Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ Dan Hon’s resources for managing replies

  His image gallery of responses are wonderful:

  Do not reply to deny my lived experience.

  Do not reply unless you have direct experience.

  This is an observation.

  Do not reply with a software suggestion.

  Do not reply to tell me to use open source software.

  Do not reply to teach me about capitalism or enshittification. I know.

• New Yorker ☛ The Snake with the Emoji-Patterned Skin

  In the wild, ball pythons are usually brown and tan. In America, breeding them to produce eye-catching offspring has become a lucrative, frenetic, and—for some—troubling enterprise.

• Pete Zaitcev: Strongly consistent S3

  Speaking of S3 becoming strongly consistent, Swift was strongly consistent for objects in practice from the very beginning. All the "in practice" assumes a reasonably healthy cluster. It's very easy, really. When your client puts an object into a cluster and receives a 201, it means that a quorum of back-end nodes stored that object. Therefore, for you to get a stale version, you need to find a proxy that is willing to fetch you an old copy. That can only happen if the proxy has no access to any of the back-end nodes with the new object.

• Science

  • France24 ☛ 'Cosmic hurricane': Astronomers identify possible brightest object in universe

    Astronomers have discovered what may be the brightest object in the universe, a quasar with a black hole at its heart growing so fast that it swallows the equivalent of a sun a day.

  • Science Alert ☛ Herpes Virus May Double Your Risk of Dementia, Study Finds

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Identify a Universal Optimal Temperature For Life on Earth

    This can't be a coincidence.

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Following reports indicating a Q1 2025 Nintendo Switch 2 release, Nintendo's JP stock drops by over 5 percent

    Following reports of a Switch 2 delay to Q1 next year instead of later this year, Nintendo's JP stock sees a reported 5.84% drop. We also discuss likelihood of the Switch 2 delay rumors based on Nintendo's past behavior regarding delays for console, game releases, or both.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Hackaday ☛ ForceGen: Using A Diffusion Model To Help Design Novel Proteins

    Although proteins are composed out of only a small number of distinct amino acids, this deceptive simplicity quickly vanishes when considering the many possible sequences across a protein, not to mention the many ways in which a single 1D protein sequence can fold into a 3D protein shape with a specific functionality. Although natural evolution has done much of the legwork here already, figuring out new sequences and their functionality is a daunting task where increasingly deep learning algorithms are being applied. As [Bo Ni] and colleagues report in a research article in Science Advances, the hardest challenge is designing a protein sequence based on the desired functionality. They then demonstrate a way to use a generative model to speed up this process.

  • RFERL ☛ Rise In Suicides Among Medical Students In Iran Highlights Growing Crisis In Sector

    A rise in suicides among medical residents at Iranian schools, revealed in an interview with the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) with Vahid Shariat, has highlighted a growing crisis within Iran's medical community.

  • France24 ☛ France's foreign doctors suffer insecurity as understaffed hospitals struggle to function

    The situation for several thousand foreign doctors working in French hospitals has become more complicated since the end of the exemption scheme put into place during the Covid-19 pandemic. Nearly 1,900 of these practitioners have now lost their right to practise, a great loss for French hospitals already struggling with shortages of medical staff. FRANCE 24 spoke to some of them.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Zeynep Tufekci: Could Long Covid be the Senate’s bipartisan cause?

    “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican from Kansas.

  • New Yorker ☛ Did the Year 2020 Change Us Forever?

    The COVID-19 pandemic affected us in millions of ways. But it evades the meanings we want it to bear.

  • Science Alert ☛ Breakthrough: New Drug Might Halt Rheumatoid Arthritis in Those Most at Risk

    "There are currently no drugs available that prevent this."

  • Science Alert ☛ Before Darwin, Animal Mummies Were Used to Squash Early Evolutionary Theory

    They didn't succeed.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Sprinkle of Gold Dust Could Help Reverse Symptoms of Parkinson's Disease

    A golden ticket for neurodegenerative disease treatment.

  • Science Alert ☛ Zombie Deer Disease Is Spreading Through America. Here's Why It's a Concern.

    The next mad cow epidemic?

  • Federal News Network ☛ Congress should protect science, EPA workers who dedicate careers to preserving planet

    The clock is ticking for the current administration to implement measures to protect science and the workers dedicating their lives to confronting this millennium’s greatest challenge: preserving our planet, its resources and its people.

