Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Stardust Trapped in Antarctic Ice Reveals Earth's Journey Through The Cosmos

    A travel diary frozen for tens of thousands of years.

  • Science Alert ☛ Surprise X-Ray Discovery May Explain Strange Red Dots in Early Universe

    This one is unlike any we've seen before.

  • Science Alert ☛ The World's First Nuclear Explosion Forged an 'Impossible' Crystal

    The bomb that changed the world.

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Samsung holds desperate final talks with union over 18-day chip factory strike that could cost $20 billion — government-mediated summit seeks to avert industrial action that could hit HBM production

    The two sides are meeting through South Korea's National Labor Relations Commission after earlier rounds of mediation in February and March collapsed.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Latvia ☛ Suicide rates in Latvia show bleak picture

    Intentional self-harm, or suicide, is the leading external cause of death according to the latest data for 2024. This means that more people die by suicide in Latvia than in car accidents. Moreover, suicide rates are high among both adolescents and adults, LTV programme "De Facto" reported on 10th May.

  • Science Alert ☛ Common Sweetener May Harm Critical Brain Barrier, Risking Stroke

    Sugar-free still has its risks.

  • Science Alert ☛ Emerging Osteoarthritis Treatment Involves Electrically Stimulating Muscles

    And it's showing positive signs in trials.

  • New York Times ☛ A Single Infusion Could Suppress H.I.V. for Years, Study Suggests

    A study of a few patients, to be presented this week, showed promise for a type of therapy that has already cured some blood cancers.

  • New York Times ☛ What to Know About the Hantavirus Outbreak on an Atlantic Cruise Ship

    The health authorities are working to calm fears and contain the rare virus. Three passengers died after traveling on the ship, and several others fell ill or tested positive.

  • New York Times ☛ RFK Jr. Is Driving a Vast Inquiry Into Vaccines, Despite His Public Silence

    Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has toned down his public criticism of vaccines, under orders from the White House. But inside his department, a sprawling research effort is a top priority.

  • Latvia ☛ Reminder: boil your tap water this week in Rīga

    From May 11 to 15, preventive disinfection, or chlorination, of the Rīga water supply network is planned, as reported earlier by LSM.

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Michigan teen tobacco use ticks up as prevention funding lags

    Michigan spends far less on tobacco prevention than the federal government recommends. As teen use begins to climb again, health advocates say that should change.

• Proprietary

  • SANS ☛ Apple Patches Everything, (Mon, May 11th)

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

    • Futurism ☛ Graduation Speaker Shocked When She’s Loudly Booed by Students for Saying Hey Hi (AI) Is the Future

      "What happened?"

    • Futurism ☛ Amazon Pushed Its Employees to Use Its In-House Hey Hi (AI) Coding Tool, But They Wouldn’t Stop Asking for Claude [Ed: The workers hate all of it; this is dogma from management drunk on hype and marketing kickbacks]

      It's officially opening the floodgates.

    • Digital Music News ☛ Warner Music and Suno Really, Really Don’t Want You to See Their Licensing Agreement — And They’re Fighting Tooth-and-Nail Against UMG and Sony to Keep It Private

      Suno and Warner Music Group (WMG) really don’t want to reveal the terms of their lawsuit-ending licensing agreement: Now, the Hey Hi (AI) music generator is aggressively firing back against a demand from Universal Music and Sony Music to produce the deal.

    • New York Times ☛ Microsoft’s C.E.O. Intervened When Proprietary Chaffbot Company Fired Scam Altman, MElon’s Lawyer Claims

      MElon’s lawyer argued that Microsoft’s Satya Nadella played a role in getting Mr. Altman his job back at Proprietary Chaffbot Company when he was briefly fired in 2023.

    • Futurism ☛ OpenAI Sued for Mass Shooting: “If Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot Were a Person, It Would Be Facing Murder Charges”

      It's the latest lawsuit over ChatGPT's alleged role in mass shootings.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • NYPost ☛ Netflix is spying on children and selling user data, Texas AG Ken Paxton alleges in lawsuit

      "When you watch Netflix, DRM spreader Netflix watched you," Texas AG Ken Paxton alleges in the lawsuit.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippine Senate goes on lockdown to protect former 'drugs war' enforcer

    Philippine Senator Ronald dela Rosa, the chief enforcer of former President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly "war on drugs", was on Monday placed under the protective custody of the Senate after a brief standoff with law enforcement agents.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea exploring using Hyundai robots as army numbers fall

    The country’s standing forces have shrunk by 20 per cent in the past six years to 450,000.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea condemns attack on cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz, vows response

    South Korea's presidential Blue House on Monday condemned in the strongest terms an attack against a cargo ship operated by a Korean shipper this month in the Strait of Hormuz and said it plans to respond once the source of the attack is identified.

