Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ This Week in Science: A Cannabis Standard Measure, Bizarre Lifeforms, And More!

    Our weekly science news roundup.

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Zombie Worms' Have Mysteriously Vanished, Troubling Scientists

    Where did they all go?

  • Science Alert ☛ How Do Sinkholes Happen, And Can We Predict Them?

    Something is going on in Philadelphia.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Hidden Warning Sign Discovered in The Gut May Increase Cancer Risk

    A pattern that emerges with age.

  • Science Alert ☛ Shrews Can Shrink Their Brains by 30%. Here's How They Grow It Back.

    It's what's inside that counts.

  • Science Alert ☛ 3 Hidden Signs You're Grinding Your Teeth, According to Experts

    Here's what you can do about it.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • JURIST ☛ UN experts praise Malaysia progress in health care and question criminal punishments for children

    The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on Friday hailed Malaysia’s positive developments in maternal and infant health care, while questioning child punishment in serious crimes and alternatives to institutionalization for children. Announcing its latest periodic report, the committee commended Malaysia’s efforts to improve maternal health care and reduce infant mortality rates.

• Proprietary

  • France24 ☛ European reliance on US software: A digital sovereignty challenge

    The standoff between the US and the EU over Greenland has heightened existing European concerns about over-dependence on the United States, particularly in the digital sector, with French President Emmanuel Macron at one point threatening the U.S. with a so-called “trade bazooka” to restrict major American tech companies—a move complicated by the EU’s deep reliance on those same companies for cloud services, professional tools like Abusive Monopolist Microsoft and Google, social control media, entertainment, and payment systems such as Visa; for further insight on digital sovereignty, Leila Murk, an entrepreneur at tech investment firm Meresquier Partners, shares her insights.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Futurism ☛ Workers Say Hey Hi (AI) Is Useless, While Oblivious Bosses Insist It’s a Productivity Miracle

      Boss "automatically assume Hey Hi (AI) is going to be the savior."

    • Nolan Lawson ☛ AI tribalism

    • Futurism ☛ Facebook Hey Hi (AI) Slop Has Grown So Dark That You May Not Be Prepared

      This is just sick.

    • Futurism ☛ Scientist Horrified as Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot Deletes All His Research

      "There was no undo option. Just a blank page."

• Security

  • Security Week ☛ Nike Probing Potential Security Incident as Hackers Threaten to Leak Data

    The WorldLeaks cybercrime group claims to have stolen information from the footwear and apparel giant’s systems.

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • JURIST ☛ South Koreans allegedly involved in scam operations sent home from Cambodia for investigation

      A group of 73 South Korean nationals accused of participating in online scam operations in Cambodia were returned to South Korea on Friday. They will now face formal investigations in South Korea surrounding alleged “scam compounds.”

• Defence/Aggression/Natural Disasters

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘I still have no idea how to carry on’: Myanmar quake victims continue to struggle nearly a year on

    The quake in March 2025 affected about 1.7 million people, according to the UN.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Indonesia resumes search for 80 after landslide kills 10 in West Java

    Rescuers were hampered as unstable terrain and rains hindered them from deploying heavy machinery.

  • New York Times ☛ Xi’s Purge of China’s Military Brings Its Top General Down

    The ouster of Gen. Zhang Youxia, who was second only to Pooh-tin Jinping in the military hierarchy, marks “the total annihilation of the high command,” one analyst said.

  • New York Times ☛ The Island That Actually Matters to American Interests

    The risk of Chinese aggression is hard to gauge, but it surely grows if we signal that Beijing has a free hand.

