Leftovers

• Science

  • MIT Technology Review ☛ Inexpensive seafloor-hopping submersibles could stoke deep-sea science—and mining

    Smack dab between Australia and South America, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research vessel Rainier is currently on a mission to map more than 8,000 square nautical miles of the Pacific seafloor in search of critical mineral deposits.

  • Science Alert ☛ Why Your Brain Can Read Scrambled Words, According to Science

    The viral claim gets it wrong – and the truth is weirder.

  • Science Alert ☛ Large Twin Study Reveals a Surprise About Narcissism

    There needs to be a "fundamental shift in the search for the sources of narcissism".

  • Science Alert ☛ New Tool Lets You Trace Where Your Backyard Was 320 Million Years Ago

    "Our understanding of biodiversity is shifting from one-dimensional – that is, solely over time – to three-dimensional."

  • Science Alert ☛ An Unknown State of Matter Could Be Hiding in Our Solar System

    A structure we've never seen before.

• Hardware

  • The Straits Times ☛ Former Malaysian minister Rafizi expects to be charged amid probe into govt deal with chip giant

    The MACC is probing alleged abuse of power, fraud and governance issues linked to the deal.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • PHR ☛ The 18th Death – and Fifth Death Attributed to Suicide – in ICE Custody this Year Spotlights Harms of Solitary Confinement: PHR

    On Tuesday, Denny Adan Gonzalez, a Cuban man detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, died from apparent suicide, according to an ICE news release and earlier reporting by immigration researcher Andrew Free – the latest in a surge of deaths inside U.S. immigration detention facilities. >

  • France24 ☛ Pimps in France turn to TikTok, luring minors into prostitution

    Behind ordinary-looking Fentanylware (CheeTok) adverts for "rose sellers" lies a sordid reality: a recruitment scheme linked to prostitution, often targeting minors. A team from our sister channel France 2 dug into hundreds of social control media videos showing how pimps in France are recruiting young girls via TikTok, promising them easy money and a glamorous lifestyle. Our France 2 colleagues report, with FRANCE 24's Lauren Bain.

  • New York Times ☛ Obamacare Enrollment Drops Sharply as Costs Rise

    Americans can’t afford the higher health insurance premiums that resulted from Congress’s refusal to extend federal tax credits.

  • PHR ☛ With Hospitals and Medics Increasingly Under Fire, Countries Must Implement UN Resolution to Protect Health Care in Conflict: PHR

    Ten years after the UNSC passed Resolution 2286 and committed to protect health care in conflict zones, combatants have attacked health care at least 18,000 times around the world – with attack totals on the rise each year.

  • Science Alert ☛ Immune Cells 'Remember' Obesity Long After Weight Loss, Study Finds

    Effects can last for years.

  • Science Alert ☛ Experts Reveal The Secret to Helping Your Pet Lose Weight

    It's not just feeding them less.

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Psychedelics move into the spotlight. What to know in Michigan

    Efforts in Michigan to decriminalize psychedelic drugs may have gotten a boost last month when the Convicted Felon administration ordered fast-tracked research into their potential for treatment for mental health issues, including veterans’ PTSD.

• Proprietary

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Microsoft begins rolling out Xbox Mode to backdoored Windows 11 desktops and laptops — consolidated storefronts and console-style interface come to PC [Ed: XBox is dead, Microsoft changes what the brand means]

    Xbox Mode replaces the standard backdoored Windows desktop with an Xbox-style interface designed for gamepad navigation.

  • So-Called 'Artificial Intelligence' ('AI') / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • GamingOnLinux ☛ Blender change the Anthropic AI funding deal, with discussions planned for AI Policies | GamingOnLinux

      After quite a lot of backlash following the Blender announcement that Anthropic would become a Corporate Sponsor, the Blender Foundation released a statement from Francesco Siddi, the Chairman of the Blender Foundation.

