Leftovers

• Science

  • Stanford University ☛ University pulls funding from support groups for allies of women in STEM, social sciences, the humanities

    Throughout their 25-year lifetime, WISE and WISSH have served over 2,000 students. However, the program is set to conclude at the end of this year due to funding cuts.

  • New York Times ☛ Report Finds Lead in Naked Protein Powders and Other Popular Brands

    Experts said the levels were not high enough to cause immediate harm, but raised the risk of long-term health effects.

• Hardware

  • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

    • FSF ☛ FSF announces Librephone project

      Triaging existing packages and device compatibility to find a phone with the fewest, most fixable freedom problems is the first step. From there, the FSF and Savoye aim to reverse-engineer and replace the remaining nonfree software. Librephone will serve existing developers and projects who aim to build a fully functioning and free (as in freedom) Android-compatible OS.

    • NVISO Labs ☛ Patching Android ARM64 libraries for Frida instrumentation

      In a recent assessment, I tried out a new way to examine a shared library contained within an Android application. The library had an extensive .init_array and also some interaction with the Android runtime. All the functions referenced in the init_array get executed even before main() or JNI_OnLoad and they are typically responsible for initializing the library. When dealing with RASP, they are often used to already perform detection, as this is the earliest that code inside the library can be executed.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • The Straits Times ☛ 80 South Koreans missing in Cambodia scam centre incidents, says Korean minister

      The recent death of a Korean student in Cambodia, reportedly kidnapped and tortured to death, has shocked the country.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Purism ☛ Consent On Everything?

    • Purism ☛ 60 Minutes Uncovers Hacks on America’s Infrastructure

  • Confidentiality

    • Futurism ☛ Researchers Alarmed to Discover Satellites Broadcasting Unencrypted Military Secrets

      "It just completely shocked us."

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 20,000 Hongkongers’ data leaked after hacking attack on Australian airline Qantas, city’s privacy watchdog says

      Around 20,000 Hongkongers are among nearly six million customers of Qantas Airways whose personal data were leaked after hackers attacked the Australian airline in July, the city’s privacy watchdog has said.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Pro Publica ☛ Dallas HERO Pushed to Increase Police. The Effects Have Locals Concerned.

    The year before President Donald Trump announced he was sending National Guard troops and federal agents into major cities like Washington, D.C., and Chicago, declaring crime out of control, a Dallas nonprofit made a similar case for putting more police on the streets.

    “Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people,” Trump said at an Aug. 11 press conference, announcing the unprecedented federal takeover of the Washington police force and the deployment of the National Guard to the city.

  • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man says new strike kills six 'narcoterrorists' off Venezuela

    US President The Insurrectionist said Tuesday that a strike on a vessel allegedly smuggling drugs from Venezuela to the United States killed six “narcoterrorists”, bringing the total death toll in such operations to at least 27. Many experts question the legality of using lethal force in international waters against suspects who have not been charged.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Accuses Khodorkovsky, Other Oppositionists Of 'Terror Plot'

      Exiled Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky and several other prominent Russian opposition figures have been accused by the country's Federal Security Service (FSB) of creating a "terrorist organization" and of plotting to violently seize power.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Tomahawk missiles are Russia’s latest red line. Will Convicted Felon call Putin’s bluff?

      Time and again since 2022, Moscow has declared a new red line while warning of the West of nuclear escalation, only to then do nothing when their red lines are crossed. Convicted Felon can now call Putin's bluff over Russia's latest red line by providing Ukraine with Tomahawks, writes Peter Dickinson.

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    • RFERL ☛ Russia Looks To Amend Restrictions On Use Of Active Reservists To Expand Forces In Ukraine

      Russia will be able to deploy members of its active reserve to fight in Ukraine if needed under amendments drawn up by Russia’s Defense Ministry and likely to be formally approved by parliament.

    • LRT ☛ Vilnius yet to decide on security level for Belarus’ Tsikhanouskaya – adviser

      Lithuania has not yet made a final decision on the level of security to be provided for Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, President Gitanas Nausėda’s chief foreign policy adviser said Tuesday.