  • BIA Net ☛ Minister: There is no threat to public health in water and soil

    Energy and interior ministers provided an update regarding the situation at Çöpler Gold Mine.

  • University of Michigan ☛ $3.7M NIH grant will boost study of new cancer therapy

    In a major advancement for cancer research at U-M, researcher Mats Ljungman has been awarded a $3. 7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Doctors in South Korea walk out over medical school slots

    Extent of walkout not yet known, but it has caused some hospitals to delay or postpone operations.

  • New Yorker ☛ Legal Weed in New York Was Going to Be a Revolution. What Happened?

    Lawsuits. Unlicensed dispensaries. Corporations pushing to get in. The messy rollout of a law that has tried to deliver social justice with marijuana.

  • New York Times ☛ Why South Korean Doctors Have Walked Off the Job

    Physicians say the government’s plan to admit more students to medical school ignores the real cause of doctor shortages: harsh conditions and low wages.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea asks older drivers to give up their licences

    The number of car accidents across the country involving older drivers has been on the rise.

  • The Straits Times ☛ 1 in 4 aged 70 and above still working in South Korea

    Some 30% of workers aged 70 and above were in agriculture, fishing, forestry industries.

  • YLE ☛ THL encourages people to get jabbed as winter flu epidemic continues

    The efficacy rate for people aged 65 and over stands at about 54 percent so far this year, figures provided by public health authority THL reveal.

  • University of Michigan ☛ Early sepsis detection tool may be cribbing doctors’ suspicions

    Proprietary artificial intelligence software designed to be an early warning system for sepsis can't differentiate high and low risk patients before they receive treatments, a U-M study has found.

  • teleSUR ☛ Indian Farmers To Analyze Minimum Security Price for Five Crops

    Farmers have been heading towards Delhi to protest against policies that affect their livelihoods.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • NPR ☛ What layoffs in the video game industry mean for developers and the games we love : NPR

    But again, just the sheer amount of people that are being impacted by this has only grown in recent years. And when you combine that with the fact that a lot of companies, both during the pandemic and even before, have been making big and sometimes very risky investments into a lot of different things - acquisitions of other studios, blockchain technology and NFTs. We're now having a lot of conversations about AI investments as well. A lot of companies are just spending and spending and spending in these very big ways. When you combine all of that together, you end up with this climate where everything just feels very unstable and very unsafe for the people who are actually doing the work of making video games and not making the choices of where the money goes and how it's used.

  • EuroGamer ☛ Layoffs hit GTA producer's Everywhere studio

    Everywhere developer Build A Rocket Boy has confirmed a round of layoffs at the company, which was founded by ex-Grand Theft Auto producer Leslie Benzies in 2016.

    An unconfirmed number of job losses were first reported yesterday by PCGamesN. Now, the studio has confirmed "the removal of a number of roles globally" in a statement to Eurogamer.

    Build A Rocket Boy is headquartered in Edinburgh, though also operates offices in Budapest, Montpellier and in China. The company is backed by investment from NetEase, and last month completed a further $110m funding round.

  • Activision Is Being Sued By Pro Players For ‘Monopolistic’ Call Of Duty Tournament Policies

    Professional esports players Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez and Seth “Scump” Abner recently filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming that it introduced exploitative policies when it exclusively took over all Call of Duty esports tournaments. The new policies reportedly prohibited players from accepting third-party sponsorships and endorsements which accounted for the majority of their profits.

  • Mercury News ☛ Marin video game maker to lay off 86 employees

    The employees work for Activision Blizzard developer Toys for Bob, which was incorporated in 2002. The developer is known for titles such as “Crash Bandicoot,” “Spyro” and “Skylanders.”

  • Microsoft will cut nearly 900 more Activision Blizzard jobs in March

    Next in line are 86 employees of Toys for Bob, a subsidiary that is being worked on Crash Bandicoot And Skylanders. The layoffs are set to take effect at the end of March, along with other cuts at Microsoft-owned companies. Toys for Bob is a 35-year-old developer who has made billions from it Skylanders Sales already in the mid-2010s. Activision-Blizzard acquired the studio back in 2005.