  • The Straits Times ☛ The real winner behind Myanmar’s junta-held elections could be China

    After an initial period of wariness, China has thrown its backing behind the junta.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says senior military officials Zhang Youxia, Liu Zhenli under investigation

    This marks the latest push in a sweeping drive to root out graft at all levels of the party.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China says top military official under investigation for suspected ‘serious violations of discipline’

    China said on Saturday the senior vice chairman of its powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) and another high-ranking official were under investigation for suspected “serious violations of discipline”, a common euphemism for corruption.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Xi’s top general under probe in China’s deepest military purge yet

    General Zhang Youxia and PLA chief of joint staff Liu Zhenli are suspected of “serious violations of discipline and laws”.

  • France24 ☛ China's top general under investigation

    Chinese leader Pooh-tin Jinping’s military purge has intensified sharply, with the party now investigating the last two top military officials who had survived earlier crackdowns. The vice chair of the Central Military Commission, the PLA’s highest-ranking general, along with another CMC member, are under scrutiny for alleged disciplinary violations, leaving the commission at its smallest size in history and placing Pooh-tin in sole operational control, according to Camille Knight.

  • France24 ☛ US strikes boat killing 2 in Pacific

    The US military conducted its first strike on a vessel suspected of drug-trafficking in the eastern Pacific since late last year, killing two people and prompting a US Coast Guard search for a third survivor, in an operation that follows the Convicted Felon administration’s campaign against alleged smuggling boats begun in early September and comes shortly after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this month; meanwhile, a Venezuelan town hopes to benefit from initial plans to open the nation’s oil sector to private investment, potentially attracting US energy majors.

  • France24 ☛ Iran, US tensions set region on edge

    After a brief easing of tensions, relations between the United States and Iran remain strained, with the prospect of potential U.S. strikes weighing heavily, as the Pentagon announced on January 15 that it was redeploying an aircraft carrier strike group -comprising fighter jets, guided-missile destroyers and at least one attack submarine - from the South China Sea toward the Middle East, with reports indicating the force was expected to arrive within about a week, according to Gabrielle Nadler.

  • France24 ☛ US tightens military posture near Iran

    As the United States maintains pressure and threats against Iran, the Islamic Republic has warned that “any attack against it will be considered a total war.” Some airlines subsequently announced the suspension of their Middle East routes; Air France had done the same, but as of midday the company has announced that it will resume its service to Dubai. France24 correspondent Reza Sayah speaks to us for the first time sinche the internet blockade from Tehran.

  • France24 ☛ Tehran warn it will treat any US strike as an "all-out-war"

    Iran will treat any attack "as an all-out war against us," a senior Iranian official said on Friday, ahead of the arrival of a U.S. military aircraft carrier strike group and other assets in the Middle East in the coming days.

    "This military buildup - we hope it is not intended for real confrontation - but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario. This is why everything is on high alert in Iran," said the senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Shirli Sitbon reports.

  • New York Times ☛ Democrats Running for U.S. Senate in Texas Call for Overhaul of ICE

    In a debate, Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico differed in their political styles but agreed that violent immigration agents needed to be held to account.

  • France24 ☛ Who Is Gregory Bovino? The official Bbehind Convicted Felon’s aggressive border enforcement

    The official overseeing Hell Toupée’s Border Patrol operations is Gregory Bovino, a figure who has publicly defended ICE’s hard-line enforcement approach and drawn attention for wearing a coat critics say resembles a Nazi-style uniform, with more details about his background and role reported by Jennie Shin.

  • New York Times ☛ How a Water Balloon Fight in Venezuela Ended in Charges of Treason

    Venezuela’s interim government has been praised by Hell Toupée. It has also maintained its state security apparatus to stamp out any perceived dissent.

  • New York Times ☛ Despite Convicted Felon’s Words, China and Russia Are Not Threatening Greenland

    U.S. and European officials say they are unaware of any intelligence that shows China and Russia are endangering the island, which is protected by the NATO security umbrella.

  • New York Times ☛ The Podcaster Poking at France’s Biggest Secrets

    Philippe Collin makes intricate series that are reshaping how French people understand uncomfortable parts of their history. Millions are tuning in.

