Leftovers

• Ravi Dwivedi: My experiences in Brunei

  This post covers my friend Badri and my experiences in Brunei. Brunei — officially Brunei Darussalam — is a country in Southeast Asia, located on Borneo island. It is one of the few remaining absolute monarchies on Earth.

  On the morning of the 10th of December 2024, Badri and I reached Brunei International Airport by taking a flight from Kuala Lumpur. Upon arrival at the airport, we had to go through the immigration, of course. However, I forgot to fill my arrival card, which I filled while I was in the queue for my immigration.

  The immigration officer asked me how much cash I was carrying of each currency. After completing the formalities, the immigration officer stamped my passport and let me in. Take a look at Brunei’s entry stamp in my passport.

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ Joel Primack, Physicist Who Helped Explain the Cosmos, Dies at 80

    A professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, he was a key contributor to a landmark paper that laid out how the universe came to look like it does today.

  • New York Times ☛ Artemis II Moon Mission: NASA Completes Giant Rocket’s Slow Ride to Launchpad

    The Space Launch System and Orion capsule were transported to the launchpad before an astronaut mission that could launch as soon as Feb. 6.

  • Futurism ☛ Wait… All Those Studies May Have “Detected” Microplastics in the Human Body Because of a Severe Error

    "The brain microplastic paper is a joke."

  • The Straits Times ☛ Latest high-tech Japanese toilets can check health via stool analysis

    Users can even receive dietary advice based on analysis of their bowel movement.

  • Futurism ☛ Scientists Preparing to Simulate Human Brain on Supercomputer

    It's an extremely ambitious goal.

• Hardware

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea says US chip tariff to have limited immediate impact

    On Jan 14, US President The Insurrectionist imposed a 25 per cent tariff on imports of some Hey Hi (AI) chips.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ 3 Policy Moves Likely to Change Health Care for Older People

    Two regulatory rollbacks, along with a new Hey Hi (AI) experiment in Medicare, raise some worrisome questions.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea reports first African swine fever case in 2 months

    To prevent the spread, officials culled 20,000 pigs at the affected farm.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Dubai chewy cookie craze in South Korea raises health concerns, experts warn

    While it may feel like a light snack, doctors say its caloric density rivals a full meal.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Poor nutrition during pregnancy causing ‘brain stunting’ in Filipino children: Health Secretary

    A 2023 national survey showed that 23.6 per cent of children under five are stunted.

  • Science Alert ☛ Study Confirms Why Some People Get Drunk Without Touching Alcohol

    This explains a lot.

  • Science Alert ☛ This Popular Celebrity Workout Actually Has Science to Back It

    Here's what it takes.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Mexico isn’t immune to the seduction of the smartphone

    It's a sign of the times perhaps, but phone addiction in Mexico is rapidly becoming a thing we all have to deal with, and it's a shame.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Futurism ☛ If You Use Hey Hi (AI) Chatbots to Follow the News, You’re Basically Injecting Severe Poison Directly Into Your Brain

      News you can't use.

    • Futurism ☛ Scientists Now Studying Hey Hi (AI) as a Novel Biological Organism

      "This is very much a biological type of analysis."

    • Futurism ☛ New Study Finds Hey Hi (AI) in Schools Is Undermining Kids’ Social and Intellectual Development

      "You don’t need to [use] your brain."

    • Futurism ☛ Mother of MElon’s Child Sues xAI Over Grok Abuse

      "She lives in fear that nude and sexual images of herself, including of her as a child."

    • Futurism ☛ Google’s Hey Hi (AI) Insists That Next Year Is Not 2027

      You heard it hear first.

• Security

  • Security Week ☛ Tennessee Man Pleads Guilty to Repeatedly Hacking Supreme Court’s Filing System

    Nicholas Moore pleaded guilty to repeatedly hacking the U.S. Supreme Court’s filing system and illegally accessing computer systems belonging to AmeriCorps and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

  • The Stack ☛ Advanced Linux VoidLink malware package surfaces - targets cloud, containers

    The software, dubbed VoidLink by its developers, isn’t just a simple piece of malware, but comes with 37 specific plugin modules designed with rootkits to allow persistent access, automatic code deletion to cover intrusive operations, and add links to multiple command-and-control servers via peer-to-peer and other methods, making it very hard to eliminate once installed.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Futurism ☛ Hot New App Makes Single People Check in Constantly in Case They Die Alone

      Grim.

