Links 12/10/2024: TikTok Layoffs and Risk of More Wars
Contents
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Leftovers
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France24 ☛ South Korean author Han Kang wins 2024 Nobel literature prize
South Korean author Han Kang won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature "for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life", the award-giving body said on Thursday.
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Hackaday ☛ Symbolic Nixie Tubes Become Useful For Artistic Purposes
When it comes to Nixie tubes, the most common usage these days seems to be in clocks. That has people hunting for the numerical version of the tubes, which are usually paired with a couple of LEDs to make the colon in the middle of the clock. However, other Nixie tubes exist, like the IN-7, which has a whole bunch of neat symbols on it instead. [Joshua] decided to take these plentiful yet less-popular tubes and whip them up into a little art piece.
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Hackaday ☛ Tiny Drones Do Distributed Mapping
Sending teams of tiny drones to explore areas and structures is a staple in sci-fi and research, but the weight and size of sensors and the required processing power have long been a limiting factor. In the video below, a research team from [ETH Zurich] breaks through these limits, demonstrating indoor mapping with a swarm of tiny drones without dependence on any external systems.
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CS Monitor ☛ How to have better conversations with people across the aisle
Bob Stains has dedicated his life to helping transform conflicts, urging us to soften our “hearts of stone” and go beyond “simple stories” about others. In a Q&A, he offers tips on how to do it.
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Science
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Science Alert ☛ Physicists Generated Sound Waves That Travel in One Direction Only
A new way to create silence.
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Hardware
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CNX Software ☛ MINIX NEO Z300-0dB fanless mini PC features defective chip maker Intel Core i3-N300 8-core CPU
MINIX NEO Z300-0dB is a fanless mini PC powered by an defective chip maker Intel Core i3-N300 octa-core Alder Lake-N CPU with 16GB DDR4 and up to a 512GB NVMe SSD. It built upon the MINIX NEO Z100-0dB that we reviewed with both backdoored Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 and performed well albeit not quite as fast as some actively-cooled models.
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Medevel ☛ 14 Stupid Smart Gadgets We Definitely Don’t Need - Introducing R2-D2 Trashcan of the Future
In a world where simplicity seems to be taking a backseat, we’re bombarded with a plethora of “smart” gadgets that make us wonder: Why complicate our lives when we could keep things easy?
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Hackaday ☛ Building A Sound Camera For Under $400
[Benn Jordan] had an idea. He’d heard of motion amplification technology, where cameras are used to capture tiny vibrations in machinery and then visually amplify it for engineering analysis. This is typically the preserve of high-end industrial equipment, but [Benn] wondered if it really had to be this way. Armed with a modern 4K smartphone camera and the right analysis techniques, could he visually capture sound?
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Hackaday ☛ A Power Supply With Ultra High Resolution Current Measurement Built In
Need to do some real fine power consumption measurements? [Gero Müller] was in that exact situation, and wasn’t happy with the expensive off-the-shelf tools for doing the job. Thus, he built his own. Meet nanoTracer.
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Hackaday ☛ Sailing The High Steppes
Sails typically bring to mind the high seas, but wind power has been used to move craft on land as well. Honoring this rich tradition, [Falcon Riley] and [Amber Word] decided to sail across Mongolia in a sailing cart.
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CNX Software ☛ AirCard Pro and AirNotch Pro Bluetooth trackers support Google/Apple network integration (Crowdfunding)
Rolling Square introduces its latest Bluetooth trackers – AirNotch Pro and AirCard Pro – designed for use with personal items like keys, wallets, bags, and more. Both trackers are designed for portability, and the AirNotch Pro is designed as a keyring, while the AirCard Pro suits wallets with a thinner, credit card-like design. The products integrate into Fashion Company Apple and Google’s tracking networks, with some features currently limited to Apple.
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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Latvia ☛ Hospital raises alarm about dangerous 'viral' trend
Liepaja Regional Hospital medics raise the alarm. Teenagers, influenced by videos on social control media, are trying to repeat extreme challenges. This week, two teenagers from different schools in Liepāja have been admitted to hospital for head injuries after losing consciousness and falling, TV Kurzeme reports.