  • JURIST ☛ Denmark and Greenland reject Convicted Felon’s push for US control of Greenland

    Denmark and Greenland rejected any suggestion of US control over Greenland, stating that the island’s sovereignty remains absolute, despite comments by The Insurrectionist that referenced a proposed Arctic security framework with NATO. Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen condemned what she called threats, pressure and condescending speech “from our closest ally for generations.”

  • The Straits Times ☛ Suicide bombing at Pakistan wedding kills 7, police say

    No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania in the grip of ‘countering propaganda’ psychosis – opinion

      Valdemaras Klumbys, a senior researcher at the Lithuanian History Institute, writes a three-part opinion article about the growing polarisation in society and how domestic propaganda is becoming more dangerous than Russian narratives. Below is the first installment, and the original article (in Lithuanian) is available here.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Peace Talks End on Positive Note as Zelensky Teases Future Meeting

      President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said that rare three-way negotiations between Ukrainian, Russian and American teams in Abu Dhabi had been “constructive.”

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Slams Massive Russian Air Attack On Kyiv And Kharkiv Amid Peace Talks In UAE

      Ukraine has condemned a massive Russian attack overnight and into January 24 as an attempt to upend peace negotiations in the United Arab Emirates aimed at ending the nearly four-year-long full-scale war.

    • RFERL ☛ Three-Way Peace Talks Set To Resume In UAE, As Russia, Ukraine Fight On

      Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, after two days of "constructive" peace talks in Abu Dhabi, are set to resume negotiations in the United Arab Emirates capital next week, even as the war itself showed no signs of letup.

    • France24 ☛ Russia, UK, Ukraine sit for tense talks in Abu Dhabi

      US.-mediated talks between Ukraine and Russia resumed on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, as part of rare trilateral negotiations aimed at ending the nearly four-year war, which began in the United Arab Emirates on Friday and were set to include senior representatives from Ukraine’s armed forces and military intelligence, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

    • France24 ☛ Russian attacks on Ukraine kill one

      Another deadly night in Ukraine saw continued Russian bombardments, including strikes on the capital that killed one person and wounded four, while the country’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, was also hit by drone attacks injuring 27. The attacks coincided with the conclusion of the second day of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi between Russia and Ukraine, where territorial disputes remain the main sticking point. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister condemned Moscow’s actions, saying the missile strikes targeted not only civilians but also undermined the negotiation process. Liza Kaminov reports.

    • France24 ☛ 'Brutal' attack on Ukraine amid talks

      The first three-way talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US have ended with no apparent breakthrough, following renewed Russian bombardment of Ukrainian targets. France24 correspondent Gulliver Cragg tells us more.

    • France24 ☛ Russian strikes kill one, leave millions without power

      Russia carried out another large-scale overnight assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure early Saturday, triggering explosions across Kyiv and cutting power to around 1.2 million properties nationwide. In the capital, nearly 6,000 buildings were left without heating as temperatures hovered near −10°C (14°F), with many apartments already freezing due to earlier damage to the city’s centralised heating system. France24 International Affairs commentator Douglas Herbert shares his insights.

    • European Commission ☛ EU and Council of Europe agree to set up an advance team for the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine

      European Commission Press release Brussels, 24 Jan 2026 The European Union and the Council of Europe have signed an agreement on the financing of an advance team to establish the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, within the framework of the Council of Europe.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ U.S. Automakers’ Foreign Troubles Now Extend to Canada

      U.S. trade policy has devastated the Canadian auto industry and pushed the country to reach an agreement that will make it easier for Chinese companies to sell cars there.

    • JURIST ☛ Michigan AG brings federal antitrust suit against fossil fuel companies

      Michigan Attorney General (AG) Dana Nessel on Friday filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against several large oil companies, alleging a decades-long conspiracy to suppress renewable energy competition. The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Michigan, names BP, Chevron, Exxon, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute as the defendants.

