Leftovers

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Organisers defend ‘inflatable wonders’ after artist calls final display ‘very ugly,’ and not approved by her

  Organisers behind a harbourfront installation featuring inflatable, white sculptures of world landmarks have defended the show, after the artist called the display “very ugly.” She said she had not given her approval for the final design, and hoped the exhibition would be axed.

• Science

  • University of Michigan ☛ U-M researchers to collaborate with Los Alamos National Laboratory

    A $15 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory will allow a team of University of Michigan faculty and students to collaborate with the laboratory in computational science research over the next five years.

• Education

  • Science Alert ☛ High Ceilings in Buildings Linked to Poorer Exam Results For Students

    Don't aim too high.

  • Science Alert ☛ There Are Ways to Improve Your IQ Score, But It Won't Mean What You Think

    Some things are untrainable.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Unlocking The Mystery Of An Aircraft ADI

    If you’ve ever seen the cockpit of an airplane, you’ve probably noticed the round ball that shows your attitude, and if you are like us, you’ve wondered exactly how the Attitude Direction Indicator (ADI) works. Well, [msylvain59] is tearing one apart in the video below, so you can satisfy your curiosity in less than 30 minutes.

  • Hackaday ☛ [Usagi Electric’s] Bendix G15 Gets DC Power

    [Usagi Electric] is breathtakingly close to having his Bendix G15 vacuum tube computer up and running. This week he is joined by a new friend, [Lloyd] who is restoring a G15 as well. [Lloyd] used to repair the Bendix Computers back in the 1970s, so he’s privy to lots of practical knowledge you can’t find in the manuals.

  • Hackaday ☛ The Flash Memory Lifespan Question: Why QLC May Be NAND Flash’s Swan Song

    The late 1990s saw the widespread introduction of solid-state storage based around NAND Flash. Ranging from memory cards for portable devices to storage for desktops and laptops, the data storage future was prophesied to rid us of the shackles of magnetic storage that had held us down until then. As solid-state drives (SSDs) took off in the consumer market, there were those who confidently knew that before long everyone would be using SSDs and hard-disk drives (HDDs) would be relegated to the dust bin of history as the price per gigabyte and general performance of SSDs would just be too competitive.

  • Hackaday ☛ 2024 Business Card Challenge: A Very Annoying Business Card, Indeed

    Usually the business card itself is the reminder to get in contact with whoever gave it to you. But this is Hackaday, after all. This solar-powered card reminds the recipient to send [Dead Rat Productions] an email by beeping about every two hours, although the gist of that email may simply be begging them to make it stop, provided they didn’t just toss the thing in the garbage.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Qualcomm hires former AMD ray tracing expert for its GPU team

    Qualcomm's Adreno GPU in its Snapdragon Elite X has failed to meet gaming expectations. The recent hire of a ray tracing expert could change that.

  • CNX Software ☛ WisGate Soho Pro RAK7267 LoRaWAN gateway supports LTE Cat 1 and WiFi 4 connectivity, solar battery kits

    Designed for both indoor and outdoor deployments, RAKwireless’ WisGate Soho Pro RAK7267 is an 8-channel LoRaWAN gateway with LTE Cat 1 and WiFi 4 connectivity and support for 9V-36V DC input compatible with the company for solar battery kits. The LoRaWAN gateway is based on the MediaTek MT7628 MIPS processor with 256MB RAM and 32MB flash, runs a fork of OpenWrt with a dashboard for configuration, and integrates with WisDM cloud-based IoT management platform.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ AMD engineer discusses firm's 'Layoff Bug' — infamous Barcelona CPU bug revisited 16 years later

    Phil Park, an AMD memory and Fabric performance engineer, discusses a critical backdoored Windows Vista-era AMD CPU bug that struck Barcelona CPUs.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ AMD now has better brand recognition than defective chip maker Intel — firm rides Hey Hi (AI) wave to win on Kantar’s BrandZ Most Valuable Brands report

    Kantar has released its 2024 BrandZ Most Valuable Brands report, and AMD has been distinguished as one of the top risers since last year.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Tencent boosts 100,000 GPU-capable HPC clusters with network optimization — Xingmai 2.0 increases communication efficiency by 60% and LLM training efficiency by 20%

    Tencent strengthens its Hey Hi (AI) prowess by speeding up network speed.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists May Have Figured Out How to Make Fat Cells Burn Calories

    "A lot of people thought this wasn't feasible."

