Leftovers

• New York Times ☛ As Earthquake Death Toll Mounts, Venezuela Grapples With Recovering and Burying Bodies

  As the death toll mounts, thousands of bodies have overwhelmed Venezuela’s forensic system, turning a seaport into a temporary morgue.

• FSF ☛ We're campaigning for free software. We need your help

  I'm Greg Farough, the campaigns manager of the Free Software Foundation (FSF). If you haven't heard from me in a while, it's because the campaigns team has been heads-down in researching the latest threats to software freedom and promoting real digital rights all over the globe. We've been particularly concerned with the glut of age verification bills springing up all over the United States and elsewhere; proposed bans on VPNs; and the ongoing, more general encroachment of proprietary software on all of our basic freedoms. We've also been preparing for this year's International Day Against DRM on July 17th. We do all of this to educate the public about privacy; caution them against the latest "offerings" from Apple, Microsoft, and Google; steer them away from streaming services; and more. That amounts to sixteen(!) campaigns with just three full-time staff members.

• Science / Mathematics / Computer Science

  • Futurism ☛ Scientists Build Fully Synthetic Life Form That Can Eat and Reproduce

    "We’re hoping we’re really starting the true age of bioeconomy, enabling technology that will let people engineer biology."

  • Science Alert ☛ Mysterious Global 'Hum' Has Tormented People For 50 Years – Scientists Think They May Have Found a Cause

    'The Hum' has been one of the most perplexing unsolved mysteries.

  • Science Alert ☛ There's a Scientific Reason Australia's Favorite Chaotic Seal Keeps Destroying Traffic Cones

    Neil the seal is the hero we all need right now.

  • Science Alert ☛ In a First For Science, A Satellite Has Identified What It's Seeing From Space

    It's watching us.

  • Science Alert ☛ Antarctica's Blood Falls Hides a Hidden World That's Never Seen The Sun

    Antarctica's Blood Falls are even weirder than they look.

  • Science Alert ☛ Ghostly Glow of Nuclear Power Station Was Detected in Water 150 Miles Away

    A flash we'd never seen before.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Just Found a Planet That Got a Second Life After Its Star Died

    There's hope for Earth.

  • Science Alert ☛ Tattoos Affect Your Immune System in Ways Scientists Are Just Beginning to Understand

    You should be aware of the risks.

  • Science Alert ☛ Single Injection Reverses Osteoarthritis in Animals in Just 4 Weeks

    It encouraged cartilage to repair itself.

  • Science Alert ☛ Explosive Diarrhea Is Surging Across The US Right Now

    Researchers are hunting down the source of infection.

  • Science Alert ☛ For The First Time, Scientists Say They've Built a Synthetic Cell From Scratch

    A step closer to artificial life?

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Latvia ☛ Health Inspectorate rules controversial treatment of bullet injury fine

    The Health Inspectorate has completed its investigation into the actions of doctors at Stradiņš Hospital after a woman was shot while walking in the Rītabuļļu Forest in early March, Latvian Radio reported on July 1.

  • Latvia ☛ Rīga Children's hospital wants to raise admission age to 25

    The Children's Clinical University Hospital (BKUS) has committed to raising the age limit to 25 years in the future, said Valts Ābols, chairman of the BKUS board, in an interview on the Latvian Television program “Morning Panorama” on July 2.

  • Latvia ☛ Latvia to stock up on food for crises

    To strengthen Latvia’s preparedness to provide food to its citizens in the event of a crisis or a threat to national security, the government on Tuesday, June 30, endorsed a report prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture (ZM) on the allocation of nine million euros in funding to establish national food reserves.

• Proprietary / SaaS

  • Qt ☛ Qt Bridges: Public Beta for the Rust Bridge Is Out!

  • Qt ☛ A Cross-Platform Rust UI Framework via Qt’s Bridging Technology

    Rust has achieved something extraordinary: it genuinely excites people to write software. But when it comes to building a real user interface, the ecosystem is still finding its footing. There are numerous options to pick your Rust UI framework from, including those gaining traction, like Iced and egui. Most of the available UI frameworks, however, are still establishing themselves in production environments and fall short in feature-richness. Qt Bridges, a bridging technology in public beta for Rust, brings something different to the table: over three decades of real-world use, commercial support, and a framework that already runs in automotive dashboards, medical devices, and industrial systems worldwide. Qt Bridge for Rust makes that maturity available to Rust developers, providing access to a UI framework that lets you keep your Rust codebase while using Qt Quick’s feature-rich UI libraries and APIs, hardware acceleration, and genuine cross-platform support.

