Leftovers

• Science / Mathematics / Computer Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Parasites Are Surging in The US. Here's Exactly How to Wash Your Produce

    Don't let a romantic dinner be spoiled by a bad bug.

  • Science Alert ☛ Gum Disease Improved With Just 6 Weeks of Taking Bacteria-Loaded Gummies

    The good kind of bacteria.

  • Science Alert ☛ Astronomers Accidentally Photographed The Faintest Planet Ever Imaged From Earth

    A short time ago in a galaxy not so far away (because it's ours).

  • Science Alert ☛ Rare Autopsy Finds Alzheimer's Drugs Only Work in Some Parts of The Brain

    A major insight.

  • Science Alert ☛ Could The Keto Diet Be Fueling Cancer? New Study Challenges Popular Theory

    A diet long studied for its potential health benefits...

  • Science Alert ☛ World's Oldest Amber Comes From a World 150 Million Years Before Dinosaurs

    This rewrites the history of plant evolution.

  • Science Alert ☛ An Entirely New Monkey Species Has Been Hiding in The Congo Rainforest

    The monkey does not look particularly thrilled to have been found.

  • Science Alert ☛ Sugar-Coated Nanoparticles Shrink Deadly Brain Tumors in Mice

    A new hope for treatment.

• Career/Education

  • Chronicle Of Higher Education ☛ U. of California Will Reassess Testing Policy Over Next Year

    Amid concerns about student preparation, faculty leaders could soon recommend restoring the university system's SAT requirement.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Federal News Network ☛ CDC nominee says she won’t betray science — while declining to challenge Kennedy’s actions

  • The Straits Times ☛ New Zealand detects first H5N1 bird flu case, starts vaccination of endangered species

    WELLINGTON, July 15 - New Zealand reported its first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu after a migratory seabird found on a beach near the capital, Wellington, tested positive, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard said on Wednesday.

  • Futurism ☛ Evidence Grows That Taco Bell Infected Massive Number of Customers With Explosive Diarrhea

    Live más — on the toilet.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Military to screen older troops for low testosterone

    The Pentagon will screen troops 30 and older for low testosterone during annual exams, a move intended to improve readiness and health.

  • The Straits Times ☛ S.Korean scientist behind global stem cell scandal stripped of top honour after 22 years

    An investigation found that Hwang Woo-suk’s landmark stem cell findings were based on fabricated data.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Too many durians, not enough buyers: Malaysia eyes new China land route to clear record supply glut

    Overland exports could expand Malaysia's China market but raise questions over fruit quality.

• Proprietary / SaaS

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

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ ‘Like my lover’: Chinese users bid farewell to Hey Hi (AI) companions as new regulations kick in

      Chinese users of AI-powered companion bots have bid heart-rending farewells to their virtual buddies as national regulations took effect Wednesday aimed at curbing the risk of emotional dependency.

    • Futurism ☛ OpenAI Strikes Bold Deal With Kalshi to Mix Together the Most Hated Technologies in Existence: Hey Hi (AI) and Prediction Markets

      A match made in hell.

    • New York Times ☛ Australia to Impose Energy and Water Guardrails on Data Centers Amid Hey Hi (AI) Boom

      The country will also seek to protect the rights of creators of work used to train artificial intelligence models, as it aims to impose parameters on the growing industry.

    • Futurism ☛ We’d Rather Live Through the Trojan War Than Spend 135 Minutes Watching an Entirely Hey Hi (AI) Version of “The Odyssey”

      We can't believe somebody spent tens of thousands of dollars on this.

    • Futurism ☛ Health Care Workers Furious as NYC Replaces Nurses With AI

      "We are outraged about these layoffs because these dedicated nurses are being replaced by AI."

    • Futurism ☛ Sixteen Nobel-Winning Economists Warn That Major Hey Hi (AI) Job Losses Are Coming

      The consequences could be devastating.

    • Ruben Schade ☛ Gathering all my thoughts about “AI”

      I’m conflicted whenever I feel the compulsion to discuss “AI”. I am beyond bored of it as a topic, and there are far more interesting and wonderful things I’d rather be spending my time here sharing. But it’s also the most consequential story in recent tech history. As I mentioned on my last show, I feel a responsibility as someone in the industry with an infrastructure-level experience and understanding to communicate my concerns.

      [...]