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Silicon Angle ☛ US and UK join forces in ‘historic agreement’ to tackle child safety online
The U.S. and U.K. governments today announced they’re creating a joint children’s online safety working group in an effort to find “common solutions” to the issue of child safety online.
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Tedium ☛ Sick Of Fake Meat
On meat analogues and the way that lucrative algorithm waves gradually burn us out on our interests. Call it an “interest analogue.”
Back when I was a teenager, I had a dalliance with vegetarianism, something that was a bit harder in the late ’90s when the options were a little more limited.
I faded out for a bit. But then, by the time I got to college, I jumped back into it. I was pretty hardcore about it for a long time, I never went full-on vegan, but vegetarianism was something I embraced through much of my 20s.
By my 30s, though, I faded out of it entirely, with the end point happening partly as a result of a vacation rule that kind of ruined my wife and I—eat like the locals. We did that one time, and despite periodic tinges of guilt, we haven’t looked back since.
But even if I'm no longer vegetarian, I still keep an eye on it, because I find the phenomenon interesting from a problem-solving perspective: How do you get the same quality of meals without access to the same kinds of binders and ingredients a traditional meat-eating household might have access to?
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JURIST ☛ US states sue Fentanylware (TikTok) for harming children’s mental health
A bipartisan group of 14 state attorneys general from across the US have filed a lawsuit against social control media platform Fentanylware (TikTok) Tuesday for harming the mental health of children. The team is co-led by the Attorneys General of New York and California, Letita James and Rob Bonta, respectively.
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Latvia ☛ How the Covid crisis has changed Latvia's catering industry
Viktors Ravdive, Head of the Resto-Rātors restaurant group gives his take on how the pandemic has transformed Latvia's catering sector.
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Mexico News Daily ☛ Chinese migration to Mexico has skyrocketed post-pandemic
Chinese migrants say they come to Mexico in search of freedom and economic opportunity, or as a stop on their way to the U.S.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China to lift ban on Australian lobster, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says
China will lift a ban on the lucrative trade in Australian lobster, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday, ending a broader, multi-billion dollar trade war. Beijing has banned or slapped retaliatory tariffs on almost US$15 billion worth of Australian exports, from wine to timber, during years of soured ties with Canberra.
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Security
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Privacy/Surveillance
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Medevel ☛ Free WiFi Networks Are Not Actually Free… They Sell YOU
We've all been there—sipping on that overpriced coffee in a café, casually scrolling through emails, maybe even doing some online shopping (because why not?). All thanks to the glorious, "free" WiFi.
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Don Marti ☛ Don Marti: drinking games with the Devil
Should I get into a drinking game with the Devil? No, for three important reasons unrelated to your skill at the game.
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The Devil can out-drink you.
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The Devil can drink substances that are toxic to you even in small quantities.
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EDRI ☛ Protection through empowerment and not exclusion: EDRi’s response to DSA Article 28 call for evidence
On 30 September, EDRi and its members submitted a response to the European Commission’s call for evidence for the DSA Article 28 guidelines for the protection of minors online. The submission focused on the importance of a holistic approach and relying on empowering young people, rather than excluding them.
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Medevel ☛ Top 11 JavaScript Libraries for Seamless GDPR Cookie Consent Integration
Ensuring user privacy and data protection is more important than ever, especially for websites operating within the European Union (EU). The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into effect in May 2018, is designed to protect the personal data and privacy of EU citizens.
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Defence/Aggression
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JURIST ☛ ECHR rules Cyprus violated rights convention by preventing Syrian refugees from disembarking to seek asylum
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled on Tuesday that attempts to bar two Syrian migrants from reaching Cyprian territory and their subsequent expulsion violated multiple provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights.
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France24 ☛ 'Relentless, deliberate' attacks by Israel destroying Gaza's healthcare, say UN experts
A UN report said that Israel's targeted and "wanton destruction" in Gaza was destroying the healthcare system in the Palestinian enclave. The report found evidence that both Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages have been tortured and sexually abused.
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BIA Net ☛ Turkey begins evacuating citizens from Lebanon amid intense Israeli strikes
Two military vessels delivered 300 tons of humanitarian aid to Lebanon and are returning to Turkey with 2,500 citizens on board.
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New York Times ☛ Conditions in Gaza Worsen Amid Israeli Strikes
UNICEF said women and children were killed in an airstrike while waiting for malnutrition treatment.