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

    • EDRI ☛ The EU spends billions on AI, but can anyone track the money?

      The European Union has pledged billions to establish itself as a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI). However, there is a significant transparency gap between the political announcements and the actual flow of money. ‘From Frameworks to Factories’, a new report by Open Future , maps the EU's Hey Hi (AI) investment architecture and asks a simple question: Can the money be followed?

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • The Straits Times ☛ Local councils in Selangor to hold off on summonses after cyberattack on parking app

      The breach disabled digital parking payments for hundreds of thousands of motorists in Malaysia.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • EDRI ☛ Now or never: why the Digital Euro must not fail on privacy

      Europe is developing a Digital Euro to reduce its reliance on US-controlled payment systems and give citizens a privacy-friendly digital payment option. Epicenter.works and other civil society groups support the project but argue that strong privacy protections must be built into its technology, not just promised on paper, to ensure public trust and protect fundamental rights. The vote of the ECON Committee signals a move in the right direction, which must not be weakened in the remainder of the legislative process.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan ships should ignore boarding requests by China Coast Guard, says Taipei

    China’s patrols off Taiwan’s east coast have prompted concern from the US, Britain, France and Germany.

  • The Strategist ☛ Lightning strikes: new F-35 radar could have directed-energy attack mode

    F-35 program leader Lieutenant General Greg Masiello delivered something of a lite-beer testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, with many questions deferred to a closed session.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Afghanistan says airstrikes launched on Pakistan; Islamabad says drones shot down

    Afghanistan's Taliban said they launched airstrikes into Pakistani territory, while Islamabad said its forces had intercepted and shot down four rudimentary drones in the southern resource-rich province of Balochistan.

  • NYPost ☛ Ali Khameni’s body likely in ‘cold storage’ as Iran prepares historic funeral for Supreme Leader killed in Operation Epic Fury

    "There may not be much of a body to present. Khamenei was killed by a bunker-penetration strike, and others killed with him were recovered weeks later and identified by DNA."

  • Lou Plummer ☛ Punching Nazis for Fun and Profit – Living Out Loud

    I want to go into Nazi punching in a little more detail. There's nothing wrong with balling up your fist and smashing a Nazi right in the face -- I realize some of you are constitutionally incapable of violence, which is good. The human race needs those people to survive. But the true essence of Nazi punching is active resistance. It's the absolute refusal to accept the normalization of evil. If your Republican Sunday school teacher doesn't personally support ripping immigrant children from their parents and locking them in camps, but he keeps voting for the people who do, I hate to break it to you: your Sunday school teacher is a Nazi. Take every chance you get to remind him of that. If you don't, you and him are standing together in a Nazi bar to take communion.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan needs a ‘hornet’s nest’ of drones to deter conflict, US diplomat says

    Taiwan says it needs to bolster its defences in the face of a stepped-up threat from China.

  • The Straits Times ☛ A plane breached Beijing’s tightly controlled airspace and crashed. Why couldn’t it be stopped?

    As the low-altitude sector grows in China and elsewhere, safety systems must keep pace, say experts

  • LRT ☛ Lithuanian lawmaker says China open to normalising relations

    China appears inclined to negotiate on normalising relations with Lithuania, the chairman of the Seimas foreign affairs committee said on Wednesday after a briefing by the foreign minister.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • LRT ☛ Amid Russia warnings, Baltics brace for ‘hybrid’ rather than conventional threats

      Russia is more likely to resort to hybrid provocations than launch a conventional military attack against NATO’s eastern flank, Lithuania’s ambassador to the alliance said, as officials and analysts urged calm following renewed warnings about possible Kremlin actions in the Baltic states or Poland.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Opening of North Korea-Russia road bridge likely delayed, US think tank says

      Delays raise questions about trust and coordination between Moscow and Pyongyang.

    • LRT ☛ Russia suspends rail border crossings with Finland, Estonia and Latvia

      Russia has suspended traffic through several railway border checkpoints with Finland, Estonia and Latvia, according to a government order published Tuesday.

    • Latvia ☛ Russia closes rail crossings with Latvia, Estonia, Finland

      From July 1st, aggressor state Russia has suspended the movement of people, vehicles, goods and cargo through several rail border crossing points on its borders with Finland, Estonia and Latvia, reports ERR News.

    • Latvia ☛ What does new 'no Russian' theatre language rule mean?