  • Game-News24 ☛ Activision-Blizzard will see nearly 900 job cuts. Microsoft plans to cut roughly 400 more in March, according the announcement of their March 1st release date (March 29)

    In California, Microsoft is planning 812 layoffs for Activision-Blizzard on the 30 March 2017; 478 are in its core office district within Irvine. As soon as the company got in, over 13,000 people employed; thus making huge cuts.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • Defence Web ☛ Beware scammers using BMA identification

      Not six months after it was launched, the latest addition to South Africa’s security architecture – the Border Management Authority (BMA) – finds itself targeted by scammers more interested in money than territorial sovereignty.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Reddit reportedly selling its users' content to an Hey Hi (AI) company for $60 million per year

      According to a Bloomberg report, Reddit made a deal with an undisclosed major Hey Hi (AI) company to allow the use of its library of users' submitted content for training its Hey Hi (AI) model to the tune of $60 million every year.

• Fentanylware and Aggression

  • European Commission ☛ Commission opens formal proceedings against Fentanylware (TikTok) under the Digital Services Act

    European Commission Press release Brussels, 19 Feb 2024 The European Commission has opened formal proceedings to assess whether Fentanylware (TikTok) may have breached the Digital Services Act (DSA) in areas linked to the protection of minors, advertising transparency, data access for researchers, as well as the risk management of addictive design and harmful content.

  • [Repeat] Silicon Angle ☛ EU launches probe into Fentanylware (TikTok) over possible failure to protect minors

    The European Union today said it’s investigating Fentanylware (TikTok) over potential Digital Services Act breaches concerning whether the social control media platform has done enough to protect children from harm in the bloc.

  • Digital Music News ☛ TikTok Faces EU Digital Services Act Investigation Over Its Impact on Minors, Advertising Transparency, and More

    The European Union is officially investigating Fentanylware (TikTok) over possible violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA) – including potential infractions relating to the platform’s impact on minors.

  • France24 ☛ EU launches probe of Fentanylware (TikTok) over child protection concerns

    The EU on Monday announced a formal investigation into Fentanylware (TikTok) over alleged breaches of its obligations to protect minors online, under a landmark new law on policing digital content.

  • JURIST ☛ European Commission launches formal proceedings against Fentanylware (TikTok) under Digital Services Act

    The European Commission opened formal proceedings against Fentanylware (TikTok) on Monday for potential breaches of the Digital Services Act (DSA), a European regulation created to protect online services users.

  • New Yorker ☛ How Noah Kahan Went from Vermont to Fentanylware (TikTok) to the Grammys

    The musician behind the Billboard mainstay “Stick Season” discusses small-town life, using social control media too much, and the loneliness of fame.

  • The Straits Times ☛ TikTok violates Indonesian in-app transactions ban, says minister

    The trade ministry said it was still considering how best to respond to the issue.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan minister says China coast guard triggered panic by boarding Taiwan tourist boat

    The minister said it is common for Chinese and Taiwanese tourist boats to accidentally enter the other side's waters.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US, Philippines hold air patrol, drawing China rebuke

    The patrol was conducted over the western part of the South-east Asian nation’s main island.

  • RFA ☛ China lures Palau with economic incentives to break ties with Taiwan

    Pacific island nations seen crucial to break through the U.S.’s blockade against Beijing.

  • RFA ☛ Cross-Strait tensions at risk of rising after Kinmen incident

    China and Taiwan pledge to continue law enforcement in the waters between Kinmen island and the Chinese mainland.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s largest pro-Beijing party proposes 24-hour China border crossings ahead of Two Sessions meetings

    Hong Kong’s largest pro-establishment party has suggested adding more 24-hour checkpoints with mainland China and allowing junior-level civil servants to intern across the border. Members of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) discussed their proposals for Beijing’s Two Sessions at a press conference on Monday.

  • France24 ☛ Taipei protests after Chinese coast guards board Taiwanese tourist boat

    Taiwan on Tuesday protested China’s boarding of a tourist boat, as tensions rise around the Kinmen archipelago, which lies a short distance off China's coast but is controlled by Taiwan.

  • YLE ☛ Victim Support Finland reports 11% increase in client numbers

    The volunteer organisation provides advice and support to victims of crime or attempted crime, as well as to their families and witnesses.

  • Defence Web ☛ Germany sends frigate Hessen to join EU mission in Red Sea

    After receiving approval from the German government to join a European Union military mission to assist in protecting shipping in the Red Sea, the German Navy acknowledged that one of its frigates, the 5 800-ton Hessen (F221), was already en route to the region.