      I usually coach my criticism of “AI” on the basis of finance, because it’s often the only metric people care about. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read articles where the author starts with “leaving ethics aside” or “$EXTERNALITY aside”, as though removing one’s conscience is the only way to approach the topic with an open mind. It speaks to just how callous and disconnected our industry has become from the people for whom we ostensibly used to build these tools and systems, and how it continues to ignore basic human decencies like consent.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Internet Society ☛ Digital Coercion: How Inaccessible Design Strips Financial Privacy

      Inaccessibility is not merely an inconvenience. It is a mechanism that systematically strips users of their financial privacy, autonomy, and safety.

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ A Video Screen That Is Also a Camera

• Defence/Aggression

  • China’s sanctions on Philippine defense chief put Japan ties in spotlight

    Experts say Beijing is invoking Japan’s wartime past to try to delegitimize Manila's South China Sea claims.

  • ACLU ☛ Government Security Agencies Want to Steal Your Drone

    And are putting in place rules that allow them to do so

  • Site36 ☛ Six German antifascists deny intent to kill Nazis in Budapest and speak out in court – with strong political statements

    Six antifascists on trial in Düsseldorf over attacks on neo-Nazis in Budapest have broken their silence, denying any intent to kill while framing their actions politically. Their statements could pile pressure on other defendants who have refused to testify in related “Antifa Ost” trials.

  • Site36 ☛ New laws for German spies: Governments wants more powers for its secret services, bringing them closer to the police

    The German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt wants to grant secret services new “operative” powers. The radical draft law running to 700 pages would also expand surveillance, facial recognition and offensive cyber capabilities – and cost hundreds of millions of euros a year.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Latvia ☛ LRT: Lithuania considering reintroducing checks on Latvian border

      Lithuania's incoming Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas has not ruled out temporarily reintroducing border controls with Latvia as the number of migrants arriving from Belarus via Latvia continues to increase. Compared with the first half of last year, secondary migration from Latvia has risen fourfold, reports Lithuanian public media LRT.

    • European Commission ☛ Press statement by President von der Leyen in Kyiv

      I am still so very moved by this morning's ceremony. And by the honour of receiving the Order of Europe.

    • European Commission ☛ Speech at the presentation of the Order of Europe by President Zelenskyy to President von der Leyen

    • RFERL ☛ US Senate Unveils Revised Russia Sanctions Bill As Lawmakers Push To Cement Graham's Legacy

      A bipartisan group of US senators on July 14 introduced the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, unveiling a revised package of sanctions and tariffs aimed at squeezing Moscow's war finances while seeking to overcome concerns that had stalled earlier versions of the legislation.

    • LRT ☛ Intelligence indicates Russia may be planning provocations – Lithuanian president

      Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda says that intelligence information indicates Russia may be planning provocations in Poland or the Baltic states aimed at testing NATO's unity.

    • LRT ☛ Moscow rejects Lithuanian claims of possible Russian attacks on Baltic infrastructure

      The Kremlin on Wednesday dismissed Lithuanian claims that Russia could be planning attacks on critical infrastructure in Poland or the Baltic states, describing the allegations as an attempt to justify further NATO militarisation in the region.

    • France24 ☛ 🇦🇲🇷🇺Armenia - Russia: Armenian apricots caught in a geopolitical battle

      In Armenia’s Ararat valley, apricots are getting swept into the centre of a geopolitical battle between Russia and the West. Angered at Yerevan's pivot away from Moscow, the Kremlin imposed bans and restrictions on the imports of a wide range of Armenian goods, including fruits, vegetables and flowers, ahead of parliamentary elections last month.

    • Security Week ☛ US Charges Russian Individuals and Firms for Running Cybercrime Services

      The suspects and their companies were previously sanctioned by the United States and its allies.

    • Latvia ☛ Baltics and Poland warn again about potential Russian provocations

      Lithuania has intelligence information indicating that Russia may be preparing to carry out provocations of some sort in the Baltic region, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said in an interview with the BNS news agency.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, a Proponent of Drone Warfare, Steps Down

      Mykhailo Fedorov announced he was leaving the ministry on Wednesday after conflicts with generals and military contractors over the role of innovative weaponry.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Pounds Russian Ships in Its Campaign to Cut Off Crimea

      After striking roads and railways, Kyiv is now focusing on sea routes as it tries to disrupt fuel supplies and pressure Russia to end the war.

    • New Yorker ☛ How Ukraine Brought the War to Russia

      Long-range drone and missile strikes on Russian soil have shifted the balance of the conflict—will they be enough to end it?