      No theatre in Latvia will be closed, nor will there be any interference with the content created by theatres, but posters, advertisements, websites, and other information media will have to be exclusively in the official language in the future - this is the main message of Culture Minister Nauris Puntulis  of the nationalist National Alliance political party, commenting on the order he issued immediately after the Midsummer holidays.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Russian frustration rises as fuel crisis bites

      July 2 - In Russia's grain belt, farmers fret they will not be able to harvest their crops as a fuel crisis sparked by Ukraine's drone attacks on oil refineries and depots disrupts daily life.

    • New York Times ☛ Underground Births, Under Bombardment: Childbearing in Ukraine

      Bombings, blackouts and displacement compound maternal anxiety. Still, many women persevere. “We must bring new life,” one said.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Strikes Ukraine as Explosions Rock Capital of Kyiv

      At least 10 people were killed in the assault, which began hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine warned that Russia was preparing another “massive strike” on Kyiv.

    • RFERL ☛ US Envoy Whitaker Says NATO Has Moved Past Iran Operation Tensions

      US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker said Washington expects its alliance allies to demonstrate stronger alignment on defense spending, Ukraine support, and broader security challenges at next week’s summit in Ankara.

    • LRT ☛ Russian speakers in Lithuania turn to Ukrainian, Polish after driving test language ban

      Some Russian-speaking residents in Lithuania are seeking new ways to take driving license exams after the country banned Russian-language examinations at the start of 2026, with candidates increasingly opting for interpreters in Ukrainian or Polish instead.

    • France24 ☛ Russian strikes on Kyiv kill at least 8 after Zelensky warns of 'massive attack'

      Russian missile and drone strikes hit Kyiv early on Thursday, sparking fires, killing at least eight people and  injuring over three dozen, Ukrainian officials said, after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow was preparing a "massive attack." The assault followed air raid warnings and Zelensky's decision to cut short a visit to Dublin after receiving intelligence that Russia was preparing a major strike.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Takes the War to Russia

      Kyiv’s aim is simple: Put enough pressure on President Vladimir Putin that he agrees to end the war. Will it work?

• Environment

  • Futurism ☛ Is Your Air Conditioning Killing People Thousands of Miles Away?

    "Individual air conditioning is a scourge."

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Crow in South Korea believed to be main culprit in downed power line accident that left 1 injured

      A man in his 70s was severely injured after the high-voltage line snapped and fell onto his vehicle.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Tourists to South Korea can book express bus tickets using foreign-issued cards from August

      Bus ticketing is one of the main inconveniences faced by foreign tourists in South Korea.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Beijing plane crash casts spotlight on China’s low-altitude flights, exposes safety gaps

      Discussion of the crash on Chinese social control media has also been scrubbed.

    • The Straits Times ☛ The South Korean mine at the centre of America’s tungsten push

      It could potentially supply roughly 40 per cent of global tungsten demand outside China.

    • Futurism ☛ Thieves Are Absolutely Loving All of These New Data Center Projects

      "They know what’s hot and they know what’s selling."

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • The Straits Times ☛ Motorist hurt after car hits elephant calf in Malaysia and plunges into ravine

      The 31-year-old victim was trapped inside the car and extricated by firemen.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean shops turn to robots, self-service to escape labour woes

    The profitability of each unstaffed store in a coffee chain is over 40%, compared with 10-15% for a traditional one.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Negligent Malaysian e-wallet providers must compensate scam victims within 7 working days: Anwar

    The requirement applies even in cases where losses are partly caused by user negligence.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Vietnam, Philippines raised to World Bank’s upper-middle income status

    All five major South-east Asian economies, including Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, are in the same tier.

  • LRT ☛ EU imposes €3 duty on parcels from China

    A new three-euro customs duty on low-value parcels from third countries takes effect across the European Union on Tuesday as part of efforts to curb the influx of shipments, mainly from China.

  • BIA Net ☛ İstanbul's inflation rate at 35.9% in June

    The city's monthly inflattion stood at 1.14%.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ Communist Party of China marks 105 years with greater stress on ideology and loyalty

    A years-long anti-graft drive has intensified as the Communist Party seeks to instil greater discipline among members.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China urges US to handle Taiwan issue ‘with utmost caution’

    Wang Yi said the US and China should work to build a "constructive, strategically stable relationship".

  • JURIST ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man disclosure reveals repeated lapses under ethics laws meant to expose conflicts of interest

    President The Insurrectionist repeatedly missed legal deadlines and omitted business deals required under federal ethics laws designed to expose conflicts of interest, his latest financial disclosure reveals—lapses that fall to his own appointees to police.