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Humiliation

    Dihydroxyacetone Man walks into his summit with China in the wake of recent demonstrations that his bullying is failing: He can neither deliver on his threats nor his promises. That makes him ripe for humiliation.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan confident in US ties but hopes for no ‘surprises’ from Convicted Felon’s China summit

    The issue of democratically governed Taiwan is certain to come up during the Convicted Felon-Xi summit.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says it won’t allow Taiwan to attend WHO’s annual assembly

    Taiwan is excluded from most international organisations because of objections from Beijing.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ IRGC-linked media outlines plan to tax and control undersea internet cables in the Hormuz Strait — Iran's mouthpiece calls for a cut of $10 trillion of transactions that pulse through the cables daily

    The oil and shipping choke point of the Strait of Hormuz looks set to become a digital pressure point with internet cabling under threat.

  • New York Times ☛ Former Hostage Calls on All of Israel’s Government to Resign

    Rom Braslavski, who said he had endured starvation, torture and sexual abuse during two-year captivity, demanded that members “take responsibility and get out of our lives.”

  • France24 ☛ Spain, Ireland, Slovenia will not broadcast Eurovision over Israel's participation

    Spain, Ireland and Slovenia will not broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest when the grand final event takes place on Saturday, doubling down on their refusal to participate in the competition in protest over Israel's inclusion. Slovenian broadcaster RTV will instead show the programme series "Voices of Palestine" while Ireland will broadcast a Eurovision-themed episode of the Irish-made sitcom "Father Ted".

  • France24 ☛ Kenya summit represents 'demarcation point': France 'wants to do business' with African continent

    Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Dr. Douglas Yates, Author, Political Scientist and Professor and at the American Graduate School of International Relations and Diplomacy. President Emmanuel Macron is co-hosting the Africa Forward Summit alongside Kenyan President William Ruto. entering what Dr. Yates describes as “a demarcation point.” After years of mounting hostility in West Africa, military ruptures in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, and the growing presence of Russia and China across the continent, Paris is seeking to redefine its place beyond the historic confines of Françafrique.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • LRT ☛ Buses dump fuel as Lithuania imposes border crossing limits

      Vehicles entering Lithuania from Russia and Belarus are no longer allowed to bring in more than 200 litres of fuel. By the morning of May 8, nearly 30 vehicles, including a coach operated by the Toks firm, had been denied entry to the country.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania says moving US troops closer to Russia border would strengthen deterrence

      Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said Monday that relocating some US troops from Germany to countries bordering Russia and Belarus would strengthen NATO’s deterrence posture, following Washington’s announcement that it plans to reduce its military presence in Germany.

    • New York Times ☛ Putin Said the War ‘Is Coming to a Close,’ but That’s Not All He Said

      The Russian leader is walking a tightrope: acknowledging public discontent while offering no indication that he might give up on his demands.

    • LRT ☛ Ukraine ready for serious talks with Russia – Budanov in Vilnius

      Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian presidential administration and former military intelligence chief, said Monday that a phone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin would not happen “out of the blue”, but Kyiv would be prepared for serious talks if Moscow was genuinely willing to engage.

    • Latvia ☛ No plans for broad state aid related to Middle East crisis in Latvia

      The hostilities in the Middle East are already affecting fuel prices and fueling concerns about further increases in energy and food costs. Ministries are already preparing potential support scenarios, but one thing is clear: unlike during the Covid-19 era, broad benefits for everyone are not being promised, Latvian Radio reports on 11th May.

    • European Commission ☛ Speech by President von der Leyen at the High-level Meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children

    • European Commission ☛ EU, Ukraine, Canada and partners join efforts to return forcibly transferred and unlawfully deported Ukrainian children

      Today, representatives of the European Union together with Ukraine and Canada hosted a ‘High-level Meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children'. This initiative was announced by European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, in her 2025 State of the Union address.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine and Russia fight on despite US-mediated ceasefire

      Russia ​and Ukraine on Monday reported fighting along their long front line despite a US-mediated ceasefire, and each accused the other of launching drone and artillery strikes. Ukraine and Russia agreed on Friday to a ​ceasefire from ‌May 9 to May 11 as part of a US-led push ⁠for peace under President The Insurrectionist after more than four years of war following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. FRANCE 24's International Affairs Editor Kethevane Gorjestani tells us more.

