Leftovers

• The Straits Times ☛ Is Pursuit of Jade’s Zhang Linghe too pretty? Here’s what Chinese authorities think

  Regulators in China have called for the TV industry to rectify “issues such as excessive make-up and filter effects”.

• The Straits Times ☛ Rise in foreign arrivals to China on the back of visa-free, travel-friendly policies

  Nearly 8.32 million foreign nationals entered China visa-free in the first quarter of 2026, up nearly 30% year-on-year.

• Ruben Schade ☛ The new Books Kinokuniya in Chatswood

  A new branch of the Japanese book store Kinokuniya opened on Sydney’s north shore this month, so naturally Clara and I had to go and check it out. It was everything I hoped it would be!

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ NASA’s Artemis II Astronauts Reunite With Friends and Family After 10-Day Moon Mission

    The four astronauts made an emotional return to Houston a day after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean at the end of their 10-day lunar journey.

  • France24 ☛ Artemis II: Space race heats up with China

    It has been more than 50 years since humans last ventured this close to the Moon. Now, the Artemis II mission is refocusing attention on the space race between the United States and China. Camille Knight explains the two superpowers’ competing lunar ambitions.

  • Science Alert ☛ Muscles Have Their Own Kind of 'Memory' – Here's How It Works

    Practice makes perfect?

  • Science Alert ☛ Experimental Drug Can Reverse Osteoarthritis in Weeks, Animal Research Shows

    This could bring pain relief to millions.

  • Science Alert ☛ The Universe's Most Pristine Ancient Star Is Surprisingly Close

    An immigrant from another galaxy.

  • Science Alert ☛ If Venus Has Life It May Have Come From Earth, Scientists Say

    Could it be?

  • Science Alert ☛ Twins Face Developmental Delays in Early Childhood, Study Finds

    "They are in direct competition for everything."

  • Science Alert ☛ This Week in Science: Artemis II Returns, a Chimp 'Civil War', And More!

    Our weekly science news roundup.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Chinese slimmers trade lost fat for health – and beef

    By Emily Wang In a community centre in eastern China, Shu Fangqiang shrugged off his jacket and stepped onto a scale, one of hundreds of locals signing up for an unusual weight loss programme — “Trade Fat for Beef”.

• Proprietary

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Clippy, Microsoft’s hapless Office assistant, was retired 25 years ago today — its irritating spirit lives on in 100+ Copilots

    Microsoft’s Clippy was put out to pasture a quarter century ago. This hapless, and some would add ‘irritating,’ productivity assistant would no longer be enabled by default in Office, starting April 11, 2001.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Futurism ☛ OpenAI Says It’s Already Made $100 Million by Stuffing Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot With Ads

      A handsome chunk of change.

    • Futurism ☛ The Effects of AI-Generated Code Tearing Through Corporations Is Actually Kind of Funny

      Womp womp!

    • JURIST ☛ Colorado sued by xAI over supposed constitutional violations in new Hey Hi (AI) bill

      The company xAI on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block Colorado’s enforcement of the state’s new artificial intelligence (AI) law before it takes effect.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Anthropic’s new Mythos Hey Hi (AI) tool signals a new era for cyber risks and responses [Ed: Hype]

      Tech leaders are scrambling to address risks after Anthropic found its new artificial intelligence tool can both find and exploit software flaws.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ A peek into life on the Taiwanese island off China’s Xiamen, popular with tourists on weekends

    Travellers can board a ferry from Xiamen to Kinmen, an archipelago that is controlled by Taipei.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Kim Jong Un shows off tighter ties with allies, arms before Convicted Felon’s China trip

    The North Korean leader's meeting with China’s top diplomat comes after days of missile tests.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China offers incentives to Taiwan following opposition leader’s visit

    A mechanism will be established to ease inspection standards for food and fishery products.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China should abandon threats against Taiwan and talk to its leaders: US diplomat

    "I believe this would help ease cross-strait tensions," said Mr Raymond Greene.

  • JURIST ☛ Security agency implicated in assassination attempt against Thai lawmaker

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday called for an urgent, thorough and impartial investigation into the March 20 assassination attempt against Thai lawmaker Kamonsak Leewamoh. Thailand’s Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) has been named as involved in the attack, raising concerns about how impartial the investigation will be.

  • France24 ☛ Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori vows to expel migrants

    Peruvians are preparing to vote this weekend for their next president, with 35 candidates competing for the top job. As the South American country faces rising violence and political instability, frontrunners wrapped up their campaigns on Friday with a strong focus on security. Nicolas Chamontin and Gabrielle Nadler report.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • France24 ☛ Russia and Ukraine exchange 175 prisoners of war each

      Russia and Ukraine exchanged 175 prisoners of war and seven civilians each on Saturday, in a rare moment of cooperation facilitated by the UAE.