• Defence/Aggression

  • JURIST ☛ UN Committee finds Australia breached torture convention for detention of Iran asylum seeker

    The UN Committee against Torture found Wednesday that Australia violated the Convention against Torture by exposing an Iranian asylum seeker to torture and cruel treatment through offshore transfer and prolonged immigration detention.

  • JURIST ☛ Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sentenced to five years in prison on obstruction charges

    The Seoul Central District Court on Friday sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison on several charges, including obstruction of investigators’ attempt to detain him last year. This marks the first criminal sentence imposed as part of Yoon’s December 2024 declaration of martial law.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia police launch manhunt for duo who allegedly shot man at Penang car wash

    The victim was sent to Taiping Hospital and was pronounced dead during treatment.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Missing Malaysian actress Nadia Kesuma dies in Saudi Arabia

    The actress's daughter said her mother died from a heart attack.

  • France24 ☛ Canada announces trade deal with China on EVs, canola

    Canada and China struck an initial trade deal on Friday that will slash tariffs on electric vehicles and ⁠canola, as both nations promised to tear down trade barriers while forging new strategic ties during Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit. FRANCE 24 speaks to Jean-Baptiste Monnier, Asia Centre Vice President, to shed more light on the implications of the trade agreement.

  • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man's erratic trade policies are pushing US partners towards China

    Key US trade partners are responding to President The Insurrectionist’s often belligerent and unpredictable policies by looking to take their business elsewhere. Canada's decision on Friday to cut tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles is the latest example of how Convicted Felon's erratic trade policies are pushing allies into the arms of America's greatest economic rival.

  • New York Times ☛ Mr. Carney Goes to Beijing

    The trip, a whirlwind of meetings with Chinese industry and top government officials, conveyed how the prime minister is viewing the wider world.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan says Chinese drone made ‘provocative’ flight over South China Sea island

    It flew in Taiwan's airspace at an altitude outside the range of anti-aircraft weapons.

  • RFERL ☛ Live Blog: Convicted Felon: Khamenei Responsible For 'Violence At Levels Never Seen Before'

    Triggered by soaring prices, inflation, and a plunging currency, Iranians have taken to the streets in what is the biggest threat to the Islamic regime in years. Journalists from RFE/RL’s Iranian service, Radio Farda, bring you the latest developments, analysis, and reporting from on the ground.

  • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Says He Convinced Himself Not To Strike Iran

    US President The Insurrectionist says he has decided on his own not to launch military strikes against Iran, crediting Tehran's alleged cancellation of hundreds of scheduled executions as the decisive factor in his decision to hold back from military action.​

  • France24 ☛ Rights group says thousands of protesters killed in Iran

    Norway-based rights group Iran Human Rights (IHR) says 3,428 protesters have been verified to have been killed by security forces in Iran since protests began, but warns the actual toll could be several times higher. Other estimates place the death toll at more than 5,000 – and possibly as high as 20,000 – with the internet blackout severely hampering independent verification, IHR said.

  • France24 ☛ Iran protest movement subsides amid intense crackdown

    Protests in Iran have subsided after a crackdown that has killed thousands under an internet blackout, monitors said Friday, a week after the start of the largest demonstrations in years challenging the country's theocratic system. Siavosh Ghazi, FRANCE 24 Tehran correspondent, said Saturday that security forces remain largely present for a fifth consecutive day as official media continue to report arrests of people described as members of terrorist groups.

  • JURIST ☛ UN officials and human rights organizations warn of lethal force as Iran protest crackdown continues

    UN officials and human rights organizations have raised alarm over Iran’s response to nationwide protests, warning that the use of lethal force by security forces may constitute serious violations of international law.

  • New York Times ☛ Inside the Doctors Without Borders Clinics That Israel Is Closing in Gaza

    The aid group has refused to comply with new Israeli rules restricting speech and demanding information on staff. Patients are stunned. “I need this place,” says one.

  • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man taps former UK PM Tony Blair for Gaza 'board of peace'

    US President The Insurrectionist on Friday gave a key role in post-war Gaza to former British prime minister Tony Blair and appointed a US officer to lead a nascent security force. Convicted Felon named members of a board to help supervise Gaza that was dominated by Americans, as he promotes a controversial vision of economic development in a territory that lies in rubble after two-plus years of relentless Israeli bombardment.