• Pseudo-Open Source

  • Openwashing

    • Security Week ☛ Cisco Releases Open Source Tool for Hey Hi (AI) Model Provenance

      The new kit aims to address risks related to poisoned models, regulatory issues, supply chain integrity, and incident response.

    • Evan Hahn ☛ Offline command line translation with TranslateGemma + Ollama

      I wrote a simple script that translates text at the command line, completely offline. Here’s an example of how it works on my computer: [...]

• Licensing / Legal

  • Dan Q ☛ NHS England rushes to hide software over AI hacking fears – Dan Q

    Yet again, “AI” is the reason why we can’t have nice things on an open and transparent Web.

    This is bad, of course. But the worst part is the illusion it helps feed that closed-source software is necessarily more-secure than open-source software. Obviously it’s all much more-complex than that. Indeed, the article goes on to quote Terence Eden thoroughly debunking the entire line of thought: [...]

  • Terence Eden ☛ NHS Goes To War Against Open Source

    The NHS is preparing to close nearly all of its Open Source repositories.

    Throughout my time working for the UK Government - in GDS, NHSX, i.AI, and others - I championed Open Source. I spoke to dozens of departments about it, wrote guidance still in use today, and briefed Ministers on why it was so important.

    That's why I'm beyond disappointed at recent moves from NHS England to backtrack on all the previous commitments they've made about the value of open source to the UK's health service.

• Entrapment (Microsoft GitHub)

  • Drew DeVault ☛ I can't cancel Microsoft's proprietary prison GitHub Copilot

    Back when Copilot first came out, I immediately disliked it. But I decided to give it a fair shake and tried to evaulate it in good faith. I wasn’t interested in paying for it, but they had a form for FOSS community members to apply for a free subscription, so I filled it out and gave it a shot.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • The Straits Times ☛ ‘The store looked almost identical’: Pharmacies in Malaysia warn of fake websites that impersonate them

      In one instance, a customer was hospitalised after consuming a counterfeit product.

    • The Straits Times ☛ All that glitters is not gold: Consumers in China on alert over hard-to-detect fakes

      Gold mixed with rhenium has emerged in the retail market as the prices of the safe-haven asset hit record highs.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Futurism ☛ Toilet Maker Spikes in Value as It Flushes Money Into AI

      The company just dropped a bomb.

    • Privacy International ☛ Dual-use tech: the BAE Systems example

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says there is urgent need to maintain Iran war ceasefire

    Mr Fu also rejected allegations from some US officials about military cooperation between China and Iran as "false".

  • CS Monitor ☛ In Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Beijing sees lessons for Taiwan

    In its quest to unite the self-governing island of Taiwan with mainland China, Beijing has considered – and practiced – a blockade of the Taiwan Strait.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China urges US to preserve ‘stability’ in ties, warns Taiwan is ‘risk point’

    China’s foreign minister on Thursday urged the United States to maintain “stability” between the two powers and warned that Taiwan posed the biggest risk, weeks before President The Insurrectionist visits Beijing.

  • The Strategist ☛ Expanding frontiers: what happens if Beijing accelerates its Indo-Pacific push

    Rather than gradually expanding its defence and security engagement across the Indo-Pacific, Beijing may choose to accelerate its trajectory, pushing boundaries to advance its interests and take advantage of a distracted United States.

  • PNG Prime Minister Marape shores up economic partnerships in China

    Experts welcome Chinese investment, but stress environmental and social safeguards are necessary.

  • France24 ☛ 'A common enemy, but not a common project': A fragile jihadist-separatist alliance in Mali

    Mali is facing its most serious security challenge in years as jihadist fighters and Tuareg separatists launch coordinated attacks and tighten a blockade around the capital, Bamako, increasing pressure on the country’s military rulers. The latest escalation, however, raises fresh questions about the strength of the alliance between the two groups.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • European Commission ☛ EU leaders reaffirm solidarity with Middle East partners and double down on support to Ukraine

    • Futurism ☛ Wild Video Shows Ukrainian Troops Evacuate Babushka With a Military Robot

      "I thought I'd lie among the trees and that would be it."

