preserve the nation’s past. “We are getting cut off at the knees,” said one archaeologist.

  • France24 ☛ Macron in Hanoi as a 'reliable' EU partner, in contrast to Convicted Felon who is 'stuck in the 19th century'

    France and Vietnam signed deals on Airbus planes, defence and other pacts, worth over $10 billion as President Emmanuel Macron visited Hanoi seeking to boost France's influence in its former colony amid risks of high US tariffs. Macron's first formal visit to Vietnam, the first by a French president in nearly a decade, follows US President The Insurrectionist's threats on Friday to impose 50% duties on European Union goods from June 1, fuelling tensions with the 27-country bloc, only to push back the deadline by a month. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's François Picard welcomes Dr. David Camroux, Honorary Research Fellow at the Center for International Studies at Sciences-Po and Senior Lecturer in Asian Studies.

  • Latvia ☛ Hopes for Latvian Oncology Center's renovation fade with money swaps

    Cancer patients are raising concerns that the long-awaited renovation of the Latvian Oncology Centre (LOC), the country's leading cancer treatment facility, is in jeopardy. There may not be enough money to carry out the work as the Health Ministry is planning a major reallocation of funds, Latvian Television reported on 26 May.

  • France24 ☛ Vegetable Garden World Cup: 'We all need to reconnect with nature and our health'

    "It takes a village!" And it takes a vegetable garden! François Picard's guest Henri Landes, Co-Founder of LanDestini, says it's absolutely "fundamental" for kids, especially in urban areas, to learn where food, fruits and vegetables come from. And so, in the spirit of "reconnecting with nature, and our health", Mr. Landes created the Vegetable Garden World Cup to challenge young people across the globe to build lush fruit and vegetable gardens, where they can have a lot of fun planting veritable seeds for the future and meet people all over the world. It's a discovery of the senses, nature, health and nutrition. Field of dreams: "If you build it, they will come!"

  • Science Alert ☛ Underwater Fossils Surface to Reveal a Lost World of Archaic Humans

    The mysterious legacy of Sundaland.

  • Science Alert ☛ Exposure to Daylight Boosts The Immune System, Study Suggests

    "Cells can tell if it’s daytime."

  • Science Alert ☛ Are Dogs Replacing Babies in Countries With Declining Birth Rates?

    Hello furbaby.

  • Science Alert ☛ Microbe From Man's Wound Able to Feed on Hospital Plastic

    This could be a problem.

  • Science Alert ☛ Sudden Death Among Professional Bodybuilders Raises Health Concerns

    Safety comes first.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Serious Threat May Be Lurking in The Orbit of Venus, Says Study

    Hiding in plain daylight.

  • Hackaday ☛ NASA Is Shutting Down The International Space Station Sighting Website

    Starting on June 12, 2025, the NASA Spot the Station website will no longer provide ISS sighting information, per a message recently sent out. This means no information on sighting opportunities provided on the website, nor will users subscribed via the website receive email or text notifications. Instead anyone interested in this kind of information will have to download the mobile app for iOS or Android.

• Hardware

  • France24 ☛ China: Hangzhou holds the world's first humanoid robot fighting competition

    The world's first humanoid robot fighting competition took place on Sunday in Hangzhou, east China, with humanoid robot "AI Strategist" emerging victorious after a fierce showdown.

  • Hackaday ☛ Mouse Model Suggests Starch-Based Plastics Are Still Bad For You

    To paraphrase The Simpsons: plastics are the solution to – and cause of – all of mankind’s problems. Nowhere is this more clear in the phenomenon of microplastics. Some have suggested that alternative bioplastics made out of starch could be the solution here, as the body might be able to digest and disassemble these plastic fragments better. Unfortunately, a team of Chinese researchers put this to the test using mice, with the results suggesting that starch-based plastics do not change the harm to tissues and organs.