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New York Times ☛ Airstrikes in Beirut Kill at Least 22 and Injure Over 100, Lebanon Says
The attack, for which Lebanese officials blamed Israel, appeared to be the deadliest in the Lebanese capital in more than a year of fighting between the Israeli military and Hezbollah.
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New York Times ☛ In One Photo: Lebanon’s Dahiya Area After Strikes
Once lively and densely packed, the area on the edges of Beirut that was hit by an Israeli strike is now vacant.
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RFERL ☛ Israeli Strikes On Beirut, Gaza School Kill Dozens As Israel Steps Up Campaign Against 'Terrorists'
At least 18 people were killed and 92 others injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported on October 10 after an Israeli strike on a school sheltering Palestinians in Gaza killed dozens of people.
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France24 ☛ At least 22 killed, scores injured as Israeli strike hits central Beirut
At least 22 people were killed and 117 wounded in Israeli air strikes that hit two different areas in central Beirut on Thursday evening, Lebanon’s health ministry said – the third such attack on the capital since Israel escalated its air campaign last month. The news came after the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon said Israeli tank fire on its headquarters in the country's south wounded two of its members, accusing Israel of "repeatedly" hitting its positions. This live blog is no longer being updated.
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New York Times ☛ ‘Relentless’ Israeli Attacks on Gaza Medical Workers Are War Crime, U.N. Panel Says
The report, which does not have the force of law, found that the Israeli military has engaged in deliberate assaults on hospitals and other health care providers.
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The Straits Times ☛ Father of murdered Mongolian woman Altantuya backs Malaysian killer’s bid to commute death sentence
The father wrote that his request stemmed from a “deep respect for the humanity of Mongolians".
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The Straits Times ☛ Chinese Premier Li hopes Japan, China can meet halfway, keep relations on right track
He also said he hopes Beijing and Tokyo can continually strengthen dialogue and cooperation.
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RFA ☛ Taiwan ‘determined’ to protect its democratic way of life
President Lai Ching-te vows to ‘resist annexation or encroachment’ by China while maintaining Taiwan’s freedoms.
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Defence Web ☛ Revamping of South Africa’s spy apparatus underway
More than four years after it was completed, the South African government has implemented 64% of the recommendations in the High-Level Review Panel Report on the State Security Agency (SSA) according to Minister in The Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.
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Digital Music News ☛ Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Accuses U.S. Government of Leaking Hotel Attack Footage to CNN
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accuses federal agents and prosecutors of leaking the hotel security camera footage showing him attacking Cassie Ventura. Federal prosecutors deny leaking the hotel security camera footage that showed Sean “Diddy” Combs attacking then-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
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Defence Web ☛ NCOP questioner hears SANDF needs “adequate funding” for equipment
An African National Congress (ANC) National Council of Provinces (NCOP) public representative was informed, as part of a response to a Parliamentary question, that “adequate funding” has to be allocated for the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) to renew its prime mission equipment (PME).
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Defence Web ☛ United States donates two Defender boats to Ghana
The Ghana Navy has received two Defender class boats and a storage facility provided by the United States to bolster the Navy’s capacity to combat maritime threats and enhance regional maritime security.
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RFERL ☛ Pakistan's Pashtun Movement Plans To Go Ahead With Assembly Despite Recent Violence
The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) plans to go ahead with its loya jirga (grand assembly) on October 11 to discuss peace and security in northwestern Pakistan despite recent violence, including the deaths of three of its members.
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New York Times ☛ Israel’s Security Cabinet Met to Discuss Response to Iran Attack
The cabinet was expected to authorize initiating a retaliatory attack, officials said. They didn’t make their decision public.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Ackerman discusses writing and wargaming on Scuttlebutt
On October 10, Elliot Ackerman appeared on an episode of the podcast Scuttlebutt to discuss his time in the Marine Corps, his work as an author, the intersection between reading and wargaming, and the "value of a military imagination."
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New York Times ☛ Israel Fired on Peacekeepers in Lebanon, U.N. Says
Israel was behind the attack, Lebanon said, and it came on the same day that the U.N. said Israeli forces had fired on its peacekeepers, an episode that drew international condemnation.