  • Science Alert ☛ It's Official: WHO Warns Talc Is 'Probably Carcinogenic' For Humans

    But serious questions remain.

  • Latvia ☛ Raspberry harvest in Latvia will not be great

    The harvest of raspberries grown on the field could be lower this year than last year, taking into account the damage caused to raspberries on the winter hoarfrost and spring frost, Juris Lazdiņš, Chairman of the Board of the society “Farmers' Saeima”, told LETA.

  • Science Alert ☛ Ozempic And Similar Drugs Lower Cancer Risks, Study Suggests

    A stunning new link emerges.

  • Science Alert ☛ More Than 1 in 3 Tattoo Inks Tested in US Harbor a Potential Infection Risk

    Beyond surface contamination.

  • Science Alert ☛ Breakthrough Drug Could Have The Power to Reverse Opioid Overdoses

    A potentially life-saving treatment.

  • Science Alert ☛ Electric Vehicle Batteries Surprising New Source of 'Forever Chemical' Pollution

    Well dang.

  • New York Times ☛ The Killer Stalking Sri Lanka’s Men

    Climate change and contaminated water have combined to create an epidemic of kidney disease.

  • Latvia ☛ Pharma NGOs object to planned medicines price policy changes

    Eight public organizations in the pharmaceutical sector have written to Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (New Unity) asking her to halt the progress of planned changes to medicine pricing policy, the NGOs said in a statement ot the media on July 8.

  • Latvia ☛ PM Siliņa orders experts to tackle youth drug problem

    In a resolution on Monday, July 8, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (New Unity) tasked a joint meeting of the Coordination Council for Drug Addiction Control and the Cooperation Council for Children's Affairs to be convened within two weeks to propose actions to prevent the risks of drug addiction among young people.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Infographic: Could Brazil be the future of global food security?

    With an expected global population of 10 billion by 2050, the world must adjust to meet growing food demands. Learn more.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ST Picks: Can China’s home-grown durians compete with those from South-east Asia?

    https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/can-t-compete-with-s-e-asia-china-s-home-grown-durians-scarce-and-pricey-for-now

  • European Commission ☛ Commission opens in-depth State aid investigation into €6 billion German support measure to recapitalise Lufthansa in the context of coronavirus pandemic

    European Commission Press release Brussels, 08 Jul 2024 The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether a German recapitalisation measure of €6 billion in favour of Deutsche Lufthansa AG (“Lufthansa”) is in line with EU State aid rules.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • AccessNow ☛ Open letter: Advocating for Brazilian Hey Hi (AI) regulation that protects human rights

    Access Now and Rights in Network Coalition urges Brazilian authorities to include necessary improvements in Bill 2338/2023.

• Defence/Aggression

  • RFA ☛ Some 13,700 schools in Myanmar are closed due to civil war

    School buildings are often targeted by indiscriminate airstrikes or shelling from artillery.

  • RFA ☛ Myanmar still getting jet fuel despite calls to cut supply: rights group

    Junta airstrikes have increased five-fold this year, UN rights official said

  • France24 ☛ Kenyan cult leader faces terrorism charges for mass starvation deaths

    Kenyan doomsday cult leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie appeared in court in the Indian Ocean port city of Mombasa on Monday at the start of a high-profile trial over the starvation deaths of more than 400 of his followers. Mackenzie faces terrorism charges and is also accused of murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, and torturing children, along with 94 other defendants.

  • Site36 ☛ Frontex expands aerial surveillance: More deployments of planes, drones and surveillance satellites

    The EU border agency is increasingly passing on the coordinates of refugee boats to neighbouring countries in the Mediterranean. This also includes the Coast Guard in Libya. A whistleblower now reports on these incidents.

  • The Strategist ☛ Will Labour keep Britain at full tilt in the Pacific?

    Britain has a new prime minister, Keir Starmer, leading its first Labour government in 14 years.