  • Hackaday ☛ 2025 Pet Hacks Contest: A Barrel Of Fun For Your Dog

    If you ask someone for a piece of received opinion about Bernese mountain dogs, the chances are that the tale of their carrying barrels of brandy round their necks for the revival of those lost in the snow. It’s a story of uncertain provenance and may indeed be a myth, but that hasn’t stopped [Saren Tasciyan] 3D printing one for their faithful hound. In its own way it too is a saviour, for as well as a small camera, it carries a supply of dog poop bags.

  • Hackaday ☛ Intercepting And Decoding Bluetooth Low Energy Data For Victron Devices

    [ChrisJ7903] has created two Ardiuno programs for reading Victron solar controller telemetry data advertised via BLE. If you’re interested in what it takes to use an ESP32 to sniff Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transmissions, this is a master class.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Medium ☛ Simon Quigley: Mow Your Lawn

    In many parts of life, mise en place is a helpful concept that allows you to properly structure your own foundations, and ensure that you are prepared for a wide variety of situations. This specifically comes down to mental resilience, and building good habits instead of bad ones.

    “But Simon! That’s a really fancy French word. Could you break it down a little bit?”

    Sure can! I’ll give you a practical example of how I taught myself cooking. To the professional cooks out there, I’m sorry in advance, you’re probably going to strongly dislike my technique.

  • The Straits Times ☛ In super-aged S. Korea, a Seoul district wants residents to get first spots in ‘elderly kindergartens’

    South Korea officially became a “super-aged” society in 2024.

  • New Yorker ☛ The Self-Taught Cook Who Mastered the Flour Tortilla

    Some of the best Sonoran-style tortillas in the U.S. are being made far from the border, in a college town forty miles outside Kansas City.

  • Science Alert ☛ Surprise Link Between Menthol And Alzheimer's Found in Mice

    Could inhaling menthol help fight the disease?

  • JURIST ☛ HRW calls WHO pandemic treaty a landmark but ‘flawed’ step, urges rights-based implementation

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday that the new World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic treaty is a landmark effort, but is flawed and inadequate in its implementation mechanisms and effectiveness to combat inequalities between countries.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Health experts urge Malaysians to stay vigilant against Covid-19

    The public should always practise caution at all times and wear masks if necessary.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Latest Proprietary Chaffbot Company models ‘sabotaged a shutdown mechanism’ despite commands to the contrary

      Researchers observe the latest Proprietary Chaffbot Company models sabotaging shutdown attempts, despite explicit commands to allow such interruptions.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • dwaves.de ☛ Instagram & Facebook (Farcebook) (META) how to opt out of data usage for Hey Hi (AI) training – how social control media such as x.com is not neutral at all but biased in order to manipulate elections

• Defence/Aggression

  • France24 ☛ Is rise of far right, worldwide, fuelled by decline in people's social skills and social judgement?

    Nearly three-quarters of the world’s population now lives under some form of authoritarian rule. As illiberal leaders continue to gain power, often through democratic elections, the question looms large: is democracy in decline? We are witnessing a pivotal moment in living history, where far-right movements are capturing hearts and minds of voters, reshaping political landscapes across the globe. For an in-depth exploration of this seismic shift, FRANCE 24’s Eve Irvine is pleased to welcome Dr. Sarah Stein Lubrano, researcher at Oxford University and author of the newly released, thought-provoking book Don't Talk About Politics, which unpacks the science, psychology and politics behind our political behaviours.

  • New York Times ☛ Former Police Chief Imprisoned for Murder and Rape Escapes From Arkansas Prison

    Grant Hardin, 56, escaped on Sunday from a high-security prison in Arkansas, where he was serving a decades-long sentence for first-degree murder and rape.

  • Defence Web ☛ Tunisia receives patrol boats to bolster maritime security operations

    Tunisia has received two 34-metre Island-class patrol boats from the United States government to increase the country’s ability to secure its 1 148-kilometer coastline, which faces smuggling, organised crime and terrorism threats. The boats, named Tazarka and Menzel Bourguiba, were previously part of the US Coast Guard fleet.