  • France24 ☛ Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni wins seventh term as rival Bobi Wine rejects 'fake results'

    Uganda's incumbent President Yoweri Museveni won a seventh term in office, official results showed Saturday, allowing the former guerrilla to extend his four-decade rule of the East African country. His main opponent, Bobi Wine, remains in hiding after security forces raided his home.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • New York Times ☛ How a Play Skewering Modern Russia Evaded a Crackdown to Become a Hit

      Everyone expected “The Kholops,” a drama exploring oppression, to be shut down soon after it opened in St. Petersburg. Instead, it is two years into a sold-out run.

    • New York Times ☛ Is the Russian Military Adapting Effectively to the Drone Age?

      Current and former commanders, analysts and military bloggers are having a surprisingly open debate about whether drones have made Russia’s longstanding approach to battle obsolete.

    • France24 ☛ ‘Playing straight into Russia’s hands’: Expert warns Convicted Felon’s Greenland push strains NATO

      President The Insurrectionist’s pursuit of Greenland is creating a rift between the US and other NATO allies, fracturing the alliance and “playing straight into Russia’s hands,” said Jean-François Bélanger, assistant professor at the Institute for Military Operations at the Royal Danish Defence College.

    • France24 ☛ Kyiv schools closed until February after Russia energy strikes

      Schools in Ukrainian capital Kyiv will close until the next month, mayor Vitali Klitschko announced Friday, citing "difficult conditions" after Russian strikes battered the energy sector amid below-freezing temperatures. FRANCE 24's Gulliver Cragg reports.

    • France24 ☛ 'Greenland fiasco: Vladimir Putin happiest person in the world' - Lt. General (ret.) Ben Hodges

      In a wide‑ranging interview with Gavin Lee, Lt. General (ret.) Ben Hodges, former commander of U.S. Army Europe and NATO Allied Land Command, offers a candid assessment of the current geopolitical landscape: Ukraine, NATO, U.S. foreign policy and Convicted Felon's quest "to dominate the entire Western Hemisphere." Hodges argues "Greenland is not about security, just like Venezuela was not about drugs." Drawing on decades of military service, Hodges highlights deep structural risks to Western alliances, and reframes contemporary flashpoints as interconnected strategic challenges.

    • France24 ☛ Greenland: Convicted Felon announces 10% tariff on Europe – including France, UK, Denmark – starting Feb. 1

      US President The Insurrectionist on Saturday said he was imposing rising tariffs on eight European countries until the US strikes a deal for the "complete and total purchase" of Greenland, currently an autonomous territory of Denmark.

    • France24 ☛ French President Emmanuel Macron discusses Greenland and Iran during emergency defense council meeting

      French President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency defense council meeting at the Élysée Palace on Thursday to discuss Greenland and Iran - among other issues. He then visited a military base in the south of France. In his speech to the troops, Macron highlighted the tense geopolitical situation and announced an increase to the French army budget.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Heavy rains in eastern Australia spark flash floods, 20 rescued

    The torrential rains sparked warnings for residents to move to higher ground.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Indonesian authorities find wreckage of missing surveillance plane with 11 on board

      Indonesian authorities said on Sunday they had located the wreckage of a fisheries surveillance plane that went missing in South Sulawesi province near a fog-covered mountain, but were still searching for the 11 people on board.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Science Alert ☛ This Week in Science: a Mammoth Mistake, Redhead Superpowers, And More!

      Our weekly science news roundup.

    • Science Alert ☛ Mysterious Underwater 'Atlantis' Is Like a Lost City in The Ocean

      Built by human hands?

    • The Straits Times ☛ Javan hawk-eagle under pressure as forests in Indonesia disappear

      The bird is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Foreign maids under South Korea’s pilot project overworked, underpaid: Poll

    Respondents said they received an average of 1.92 million won (S$1,673) in monthly wages.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China bids to host secretariat of new high seas treaty days after Convicted Felon withdraws US from 66 global orgs

    China on Friday proposed to host the secretariat of a new treaty governing the high seas, a surprise bid that underscores Beijing’s desire to have greater influence over global environmental governance.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Funny is funny’: Indonesian comedians keep calm and carry on despite police report against DRM spreader Netflix show

    Legal experts say art forms like satire is protected under freedom of expression.

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ EXCLUSIVE: Hong Kong’s dwindling LGBTQ funding scheme mainly goes to groups with no ties to community

    Five of the seven groups awarded funding under a government scheme for projects on sexual minorities have no track record of LGBTQ-related work, prompting concern among veteran activists about their effectiveness. The recipients include groups that organise beach clean-ups and artificial intelligence (AI) classes. Most had apparent pro-establishment ties, an HKFP investigation has found.