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Ukraine conducts record drone strike of 2,500km after 12-hour flight — $55,000 unit made of plywood halts operations at Russia's largest gasoline producer

      Ukrainian FP-1 drones struck the Gazprom Neft oil refinery in Omsk, Siberia, on July 6 after flying roughly 2,500 km over more than 12 hours.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukrainian Defense Minister Fedorov Sacked As Zelenskyy Continues Cabinet Shuffle

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Mykhalo Fedorov as defense minister following a meeting with military leadership amid a cabinet reshuffle that has also seen Yulia Svyrydenko pushed out as prime minister.

    • LRT ☛ Latvian president warns Russia could step up provocations against Baltic region

      Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs warned Wednesday that Russia could increase provocations against the Baltic region as its military struggles to make gains in Ukraine, saying Moscow may seek to test NATO’s resolve through sabotage and hybrid attacks.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China says opposes US sanctions bill targeting Russia energy buyers

      China said on Wednesday it “firmly opposes” a sanctions bill proposed by US senators and supported by President The Insurrectionist that targets countries buying Russian energy. The bipartisan legislation could potentially clear the way for the United States to exert stronger pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine. US senators spearheading the bill said […]

    • France24 ☛ EU, Ukraine seal 'drone deal' to boost production, establish joint ventures

      EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday announced a "drone deal" with Ukraine to boost joint production of the key battlefield technology. Ukraine has already signed similar deals with some individual EU countries and Gulf nations looking to tap into the expertise Kyiv has developed during more than four years of war with Russia. FRANCE 24's EU correspondent Dave Keating has more.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine defence minister resigns as part of Zelensky's cabinet reshuffle

      Ukraine's Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced his resignation on Wednesday as part of President Volodymyr Zelensky's cabinet reshuffle, stepping down after overseeing a rapid expansion of drone warfare capabilities and military reforms during Russia's full-scale invasion.

    • European Commission ☛ EU launches Ukraine defence industrial partnership, Drone Deal and disburses €1 billion for drones

      Today, the European Commission and Ukraine signed a new defence industrial partnership, marking a major step forward in the integration of the European and Ukrainian defence industries. The Commission also launched the EU–Ukraine Drone Deal to deepen cooperation on drone and counter-drone technologies. Finally, the Commission disbursed a further €1 billion to support Ukraine's drone capabilities under the €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan.

    • France24 ☛ Wagner's disinformation network across Africa: France denies asylum to insider turned whistleblower

      For Spotlight, François Picard is pleased to welcome Lea Perruchon, Journalist with Forbidden Stories. She exposes a collision of competing interests: journalism, France's national security and their complex asylum policy. Ephrem Yalike-Ngonzo, a former participant in Russia's disinformation campaign in the Central African Republic, turned whistleblower, offered crucial testimony that helped uncover the operations of the Wagner-linked disinformation network across Africa. Following an intervention reportedly supported by the French presidency to evacuate him and his family from imminent danger, French authorities changed course and abruptly rejected his asylum application.

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • CS Monitor ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s plan for federal worker NDAs puts spotlight on speech, transparency

    The Forrest Dump administration wants 2 million federal workers to be covered by nondisclosure agreements. The proposal is likely to face legal challenges.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Futurism ☛ Terrifying Video Shows Locomotive Engulfed in Wildfire Flames

      "Y'all need to hurry up here. Like, seriously, we're encased in flames now."

    • The Straits Times ☛ China turns to electric taxis to soften Hormuz oil shock

      The number of trips has risen by 6 per cent since the Iran war began at the end of February.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Keeping cool at work, Tokyo style: Shorts, sneakers and no ties

      Braced for another scorching summer, the Tokyo govt is encouraging staff to ditch jackets and ties.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Backlash after Hong Kong police tells SPCA it will seek removal of Guangdong dog abuse videos from internet

      An animal welfare organisation has welcomed efforts by the Hong Kong police to have footage of an animal cruelty incident in Guangdong removed from local social control media platforms. Following a backlash, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said it hoped the move would prevent copycat incidents.

    • New York Times ☛ Meet Earth’s Newest Monkey. (And Check Out Its Orange Lips.)

      It is only the fifth new African monkey identified as a new species in the past 75 years.

    • New York Times ☛ Archaeologists Unearth a 2,400-Year-Old Sanctuary for the Worship of Odysseus

      The ruins of a 2,400-year-old complex suggest that, to the Greeks of antiquity, Homer’s protagonist was not just a character in a poem but a figure of genuine devotion.