  • Democracy Now ☛ “Wide But Thin Mandate”: Why U.K. Labour Party’s Landslide Is on Shaky Ground

    Labour’s landslide victory in Thursday’s U.K. election gives the party a “wide but thin” mandate, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik, who says the new government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer has to work hard to solidify its gains “if it’s not going to be a temporary win.” She also discusses her new piece, “Pro-Palestine votes aren’t 'sectarian'. Dismissing them would be a dangerous mistake for Labour.”

  • Democracy Now ☛ As Labour Wins in U.K., Party’s Ex-Leader Jeremy Corbyn Wins as Independent in Revolt over Gaza Policy

    As the British Labour Party won a landslide in Thursday’s election, ending 14 years of Conservative rule, we speak with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was reelected as an independent. He discusses Keir Starmer’s plans as Britain’s new prime minister and says the party now needs to offer meaningful change to the public, including on demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Chinese Premier Li Qiang congratulates British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on election

    Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday congratulated new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on his election, state media reported, the first senior leader in Beijing to do so publicly.

  • RFA ☛ North Korean leader’s sister denounces South’s border drills

    Seoul resumed live-fire artillery exercises after suspending the inter-Korean tension reduction pact.

  • RFA ☛ In China’s shadow, Philippines and Japan sign groundbreaking defense pact

    Agreement provides a framework for security operations including joint military drills and maritime patrols.

  • France24 ☛ Rwandan soldiers fighting with M23 rebels in DR Congo, says UN report

    A recent UN report revealed that between 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers were fighting alongside the M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo, with Kigali exercising significant control over the rebel group's operations. The report, commissioned by the UN Security Council, underscores Rwanda's substantial military involvement and influence in the conflict, holding Rwanda accountable for the actions of the M23.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines rejects China's accusation of environmental damage in South China Sea

    MANILA - The Philippines rejected on Tuesday China's accusation that its grounded warship on the contested Second Thomas Shoal in the South China had damaged the coral reef ecosystem in the area, laying the blame for damaging the marine environment on Beijing.

  • New York Times ☛ Biden Administration Rule Would Increase Authority to Block Foreign Deals

    The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States proposed a rule that would make it harder for foreigners to buy land near military bases.

  • RFA ☛ Japan protests China’s installation of buoy over its continental shelf

    Beijing says it is for tsunami monitoring but Tokyo criticized it as “regrettable.”

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • The Straits Times ☛ Elite North Korea military trainees visit Russia amid deepening ties

      A North Korean elite military training delegation has left for a visit to Russia, the North's state media said on Tuesday, the first military exchange between the two countries since their leaders signed a pact pledging closer military cooperation.

    • New York Times ☛ The Enormous Risks a Second Trump Term Poses to Our Economy

      After we survived one round of economic Russian roulette, Donald Trump is asking us to take another spin, only this time with many more bullets in the chamber.

    • RFERL ☛ Dozens Of Tajiks Return Home After Stranding At Moscow Airport

      Dozens of Tajik migrant workers returned to Tajikistan on July 8 after Russian authorities refused them entry to the country five days earlier amid a wave of anti-Tajik sentiment.

    • RFERL ☛ Daghestani Official Fired After Deadly Attacks Rearrested After Serving 10 Days In Jail

      A member of the Public Monitoring Commission in the Russian region of Daghestan said that the former governor of the Sergokala district, who was fired last month after a deadly terrorist attack and sentenced to 10 days in jail on a hooliganism charge, was rearrested on July 5 on fraud charges.

    • Meduza ☛ Russia sentences playwright and theater director to six years in prison for ‘justifying terrorism’ with play — Meduza

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Anti-War Activist, 62, Placed In Stricter Prison Conditions

      Russian human rights activist Svyatoslav Khromenkov said authorities at a prison in Siberia placed 62-year-old anti-war activist Natalya Filonova under stricter prison conditions.