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The Strategist ☛ Ukraine needs security guarantees
With Israel conducting a ground offensive in Lebanon, and Iran raining ballistic missiles on Israel, fears are rising that the conflict in the Middle East will soon spiral and draw in powers...
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Latvia ☛ Counter-terrorism exercises take place Thursday in Vidzeme, Latvia
On Thursday, October 10, the State Security Service (VDD) is organizing the Wolmar 2024 anti-terrorism exercise in Valmiera and Jāņmuiža.
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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France24 ☛ Italy to host 2025 Ukraine reconstruction conference in July
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that Rome will host the next Ukraine Recovery Conference on July 10-11, 2025, following discussions with President Volodymyr Zelensky. Meloni affirmed Italy's support for Ukraine during Zelensky's visit to four European capitals, emphasising continued solidarity in the country's reconstruction efforts. Previous conferences were held in Switzerland, London, and Berlin.
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France24 ☛ Zelensky presents Ukraine 'victory plan' to Macron in Paris
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Paris on Thursday to present his plan for defeating the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the French president who pledged the meeting would reaffirm France's "unwavering support" for Ukraine.
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France24 ☛ Zelensky meets UK’s Starmer on European tour in search of more military aid
Anticipating a potential shortage of US military support after the November US presidential elections, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is on a whirlwind tour of his country’s European allies. Zelensky met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Thursday before heading to Paris for talks with President Emmanuel Macron.
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JURIST ☛ UK accuses Russia of violating international humanitarian law in Ukraine war
The UK on Wednesday accused Russia of violating international humanitarian law in its ongoing war against Ukraine, citing UN findings of war crimes including rape, sexual violence, and torture, as well as repeated large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure.
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JURIST ☛ Russia court sentences US citizen to nearly 7 years for fighting for Ukraine
The Moscow City Court sentenced US citizen Stephen Hubbard to six years and 10 months in prison on Monday after he was convicted of participating as a mercenary for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) against the Russian military. Hubbard was charged under a section in the Russian Criminal Code that involves mercenary participation.
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RFERL ☛ RFE/RL Journalists Come Under Russian Fire In Eastern Ukraine
Journalists from RFE/RL came under Russian fire in eastern Ukraine on October 10 as they filmed battlefield action alongside Ukrainian troops.
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RFERL ☛ Belarusian Fertilizers Illegally Enter Ukraine Despite Sanctions
A complex international smuggling operation involving the illegal supplying of Belarusian mineral fertilizers to Ukraine despite sanctions imposed on such activities by both Ukraine and the European Union has been uncovered by RFE/RL’s Belarusian Service, known locally as Radio Svaboda.
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RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Talks Up His 'Victory Plan' On European Tour As Ukraine Faces Tough Months Ahead
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy held talks on October 10 with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris as part of a push to secure additional military and financial aid.
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RFERL ☛ Zelenskiy Urges European Unity At Balkan Summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stressed the importance of European unity as he took part in a summit in Croatia with Balkan leaders on October 9.
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CS Monitor ☛ Will the West really back Ukraine ‘for as long as it takes’?
Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelenskyy fears Western support against Russia is flagging – and it’s not just a matter of weaponry.
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New York Times ☛ Russian Casualties in Ukraine Surpass 600,000, U.S. Says
More than 600,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded since the war began in 2022.
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New York Times ☛ Ukraine’s Parliament Approves Biggest Tax Increase of War to Support the Army
The authorities are resorting to a politically unpopular move as they scramble to raise funds for the grueling military effort against Russia.
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Meduza ☛ Russia launches counterattack in Kursk region, reportedly seizing over 14 square miles in a day and threatening to surround Ukrainian troops — Meduza
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Meduza ☛ Kyiv confirms death of Viktoria Roshchyna, Ukrainian journalist held in Russian captivity since August 2023 — Meduza
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Latvia ☛ Ministry: Latvia's airspace monitoring improved since drone incident
Since the incident on September 7, when a Russian military drone flew into Latvian airspace and crashed in the Gaigalava parish of Rēzekne municipality, improvements in all levels of Latvian airspace surveillance have been made, as well as in decision-making and information exchange algorithms, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement October 9.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Geoffrey Pyatt and Berris Ekinci on Turkey’s role in ending an era of dependence on Russian gas
The US official and Turkish official spoke at the Regional Conference on Clean and Secure Energy about the role Turkey has played in reducing reliance on Russian gas—and the role it can play in reducing dependency on Chinese clean-energy tech.