  • BIA Net ☛ Twenty three people from 12 countries with search warrants detained in operations

    Interior Minister Yerlikaya announced that operations were carried out in 6 provinces against 23 individuals with search warrants in Germany, Belgium, Bulgaria, South Korea, Iraq, Iran, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Jordan.

  • RFERL ☛ In Unusual Move, China Offers To Back Hungary In Security Matters

    China offered to support longtime strategic partner Hungary on public security issues, going beyond trade and investment relations, during a rare meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Orban just as NATO struggles to expand its network in Europe.

  • AntiWar ☛ Fake Threats, Fake News, Fake Panic

    On Wednesday, February 14, Ohio Republican Rep. Mike Turner from Ohio, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that his panel had “made available to all Members of Congress information concerning a serious national security threat.” This announcement made headline news, followed by statements from his colleagues in the House.

  • Latvia ☛ Valdis Dombrovskis on Europe's competitiveness

    Latvia's European Commissioner, Valdis Dombrovskis, gave an interview at this year's Munich Security Conference, discussing the European Union`s competitiveness, opportunities for competition, and strategic partnerships.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Meduza ☛ In photos: The final days of the battle for Avdiivka — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia has full control of Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant, says Russian Defense Ministry — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘An abyss of impunity’ Belarusian writer and Nobel Prize winner Svetlana Alexievich on the implications of Navalny’s death — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Trump Breaks Silence on Navalny Death, but Doesn’t Condemn Putin

      His winding social control media post on Monday contained no reference to Vladimir V. Putin, the Russian president, who has been widely condemned after the death of one of his most vocal critics, Aleksei A. Navalny.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘We cannot change our neighbor’: Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur on the threat of Putin’s Russia and preparing for the worst — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Video shows prison service convoy driving in direction of morgue on night after Navalny’s death — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Navalny’s mother and lawyers turned away from morgue reportedly holding his body — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Putin spokesman says issue of returning Navalny’s body falls outside Kremlin’s authority — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘We know exactly why Putin killed Alexey three days ago’ Yulia Navalnaya announces she will continue her husband’s work — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia’s Investigative Committee says Navalny’s body sent for 14-day ‘chemical examination’ — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Over 46,000 people demand Russian Investigative Committee release Alexey Navalny’s body — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Vladimir Putin upgrades rank of Russian Penitentiary Service deputy head three days after Navalny’s death in prison — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine reportedly found dead in Spain — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian court sends 19-year-old to compulsory psychiatric treatment for spreading ‘disinformation’ about army — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Putin to address Russia’s Federal Assembly on February 29 — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Georgia’s Lazarus Bidzina Ivanishvili’s latest political comeback and the law of diminishing returns — Meduza

    • France24 ☛ EU diplomacy chief tells Navalny’s widow that Putin will be held accountable for his death

      EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Monday pledged that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be held to account for Alexei Navalny's death after he met the opposition leader and Kremlin foe's widow.

    • RFA ☛ N Korean leader receives a luxurious car gift from Putin: state media

      Post-North Korea-Russia summit last year, bilateral exchanges across sectors have intensified.

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim Jong Un receives car as gift from Putin: Media

      The Russian-made car was delivered to Mr Kim’s top aides by the Russian side on Feb 18.

    • The Strategist ☛ Ukraine: why we must stay the course

      On 24 February, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin began his war of subjugation and extinguishment against Ukraine. He was not alone in thinking it would be a quick victory.

    • RFERL ☛ Navalnaya Bolstered By EU Foreign Ministers' Vows Of Further Russia Sanctions

      The exiled wife of Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny has issued a defiant statement vowing to "continue our fight for our country" and urging support ahead of a meeting with EU leaders, as domestic and international outrage mounts over Navalny's death in custody last week.

    • The Kent Stater ☛ Navalny’s widow accuses Putin of killing him and vows to continue his work

      The widow of the Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny on Monday accused President Vladimir Putin of being responsible for his death and indicated she will pick up her husband’s mantle, for a “happy, beautiful Russia.”

    • RFERL ☛ Bosnian Serb Leader Meets Lukashenka In Minsk, Plans To Meet Putin In Moscow

      Milorad Dodik, the pro-Russia president of the Serbian entity of Bosnia-Herzegovina, met with Belarusian President leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka in Minsk and announced plans this week to travel to Moscow where he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of a tour of the region.