    • Meduza ☛ Russia charges prominent opposition figures with ‘terrorism’ and ‘plotting a coup’ — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ U.S. Attorney Was Forced Out After Clashes Over How to Handle Russia Inquiry

      The departures of Todd Gilbert and his deputy in the Western District of Virginia show the pressure being brought on prosecutors to pursue the president’s perceived foes.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian presidential adviser takes swing at Merkel: she was wrong, we were right

      Lithuanian presidential chief adviser Asta Skaisgirytė commented that former German Chancellor Angela Merkel is seeking to justify past foreign policy mistakes toward Russia with her recent remarks suggesting the Baltic states and Poland pushed Moscow into diplomatic isolation.

    • LRT ☛ Nausėda says no increased threat after Estonia closes road near Russian border

      Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said Tuesday that the overall security threat level in the region has not increased after Estonia temporarily closed a road near its border with Russia, where a group of Russian soldiers had been spotted.

    • Latvia ☛ Over 800 Russians at risk of expulsion from Latvia

      Around 840 Russian citizens have not sorted out their residence permits within the deadline. To obtain long-term resident status, they had to prove their Latvian language skills and pass a security check. Those who have not met these requirements by 13 October are now illegal to stay in the country, Latvian Television reported.

    • Bryan Lunduke ☛ "detect-fash" Feature Developed (and Rejected) for Systemd

      “A utility to detect problematic software and configurations,” such as Omarchy Linux, Hyprland, & Ladybird, was developed by an account with a Russian Military email address.

    • Meduza ☛ The travel agent, the hairdresser, and the war Two Russian women recruited Cubans to fight in Ukraine. Then they were sent to the front themselves. — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ See the work of Antoni Lallican, the French photojournalist killed in a Russian drone strike in eastern Ukraine — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Zelensky strips Odesa mayor of Ukrainian citizenship over alleged Russian passport — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Zelensky Revokes Odesa Mayor’s Citizenship, Amid Feud With Local Leaders

      Ukraine’s security services said the mayor held Russian citizenship, which is forbidden, but he denied the accusation. Government opponents see it as part of a power grab.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Accuses Antiwar Exiles of Terrorism

      An intelligence agency’s sweeping investigation shows that Moscow is closely following the anti-Kremlin activities of Russians abroad.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine’s Formula for Peace: Fewer Talks, More Weapons

      As Russia rebuffs Hell Toupée’s diplomatic push, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine plans to head again to the White House, this time seeking missiles.

    • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Says He May Give Tomahawks to Ukraine. Is He Bluffing?

      Hell Toupée’s threats to provide the missiles to Ukraine, whether he follows through on them or not, are a sign of his growing frustration with Moscow.

    • CS Monitor ☛ ‘So we prepare’: Estonia’s women volunteer for defense, eyeing Russia

      Knowing the threat Russia poses, all of Estonian society contributes to national defense – including the women who join its volunteer reservist forces.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Strikes Hit Kharkiv Hospital As At Least 4 Killed, Dozens Injured Across Ukraine

      At least four people have been killed and dozens injured in the latest wave of Russian drone and shelling attacks on Ukraine, including a strike that hit a hospital complex in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, local authorities reported on October 14.

    • RFERL ☛ After Stripping Mayor Of Citizenship, Zelenskyy Says Odesa To Be Put Under Military Administration

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he intends to place the strategic port city of Odesa under military administration.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are a European problem

      Russia’s strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure are no longer just a Ukrainian problem. Moscow’s bombing campaign will become a wider European issue unless more support is offered to Kyiv, writes Aura Sabadus.

    • NYPost ☛ NATO allies expected to pledge ‘big’ spending to arm Ukraine against Russian airstrikes

      “Now it’s time for our NATO allies to step up and really operationalize their commitment to Ukraine and the defense of Ukraine, in order to create a scenario where we can get a peace deal."