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The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim lauds ‘longest ruling party’ on anniversary with Russian guests
North Korea marked a founding anniversary of its ruling Workers' Party with a celebratory concert and banquet, and leader Kim Jong Un called for renewed training of all workers into revolutionaries espousing communism, state media said on Friday.
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The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim lauds ‘longest-ruling party’ on anniversary with Russian envoy as guest
Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora was mentioned prominently as a guest.
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Meduza ☛ The Russian army is increasingly relying on older recruits — but frontline soldiers say ‘grandpas’ aren’t fit for war — Meduza
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Meduza ☛ The Kremlin’s campaign to make education more ‘patriotic’ reaches English language classes with new ‘Glorious Russia’ textbook — Meduza
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RFERL ☛ Belarus Authorities Seize TV Channel Head’s Home
Belarusian authorities have impounded the ancestral home of Alyaksei Dzikavitski, the Acting Director of Belsat TV, an independent Belarusian news channel based in Poland.
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Breach Media ☛ Despite Chrystia Freeland’s denials, her grandfather was complicit in the Nazi genocide
A new book provides the most authoritative study of Mykhailo Chomiak and the history of Ukrainian Nazis in Canada
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New Yorker ☛ Mar-a-Lago Calling Moscow
Reach out and touch someone.
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LRT ☛ Polish court allows release on bail for attackers of Navalny’s associate in Vilnius
A Polish court has ruled that two men suspected of assaulting Russian opposition activist Leonid Volkov in Vilnius can be released on bail, a lawyer for one of them said on Thursday.
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Meduza ☛ In first public comments on Wildberries shooting, Kadyrov declares ‘blood feud’ against federal lawmakers who he claims ordered his murder — Meduza
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Marcy Wheeler ☛ Putin Has Convinced Trump He’s Keeping Trump’s Weakness Secret
Russia's 2016 intelligence operation and its aftermath may be the most successful intelligence operation in recent history, because Vladimir Putin has gotten Trump to believe that his KGB handler is hiding the proof he's got of how weak Trump is.
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RFERL ☛ Putin Eases Visa Rules For Georgians Amid Tension Between Tbilisi And West
Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 10 issued a decree simplifying visa procedures for Georgian citizens, allowing visa-free entry to those traveling for work or education.
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Atlantic Council ☛ Putin doesn’t have enough troops to defeat Ukraine and defend Russia
The Ukrainian invasion of Russia's Kursk region has proved that Putin's attempt to conquer Ukraine has left his army dangerously overstretched and unable to defend Russia itself, writes Peter Dickinson.
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Environment
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MIT Technology Review ☛ Observers warn the US must do more to boost demand for carbon removal
In 2022, the US made a massive bet on the carbon removal industry, committing $3.5 billion to build four major regional hubs in an effort to scale up the nascent sector. But industry observers fear that market demand isn’t building fast enough to support it, even with these substantial federal grants and other subsidies.
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Finance
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New York Times ☛ Faced With Regional Setbacks, India Flexes Its New Economic Muscle
Tapping into a fast-growing economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been offering financial help to India’s neighbors as he tries to counter China’s influence.
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Federal News Network ☛ 2025 COLA will be 2.5%, but some federal retirees get a smaller percentage
The 2025 COLA of 2.5% will be added to retirement benefits beginning in January. But FERS retirees will receive a 2% “diet” COLA.
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Gaming Layoff Predictions 2025: Game Over For Developers?
The computer game industry is a giant — but behind the figures are widespread gaming industry layoffs.
As of October 2024, there have been more than 13,000 gaming layoffs this year, surpassing the 10,000 layoffs in 2023.
Yet why should it be so? The video game industry is a $406 billion revenue machine — bigger than the combined music and film industries by 18% and rapidly closing in on the $699 billion TV industry.
How can the thriving video game industry lay off so many workers at such an alarming rate? Spoiler: It’s not due to generative AI just yet.
