Leftovers

• Career/Education

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong leader pledges ‘full support’ to local universities to attract overseas students amid US crackdown

    Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has pledged “full support” to the city’s universities to attract foreign students following US President The Insurrectionist’s move to restrict international enrolment.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Cancels Contract With Moderna to Develop Bird Flu Vaccine

    Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly questioned the safety of mRNA technology, which is used in the company’s shot.

  • WhichUK ☛ 5 ways gardening can improve your health

    Whether you've got a back garden, allotment, windowbox or a houseplant, anyone can benefit from gardening

  • France24 ☛ France to ban smoking on beaches, parks and bus stops from July 1

    France will ban smoking in all outdoor places that can be accessed by children, including beaches, parks and bus stops from July 1, French Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin announced Thursday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Penang to start using durian tracking system to curb fraud, report says

    Local growers have complained about the misuse and misrepresentation of Penang durians.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Press Gazette ☛ Google Hey Hi (AI) LLM Slop Mode is undermining original journalism

      Publishers warned they must adapt their strategy as Hey Hi (AI) LLM Slop search becomes more dominant.

    • New York Times ☛ Google Hey Hi (AI) Mode LLM Slop for Search Has Arrived. Proceed With Caution.

      AI Mode excels at tasks like product research for online shopping. But it falls short on basic web searches.

• Pseudo-Open Source

  • Openwashing

    • Venture Beat ☛ How Snowflake’s open-source text-to-SQL and Arctic inference models solve enterprise AI’s two biggest deployment headaches

      New open-source efforts from Snowflake aim to help solve that unsolved challenges of text-to-SQL and inference performance for enterprise AI.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Defence Web ☛ Colonial-era borders create conflict in Africa’s oceans – how to resolve them

    Africa has 38 coastal and island nations. Their maritime industries – including energy, tourism, maritime transport, shipping and fishing – play a crucial role in developing these nations. Key to harnessing these resources are Africa’s maritime boundaries – lines on a map showing the legal divisions of the ocean between neighbouring coastal states.

  • BIA Net ☛ Council of Europe imposes sanctions on Syrian rebel groups targeting Alawites

    The EU has added the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade and its leader Abu Amsha, the Hamza Division and its leader Sayf Boulad Abu Bakr, and the Sultan Murad Division to its sanctions list for crimes of torture, execution, and forced displacement of civilians in Syria’s coastal region.

  • New York Times ☛ Police Investigate Detectives Who Worked at House in Crypto Torture Case

    Roberto Cordero, who has also served on Mayor Eric Adams’s protection detail, and Raymond J. Low were placed on modified duty.

  • Federal News Network ☛ DCSA backlog of security clearance investigations down 24%

    “We haven't seen a rise in inventory or timeliness since last year,” David Cattler said.

  • Security Week ☛ Chinese Hacking Group ‘Earth Lamia’ Targets Multiple Industries

    Active since at least 2023, the hacking group has been targeting the financial, government, IT, logistics, retail, and education sectors.

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Hits an Obstacle: the Courts

    Also, Russia’s summer offensive appears to be underway. Here’s the latest at the end of Thursday.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • NYPost ☛ Douglas Murray: Putin’s playbook is the same a quarter-century later — peace talks are pointless

      Almost 25 years have passed since President George W. Bush famously underestimated Vladimir Putin, and yet the Russian leader is still perplexing his US counterparts.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Michta in 19FortyFive, RealClearDefense, and RealClearWorld on Putin’s strategic objectives in Ukraine

      On May 29, Andrew Michta, senior fellow in the GeoStrategy Initiative, was published in 19FortyFive on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambition to restore “Russia’s imperial dominion.”

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Fiber optic drones could play decisive role in Russia’s summer offensive

      Russia's emphasis on fiber optic drones is giving it a battlefield edge over Ukraine and may help Putin achieve a long hoped for breakthrough in his coming summer offensive, writes David Kirichenko.

    • RFERL ☛ Lasting Peace Possible Only After Putin, Zelenskyy Says, Calling For Increased Pressure on Russia

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for increased international pressure on Russia after a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin and announcing that Ukraine and Germany will jointly produce long-range weapons to boost Ukraine's ability to fight.

    • RFERL ☛ US Tells UN Security Council Russia Should Take Current Deal To End War In Ukraine

      The US representative to the United Nations told the UN Security Council on May 29 that the deal now on offer to end the war in Ukraine is the best possible outcome for Russia and President Vladimir Putin should take it.