    • RFERL ☛ Strategist For Russian Opposition Politician Rushed To Hospital From Courtroom

      A political campaign strategist for the Russian opposition Yabloko party’s deputy chairman was rushed to hospital on July 8 after an ambulance was called to a courtroom during his trial in Moscow on a charge of disobeying police.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania asks for EU financial support to reinforce border with Russia

      Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė has sent an official letter to EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson asking for financial support to strengthen Lithuania’s border protection with Russia.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Why the EU needs US liquefied natural gas

      Europe is facing tough choices as it confronts Russia’s unexpected reentry into European gas markets. In this issue brief, the authors argue that Europe will need gas imports from non-Russian sources such as the United States for many years to come.

    • Security Week ☛ Mandiant Highlights Russian and Chinese Cyber Threats to NATO on Eve of 75th Anniversary Summit

      On the eve of NATO’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington DC, Mandiant outlines the current state of cyberthreats facing NATO and aligned countries.

    • Meduza ☛ Russian missile attack on cities throughout Ukraine kills at least 36, hits children’s hospital — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘They threatened to beat me unconscious and throw me into an assault unit’: Russia is coercing prisoners recruited from occupied Ukraine into signing indefinite military contracts — Meduza

    • RFERL ☛ Crackdown On Dissent In Belarus Continues With New Trials, Sentences

      A court in Belarus opened the trial of Natallya Malets on a charge of facilitating extremist activities as the government of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka shows no signs of letting up in its campaign to crush any perceived signs of dissent.

    • New York Times ☛ Viktor Orban, Hungary’s Leader, Surprises Europe Again With Visit to China

      Mr. Orban said his meeting with President Pooh-tin Jinping was part of a “peace mission” for Ukraine. But both leaders want to offset Western power.

    • New York Times ☛ Russian Strike Destroys Children’s Hospital in Kyiv

      President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched at least 40 missiles at targets across Ukraine, including the country’s largest children’s hospital.

    • New York Times ☛ Russian Playwright and Theater Director Are Convicted of ‘Justifying Terrorism’

      A theater director and playwright were sentenced to prison, a stark indication of the increasing suppression of free speech since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, their lawyers and critics say.

    • New York Times ☛ More Ukrainians May Die in Attacks on Medical Sites in 2024, W.H.O. Data Suggest

      A Russian missile strike on a children’s hospital in Kyiv on Monday highlighted the growing number of deadly attacks on medical facilities, vehicles and workers.

    • New York Times ☛ The Surgeon

      A single image captures a day of horror at a children’s hospital in Ukraine hit by a Russian missile.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Deadly Russia missile attack hits Kyiv children’s hospital, among other targets

      Ukrainian officials say a major Russian missile attack has killed at least 31 people and injured 154 across the country. One missile struck a large children’s hospital in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv; another struck the birthplace of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Imagine if Dana Bash Knew Trump Had Been President Before?

      When Dana Bash let Marco Rubio lie at length about whether Trump had ever targeted his rivals for criminal prosecution, she let slide a fabricated claim that Joe Biden received a bribe from Ukraine.

    • The Straits Times ☛ NATO Washington summit: Who are the leaders to watch?

      Leaders of NATO's 32 member countries meet this week in Washington for a summit of the transatlantic security alliance, with further military and financial support for Ukraine high on the agenda.

    • RFERL ☛ UN Security Council To Discuss 'Massive' Russian Attack That Killed Dozens At Children's Hospital

      The UN Security Council will meet on July 9 to discuss a Russian missile attack on Kyiv's Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital that was part of a "massive" attack on July 8 that hit several cities across the country, killing at least 41 people and injuring at least 140, officials said.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine's Zelenskiy Makes Surprise Visit To Poland For Talks With Tusk

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will meet with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw on July 8, the prime minister's office said in a statement on X.

    • RFERL ☛ Orban Meets In Beijing With Pooh-tin As Solo 'Peace Mission' Continues

      Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has met with Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping in Beijing as a continuation of what he calls "Peace mission 3.0" but Hungary's Western partners have angrily called strictly bilateral initiatives centering around the ongoing war in Ukraine.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania condemns Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine, urges support

      After Russia fired dozens of missiles at cities across Ukraine on Monday, Lithuanian leaders have condemned the attack, which killed at least 28 people.