    • France24 ☛ President Macron attends Orion 26 excerices

      In France, President Emmanuel Macron attended the final phase of the “Orion 26” military exercises on Thursday, a large-scale combat simulation involving thousands of troops from France and several European nations. The drills, which began in February, highlight a growing focus on military readiness across Europe amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, as Monte Francis reports.

    • RFERL ☛ EU Quietly Takes Big Step Toward Montenegro's Accession

      EU ambassadors gave a green light to both a 90 billion-euro loan to Ukraine and the latest round of sanctions on Russia, but another decision went largely unnoticed: the creation of a working group to draft Montenegro’s EU accession treaty.

    • France24 ☛ 'We should be able to open up negotiations' with Ukraine, Sweden's EU minister says

      During her recent visit to France, we caught up with Sweden's minister for EU affairs, Jessica Rosencrantz. We discuss the energy crunch and what it means for Europe's competitiveness; Sweden's and the EU's relationship with Ukraine; and Sweden's dynamic tech and innovation scene.

    • RFERL ☛ Venice Biennale Jury Resigns En Masse Over Russia’s Controversial Return

      The entire international jury of the Venice Biennale has resigned ahead of the opening of the 2026 exhibition, following controversy linked to Russia’s return to the event for the first time since the Ukraine war began.

    • CS Monitor ☛ What we’ve learned from Nepali POWs in Ukraine

      Nepali fighters captured by Ukraine offer intel – for militaries, and for families back home.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Fighting for a better life: connecting global stories

      Individuals from around the world are traveling to fight as soldiers-for-hire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. What connects them is a search for a better future.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Ukraine strikes Russian port of Tuapse again as environment crisis deepens

      May 1 - Ukrainian drones struck Russia's Black Sea port of Tuapse on Friday for the fourth time in 16 days as authorities struggled to cope with a mounting environmental disaster from toxic black smoke clouds and oil leaking into the sea.

    • France24 ☛ Tessalit army base taken by rebels

      In tonight's programme, the army and its Russian mercenary allies surrender the strategic Tessalit military base near the Algerian border. Also in DRC, Joseph Kabila hits back at US accusations he’s backing rebel fighters. And Gabon is the guest of honour at The Anoumabo Urban Music Festival in Abidjan.

    • Latvia ☛ Busy summer expected along Latvia's eastern border

      The summer will most likely not be a peaceful one for Latvian border guards on the Latvian-Belarusian border, according to the head of the State Border Guard, Guntis Pujāts speaking to Latvian Television on April 30th.

    • France24 ☛ King Charles: The Art of the Seal, Moscow Calling, MElon V Altman & Open AI

      In a week that’s seen a third apparent assassination attempt against Hell Toupée with shots fired at the White House Correspondents Dinner. The suspect, 31 year old Cole Thomas Allen, had booked a room at the Washington Hilton, and taken a selfie in his room which prosecutors say shows him arming up 30 minutes before storming the ceremony. Tackled by secret services before he could run down a staircase to the ballroom, the President and his team were rushed away as journalists dived under tables.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Why solar generators, hand-crank lamps are selling like hotcakes in Malaysia

      Fears of rising fuel prices and possible outages are driving Malaysians to solar power systems.

    • New York Times ☛ A 5-Month Wait and a 50% Fail Rate: It’s Hard to Get a British Driving License

      The average wait for a test in England and Scotland has hit 22 weeks, up from five weeks before the pandemic, leading to frustration and attempts to jump the line.

• Finance

  • Federal News Network ☛ The TSP “Double Squeeze”: How inflation and market volatility are quietly eroding federal retirement savings

    How can you protect your retirement?