  • American Oversight ☛ American Oversight Launches Investigation Into Federal Policing of Freedom 250 Events in Wake of Reflecting Pool Arrests

    We’re seeking records on the federal deputization of state and local police for Freedom 250 events and security preparations.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China imposes ‘national security’ rules on overseas investments

    Under the new rules, existing curbs on cross-border transfers will extend to the export of services.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean school baseball team suspended over ‘Tank Day’ chants

    Tank Day on May 18 marked the 46th anniversary of the Gwangju uprising in which 165 civilians were killed.

  • Green Industrialist Can't Recast Tice Hamas Post As Fact [Ed: Brett Wilson LLP Has Just Lost a Case of Its Biggest Client "IN THE COURT OF APPEAL (CIVIL DIVISION)"]

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • The Straits Times ☛ China ethnic unity law comes into force despite overseas criticism

    The Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress aims to forge a “shared” national identity among ethnic groups.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China ethnic unity law comes into force despite overseas criticism

    A new ethnic unity law came into effect Wednesday in China despite warnings from Taiwan, the United Nations and rights groups that it could threaten freedoms, especially for minorities.

  • ACLU ☛ 250th Anniversary Marks Moment of Both Commemoration and Reckoning

    ACLU deputy executive director reflects on the country’s 250th anniversary and the work that continues today as she enters new role.

  • EDRI ☛ Slovenia’s democracy under siege: An urgent update

    Following the March 2026 elections, Slovenia's newly appointed right-wing coalition government – led by Janez Janša in his fourth term – has launched an aggressive crackdown on independent civil society. Janša’s return follows a turbulent campaign marred by the Black Cube scandal involving an Israeli intelligence firm. Now, his administration is moving fast to radicalise politics, using tactics that also threaten broader EU democratic standards. This poses danger to civil society, fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens, and will also have a significant impact on the protection of digital rights in Slovenia.

  • JURIST ☛ San Francisco archdiocese agrees to pay $395M in settlement with sexual abuse survivors

    The San Francisco Catholic archdiocese announced on Monday that it reached a $395 million settlement with over 500 survivors of childhood sexual abuse by church clergy.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ The economics of SpaceX

    SpaceX and Starlink's valuation, reality, and the limits of connectivity economics.

• Monopolies/Monopsonies

  • Patents

    • JUVE ☛ LTE battle between KPN and Oppo continues

      Germany’s Federal Court of Justice has finally ruled on Oppo’s challenge to the validity of KPN’s EP 2 291 033. Until now, only claim 14 of the patent monopoly had been challenged. The German Federal Patent Court had previously declared the claim invalid.

  • Trademarks

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Supreme Court Takes Up Whether Trademark Strength Belongs to Judge or Jury

      SCOTUS took RiseandShine v. PepsiCo to decide if trademark strength is fact or law, granting review over the Solicitor General's advice to deny.

    • Digital Music News ☛ Team Swift Fires Back Against ‘Life of a Showgirl’ Trademark Suit, Downplays the ‘Absurd’ Action as an ‘Attempt to Generate Publicity’

      Right on cue, Taylor Swift’s legal team has fired back against the refiled Life of a Showgirl trademark suit, which is allegedly an “attempt to generate publicity,” replete with “fatal flaws,” and deserving of dismissal with prejudice.

  • Copyrights

    • Digital Music News ☛ Phonorecords V Settlement Proposal Emerges: Major Labels, NMPA, A2IM, and Others Say the Existing Rates ‘Should Not Be Amended Except for Continuing Inflation Adjustments’

      Let the Phonorecords V showdown begin: The major labels, the NMPA, and others have reached a settlement covering stateside mechanical rates for physical formats and permanent downloads across 2028 and 2032. But the proposal, which would leave the existing Phono IV rates in place except for an annual inflation adjustment, is already eliciting criticism.

    • Digital Music News ☛ Australian Music Industry Demands Action Against Mass-Scale Hey Hi (AI) Training: “Largest Theft of Intellectual Property In the History of Our Industry”

      Australia’s music and creative organizations have issued an open letter urging the government to enforce Australia’s copyright monopoly laws and protect creators in the face of AI.

    • Digital Music News ☛ Ricardo Montaner Sues UMG In Both the US and Venezuela In Latest Copyright Termination Battle

      Singer Ricardo Montaner is suing UMG in two jurisdictions over the master rights to his first five albums, including seminal hit “La Cima Del Cielo.”