    • JURIST ☛ Russian strikes in Ukraine kill dozens, hit largest children’s hospital

      Russian missile attacks on Ukraine killed dozens of people, injured hundreds, and damaged the country’s largest children’s hospital, UN and Ukrainian officials announced Monday. A wave of deadly strikes occurred during the early hours of Monday morning.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Chinese leader Pooh-tin Jinping urges world powers to help Russia, Ukraine ‘resume direct dialogue’

      By James Edgar Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping told Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday that world powers should help Russia and Ukraine re-start direct negotiations during a visit to Beijing branded a “peace mission” by the European leader. Orban’s trip to China comes a day before NATO is due to hold a summit to […]

    • France24 ☛ Russia fires dozens of missiles across Ukraine, two killed at children's hospital in Kyiv

      Russia fired dozens of missiles across Ukraine on Monday in a massive barrage that killed at least 33 people and smashed into one of the country's largest children's hospital in Kyiv. Victims were trapped under the rubble at the Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as volunteers combed through the rubble in a desperate search for survivors.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ The US and Europe would be safer with Ukraine in NATO. Our war games showed why.

      The Atlantic Council recently held a series of tabletop exercises to examine future Russia-Ukraine conflict scenarios and their implications for Western security. The results are clear.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Who’s at 2 percent? Look how NATO allies have increased their defense spending since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

      As NATO gathers for its summit in Washington, 23 of 32 allies now meet the 2 percent GDP defense spending target, highlighting a collective effort to strengthen the Alliance and support Ukraine.

    • PHR ☛ Russia’s Bombing of Ukraine’s Largest Children’s Hospital Part of Systematic Assault on Health Care: PHR

      Russia’s attack today on Okhmatdyt National Children’s  Hospital in Kyiv – the largest children’s hospital in Ukraine – continues the systematic assault on Ukraine’s health care system, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said.  “Russia’s strategy in Ukraine includes attacking babies and children.

    • Latvia ☛ Soviet-glorifying street names still plentiful in Latvia

      With the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Latvia began renaming streets reminiscent of the Soviet occupation. At first, it seemed to be going smoothly, but only about 20% of such streets have been renamed, Latvian Radio reported on July 8.

    • New York Times ☛ Modi to Meet Putin in Moscow as India Charts Its Own Course

      India is determined to keep its close ties to Russia despite pressure from the West. Russia sees the meeting as a chance to show it still has influential friends.

    • RFERL ☛ India's Modi In Russia To Meet With Putin

      Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on July 8 in the South Asian leader's first visit to Russia since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.

    • RFERL ☛ Former Russian Governor Belykh Acquitted In Second Case

      The Kirov regional court in Russia on July 8 acquitted Nikita Belykh, the region's former governor and an opponent of President Vladimir Putin, in a new case against him on charge of abuse of office.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Says Orban Cannot Be Mediator As Hungarian Leader's 'Peace Mission' Wraps Up In Beijing

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on July 8 that Viktor Orban could not mediate between Russia and Ukraine to end Moscow’s full-scale invasion as the Hungarian prime minister traveled to Beijing on a continuation of what he calls "peace mission 3.0."

    • France24 ☛ India's Modi meets Putin on first Russia visit since Ukraine offensive

      India's newly re-elected prime minister Narendra Modi arrived in Moscow on Monday for a two-day visit that aims to balance the country's longstanding relationship with Russia while courting closer security ties with the West. The trip is Modi's first visit to Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ From blueprints to battlefields: How to ensure NATO’s future readiness

      NATO’s success hinges on allies’ ability to verify readiness, overcome capability gaps, revitalize the transatlantic defense industrial base, and integrate national defense plans with NATO defense plans.

• Environment

  • Science Alert ☛ Danger Zone: US Braces as Powerful Beryl Surges Toward Texas

    "It will be a deadly storm for people who are directly in that path."

  • France24 ☛ Three dead, millions without power as Storm Beryl makes landfall in Texas

    At least three people died as Tropical Storm Beryl continued its destructive path into southeast Texas. Vicious winds and torrential rain knocked out power for 2.7 million homes and businesses, submerged highways, closing oil ports and cancelling over 1,000 flights.