  • New Yorker ☛ Torture and Tres Leches in Iran’s Most Notorious Prison

    Part memoir, part exposé, part cookbook, “The Evin Prison Bakers’ Club” reveals the hidden lives of women dissidents in the Islamic Republic.

  • The Strategist ☛ To counter China, Quad members should work closer in maritime surveillance

    The Quad is not keeping pace with security needs in the Indo-Pacific. Its members—Australia, India, Japan and the United States—should step up cooperation to keep an eye on what’s going on at sea.

  • France24 ☛ Netanyahu pledges hostages return as Israeli airstrikes kill dozens ini Gaza

    Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Monday to bring back all hostages on a day when Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed 52 people, and a US-backed aid group said it had delivered food to Palestinians in the enclave under a controversial new aid distribution system.

  • New York Times ☛ Israeli Airstrike Kills at Least 7 of a Doctor’s Children in Gaza

    Two more children were missing, and the doctor’s husband and one other child were injured in the strike on Friday, the officials said. Israel said it was checking if it had harmed “uninvolved civilians.”

  • JURIST ☛ ICRC calls for Gaza ceasefire following killing of 2 employees

    The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Sunday called for an urgent ceasefire and protection of civilians in Gaza following Israeli airstrikes that killed two of its employees.

  • France24 ☛ Head of US-backed Gaza aid foundation quits as further Israeli airstrikes kill dozens

    The head of a US-backed foundation set to begin aid deliveries in Gaza resigned unexpectedly, saying it could not uphold humanitarian principles amidst war, as an Israeli airstrike on a school building killed dozens of Palestinians sheltering inside.

  • France24 ☛ Controversial aid group starts operations in Gaza: "Not a viable solution", expert says

    France 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to Scott Lucas, Professor at the University College Dublin about the controversy surrounding a U.S.- and Israel-backed group tasked with delivering aid to Gaza. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says it has began its operations on Monday despite opposition from the UN and most humanitarian groups, as well as the unexpected resignation of its executive director over the weekend. This all comes in the wake of deadly Israeli airstrikes, including one on a school shelter, as Gaza’s humanitarian crisis deepens.

  • France24 ☛ US-backed group starts Gaza aid distribution as Israeli airstrikes kill dozens

    The controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said Monday an undisclosed amount of aid trucks had reached the organization's hubs in Gaza and distribution had begun as Israeli airstrikes on a school sheltering families in the enclave killed 52 people.

  • France24 ☛ Israeli airstrikes on Gaza school sheltering families kill 52

    The Israeli military on Monday launched airstrikes on a Gaza school that families had been using as a shelter, killing 52 people, claiming without providing evidence that Hamas and the Islamic Jihad were using the location as a command and control center.

  • New York Times ☛ Dick Garwin Fought Nuclear Armageddon. He Hid a 50-Year Secret.

    Richard Garwin’s role in designing the hydrogen bomb was obscured from the public, even his family, as he advised presidents and devoted his life to undoing the danger he created.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea says US ‘Golden Dome’ missile shield plans risk ‘nuclear war’ in space

    North Korea accused the US of being "hell-bent on the moves to militarise outer space".

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s liberal candidate Lee holds clear lead a week before presidential vote

    South Korea will hold a snap election on June 3 to pick a successor to ousted leader Yoon Suk Yeol.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Financial resilience for military families: Overcoming common challenges

    Understanding these challenges is the first step toward building financial resilience and long-term security.

  • Latvia ☛ Latvian teams perform well in cyber-defence drills

    This year, in collaboration with experts from Belgium and Luxembourg, the Latvian cybersecurity team secured 4th place in the world’s most complex cyber defence exercise, Locked Shields, reports Labs of Latvia.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Canada welcomes King Charles III after Convicted Felon's 51st state threats

    After U.S. President The Insurrectionist's repeated suggestion that the U.S. annex Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney invited King Charles III to give the speech that will outline his government's agenda and underscore the nation's sovereignty.