    • RFERL ☛ Georgia's President Says EU Members Are Next If Putin Wins In Ukraine

      Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has warned of the danger of Russian aggression against other European countries if Ukraine loses the war.

    • Latvia ☛ Call for moment of silence for Ukraine on Saturday

      Two years ago, on February 24, 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine. In solidarity with the Ukrainian people, President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs, Saeima Chairwoman Daiga Mieriņa, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa and Foreign Minister Krišjānis Kariņš are inviting all Latvian residents to unite in a moment of silence on Saturday, February 24, at 9:00 AM.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian public media launch Ukraine support week

      During the week marking two years since Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Latvian public service media – Latvian Television (LTV), Latvian Radio (LR), and LSM.lv launch a donation project in cooperation with Ziedot.lv in which the funds raised will be transferred in full to support Ukraine.

    • Latvia ☛ Baltic states condemn Russia's election plans in occupied Ukraine

      The Foreign Ministers of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia on February 19 issued a joint statement condemning Russia's plans to hold presidential elections in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory. The ministers pointed out that Russia is "gravely violating Ukraine’s sovereignty, international law and the United Nations Charter" with its actions. The full statement is reproduced below.

    • Latvia ☛ Recruitment in National Guard needs targeted campaigns: Commander

      After Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, interest in joining the Latvian National Guard increased rapidly. It has now settled, and there must be targeted campaigns in recruiting new soldiers and national guards, Kaspars Pudāns, commander of the National Guard, said in an interview on the Latvian Television morning news program on February 20.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky says Ukraine's frontline situation made worse by delays in Western military aid

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday said his troops were facing complicated fighting along sections of the sprawling front line, with delays in Western military aid impacting his army.

    • France24 ☛ NATO's Stoltenberg expects US to remain 'committed ally', even if Trump returns

      In an interview with FRANCE 24, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he expected that "regardless of the outcome of the US elections", Washington "will continue to be a committed NATO ally". "It is in the security interest of the United States to have a strong NATO," Stoltenberg noted. The NATO chief also said he "expects" the US Congress "to find a way to agree sustained support to Ukraine". Further aid for Kyiv is currently stalled in the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives.

    • JURIST ☛ Ukraine opens war crimes investigation into alleged Russian executions of unarmed soldiers

      Ukraine’s Security Services, with the assistance of prosecutors in the Donetsk region, opened a war crimes investigation on Sunday following reports that Russian troops executed six unarmed Ukrainian soldiers during fierce fighting in the city of Avdiivka over recent days.

    • JURIST ☛ Belarus authorities report foiled sabotage attempts near Ukrainian border

      Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced on Friday that the country’s security forces had thwarted an alleged sabotage attempt near the border with Ukraine. During the general assembly of Belkoopsoyuz, the national union of consumer societies, held in the capital city of Minsk, Lukashenko provided detailed information about the arrested individuals.

    • LRT ☛ New EU sanctions package against Russia ‘without much optimism’ – Lithuanian FM

      As the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis is sceptical about the European Union’s new sanctions package against the aggressor.

    • University of Michigan ☛ Iuliia Mendel delivers lecture on Ukraine war to University community

      University of Michigan community members filled Rackham Auditorium to hear a lecture on the Russia-Ukraine war given by Iuliia Mendel,  a Ukrainian journalist and former press secretary to President Volodymyr Zelenkskyy.

    • University of Michigan ☛ ‘It’s not only about Ukraine; it’s about the world’: Vigil for Ukraine held on the Diag

      University of Michigan students and Ann Arbor residents gathered on the Diag Monday afternoon for a vigil commemorating the two-year anniversary of Russia’s initial attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022 that launched a war between the two nations, which remains ongoing.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Warns Of Economic Woes Amid Border Protests by Polish Truckers, Farmers

      Kyiv warned of serious economic consequences as Polish truckers and farmers along the border continued to block Ukrainian cargo from entering the EU nation, with intensified protests expected on February 20.

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ Navalny widow account restored on X after brief suspension – DW – 02/20/2024

    • RFERL ☛ Baltics Say Upcoming Russian Election In Occupied Areas Of Ukraine 'Grave Violation Of International Law'

      The foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania said Russia’s plan to hold elections in "temporarily occupied and illegally annexed" Ukrainian territory is "a grave violation of international law, the UN Charter, and Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity."