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TikTok Cuts Hundreds Of Jobs As Company Shifts Toward [Computer]-Based Content Moderation: Report [Ed: Just using buzzwords to describe what has been done for decades]
TikTok, owned by ByteDance, is reportedly laying off hundreds of employees, with significant reductions in Malaysia. This move aligns with the company’s strategy to enhance AI-based content moderation.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong and mainland China broaden trade agreement to support local firms’ expansion across border
Hong Kong has broadened a trade agreement with China, a move that will help local firms in sectors such as tourism and banking expand into the mainland market.
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RFA ☛ Analysts warn China's retail investors over share-buying stampede
China's 'leeks' are ripe for cutting, as individual investors pin hopes on a bull market.
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Mexico News Daily ☛ Under newly approved reform, future minimum wage increases must be higher than inflation
The reform also mandates that teachers, security forces, doctors and nurses be paid at least as much as the average IMSS-registered worker.
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CS Monitor ☛ ‘Even McDonald’s is expensive.’ Will upping Social Security checks be enough?
As U.S. consumers grapple with high costs, the Social Security Administration is increasing its monthly checks by more than $50 on average starting in 2025. At the same time, the social insurance plan faces a severe financial shortfall in the coming years.
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AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics
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Atlantic Council ☛ China’s economic reforms near the ‘end of the line’
Xi Jinping doesn’t believe in the market or economically sensible reforms, and thus investors shouldn’t believe in him. New Atlantic Council research puts this in stark relief.
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Mexico News Daily ☛ WSJ: Sheinbaum administration wants US help to reduce Mexico’s imports from China
The Wall Street Journal reported on this administration's plan to reduce dependence on China, with help from foreign manufacturers operating in Mexico.
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TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Minnesota candidate for 2nd Congressional District suspends campaign, says he was ‘set up’
Bowman said the group reached out to him about running in the south metro’s 2nd District after he was vocal about his conservative politics on Facebook.
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Censorship/Free Speech
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Digital Music News ☛ Jay-Z, Beyoncé Attorneys Force Piers Morgan to Remove Interview Comments Claiming the Pair Have Hundreds of ‘Victims’ — Just Like Diddy
Lawyers for Jay-Z and Beyoncé asked for comments on Piers Morgan’s show implicating them in Diddy’s scandal to be removed — and Piers Morgan issues an apology.
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Bryan Lunduke ☛ Facebook Developed Custom Portal to Help Biden Administration Censor Americans
All while storing your password as plain text, accessible to 20,000 Facebook (Farcebook) employees.
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Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
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Press Gazette ☛ Missing links: Upmarket UK newsbrands deny click-throughs to story sources
Most of the nine publishers assessed routinely failed to link to the work of peers.
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Press Gazette ☛ Financial Times exceeds £500m annual revenue for first time [Ed: Well, FT takes bribes to lie for the rich and powerful, e.g. EPO. How is THAT for a business model?]
Advertising at the FT saw its best year since 2012.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong judge refuses Jimmy Lai’s bid for jury trial in libel suit against pro-Beijing paper
A Hong Kong judge has rejected Jimmy Lai’s bid for a jury trial in his libel case against a pro-Beijing newspaper, and ordered the jailed media mogul to pay HK$300,000 in legal costs arising from his failed application.
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Civil Rights/Policing
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong police investigate alleged manhandling of Mannings customer by plainclothes security guards
Hong Kong police are investigating the alleged manhandling of a customer at pharmacy chain Mannings by two plainclothes security guards, who have since been fired.
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ACLU ☛ State Legislatures Need to Block Creation of Nightmarish National Identity System
Around the country, state legislatures are embracing the creation of a nightmarish new electronic national identification system that has the potential to track everybody — online and off. This system is being created in the form of digital driver’s licenses. At first blush, these can seem harmless. Digital driver’s licenses are just what they sound like: A digital version of your state-issued driver license, permit or non-driver ID, carried in an app on your smartphone.
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Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
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APNIC ☛ APNIC registry API now available
The new APNIC registry API supports the retrieval of delegation information, as well as the management of whois records, RDNS records, ROAs, and route objects.