  • France24 ☛ King Charles III visits Canada in apparent pushback against Convicted Felon’s annexation threats

    King Charles III on Monday arrived in Ottawa for a historic visit that is widely seen as a pushback against US President The Insurrectionist’s repeated threats to make Canada the 51st US state. During his visit, Charles, who is Canada’s head of state as part of the Commonwealth, will open the parliament with a so-called throne speech.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Calls Putin 'Absolutely Crazy' After Record Drone Attack On Ukraine

      US President The Insurrectionist said Vladimir Putin "has gone absolutely crazy!" following a series of deadly attacks, and warned that -- if he attempts to conquer all of Ukraine -- it will lead to Russia's "downfall."

    • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Says Putin Has ‘Gone Crazy’ After New Russian Attacks on Ukraine

      Hell Toupée says that the Russian president has “gone absolutely CRAZY’’ with attacks in Ukraine, but has so far refused to join Europe with its newest sanctions.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘He has gone absolutely CRAZY’: Trump says he’s ‘not happy’ with Putin after deadly strike on Ukraine — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Kremlin says Trump’s post accusing Putin of ‘needlessly killing’ people was result of U.S. president’s ‘emotional overload’ — Meduza

    • BIA Net ☛ 'War made journalism a lifeline': Ukrainian Radio Executive Producer Yuliya Sheludko on broadcasting under fire

      "Disinformation and propaganda are also weapons of the enemy. Our mission is not only to stop the spread of fake news, but also to teach our audience how to think critically"

    • Stanford University ☛ Former ambassador to Russia talks campus espionage, criticizes Convicted Felon’s Russia strategy

      Political science professor and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul criticized the Convicted Felon administration for its approach to the Russia-Ukraine war and international students at a SPU event Thursday.

    • The Strategist ☛ Now that’s innovation: Ukrainian army units compete for weapons; start-ups compete for their business

      Fast-paced, iterative, gritty and incredibly successful innovation is sustaining Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s invasion.

    • Defence Web ☛ Grave risks for Cameroon as soldiers desert to fight in Ukraine

      The desertion of soldiers to fight in Ukraine weakens the operational capacity of several African militaries and the stability of the affected countries. Cameroon’s government recently highlighted the trend which, although not new, has intensified since Russia invaded Ukraine. A 7 March statement by Cameroon’s Defence Minister Joseph Beti Assomo sheds light on the ‘illicit […]

      The post Grave risks for Cameroon as soldiers desert to fight in Ukraine appeared first on defenceWeb.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Intensifies Attacks on Ukraine as U.S. Steps Back

      With diplomatic efforts to reach a cease-fire appearing remote, and Hell Toupée apparently abandoning the process, Russia has been escalating its assaults on Ukrainian cities and on the battlefield.

    • New York Times ☛ NATO Wants a Cordial Summit, but Convicted Felon or Zelensky Could Disrupt It

      NATO’s leader is looking for little drama and a focus on new spending goals, not disagreements over Ukraine.

    • Meduza ☛ Russian authorities raid letter-writing event for political prisoners — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘A kind of James Bond figure’: Three years after Zhirinovsky’s death, successor Leonid Slutsky pushes to rebrand the ultra-nationalist LDPR as Russia’s ‘party of diplomacy’ — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Trump considering new sanctions on Russia this week — The Wall Street Journal — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ E.U.–U.S. talks on tackling Russia sanctions evasion fail — Süddeutsche Zeitung — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia has started providing naval escorts for its 'shadow fleet' ships in Baltic Sea, Finnish defense minister says — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ What’s Convicted Felon’s Vision on China, Russia and the World?

      Hell Toupée’s recent actions and statements suggest he might want an arrangement where the United States, China and Russia each dominate their sphere of influence.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Finland summons Russian ambassador over suspected airspace violation

      HELSINKI - Finland's foreign ministry said on Monday it had summoned Russia's Helsinki ambassador over a suspected violation of Finnish airspace that took place last week.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian athletes refuse to share podium with Russians in Taipei

      Lithuanian sports masters have refused to share the awards podium with Russian representatives at the 2025 Summer World Masters Games in Taiwan, reports 15min.lt.