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Steps Up Pleas For Western Arms After Visit To Front Lines

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned again of "extremely difficult" conditions and dwindling ammunition on the front lines following his military’s decision to withdraw from the strategic southeastern city of Avdiyivka to save lives and materiel in the face of the latest Russian onslaught.

    • New Yorker ☛ The New Yorker’s Luke Mogelson and Masha Gessen Win Polk Awards

      Mogelson received the Magazine Reporting prize for his work in the trenches in Ukraine, and Gessen was honored for their commentary on historical memory and the Israel-Hamas war.

    • Latvia ☛ Health Minister: Hospitals' working language must be Latvian

      The issue of language, namely not speaking Russian, often becomes the cause of harassment targeted toward young doctors – not only with patients but senior colleagues. The Latvian Junior Doctors Association spoke about this at a meeting with the Health Minister on Monday, who pointed out it is high time to change this, Latvian Television reported February 19.

    • Latvia ☛ Russian diplomat summoned again over Navalny death

      The senior diplomat on duty at the Russian Embassy was summoned to the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs February 19 – his second short walk across the park from embassy to ministry in less than a week.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian security service director: "Future prospects do not inspire much optimism"

      On February 19, the Constitution Protection Bureau (SAB) published the unclassified part of its annual report for the year 2023, warning that Russia's imperialism and paranoia forms the background to a range of 'hybrid' threats to Latvia.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia plans to extend Russian travel restrictions

      The government could extend the deadline for restrictions on Russian citizens' entry into Latvia until spring next year, given that the security threat posed by Russia continues, according the draft order prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, newswire LETA reported February 18.

    • AntiWar ☛ Russia: Why Navalny, and What’s Next?

      On February 16, the Russian Federation’s Federal Penitentiary Service announced the death in custody of a prisoner at its FKU IK3 “corrective colony.” The prisoner – one Alexei Anatolyevich Navalny – “fell ill after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness,” according to an official statement, and could not be resuscitated by medical staff.

    • Science Alert ☛ Claims of Russian Space Nuke Hint at Signs of a New Arms Race

      The dawn of orbital warfare.

    • France24 ☛ European countries summon Russian diplomats over Navalny's death

      A host of European governments Monday summoned Russian diplomats following the prison death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania summons Russian diplomat over Navalny’s death

      The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry on Monday summoned Russia’s chargé d’affaires ad interim to express its protest over the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

    • LRT ☛ Baltic borders are ‘prime destination’ for evading Russia sanctions – media

      The Baltic border guard services and officers are aware that sanctioned goods are crossing into Russia and Belarus, but there is little they can do about it, reports the prominent Brussels-based newspaper Politico.

    • RFA ☛ ‘The whole trip was a complete shock and surprise.’

      Russian travel blogger describes first guided tour to North Korea in 4 years.

    • RFERL ☛ Finland Eyes Tougher Legislation To Boost Borders And National Security

      Finland, which accuses Moscow of funneling migrants to its eastern border, plans to amend legislation to boost border and national security and fight what it calls "instrumentalized migration," the Interior Ministry said on February 19.

    • RFERL ☛ Sweden Summons Russia Ambassador Over Navalny Death, Seeks New Sanctions

      Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom summoned Russia's ambassador on February 19 over the death of imprisoned opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and called on the EU to consider new sanctions against Russia, joining other Western nations making such moves.

    • YLE ☛ Russian ambassador summoned over Navalny's death; Finnish envoy lays flowers at Moscow memorial

      The Finnish Foreign Ministry demanded a full, transparent investigation into the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

    • YLE ☛ More young Russians applying to Finnish secondary schools

      Applying to study in Finland could be a way for some young people to get out of Russia, a Finnish education ministry spokesperson said.

    • New York Times ☛ Inside Aleksei Navalny’s Final Months, in His Own Words

      Trump. Indian food. Matthew Perry. And books, books, books. Excerpts from letters obtained by The Times show Mr. Navalny’s active mind, even amid brutal prison conditions.

    • New York Times ☛ Navalny’s Widow Pledges to Carry On Opposition Leader’s Work

      The sudden death of Aleksei Navalny left a vacuum in Russia’s opposition. His wife, Yulia Navalnaya, signaled that she would try to fill the void.