    • Meduza ☛ No take-backsies: As Putin vows support for Russian McDonald’s replacement, lawmakers move to strip foreign investors of their buyback rights — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s Embrace of Putin Shows Few Results

      The American president’s preference for praising and excusing the Russian leader has yielded no progress toward peace in Ukraine.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ UN probe: Russia’s ‘human safari’ in Ukraine is a crime against humanity

      UN investigators have concluded that a coordinated Russian campaign of deadly drone strikes targeting civilians in southern Ukraine's Kherson region is a crime against humanity, writes Peter Dickinson.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Judicial reform must be at the heart of Ukraine’s postwar recovery

      Amid the horror and the trauma of Russia’s ongoing invasion, Ukrainians now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to achieve transformational change in the country’s justice system. We must not miss this chance, writes Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Vasiuk.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Welcome to the long war: Why a Ukraine deal was never realistic

      There is no deal to be had with Russia on Ukraine—there never has been, and there never will be.

    • France24 ☛ 'Not really on the table': Ukraine joining NATO 'not realistic in the short or medium term'

      Russia on Thursday said it was still waiting for Ukraine to agree to attend talks in Istanbul on Monday, after Kyiv demanded Moscow send its peace terms before pledging to attend the meeting. Diplomatic efforts to end the three-year conflict have gained pace in recent months, but Moscow has shown no signs of easing its bombardment of Ukraine and has repeatedly rebuffed calls for an immediate ceasefire. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's Delano D'Souza welcomes Dr. Patrick Bury, Senior Lecturer in Security in the Politics, Languages & International Studies (PoLIS) department, at the University of Bath, specialising in warfare and counter-terrorism.

    • France24 ☛ Russia proposes new Ukraine talks

      Russia has proposed a new round of peace talks with Ukraine, suggesting Istanbul as the venue on June 2. The Kremlin plans to present conditions for a ceasefire and long-term settlement, including halting NATO expansion and lifting sanctions. Ukraine has yet to respond, as international pressure mounts for a diplomatic resolution. Meanwhile, Russia seized two Ukrainian border villages.

    • JURIST ☛ UN investigators: Russian drone attacks on Ukraine civilians is a crime against humanity

      Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine published a report Wednesday that declared Russian drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians in Kherson Province as crimes against humanity and war crimes.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Drone Attacks In Ukraine's Kherson Amount To War Crimes, Says UN

      Russia's military has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in its drone attacks on civilian targets in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, a new United Nations report has found.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Urges Russia To Present Peace Plan Ahead Of Istanbul Talks

      Ukrainian officials on May 28 said Russia should put forth its peace plan for ending the war in Ukraine immediately instead of waiting for a new round of talks next week in Istanbul.

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea enabled Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, says UN monitoring group

      Moscow helped the North improve missile performance in return by supplying data, said the group, in its first report.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Appears to Launch New Offensive in Ukraine Amid Peace Talks

      Moscow’s dual campaign of intensified frontline attacks and bombardment of Ukrainian cities has further reduced the prospects for an end to the fighting.

    • Meduza ☛ Following outcry from Moscow, Serbia’s president vows to halt weapons contracts if arms are bound for Ukraine — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian war veteran killed in Stavropol explosion; governor cites possible ‘Ukrainian terrorist attack’ — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Merz says he hasn't ruled out Germany supplying Taurus missiles to Ukraine — Meduza

    • CS Monitor ☛ Blowing their cover: A dossier on the Russian spies who lived next door

      Shaun Walker interviewed former Soviet agents for “The Illegals,” a highly readable account of Russian operatives and their missions in the West.

    • Meduza ☛ A veteran’s violent end Officer who led Russia’s Mariupol air assault, then became Stavropol’s deputy mayor, dies in suspicious blast — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Old money, new problems Sanctions leave Russian banks and customers stuck with older U.S. currency that’s increasingly difficult to exchange at home and abroad — Meduza

• Finance

  • Pro Publica ☛ Senators Ask DOJ to Probe Potential DOGE Conflicts of Interest at CFPB

    What Happened: Three Democratic senators asked the Justice Department and other federal authorities to investigate whether members of the Department of Government Efficiency helping to downsize federal agencies violated conflict of interest laws by holding stocks in companies that their agencies regulate.

    The letter sent Wednesday by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden and Jack Reed cited ProPublica reporting on how one such aide assigned to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau helped oversee the mass layoffs of the agency’s staff while holding as much as $715,000 in stocks that bureau employees are prohibited from owning.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Nike Employment in Cambodia Kept Increasing Despite Labor Rights Concerns

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • JURIST ☛ South Korea imposes travel ban on former prime minister and finance minister

    South Korean authorities enacted a travel ban on former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, according to local reports on Tuesday. The ban was reportedly imposed on Han and Choi around the middle of this month.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Another 4 Hong Kong democrats freed after being jailed over unofficial primary election

    Four more Hong Kong opposition figures have been released from prison after serving more than four years following their convictions in the city’s largest national security case.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong nat sec. police question 2 other relatives of wanted activist Joe Tay

    Hong Kong national security police have brought in two other relatives of wanted activist Joe Tay for questioning – the second such occasion this month.