  • Zimbabwe ☛ Remittances to Zim keep growing, govt and private sector trying to put them to productive use

    I don’t think it’s debatable that it is not sanctions or climate change that have hit Zimbabwe the hardest in the past few decades.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • H2 View ☛ Joint venture to advance hydrogen refuelling solutions in Malaysia

      Hydrexia has agreed with ICE SEDCE Hydrogen to develop, operate and maintain hydrogen refuelling station (HRS) and hydrogen storage solutions.

    • RFA ☛ Chinese government approves official purchases of Tesla's Model Y

      The move comes after a string of local and temporary security bans on Tesla electric cars since 2022.

    • Silicon Angle ☛ Bitcoin starts to recover after Mt. Gox trustee disbursements causes price plunge

      The price of bitcoin recovered slightly today after the cryptocurrency experienced one of its biggest recent falls on Friday. The price move came after the trustee for failed bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox started making repayments to the exchange’s creditors.

    • The Chain of Custody: The “Mafia” Holding The Elite’s Bitcoin

      The companies poised to dominate the digital financial infrastructure of Latin America have arisen courtesy of the self-described "mafia" multiplier, Endeavor. Flush with funds from billionaires linked to the US intelligence and organized crime, Endeavor's influence over the CEOs it has championed promises that, with the ushering in of a new financial system, a wave of covert dollarization will shortly follow.

• Finance

  • Latvia ☛ Latvia's annual inflation in June up again

    The latest Central Statistical Bureau data published on July 8 show that in June 2024, compared to June 2023, the average level of consumer prices increased by 1.4 %.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ How home swapping became the trendy alternative to Airbnb

    Offering your home in exchange for a stay at someone else’s place is far from a new concept, but this segment of the travel industry is booming amid high inflation, the normalization of remote work and skyrocketing hotel rates.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ A Defiant Biden Told Democrats: ‘Challenge Me’

    Plus, the best books of the century.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ The White House faces many questions about Biden’s health and medical history. Here are some answers

    President Joe Biden’s terrible performance at the June 27 presidential debate has raised concerns about his age, health and ability to lead the federal government.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Agencies ‘knew this was coming.’ What does — and doesn’t — change after Supreme Court’s Chevron ruling

    Agencies are likely to see an uptick in legal challenges to their regulations — especially those that impact the environment and health care.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong 47: Ex-gov’t officials pen mitigation letters for former Democratic Party chair

    Former Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai has submitted mitigation letters from three ex-officials in pleading for a lighter sentence in the landmark national security case involving 47 pro-democracy figures.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Head of Hong Kong national security police warns of extremism going ‘underground,’ threats in arts

    The head of the national security department of the Hong Kong Police Force has warned of security threats going “underground” into arts and extremism despite the enactment of two security laws in the city.

  • RFA ☛ Vietnamese YouTubers fined for video of rock resembling monk

    The whereabouts of Thich Minh Tue are still unknown after he went missing for a second time.

  • RFA ☛ China pulls plug on 'Wild Child,' a movie about troubled street kids

    The propaganda czar likely wants only content deemed uplifting and positive for the nation's youth, source says.

  • RFA ☛ China extends crackdown on rights lawyers to Hong Kong

    Nine years after a nationwide operation targeting rights attorneys, their lives have yet to return to normal.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Washington Post ‘third newsroom’ creation gets underway

    Krissah Thompson will oversee the building of a project that the Post hopes will develop new revenue streams.

  • Press Gazette ☛ New culture secretary Lisa Nandy called for BillBC to be ‘mutualised’ but backed licence fee

    Wigan MP Nandy said in 2020 the BillBC board needs a new structure so it's directed by licence fee payers.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • The Straits Times ☛ Frustrated by Japan's same-sex marriage ban, LGBTQ couples opt for 'photo weddings'

    Unable to get married legally in Japan, LGBTQ couples are celebrating their special bond by donning traditional kimonos and fashionable formal wear for elaborate "photo weddings".

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Samsung workers in South Korea begin 3-day strike — labor union striking for first time in Samsung's history

    The National Samsung Electronics Union, whose 30,000 members represent 1/4th of the South Korean Samsung workforce, is striking today for one more day of annual leave and a change to the company's mysterious bonus structure.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong swimmer Alex Fong accuses swimming association of ‘indifference’ towards young, promising swimmers

    Swimmer and actor Alex Fong has slammed the Hong Kong China Swimming Association over a dispute about competition qualification rules, calling the sports governing body “indifferent” towards young and promising athletes.