    • New York Times ☛ Yulia Navalnaya, Aleksei Navalny’s Widow, Takes Center Stage

      The wife of Russia’s most famous opposition leader long shunned the spotlight, but his death in prison may make that impossible. “I have no right to give up,” she said.

    • Latvia ☛ Belarus documentary to feature at Art Doc Fest

      A documentary titled "The Accidental President," focusing on the legitimate Belarus president Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is scheduled for screening in Riga on March 2 at 15:30 at Splendid Palace during the Art Doc Fest.

    • JURIST ☛ Belarus drafts law punishing the promotion of LGBT+ relationships

      The Prosecutor General of Belarus, Andrei Shved, announced Monday that the government has been preparing a bill that would punish the promotion of what they deem to be non-traditional relationships in a move targeted at LGBTQ+ unions.

    • RFERL ☛ Belarus Proposes Draft Law Against The 'Promotion Of Nontraditional Family Relations'

      Belarus's prosecutor-general has prepared a bill for lawmakers to discuss that proposes punishing the "promotion of nontraditional relationships," a thinly veiled reference to the country's often-persecuted LGBT community.

    • RFERL ☛ Belarusian Opposition Activist In Serbia Urges Belgrade To Reverse Extradition Ruling

      Belarusian journalist and opposition activist Andrey Gniot has urged Serbian authorities not to extradite him back to his home country, where he says his "life will be ruined."

• Environment

  • DeSmog ☛ Climate Trial Against Oil Giant Eni Opens in Italy

    Italy’s first climate change lawsuit brought by Greenpeace Italy and climate advocacy group ReCommon against Italian oil giant Eni opened with its first hearing  on February 16, alleging the company contributed to global warming. 

    The hearing comes alongside a new report by Greenpeace Italy and ReCommon, which describes how Eni’s technical consultants in the case have deep ties to the fossil fuel industry and climate deniers. 

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • New York Times ☛ What Is a Species, Anyway?

      Some of the best known species on Earth may not be what they seem.

    • Science Alert ☛ This Insanely Tiny Frog Could Be as Small as Vertebrates Get

      Any smaller it would vanish.

    • BIA Net ☛ Animal rights groups: 'The 'stray' ones are not the dogs, but the leaders'

      "We see that animals, who have no crime except being born, are labeled as 'stray,' declared enemies, and the hate speech, which is the biggest reason for the situation we are in, is fueled by authorities themselves," says the Right to Live Initiative.

• Finance

  • New York Times ☛ Low Prices Lure Hong Kongers to China

    Hong Kong residents are finding in Shenzhen, the mainland city next door, lower prices, better service and tasty cuisine.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuanians gambled away almost €300m last year – watchdog

    In 2023, Lithuanians lost 288 million euros through gambling and lotteries, Virginijus Daukšys, head of the Gaming Supervision Authority, has said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China ready to work with EU to uphold free trade, multilateralism, foreign minister says

    China is ready to work with the European Union to uphold free trade, practice multilateralism, and promote an equal and orderly multi-polar world and inclusive economic globalisation, its foreign minister said during a visit to Spain.

  • YLE ☛ Reduced costs of energy, petrol drive drop in January's inflation rate

    Finland's year-on-year inflation rate fell to 3.3 percent last month, having stood at 8.4 percent in January 2023.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ Election watchdog busts political deepfakes ahead of South Korea’s April general election

    The task force will fight AI-generated deceitful content related to the general election in April.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ST Picks: Can Malaysia revive the KL-S’pore HSR without govt funding?

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ How Merrick Garland Mistook a Trump Hitman for a Career Prosecutor

    By settling Andrew McCabe's lawsuit, DOJ conceded that Robert Hur and others had deprived the former FBI Deputy Director of due process. Then DOJ put Hur in charge of an investigation of Joe Biden.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Press Gazette ☛ Daily Mail faces £100K claim from Labour donor pictured next to ‘sex harassment’ headline

    Founder of green energy supplier Ecotricity Dale Vince says headline, image and captains libelled him.

  • Reason ☛ Thoughts on Internet Content Moderation from Spending Thousands of Hours Moderating Volokh Conspiracy Threads (Repost from 2022)

    Reposting a thought I had after the Fifth Circuit's decision.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Reason ☛ Don't Pick Out That Corvette Yet: Prosecutor Loses Libel Lawsuit Against Newspaper

    What does it mean, in context, to say that a prosecutor "assisted with the prosecution" of someone who has been exonerated?