  • JURIST ☛ Amnesty International: US foreign aid cuts threaten human rights globally

    Amnesty International on Thursday warned that the abrupt suspension of U.S. foreign aid has put millions of lives and human rights at risk globally by halting critical programs such as the provision of essential health care, food security and humanitarian support for people in extremely vulnerable situations globally, including women, girls, survivors of sexual violence [...]

  • France24 ☛ Poland to vote in razor-tight presidential election

    Poland votes on Sunday in a hotly contested presidential runoff that will pit the pro-EU Warsaw mayor against a nationalist historian in a tight race that could extend the political deadlock in the NATO member nation. Rafal Trzaskowski, backed by the ruling centrists, and Karol Nawrocki, a political novice supported by the opposition Law and Justice party, are running neck-and-neck in opinion polls. We speak to Radosław Markowski, Professor of Political Science, Polish Academy of Sciences.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • New York Times ☛ White House Health Report Included Fake Citations

      A report on children’s health released by the Make America Healthy Again Commission referred to scientific papers that did not exist.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Bryan Lunduke ☛ Texas Law Now Requires Age Verification for App Stores

    In Unrelated News: Nearly 30 Million user accounts leaked in two massive data breaches.

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Administration Targets Brazilian Judge for “Censorship”

    A new State Department policy to restrict visas from foreign officials who censor voices online appears written for a specific Brazilian Supreme Court justice.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • France24 ☛ Harvard graduation ceremony cheers diversity amid Convicted Felon threats

    Thousands of Harvard students in crimson-fringed gowns celebrated their graduation Thursday in a ceremony that saw speakers addressing the importance of diversity and standing up for truth as the Ivy League school battles threats by the Convicted Felon administration on free speech and enrolling international students.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • JUVE ☛ Austrian patent monopoly firms deploy varied strategies to gain foothold at UPC [Ed: UPC is illegal, but this site gets paid to encourage misuse and miscarriage of justice, connected closely to EPO corruption]

    While the local division in Vienna has seen relatively little activity with only three hearings to date, JUVE Patent’s new ranking shows Austrian lawyers and patent monopoly attorneys represent their clients before other divisions. The classic model of client representation in UPC proceedings exists in Austria, too.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ On the Edge of Claim Construction: Federal Circuit Splits Over What Counts as a Tile’s ‘Edge’

    Acufloor, LLC v. EvenTile, Inc., No. 2023-1887 (Fed. Cir. May 28, 2025)

    Although new, this case offers a classic claim construction debate with three-way divide between the majority, dissent, and district court over what counts as the "edge" of a tile. The patents here cover a tile leveling device used during install to avoid "lippage"—where one tile's edge is higher than an adjoining tile's edge. The key dispute centered on what constitutes the "edge" of a tile when the claims require "edge-to-mortar-to-subfloor contact."  U.S. Patent Nos. 10,704,274 and 10,513,857.

  • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Patent case: Judgment No. 252/2024 of Valencia Court of Appeal, dated 12 November 2024, Spain

    Decisions in patent monopoly ownership disputes are rare in Spain. The last significant one was the 2022 judgment from the Spanish Supreme Court in the “Ecoforest” case.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Yankees Win! TTAB Sustains Section 2(d) Opposition to NYC NEW YORK CANNABIS & Design for Clothing

    I admit I'm no Yankee fan, and maybe my judgment is clouded by my long-standing dislike of the Bronx Bombers, but I think they should have lost this one. The Board sustained the Yankees' opposition to registration of the mark shown below, for baseball caps, uniforms, and other clothing items, finding the mark confusingly similar to the Yankees' registered (for baseball caps) and concededly famous interlocking NY logo (shown further below). New York Yankees Partnership v. Brian K. Reaux, Opposition No. 91271056 (May 22, 2025) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Mark A. Thurmon).

    In typically obnoxious fashion, the Yankees submitted more that 10,000 pages of evidence, most of it directed to the fame of its mark, although Applicant Reaux had conceded same. Instead, Reaux understandably argued that the marks are too different to be confusable and therefore the fame of the Yankees' logo doesn't matter.

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Judge Denies Perlmutter Restraining Order Request Against Convicted Felon Administration — Possible Preliminary Injunction Push Takes Center Stage

    A federal judge has rejected a request from Shira Perlmutter for a restraining order against the Convicted Felon administration. But the fired Register of Copyrights could be preparing to push for a separate preliminary injunction. Both developments came to light in docket updates following a related in-person hearing.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Who’s suing Hey Hi (AI) and who’s signing: New York Times signs its first Hey Hi (AI) deal with Amazon

    Ziff Davis sues Proprietary Chaffbot Company while The Washington Post signs.