Leftovers

• Hackaday ☛ Minichord Wants To Help You Find Rad Chord Progressions

  If you’re good at music theory, you can probably find all the chords and progressions you need just by using your fingers and a suitable instrument. For a lot of musicians, though, remembering huge banks of chords can be difficult, and experimenting with combinations can quickly become tedious and tiring. Enter the minichord, a tiny version of the Omnichord synth designed by [Benjamin] that offers to help out by putting all the chords you need a mere button press away.

• Hackaday ☛ UFO 50 Inspired LX System Looks Straight Out Of A Video Game

  They simply don’t make them like they used to, and in the case of this retro LX system build, they only make what never existed in the first place. Earlier this year the long awaited video game UFO 50 released to widespread critical acclaim. The conceit of the game is an interactive anthology of a faux 1980’s game console constructed by a large group of actual indie game developers. Leave it to [Luke], who admitted to UFO 50 to taking over his life, to bring the LX system from the digital screen to the real world.

• Standards/Consortia

  • India Times ☛ Interoperability in net banking payments soon

    The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is in the process of integration with a group of five or six banks to go live with interoperability in netbanking and mobile banking payments, three people in the know said.

    While the date for the launch of the first phase of the project has not been decided with the banks, it should happen within the next few months, they said. Other banks will be integrated in later phases.

• SaaS/Back End

  • [Old] Niels Cautaerts ☛ We have cloud at home

    Still, it means paying for yet another subscription in a world where the concept of true ownership is continuously being eroded. As one inevitably collects ever more data over the years it becomes increasingly difficult to exit the platform, ensuring one becomes locked in to the subscription. While subscriptions are annoying, the money is only a minor concern. Managed cloud services are extremely convenient, but over-reliance on platforms you don't control also carries risk. Anyone whose YouTube account was randomly banned and whose content simply evaporated can probably attest to that. Platforms maintain the discretion to deny service to users who they deem are breaking their rules. What if that happened to your Google account and all your memories in Google photos just disappeared one day? It may be rare, but it does happen.

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ Footprints Suggest Different Human Relatives Lived Alongside One Another

    A discovery in northern Kenya hints that two extinct species that were our ancient relatives shared the same habitat and possibly interacted.

  • Science Alert ☛ NASA Just Released a Fireplace Video For The Holidays, And It's Hilarious

    Enjoy the warm glow!

  • Science Alert ☛ Mysterious Bad Odor Prompts Space Station to Seal Off Module

    This is serious.

  • Science Alert ☛ Man Keeps a Rock For Years Hoping It's Gold. It Turns Out to Be Far More Valuable.

    No wonder he couldn't crack it open!

• Career/Education

  • University of Michigan ☛ U-M Dearborn faces course cuts, faculty layoffs amid budgetary challenges

    University of Michigan-Dearborn students and faculty at the College of Arts, Sciences and Letters will see class size increases, course cuts and section consolidations for the winter 2025 semester, according to a Tuesday morning press release from the Lecturers’ Employers Organization.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ GPS Enabled Pumpkin Spice Sprayer Knows When It’s PSL Season

    Pumpkin spice, also known as allspice with better marketing, has found its way into a seemingly endless amount of products over the years. It goes beyond the obvious foodstuffs of pies and cakes; because there are plenty of candles, deodorants, and air fresheners ready to add a little more spice to your world. One such autumnal smell enthusiast, YouTube user [J-Knows], sought to automate the delivery mechanism with his 3D printed pumpkin spice aerosol sprayer.

  • Hackaday ☛ The Japanese Console You Maybe Haven’t Heard Of

    The games consoles which came out of Japan in the 1980s are the stuff of legend, with the offerings from Nintendo and Sega weaving themselves into global popular culture. Most of us can recite a list of the main players in the market, but how many of us would have Epoch and their Super Cassette Vision on that list? [Nicole Express] is here with a look at this forgotten machine which tried so hard and yet missed the target when competing with the NES or Master System.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ New U.S. restrictions will hit Chinese chipmaking tool companies — sanctions aim to slow development of domestic chipmaking tools to replace ASML, others

    The new U.S. sanctions against China are meant to hit developers of chipmaking gear rather than chipmakers itself.

  • Hackaday ☛ Chocolate-Coating Machine Mk. 2: The Merry-Go-Round

    This holiday season, [Chaz] wanted to continue his family’s tradition of enrobing a little bit of everything in dark chocolate, and built an improved, rotating chocolate-coating machine.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ Chinese Women Mobilize Against Subpar Sanitary Pads

    An online campaign has prompted major pad manufacturers to apologize. Regulators said they would consider women’s criticisms when writing new standards.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Toxic Synergy Arises When 'Forever Chemicals' Merge With Microplastics

    Disturbing new evidence.

  • Science Alert ☛ Ozempic vs Supplements: Dietitian Reveals Truth About GLP-1 Imitations

    Do they really work?

  • Science Alert ☛ Young American Deaths From Cervical Cancer Fall Sharply After HPV Vaccine

    An incredible result.