  • New York Times ☛ Spirit Airlines Prepares to Shut Down After Convicted Felon Administration Bailout Falls Through

    The low-fare airline, which has struggled for years, had been trying to secure a $500 million lifeline from the Convicted Felon administration.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ Voters Sue Over Louisiana Governor’s Move to Delay Primary

    Legal challenges are mounting over the decision to suspend the state’s May House primary after a Supreme Court ruling found that the congressional map was unconstitutional.

  • New York Times ☛ Federal Appeals Court Temporarily Halts Abortion Pill Access by Mail

    The court order, in a lawsuit by the state of Louisiana, pauses a Food and Drug Administration regulation that greatly expanded access to the abortion pill mifepristone.

  • JURIST ☛ EU Parliament calls for consent-based rape laws

    The European Parliament on Tuesday adopted a resolution urging the European Commission to establish a consent-based definition of rape.

  • JURIST ☛ US Supreme Court rules in favor of anti-abortion organization in New Jersey

    The US Supreme Court sided with a Christian faith-based pregnancy crisis center in New Jersey on Wednesday. The First Choice Women’s Resource Centers was seeking to curb a state investigation into its activities. All Supreme Court justices unanimously reversed a lower court’s decision, ruling in favor of First Choice in a federal lawsuit.

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • BIA Net ☛ May Day in İstanbul: Total lockdown in Taksim, crowds gather in its shadow in Kadıköy

    A few hundred people attempted to break a massive blockade around Taksim, and nearly all of them were detained. While a large crowd gathered in Kadıköy, the atmosphere lacked a corresponding level of enthusiasm.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Digital Music News ☛ Federal Judge Shuts Down Spotify ‘Payola’ Class Action — Case Officially Stayed, Ordered to Arbitration

    Six months later, a federal judge has shut down a lawsuit centering on Spotify’s allegedly deceptive editorial playlist placements and algorithmic recommendations. Now, the proposed class action complaint is heading to arbitration, and its class claims are no more.

• Monopolies/Monopsonies

  • France24 ☛ Artificial Intelligence: Tech giants dominating Hey Hi (AI) market are 'too big to fail'

    Too big to fail?

    Tariq Krim and Marietje Schaake tell #F24Debate if Hey Hi (AI) tech giants dominating the market crash, it would spell large-scale economic disaster➡️ https://f24.my/BtVz

  • Digital Music News ☛ What’s Next in the FTC’s Live Nation/Ticketmaster Lawsuit? BOTS Act Case Takes Center Stage Following States’ Antitrust Trial Win

    Following a federal ruling confirming that the BOTS Act doesn’t just apply to bot-powered ticket purchases – or individuals – where does the FTC v. Live Nation case go from here? That pressing question is front of mind for two main reasons.

  • Patents

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ International Sanctions and the FRAND Framework

      Meade J.'s Samsung v. ZTE FRAND judgment extends the InterDigital non-FRAND factors framework to US export-control sanctions, with Huawei implications.

  • Trademarks

    • Right of Publicity

      • France24 ☛ AI actors and writers will not be eligible for Oscars, Academy says

        Academy Awards organisers issued new rules on ​Friday to clarify that acting and writing must be performed by humans and not artificial intelligence ​to be ‌eligible for Oscars. The new rules also include changes to the international film category, expanding eligibility to include films that won top awards from prestigious festivals like Cannes, Venice and Toronto.

  • Copyrights

    • Digital Music News ☛ Sony Music v. Udio Legal Battle Heats Up — Hey Hi (AI) Music Generator Acknowledges Obtaining ‘Audio Data from YouTube,’ Using Stream-Ripper YT-DLP

      Still fending off a high-stakes lawsuit from Sony Music, Udio is doubling down on its longstanding fair use arguments and defending its training-related ingestion of “audio data from YouTube.” The Hey Hi (AI) music generator just recently touched on these and other noteworthy subjects when answering Sony Music’s amended action.