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Legal
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EPIC ☛ In Anderson v. TikTok, the Third Circuit Applies Questionable First Amendment Reasoning to Arrive at the Correct Section 230 Outcome
On August 27, the Third Circuit issued a decision in Anderson v. TikTok, an important case at the intersection of online platform accountability, Section 230, and the First Amendment. The case centered around the question of whether TikTok could invoke Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to dismiss a lawsuit claiming that TikTok’s recommendation algorithm played a role in a child user’s accidental suicide.
The opinion correctly held that Section 230 did not bar the claims to the extent that they alleged TikTok’s own algorithmic design caused the tragic circumstances, but it arrived at its decision through a questionable First Amendment analysis instead of careful Section 230 reasoning. TikTok is now asking the entire Third Circuit to re-hear the case and overturn the initial ruling.
This blog post will walk through the background of the case, what was notable about the court’s opinion, and why it matters for the ongoing project to hold platform companies accountable in a way that benefits users and society.
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[Old] Blinkenlights ☛ Bill Gates' Open Letter to Hobbyists
To me, the most critical thing in the hobby market right now is the lack of good software courses, books and software itself. Without good software and an owner who understands programming, a hobby computer is wasted. Will quality software be written for the hobby market?
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Patents
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Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Pink Ceramic Hip Implants: When Functionality Trumps Trade Dress
The pending appeal in CeramTec v. CoorsTek Bioceramics again highlights the interplay between utility patents and trade dress protection -- this one focusing on the color pink. The case centers on CeramTec's attempt to maintain trademark registrations for the pink color of its ceramic hip implants after its utility patent monopoly expired. While color can sometimes serve as a trademark, the Board's decision to cancel CeramTec's registrations appears supported by the evidence and aligns with key Supreme Court precedent on functionality. At the same time, CeramTec offers a powerful argument that the TTAB decision disregarded direct evidence of non-functionality based upon recent material science testing.
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JUVE ☛ Setback for CureVac in the UK
On Tuesday, the UK High Court declared the two CureVac patents EP 3 708 668 and EP 4 023 755 invalid. Judge Richard Meade based his ruling on a lack of plausibility, insufficiency and lack of inventive step (case ID: HP-2022-000023). However, CureVac can appeal.
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Unified Patents ☛ Samsara joins Unified Patents
We are pleased to announce that Samsara, a leading IoT software company, is now a Unified Patents member. Samsara is joining 300+ other companies committed to deterring the assertion of bad patents by non-practicing entities (NPEs).
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Trademarks
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TTAB Blog ☛ "Decisions of the Federal Courts and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board on Registrability Issues July 2023 to August 2024"
Here [pdf] for your reading pleasure is the article/outline that I provided in connection with my presentation yesterday at the All Ohio Annual Institute on Intellectual Property (AOAIOIP). It summarizes the "Decisions of the Federal Courts and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board on Registrability Issues July 2023 to August 2024." Enjoy!
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Copyrights
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Digital Music News ☛ Roblox Refutes Hindenburg Research Report of Inflated Metrics
Roblox says claims made in a recent research report are ‘misleading.’ The report from Hindenburg Research alleges Roblox massively inflates the metrics it shares with investors while doing very little to curb child exploitation on its platform. Hindenburg Research is a US-based investment research firm that engages in activist short-selling.
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Digital Music News ☛ Chili’s Parent Faces Second Copyright Lawsuit, This Time from Universal Music — As Beastie Boys Infringement Battle Continues
Moments following the conclusion of Sony Music’s social-media-focused copyright monopoly lawsuit against Marriott, a similar infringement complaint, levied this time by Universal Music Group (UMG) and naming Chili’s parent Brinker International as a defendant, has kicked off.
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Digital Music News ☛ South Korea Has a Serious Problem With Sagging Subscriber Growth — Now Spotify Is Introducing a Free Ad-Supported Tier In the Country
Spotify has launched a free, ad-supported tier in South Korea as subscription rates seriously stagnate in the seventh-largest recorded music market. The addition switches the user-acquisition strategy substantially and introduces Spotify’s ‘freemium funnel’ into the South Korean equation.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong band Wellsaid wanted to take a road trip with distant friends – they turned that desire into an album
Hong Kong band Wellsaid used to share a playlist named “imaginary road trip” with friends in the city and abroad, expressing regret at being unable to hit the road together during Covid.
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Monopolies/Monopsonies
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