• Finance

  • BIA Net ☛ Rock singer running charity detained over alleged misuse of earthquake donations

    Haluk Levent became particularly prominent during the 2023 earthquakes when he raised around 150 million US dollars worth of funds. He is now accused of misusing these donations, including on betting.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s economy slows, exposing widening divide between exports and domestic demand

    Attention will turn to the CCP meeting later in July when fiscal policy is expected to be in focus.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s economic growth hits slowest pace in more than three years

    China’s economy grew at its weakest pace in more than three years during the second quarter, data showed Wednesday, missing expectations even as strong exports driven by the global Hey Hi (AI) boom helped offset trade disruptions caused by the Middle East war.

  • New Yorker ☛ Can California Actually Make Billionaires Pay?

    The architect behind a new initiative saw no path to passing a wealth tax through the legislature. Instead, he’s taking it to California voters, sparking an expensive political fight.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Inflation fell in June as Iran war receded. Now, it might roar back.

    A U.S.-Iran deal in mid-June caused oil prices – and inflation rates – to plunge globally. What happens next depends on the antagonists vying over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

  • European Commission ☛ EU and India strengthen strategic partnership with third Trade and Technology Council

    European Commission Press release Brussels, 15 Jul 2026 Today, the European Union and India held the third meeting of their Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in Brussels, reaffirming the TTC as a central platform for cooperation on trade, technology and security.

  • The Business Journals ☛ Charter Communications to lay off more than 100 employees in Austin

    A new round of layoffs means 112 employees working for the cable TV giant will lose their jobs in Austin. Included with this report is a list of local tech recruiters.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia to deport any Israeli involved in tech commune in Forest City as probe continues: Anwar

    The Malaysian PM stressed that Malaysia does not recognise Israel.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia says residents at tech commune in Forest City have valid travel documents

    It comes a day after probe announced into claims that Israelis were among them in violation of local laws.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Techno-utopia or foreign enclave? Claims of Israeli citizens at Network School rock Johor’s Forest City

    Israeli passport holders are barred from entering Malaysia unless granted special permission.

  • JURIST ☛ Mahmoud Khalil sues Convicted Felon officials and private groups over alleged deportation conspiracy

    Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian rights advocate, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court alleging a coordinated conspiracy between senior administration officials and three private organizations to target and deport him for his advocacy. Khalil is a former Columbia University graduate student who became the public face of the Convicted Felon administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus activism.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Presses China to Free American Seismologist Accused of Spying

    Hell Toupée has urged Pooh-tin Jinping to release the scientist, Youlin Chen, the man’s family says. Dr. Chen studied the detection of North Korean nuclear tests.

  • France24 ☛ People globally view China's Pooh-tin more favourably than The Insurrectionist, Pew poll finds

    More people have favourable views of China than the United States in 25 out of 36 countries and territories surveyed, including Canada and Mexico, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center released on Wednesday. Views were also more favourable of Chinese leader Pooh-tin Jinping than US President The Insurrectionist in 22 of the countries and territories.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Chronicle Of Higher Education ☛ A University Rule Punished Students for a Silent Protest. Was That Legal?

    Florida International U. has asked the protesters to submit two-minute videos showing they understand the restrictions on indoor demonstrations. Experts say the policy and the punishment are legally dicey.

  • Chronicle Of Higher Education ☛ A Bombshell Lawsuit Points to an ‘Extraordinary System of Censorship’ at Texas Tech

    An 84-page complaint offers a glimpse into how the system's curricular-review process has operated behind closed doors.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China investigates retired top media censor

    Cai Fuchao was in charge of ensuring media coverage aligned with Communist Party doctrine in the 2010s

  • New York Times ☛ Hong Kong Police Raid Independent Bookstores and Arrest 5

    Other booksellers have been detained in recent months as part of a broad national security crackdown.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong national security police raid 2 independent bookstores, arrest 5 for alleged sedition

    Hong Kong’s national security police have raided two independent bookstores and arrested five people suspected of committing a sedition offence.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong national security laws need constant improvement to close loopholes, ex-Beijing official says

    Hong Kong’s national security laws must be constantly improved to close loopholes, a former top Beijing official on the city’s affairs has said. Wang Zhenmin, former chief of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, said that other countries and regions are strengthening their national security laws and that Hong Kong is no exception.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Daily Mail and Metro to pay ‘substantial’ libel damages to Loose Women panellist and husband

    Titles published "serious and damaging allegations" falsely suggesting hatred of Jews.