    • New York Times ☛ S.E.C. Drops Case Against Cryptocurrency Firm Founded by Winklevoss Twins

      The agency says that victims of an investment offering involving Gemini Trust got their money back, though after a regulatory action brought by the New York attorney general.

• Finance

  • JURIST ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man sues JPMorgan Chase Bank for improperly cutting off from financial services

    US President The Insurrectionist, along with Convicted Felon-owned LLCs, sued JPMorgan Chase Bank (JPMC) and its CEO, Jamie Dimon, on Thursday. Citing breach of JPMC’s code of conduct, the lawsuit alleges that the bank closed down several accounts that Convicted Felon either owned or was a beneficiary of.

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Threatens Canada With Tariffs as Post-Davos Fallout Continues

    Hell Toupée said he would impose tariffs if Canada made “a deal with China,” though there is no sign that those countries are discussing a broad trade agreement.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ The Insurrectionist threatens Canada with 100% tariff if it completes China trade deal

    By Susan Stumme US President The Insurrectionist on Saturday warned Canada that if it concludes a trade deal with China, he will impose a 100 percent tariff on all goods coming over the border.

  • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man threatens 100% tariffs on Canadian goods over pending China trade deal

    US President The Insurrectionist warned on Saturday that Canada would face 100% tariffs on all its exports to the United States if Ottawa pursued a trade agreement with China, deepening already strained relations between the two neighbours.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in Shanghai amid China regulatory headwinds

    He visited China at least three times in 2025 and in July met China’s commerce minister.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • JURIST ☛ Peru interim president faces scrutiny over unregistered encounter with two China business owners

    Peru’s interim President José Jerí on Wednesday offered inconsistent explanations over unregistered meetings with two Chinese business owners who are subject to ongoing legal investigations.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Ali Reza Hayati ☛ Internet blackouts

    The internet situation is beyond bad. Calling it “the internet” hardly makes sense anymore. Nearly everything is cut off. A few VPNs, made available by free-internet activists, work sporadically and only for short periods.

  • CS Monitor ☛ After thousands died in crackdown, Iran is trying to change the narrative

    Amid an internet blackout, Iran is blaming outside “agents” and “terrorists” for the death toll. Says one rights lawyer, such “denial and distortion” has been heard before.

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • The Straits Times ☛ Online ‘date auctions’ in South Korea spark controversy over possible prostitution

    No evidence suggests links to illegal acts, but activists have expressed their concerns.

  • France24 ☛ Minnesotans begin economic strike against ICE

    Hundreds of businesses in Minnesota closed on Friday and thousands of protesters turned out in severely cold weather to demonstrate against the ongoing immigration crackdown in the state. Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, in Cambridge, Massachussetts, Cass Sunstein, shares his insights.

  • France24 ☛ Protesters take to Minnesota streets despite freezing cold

    A new wave of protests has seen hundreds of Minnesota businesses close and thousands of people march in Minneapolis and the Twin Cities to oppose the Convicted Felon administration’s expanded immigration enforcement, part of a broader “ICE Out!” general strike against the federal crackdown, while controversy has grown over Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s actions, including the detention of a 5‑year‑old boy along with his father during an operation as they returned from preschool — an incident that has drawn widespread criticism and intensified public outrage over the surge in ICE activity. Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies at Hamline University in Minnesota, David Shulz, tells us more.

  • Futurism ☛ ICE Is Scanning Civilians’ Faces, Telling Them They’re Being Entered Into a Terrorism Database

    You best start believing in cyberpunk dystopias.

  • New York Times ☛ Genetic Data From Over 20,000 U.S. Children Misused for ‘Race Science’

    The National Institutes of Health failed to protect brain scans that an international group of fringe researchers used to argue for the intellectual superiority of white people.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Software Patents

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ The Thaw Begins?: What’s Driving IPR Institutions Under Director Squires

      IPR institution rates have rebounded in 2026 under Director Squires, although still well below the historic average.