    • Latvia ☛ LIIA event to discuss impact on Russia of sanctions

      As part of the annual Riga Dialogue conference, the Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA) will be hosting what it promises will be a "thought-provoking and honest discussion" discussion on May 27th about Russia’s economic trajectory in the face of sanctions.

    • Meduza ☛ Kyiv under six-hour air alert as Russia launches drone and missile strikes across Ukraine — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Merz says Germany, France, U.K., and U.S. have lifted range limits for weapons sent to Ukraine — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘I have the right to speak Russian’ Ukrainian writer Zhenia Berezhna on reclaiming the ‘language of the occupiers’ — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo files lawsuit over fake covers mocking Ukraine — Meduza

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s MTRC fined HK$19.2 million for 5-hour service disruption on Tseung Kwan O Line

      Hong Kong’s railway operator, the MTR Corporation (MTRC), will have to pay HK$19.2 million in fines for the five-hour service disruption on its Tseung Kwan O Line last week, the city’s transport minister has said.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ ‘Ethically questionable’: Chinese ambassador lashes Australian plan to buy back key port

      China’s ambassador in Australia has condemned a push to block a Chinese company running a strategically important Australian shipping port, calling it “ethically questionable”. The Landbridge group was granted a 99-year lease on the northern port of Darwin in 2015, a widely criticised decision that led to stricter scrutiny of major infrastructure sales. Prime Minister […]

    • The Straits Times ☛ Deal to explore exporting renewable energy from Vietnam to Singapore, Malaysia inked at Asean Summit

      A feasibility study will look at Vietnam sending power to Malaysia via subsea cable before it goes overland to Singapore.

• Finance

  • LRT ☛ Star-studded summer: Kaunas expects economic boon from blockbuster concerts

    A series of high-profile concerts at Darius and Girėnas Stadium this summer is expected to draw tens of thousands of music fans to Kaunas – and potentially inject millions of euros into the local economy.

  • The Straits Times ☛ More South Korean young adults economically ‘inactive’, especially women and college grads

    The report was based on a survey of 3,189 young people who said they took a break over the past year.

  • New York Times ☛ China’s Soft Spot in Trade War With Convicted Felon: Risk of Huge Job Loss

    A chronic housing slowdown and high youth unemployment rate have made China more vulnerable than it was in Hell Toupée’s first term.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China mulling new economic policy tools, Premier Li says

    BEIJING - China is weighing new policy tools in the face of an international economic and trade order that is "under severe impact", Chinese Premier Li Qiang told a symposium with Chinese firms in Jakarta over the weekend.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China shifts from developing world's banker to debt collector, says Lowy Institute

    SYDNEY - The world's poorest countries are due to make record debt repayments to China in 2025 on loans extended a decade earlier at the peak of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, a report by the Sydney-based Lowy Institute think tank said on Monday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Developing nations face ‘tidal wave’ of China debt: Australian think-tank

    The poorest 75 countries were set to make record high debt repayments in 2025 of a combined US$22b.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ "Export control was a failure." Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang slams Biden's China Hey Hi (AI) restrictions - Computex 2025 Q and A

    Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang addressed trade and new Hey Hi (AI) technologies in a Computex Q&A

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel uncovers alleged embezzlement involving former employee and supplier

    Former defective chip maker Intel employee Natalia Avtsin and hardware component supplier Yafim Tsibolevsky committed fraud to steal over $840,000.

  • European Commission ☛ Commission and national authorities urge SHEIN to respect EU consumer protection laws

    European Commission Press release Brussels, 26 May 2025 Today, following a coordinated investigation at European level, the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network of national consumer authorities and the European Commission notified the online marketplace and e-retailer SHEIN of a number of practices on its platform that infringe EU consumer law.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung says to restore hotline with North Korea

    The two Koreas have in the past communicated using hotlines but Pyongyang had stopped responding since 2023.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean election: Can a new president bring back stability?