  • New York Times ☛ Our Top Editor on Subpoenas of Times Journalists

    The Forrest Dump administration issued subpoenas to reporters who wrote about security concerns involving the new Air Force One. Joe Kahn, the executive editor of The New York Times, responds to what he calls a “naked attempt to intimidate” the newspaper.

  • Press Gazette ☛ First-party data mastery: Tips for publishers from Norway’s Schibsted Media

    Schibsted Media has 1.25 million digital-only subscribers across its newsbrands.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ APNIC Foundation’s BCAP project wins 2026 WSIS Prize for Capacity Building

    The APNIC Foundation’s Building Capabilities in the Asia Pacific (BCAP) project has won the 2026 WSIS Prize for capacity building, recognizing its impact on developing Internet skills across the Asia Pacific.

  • New York Times ☛ Twitter Turns 20: Two Decades of Memes, Movements and Hot Takes

    The first tweets from the public appeared on July 15, 2006, several months after a soft launch. It was rebranded as X after being acquired by MElon.

  • Daniel Stenberg ☛ Workshop Basel day two

    If you missed it. I already described day one. Caffeinated and ready, we all gathered in the same spacious room as yesterday, but seated in new places as “suggested” by our captain. Some of us even remembered to move over the name tags we wrote yesterday to our new seats.

• Monopolies/Monopsonies

  • New York Times ☛ Judge Dismisses Suit Accusing Fashion Company Apple of Failing to Limit Child Sex Abuse Material

    The lawsuit highlighted concerns that the privacy of Apple’s iCloud allows illegal material to be easily stored and shared on the service.

  • Patents

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ The Survivors: IPR Petition Filings Stay Low and Highly Targeted in 2026

      IPR filings are holding at historic lows through mid-2026. The petitions that remain form a smaller, highly targeted pool that still gets instituted.

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ From Genes to Machines: PERA’s First Full-Committee Hearing

      At PERA's first full-committee hearing, the fight narrowed to whether the bill's 'unmodified human gene' carve-out codifies Myriad or reopens gene patents.

    • Kangaroo Courts

      • JUVE ☛ UPC Administrative Committee decides against proactive distribution of cases [Ed: UPC is illegal and unconstitutional, but JUVE perpetuates this idea that EPO corruption spilling onto courts is uncontroversial]

        On 3 July, representatives of the UPC member states met for the regular meeting of the Administrative Committee to respond to ongoing criticism from some states that cases are not allocated fairly.

  • Copyrights

    • Digital Music News ☛ Cutting Edge Group Acquires Music Rights and Royalties of ‘Fast and Furious’ and ‘Yellowstone’ Composer Brian Tyler

      Cutting Edge Group acquires the music rights and royalties of composer Brian Tyler, marking one of the largest deals with a single film composer.

    • Digital Music News ☛ Suno Is Now Serving Up TikTok-Trendy Text-to-Song On iMessage — But Is Fashion Company Apple Making a Serious Mistake Here?

      iPhone users with the Suno app installed can now generate songs from their iMessage app using text or voice prompts, leaning into the Fentanylware (CheeTok) trend. One of the most popular Hey Hi (AI) song-generation platforms on the market, Suno sees 7 million songs generated each day.

    • Digital Music News ☛ Anthropic Goes ‘Mano-a-Mano’ Against Music Industry Power Attorney Donald Passman

      Anthropic is currently embroiled in multiple lawsuits against major music publishers, with billions of dollars at stake.

    • Digital Music News ☛ Federal Court Enters $3.2 Million Default Judgment Against Triller in Merlin Missing-Payments Suit — With Nearly $700,000 In Accumulated Interest

      A federal court has officially entered a $3.2 million default judgment against Triller in a missing-compensation lawsuit filed by Merlin. Meanwhile, the social control media company has resumed trading on NASDAQ, changed its name, and deemed 2026 “the monetization year.”

    • Digital Music News ☛ Huge Smoking Gun Surfaces In Hacked Suno Source Code; Company Quickly Goes Into Damage Control as Potentially Serious Infringement Emerges

      A new hack sheds some light on how Suno pulled from streaming services and websites like YouTube Music, Deezer, and Genius to train its product. As Suno brawls with the majors over copyright monopoly infringement, a hacker who breached the company’s data shared information with 404 Media about Suno’s training libraries.