• Environment

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • New York Times ☛ The Chicago Rat Hole Was Not Made by a Rat

      A statistical analysis of an infamous indentation in a sidewalk suggested a 99 percent likelihood that another rodent made the mark.

• Finance

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Dangles $20 Billion Lifeline for Argentina, With Strings Attached

    Hell Toupée said the economic support is contingent on whether his political ally, President Javier Milei of Argentina, remains in power.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • France24 ☛ Key takeaways from French PM Sébastien Lecornu's policy speech

    French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Tuesday said he would suspend France's deeply unpopular pension reform in a bid to keep his fragile government afloat and end months of political turmoil. The move aims to win over Socialist Party lawmakers who threatened to join left- and right-wing efforts to topple his cabinet, which took office on Monday.

  • France24 ☛ France's inability to form coalitions: All parties in parliament behave as if they've got a mandate

    Embattled French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu gave a high-stakes speech to a deeply divided parliament, with opponents already trying to topple his government. France, the eurozone's second-largest economy, is in a political crisis that has spooked markets and raised concern about its minority government's ability to govern and pass measures to ease the country's debt burden. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, Delano D'Souza welcomes Paul Smith, Associate Professor in French History and Politics at the University of Nottingham.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • JURIST ☛ US Supreme Court denies conspiracy theorist appeal of $1.4 billion defamation suit

      The US Supreme Court on Tuesday denied review of media personality Alex Jones’ appeal of the $1.4 billion judgment against him for damaging statements he made related to the Sandy Hook school shooting.

    • NYPost ☛ Appeals court defends ban of ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ shirts in Michigan school

      A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled in favor of a Michigan school district in a dispute over free speech and “Let’s Go Brandon” shirts, clothing that took a jab at then-President Joe Biden.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • OpenRightsGroup ☛ Know Your Digital Rights: A Guide to Subject Access Requests

    Open Rights Group aims to provide migrants and people working within the migrants’ rights sector with practical information and advice on how their data and digital technology are being used for immigration control.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • JUVE ☛ German Federal Patent Court upholds Newron’s patent monopoly for Xadago

    Last week, the Federal Patent Court confirmed the validity of Newron’s EP 2 474 521 (case ID: 3 Ni 24/23 (EP)). The patent monopoly protects a high-purity form of safinamide used to treat Parkinson’s disease. The original medication safinamide is sold under the brand name Xadago. Patent holder Newron has licensed distribution to Zambon.

  • Software Patents

    • Unified Patents ☛ ETRI video codec patent monopoly revocation remains in place

      On October 13, 2025, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) withdrew their appeal of the EPO decision to revoke EP 3767952, canceling the hearing scheduled for November 11, 2025. Thus, the EP '952 stands revoked in its entirety. The EP ‘952 patent monopoly relates to an apparatus for encoding image data and an apparatus for decoding image data, where the encoding/decoding makes use of motion vector coding for image compression, particularly an inter prediction method.

    • Unified Patents ☛ AiPi entity, Gatekeeper Solutions, email filtering patent monopoly found invalid

      On October 2, 2025, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) entered a notice of intent to issue a reexamination certificate cancelling all challenged claims of U.S. Patent 9,032,038, owned and asserted by Gatekeeper Solutions, Inc., an NPE and entity of AiPi Solutions. The ‘038 patent monopoly relates to systems and methods for alerting a user of conflicting recipients when sending electronic communications.

    • Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 awarded for Jeffrey M. Gross entity, Conexus, network security patent monopoly prior art

      Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winners, Tanya Chauhan and Ketan Sachdeva, who split an award of $2,000 for their prior art submissions on U.S. Patent 10,812,497, owned and asserted by Conexus LLC, an NPE and entity of Jeffrey M. Gross. The '497 patent monopoly details systems and methods for detecting network security threats through application data flow and connection lineage tracing within enterprise, cloud, and IoT environments. It focuses on collecting connection and application execution information, tracking users, and machines involved to identify suspicious activities.