    • France24 ☛ Russia and Ukraine trade strikes before temporary ceasefire

      An Orthodox Easter ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine began on Saturday. The Kremlin said it had ordered a 32-hour truce from 4pm (13:00 GMT) to midnight on Sunday, a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a halt to hostilities for the holiday. France 24 correspondent Gulliver Cragg reports from Kyiv with the latest updates.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian human rights expert Muižnieks: 'Everything is basically black and white now'

      Russia’s war in Ukraine has changed many things in Latvia – including for the biggest ethnic minority living in the country. LSM talked to distinguished Latvian political scientist and human rights expert Nils Muižnieks about the requirement on Russian citizens residing in Latvia who now have to demonstrate basic Latvian language proficiency – or face potential expulsion.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine, Russia Report Violations Hours After Orthodox Easter Truce Begins

      Kyiv reported more than 450 violations of a 32-hour truce between Russia and Ukraine just hours after it came into force on April 11, following pledges by both countries to cease fire in light of Orthodox Easter.

    • France24 ☛ Russia, Ukraine to begin Orthodox Easter truce

      A pause in fighting in the Ukraine war was set for Sunday, but it does not appear to be taking hold. Russian drone strikes killed at least two people in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa overnight, just hours before a proposed Easter ceasefire was due to come into effect.

      Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a 32-hour halt to hostilities through the end of Sunday. Kyiv says it is ready to reciprocate, but previous ceasefire attempts have gone nowhere, with both sides accusing each other of violations. Catherine Viette reports.

    • France24 ☛ An Orban loss in Hungary’s election could be the turning point Putin fears

      Hungary's legislative elections on Sunday are being closely watched in Moscow. Prime Minister Viktor Orban has long been Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally within the European Union, and a victory for the opposition Tisza party led by Peter Magyar could undermine the Kremlin's influence in the bloc.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Petrol stations along Malaysia’s borders to come under police watch to curb fuel smuggling

      Malaysia's border patrol foiled 735 smuggling cases worth 2.81billion ringgit (S$903 million) from Jan 1, 2025, to March this year.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia faces ‘critical period’ for fuel by June, minister says

      This underscores the country’s vulnerability to the global energy crunch.

    • Devices/Embedded

      • The Verge ☛ The Netherlands is the first European country to approve Tesla’s supervised Full Self-Driving

        The update implementing FSD Supervised (version 2026.3.6) has started rolling out to a limited number of users. Drivers will need to watch a tutorial and take a quiz before self-driving can be enabled, which reminds people that FSD Supervised “does not make your vehicle autonomous. Do not become complacent.”

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Futurism ☛ Man Punished for Breaking Into Moo Deng’s Zoo Enclosure

      Justice is served.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea president clashes with Israel on rights, disinfo claims

      Israel had decried Mr Lee for amplifying social control media “disinformation”.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines asks Facebook (Farcebook) to curb fake news, warns of legal move

      The content includes fabricated documents about President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and senior government officials.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • BIA Net ☛ Trustee genetics: LGBTI+phobia, censorship, METU

    Without further ado, let us ask: Unlike Verşan Kök, Ahmet Yozgatlıgil, whose ties to the government are more direct and explicit, is he student-friendly?

  • JURIST ☛ UN experts call for end to Russia authorities’ repression of civil society

    UN Special Rapporteurs on Thursday condemned an ongoing strategy by Russian authorities to silence dissent, human rights advocacy, and anti-war expression. They warned that this represents a “systematic dismantling” of civil society under the guise of protecting national security and public safety.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • JURIST ☛ Defamation lawsuits against Thai journalists draw criticism from rights groups

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday condemned the decision by authorities in Thailand to bring criminal defamation lawsuits against two renowned journalists who reported on a bribery case. HRW cited the importance of safeguarding press freedom as a cornerstone of democratic society.

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China police detain man accused of cyberbullying Olympian Quan Hongchan – state media

    Police in southern China detained a 31-year-old man accused of repeatedly insulting an athlete online, identified by Chinese state media as triple Olympic diving champion Quan Hongchan. Quan recently revealed in a tearful interview that she had considered retiring after intense scrutiny over her weight.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Denuvo properly cracked in Resident Evil: Requiem, bypasses become plug-and-play — cracked version runs faster, smoother, and uses way less VRAM and RAM

    Denuvo properly cracked in Resident Evil: Requiem, while HV bypasses become plug-and-play

Monopolies/Monopsonies