    The June 3 election will either bring stability or deepen painful divisions within the nation. 

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia PM hails ‘significant’ engagement with Myanmar as South-east Asian leaders meet

    Asean leaders were expected to discuss ways to jump-start the bloc’s faltering Myanmar peace process.

  • The Straits Times ☛ India, Canada move to mend diplomatic ties

    Ties between Canada and India were strained following the assassination of a Canadian Sikh.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Scholars from China flock to Malaysia

    Affordable education and cultural familiarity are fuelling the academic migration.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines open to more agreements with China to keep peace in South China Sea

    Beijing has advocated for dialogue with Manila to manage disputes.  

  • New York Times ☛ Tech’s Convicted Felon Whisperer, Tim Cook, Goes Quiet as His Influence Fades

    Apple’s chief executive has gone from winning Hell Toupée’s praise to drawing his ire, deepening the company’s woes in a very bad year.

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Tariffs: EU, Fashion Company Apple and the Latest on the Trade War

    Hell Toupée on Friday threatened, and then paused, steeper tariffs on goods from the European Union. He also targeted Apple.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • New York Times ☛ India Arrests an Academic for Antiwar Posts on Instagram

    The arrest of a political science professor shows Indian leaders’ sensitivity to the political fallout from the military flare-up.

  • JURIST ☛ US federal court upholds Texas library’s removal of books from circulation

    The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Friday reversed a lower court’s decision to return books that had been removed from the library system in Llano County, Texas.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • New York Times ☛ A Science Fiction Writer Wrestles With China’s Rise, and His Own Decline

    In his stories, Han Song explores the disorientation accompanying China’s modernization, sometimes writing of unthinkable things that later came true.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Hackaday ☛ Wayback Proxy Lets Your Browser Party Like It’s 1999

    This project is a few years old, but it might be appropriate to cover it late since [richardg867]’s Wayback Proxy is, quite literally, timeless.

  • APNIC ☛ How to bring data centre-like connectivity to your home with IPTTTH

    The operational and financial feasibility of MPLS-delivered IP Transit-To-The-Home (IPTTTH).

  • APNIC ☛ Event Wrap: LACNIC 43

    Geoff Huston presented on 'Measuring Starlink Protocol Performance' at LACNIC 43 held in São Paulo, Brazil from 5 to 9 May 2025.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Digital Music News ☛ YouTube Resolves Bundling Investigation in South Korea — Reported Agreement Includes Premium Lite Launch and $22 Million Music Industry Fund

  YouTube looks to have resolved a bundling-focused investigation in South Korea, where the platform reportedly intends to launch its Premium Lite subscription. Local outlets shed light on the resolution, which will seemingly end a years-long Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) probe.

• Patents

  • Federal Judges Admit Lack of Technical Expertise, Making the Case for an Accessible PTAB

    At the American Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Law Section spring conference at the start of May, a group of federal judges overseeing complex patent monopoly lawsuits admitted they are not experts in the specialized technological fields underlying patent monopoly litigation.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ Unified Patent Court appoints new technically qualified judges [Ed: Unified Patent Court is illegal and unconstitutional; moreover, it appoints staff of private companies (i.e. extreme conflict of interest) as "technically qualified judges"]

      Christian Daniel, Dorothea Hofer, Simon Stephan Michel and Lorenzo Parrini are the new technically qualified judges at the UPC. They will be sworn in at the beginning of June. Two weeks ago, the court also announced the appointment of Kristian Jauregui Urbahn as technically qualified judge.

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Lil Wayne Producer Sues Universal Music Over Millions In Allegedly Owed Royalties: ‘UMG Has Simply Taken Advantage of Harrison’s Hard Work’

    Lil Wayne producer Deezle (real name Darius Harrison) is suing Universal Music for allegedly failing to pay him millions in due royalties from Tha Carter III (2008) and more. Deezle and his Drum Major Music Entertainment company just recently submitted the multifaceted lawsuit to a New York federal court. This time around, Universal Music Group […]