    • LRT ☛ Ukraine intelligence chief Budanov visits Lithuania for security meetings

      Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, is visiting Lithuania on Monday for meetings with Lithuanian officials, 15min.lt reported.

    • RFERL ☛ Former Head Of Zelenskyy's Office Under Suspicion In Major Ukrainian Investigation

      Andriy Yermak, the former chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is under suspicion as part of a major money laundering investigation by the country's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO).

    • New York Times ☛ Former Top Zelensky Aide Is Accused in Corruption Inquiry

      Ukrainian news outlets named the suspect as Andriy Yermak, who resigned last year amid a sweeping scandal.

    • CS Monitor ☛ As Russia pushes spring offensive, shift on battlefield buoys Ukrainians

      Russia is no longer making major battlefield gains. If anything, it’s been Ukraine, aided by its technological prowess, taking back small pieces of territory. After a punishing winter, Ukraine is in a surprisingly encouraging place.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Looks to Step Away From Convicted Felon and U.S.

      With peace talks on ice and Ukraine now more self-reliant, President Volodymyr Zelensky seems to be stepping away from the United States.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Bridge Michigan ☛ Opinion | We can prevent an oil spill in the Straits of Mackinac

      The pattern is brutally clear: when anchors and pipelines meet, the pipeline loses — and the water pays the price. The public health, economic and ecological consequences of a Line 5 failure would be profound.

    • The Straits Times ☛ How rising diesel prices from Iran conflict have slowed down a once-booming sector in Malaysia

      Some contractors have halted work as rising costs make construction projects no longer profitable.

    • Futurism ☛ New Data Center Equivalent to Setting Off 23 Nuclear Bombs Per Day, Professor Finds

      Unfathomable.

    • Latvia ☛ Lux Express sues Latvian transport authorities over delayed payments

      The passenger transport company "Lux Express Latvia" has filed a lawsuit in the Administrative District Court against the Ministry of Transport and the Road Transport Directorate, Latvian Radio reports on 11th May.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Malaysia Airlines flight bursts tyre at Hong Kong airport; no injuries reported

      A Malaysia Airlines flight burst a tyre on Monday after aborting take-off at Hong Kong International Airport due to “technical issues,” but no injuries were reported. The Airport Authority (AA) said the tyre burst occurred at around 9.18am on Monday.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ KLN Logistics-branded truck spotted refuelling at alleged illegal site despite crackdown

      KLN Logistics has told HKFP that a vehicle bearing the firm’s logo, which was spotted filling up at an alleged illegal fuelling site in Kwai Chung last week, was operated by a subcontractor.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • The Straits Times ☛ Lovebugs to swarm South Korea earlier and in large numbers in 2026; Seoul to test rose-scented traps

      Lovebugs are expected to reach adulthood en masse in South Korea between June 15 and 29.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Farmers in Malaysia go high-tech to fight fake Penang durians

      A QR code tracking system allows buyers to trace each fruit orchard within seconds.

  • Overpopulation

    • The Straits Times ☛ China’s marriages drop to decade low, deepening demographic concerns

      The figures are the latest sign of China’s deepening demographic challenges.

• Finance

  • CS Monitor ☛ Stocks might be soaring, but US economy is feeling Iran war shocks

    The Iran war has degraded Iran’s military strength, but the conflict has imposed high economic costs on the U.S., where consumers are feeling squeezed.

  • Xe's Blog ☛ I'm really frustrated that GitLab is doing layoffs

    Winning at this could have been so easy

  • Science Alert ☛ Giant 11,000-Carat Ruby Found in Myanmar Could Be Worth a Fortune

    "Exceptionally large, rare, and difficult to find."