  • New York Times ☛ Assange Extradition Case Returns to UK Court

    Julian Assange, the embattled WikiLeaks founder, has been in a British prison for nearly five years, fighting a U.S. extradition order. A court hearing this week is his last chance to be granted an appeal.

  • France24 ☛ UK court to hear Wikileaks' Assange final appeal against extradition to US

    The High Court in London Tuesday will begin hearing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's final UK appeal against extradition to the United States to face trial over publishing secret military and diplomatic files.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong prosecutors present Apple Daily front-page ad saying ‘freedom has become a crime’ in national security trial

    Hong Kong’s shuttered Apple Daily newspaper ran a front-page advertisement in May 2020 that said “freedom has become a crime,” the national security trial against the paper’s founder Jimmy Lai has heard.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • RFA ☛ Younger Chinese feeling disconnected from family

    Search phrase “cutting off family ties” is trending amid economic woes, parental pressures and general sense of disillusionment.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Beijing calls on Washington to end ‘harassment’ of Chinese students arriving in US

    China’s public security minister called on the US homeland security secretary to stop alleged “harassment” of Chinese students entering the United States in a meeting between the two in Vienna, Beijing’s state media reported Monday.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Nat. security trial for Tiananmen crackdown vigil group members to begin November at earliest

    The national security trial for three members of the group that held annual candlelight vigils to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown will begin no earlier than November, a court has heard.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ ‘Vague’ domestic security law plan makes journalists ‘feel in danger,’ Hong Kong press group chief says at FCC

    The “vague” legislative proposal for Hong Kong’s domestic security law has caused journalists working in the city to “feel in danger,” a local press group chief has said.

  • Manufacturing Consent: The Border Fiasco and the “Smart Wall”

    The political response to the crisis at the southern border continues to advance the bipartisan “smart wall,” having been backed by Trump and Biden alike. This bipartisan consensus reaches far beyond the US, as much of the world is similarly speeding along in implementing “digital borders.”

  • New York Times ☛ Despite Interpol Fixes, Strongmen Find New Ways to Abuse It

    It’s harder than ever to misuse red notices. With an Interpol election looming, autocrats are using lesser-known systems to pursue dissidents.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Digital Music News ☛ Apple Reportedly Faces $539 Million EU Fine As Spotify-Spurred Antitrust Investigation Draws to a Close

  The European Union is reportedly preparing to slap Fashion Company Apple with an almost $540 million fine stemming from an antitrust complaint filed by Spotify half a decade ago.

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Obviousness: Is a Reasonable Expectation of Success Sufficient

    In Vanda v. Teva, the Federal Circuit confirmed the obviousness of Vanda’s claims covering use of tasimelteon (Hetlioz) to treat circadian rhythm disorders (Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder).  Teva and Apotex, filed Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) with the FDA seeking to market generic versions of the $100m+ drug.  Vanda sued, but lost on obviousness grounds — with the court holding that the claimed combination was obvious because it was directed to a set of known elements and a person of ordinary skill would have a “reasonable expectation of success” in reaching the resulting invention. 

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Fixing Enforceability issues of the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre [Ed: Unified Patent Court (UPC) is illegal and unconstitutional. The very debate of this kangaroo 'court' says a lot about this lobbying blog.]

      This piece deals with the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC) of the Unified Patent Court (UPC), addresses key concerns about the risk of unenforceability of PMAC arbitral awards, and proposes three implementable solutions.

    • JUVE ☛ “The UPC stance on transparency erodes the principle of open justice” [Ed: The very existence UPC is an injustice, but JUVE took bribes to lie for and promote this crime]

      The UPC’s approach to transparency has once again surfaced in discussions over the court’s future conduct. Already beset by issues surrounding access to the CMS [...]

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Another TTAB Footnote on Legal Citations Says USPQ Still Acceptable

    We reported here on an internal Board citation program concerning the possible broadening of acceptable forms of legal citations. On the same day, the Board made a different statement regarding the program in In re MYBAGSTORES.COM, Serial No. 90726300 (February 9, 2024), in a footnote quoted first below.

• Copyrights

  • Reason ☛ Sarah Silverman's Lawsuit Against Proprietary Chaffbot Company Is Full of Nonsense Claims

    And a federal judge just said so.