  • New York Times ☛ He Helped a Woman End Her Own Life. Was It Manslaughter, or Mercy?

    They checked into a motel room in upstate New York, with a gas canister and a plan to end her decades of physical pain.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ Unravelling the threat of hosting-based domain takeovers

    Guest Post: Introducing and evaluating a novel framework for detecting domain takeovers.

  • MWL ☛ Online Talk on Email, 10 July 2024

    The folks at NYCBUG persuaded me to give a talk on email this Wednesday night. It’s free to the world, but you must RSVP at the link.

  • Public Knowledge ☛ Privileged Conversations | July 2024

    Public Knowledge has the pleasure of inviting you to a multifaceted program focused on training and developing the next generation of tech policy experts and public interest advocates who reflect the diversity of voices and experiences in our society. Please join us for our monthly Career Breakfast Series.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Silicon Angle ☛ Delivery Hero shares drop ahead of potential €400M+ antitrust fine

  Shares of Delivery Hero SE, one of the world’s largest food delivery companies, plummeted more than 17% at one point today on concerns that it could face a steep antitrust fine. The company ended the trading session with its stock price down 7.2%. Berlin-based Delivery Hero launched in 2011 and went public six years later.

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Cellect: Unveiling the Potential Impact on Patent Term Adjustment

    Many have been thinking of the potentially large impact of Cellect v. Vidal, which is now pending before the Supreme Court.  This week I uncovered striking data that a very large number of patents have been impacted.

  • JUVE ☛ Tinder and Hoffmann Eitle successfully invalidate Hoccer patent

    Hoccer had filed an infringement suit against the US Match Group and three European companies over its EP 2 454 894. Berlin-based Hoccer’s aim was likely to bring about a licence agreement concerning the dating service Tinder.

  • Unified Patents ☛ OptiMorphix MPEG-DASH/H.264 patent monopoly challenge instituted

    On July 3, 2024, five weeks after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination on the fourth OptiMorphix owned patent, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on the challenged claims of U.S. Patent 7,987,285.

  • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Brazil: third party participation in patent monopoly examination

    Prepared by Rob Rodrigues and Luiza Cotia The recent publication of the pharma tech-transfer guidelines (PDPs or partnership for productive developments) is bringing an interest for companies to monitor patent monopoly portfolios in Brazil. (https://patentblog.kluweriplaw.com/2024/06/25/brazil-pharma-pdps-and-challenges-for-ip-owners/).

  • Software Patents

    • Unified Patents ☛ GEVC AV1 patent monopoly challenged

      On July 3, 2024, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 10,574,982, owned by GE Video Compression, LLC. The ‘982 patent monopoly generally relates to encoding and decoding video images using wedgelet, or binary mask, patterns.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Precedential No. 14: TTAB Affirms Two Expungement Decisions Based on Nonuse of SMARTLOCK for Evaporative Air Coolers

    In this appeal from final refusals issued in two expungement proceedings, the Board affirmed the USPTO Director's decision to cancel registrations for the mark SMARTLOCK, in standard character and design form, for "Components for air conditioning and cooling systems, namely, evaporative air coolers." The Board found that Registrant Locus Link USA never used the mark in connection with "evaporative air coolers," and rejected Locus Link's interpretation of the identification of goods. In re Locus Link USA, Expungements Nos. 2022-100137E and 2022-100138E (July 1, 2024) [precedential] (Opinion by Judge Jennifer L. Elgin).

• Copyrights

  • Michael Geist ☛ The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 208: Will Page on Why the CRTC’s Bill C-11 Ruling is Discriminatory and May Ultimately Hurt the Canadian Music Market

    The recent CRTC Bill C-11 decision mandating that streaming services pay 5 percent of their revenues has left seemingly everyone unhappy and has sparked multiple legal challenges.  While much of the focus has been on video streaming, music was a core part of Bill C-11 and the implications for music streaming services may be the most pronounced.