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Michigan loaned $35M to mobility center. Debt could cripple it, boosters say

    Amid a backlash against public subsidies, Michigan seeks repayment of loan for autonomous testing site. Activists say the nonprofit is doing vital work to keep Michigan competitive.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s consumer prices rise on Iran war oil squeeze

    China’s consumer prices ticked up in April as the cost of crude oil rose globally due to the Iran war, official data showed on Monday. Helped by the surging oil costs, factory gate prices also continued to show signs of recovery, rising for a second straight month after being stuck in negative territory since October […]

  • LRT ☛ National stadium costs will not increase, Vilnius mayor assures

    Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas said Monday that neither the government’s nor the municipality’s financial commitments to the long-delayed national stadium project will increase, rejecting suggestions that the Education, Science and Sports Ministry is seeking to reduce its contribution.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ Pressure on Starmer Mounts as Dozens of Labour Lawmakers Call on Him to Quit

    The chances of a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Keir Starmer appeared to rise sharply on Monday as several government aides announced their resignations.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • France24 ☛ ‘Plandemic, Covid 2.0’: Fact-checking viral conspiracy theories about Hantavirus

      As the world saw with COVID-19, the only thing that spreads faster than a virus is misinformation, and Hantavirus is no exception. Despite only a few confirmed cases, conspiracy theories have swirled on social control media falsely claiming Hantavirus is a planned pandemic, or a ploy to disrupt the US midterm elections. Others alleged it's a "bioweapon" created by big pharma  to “poison” people or even that it's a side effect of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

    • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Destroy COVID And Flu Viruses in The Lab With Sound Waves

      They just explode.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Two husbands’ ad no joking matter for China’s authorities

    Officials warned brands against riling up people’s emotions to win customers.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Former CNN host Don Lemon on turning a profit with his five-person media network

    Lemon says audience will pay for authenticity which is missing from corporate media.

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong gov’t declines comment on wanted activist’s possible deportation from Thailand to China

    Hong Kong authorities have declined to comment on reports that an activist wanted by the city’s national security police could face deportation to China after being arrested in Thailand for allegedly overstaying her visa.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Meta removes fake INTERPOL ads targeting Hong Kong scam victims

    Meta has removed a series of scam ads impersonating the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) following HKFP’s enquiries. The ads, targeting Hongkongers, appeared for weeks on Facebook. They urged users to get in touch with the global policing body if they wished to retrieve funds previously lost to scams – however, the ads were fraudulent.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Zimbabwe ☛ WhatsApp Alone Now Equals Zimbabwe’s Entire 2022 Internet

    Three years ago, Zimbabwe’s entire mobile internet ecosystem used roughly the same amount of data that WhatsApp alone uses today. That’s according to the latest POTRAZ figures. In this video, we break down: The numbers are crazy.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Right to Repair ☛ Hackers, Forklifts, and Other Things Manufacturers Blame on Repair

    When lawmakers consider Right to Repair, manufacturers and their trade groups usually show up with the same script.

    They support repair, of course.

    They support consumer choice, naturally.

    They support small businesses, safety, sustainability, affordability, resilience, and probably puppies.

    They just oppose the actual law that would make repair possible.

• Monopolies/Monopsonies

  • Patents

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Prior Art Rejection Rates in Design Patent Prosecution

      New disposal-based data on Hague design applications shows §103 rejection rates remain near 1% despite LKQ, with a post-decision dip before modest recovery.

    • JUVE ☛ AMI fails to secure ban on Martin-Baker’s ejection seats for fighter jets

      With increasing armed conflict around the world and rising military spending, military technology is once again coming into the public spotlight. For example, two of the world’s largest manufacturers of ejection seats are currently battling it out at the UK High Court.

    • Software Patents

      • Unified Patents ☛ Malikie video codec patent monopoly challenged

        On May 2, 2025, Unified filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 10,778,989, another patent monopoly owned by Malikie Innovations Limited, an NPE and entity of Key Patent Innovations Limited. The ‘989 patent, formerly assigned to Blackberry Ltd., relates to a rolling intra prediction video codec method based on the H.264/AVC/HEVC standards. Malikie Innovations has filed several other litigations funded by Key Patent Innovations Limited against networking communications, apps, and Wi-Fi devices.

  • Trademarks

    • Right of Publicity

      • Jonathan Faber ☛ Samsung sued by Dua Lipa. Similarities to Pele’s lawsuit against Samsung?

        As news broke of Dua Lipa’s $15 million lawsuit against Samsung, I was reminded of Pele’s $30 million lawsuit also against Samsung. Pele sues Samsung Based on reporting, it appears Dua Lipa also owns the copyright monopoly to the photograph Samsung used on its packaging.

  • Copyrights

    • Digital Music News ☛ Jason Derulo, Sony Music Triumph in Heated ‘Savage Love’ Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

      A federal jury ruled in favor of Jason Derulo in a copyright monopoly dispute filed against him and Sony Music over his hit “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat).”