  • Science Alert ☛ An Expert Explains The Real Dangers of Microplastics to Human Health

    We need to act urgently.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Cheap Daily Supplement Seems to Boost Brain Function in Older People

    The effect can be seen within weeks.

  • Stanford University ☛ Medicine professor Jay Bhattacharya, COVID lockdown critic, selected to lead NIH

    The Stanford professor was appointed Tuesday to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya has previously made controversial critiques of lockdowns and vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ At overflowing Veracruz landfill, Greenpeace Mexico demands anti-plastic laws

    The activists called for enforcement of existing plastic bans and management of unregulated dump sites.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • WhichUK ☛ 5 ways Hey Hi (AI) is being misused to fuel online shopping scams

    Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used by fraudsters in shopping scams online

  • Medevel ☛ ChatGPT as a Doctor? Why You Should NOT Trust AI, Even if You’re a Prompt Engineer

    The Promise and Peril of Hey Hi (AI) in Medical Decision-Making: A Critical Analysis

  • Medevel ☛ Mom Discovers Son’s Rare Diagnosis with ChatGPT, Experts Warn Against Self-Diagnosis with AI

    A recent news story highlights how a determined mother used ChatGPT, an Hey Hi (AI) chatbot, to identify a rare condition in her son after doctors failed to pinpoint the cause of his chronic pain. While this success story has drawn attention to the potential of Hey Hi (AI) in healthcare, experts caution against

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 4 visa applicants and immigration consultancy charged over Hong Kong investment visa fraud

      Hong Kong’s anti-graft watchdog has charged four people and the head of an immigration consultancy with conspiracy to defraud over applications for investment visas.

    • France24 ☛ Mazan rapes: Fake profiles, sites are pretending to be Gisèle Pélicot for money

      It's confirmed she's not on social control media…but X and Instagram profiles under the name of Gisèle Pélicot have been sharing and interacting with content as if it’s the 71 year old rape survivor herself. Additionally, a website exists in her name sharing articles about the Avignon trial, but it’s evidently AI-generated, with not one photo of the real Gisèle. It’s creator was traced to India, and admits to using the site to bulk up his income. Vedika Bahl explains in Truth or Fake.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • China plans big data warning system to prevent public killings

      Leaders call for mining of 'rich seams' of political, legal data to stop violence before it happens.

    • The Strategist ☛ To pre-empt extremist violence, we need real-time social control media data sharing

      Law enforcement and social control media platforms must implement real-time data sharing to stop online extremism before it leads to violence. Using appropriate safeguards, we can achieve this without raising concerns about creating a surveillance state.

    • Press Gazette ☛ The Swedish regional newsbrand driving subscriptions via Surveillance Giant Google Discover

      VK Media says it has grown revenue with a tool that predicts when a story is about to go viral on Surveillance Giant Google Discover.

    • JURIST ☛ WhatsApp challenges data protection fine at EU’s top court

      WhatsApp Ireland Ltd has appealed a €225 million ($236 million) fine to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on Tuesday, the European Union’s highest court of appeal.

• Defence/Aggression

  • France24 ☛ Report on 2022 coup plot in Brazil 'very methodical, detailed and loaded with evidence'

    Brazil’s former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro was fully aware of and actively participated in a coup plot to remain in office after his defeat in the 2022 election, according to a newly unsealed Federal Police report. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24 is joined by Anthony Pereira, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center at Florida International University.

  • New York Times ☛ Syrian Rebel Groups Launch Largest Offensive in Years

    Scores of people were killed after forces opposed to the government of President Bashar al-Assad overtook a Syrian military base, a monitoring group reported.

  • The Strategist ☛ 6.5 million on the move: across the world, migration is surging

    Global migration flows have risen to record levels since the pandemic, driven by economic opportunity and conflict, and are facing a widespread policy backlash. A record 6.5 million people made new homes in advanced nations ...

  • Defence Web ☛ Djibouti maritime forces benefit from EU supported exercise

    The recently finished Exercise Doraleh in Djibouti is a further example of capacity building and improving training for the Djiboutian Navy and Coast Guard.

  • Defence Web ☛ Stilfontein zama zamas likely have Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to resist take-down

    A hellish picture worthy of a Tolkien fantasy novel is emerging of the Stilfontein zama zama crisis – including improvised explosive booby-traps illegal miners could likely manufacture right there and use to resist a forcible take-down by Police and the SA National Defence Force.

  • RFERL ☛ Former British Soldier Found Guilty Of Spying For Iran

    A former British soldier, whose prison escape sparked a massive manhunt in 2023, has been found guilty of passing on sensitive information to the Iranian intelligence service.

  • New York Times ☛ A Top Military Official in China Is Suspended Under Suspicion of Corruption

    The case of Adm. Miao Hua suggests the persistence of graft at high levels of the military, despite the efforts by Pooh-tin Jinping to stamp out corruption.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China says military official Miao Hua suspended and under investigation, but denies reports of Dong Jun’s removal

    By Ludovic Ehret and Oliver Hotham A top Chinese military official has been removed from office and is suspected of “serious violations of discipline”, Beijing said Thursday, the latest senior apparatchik to fall in a sweeping crackdown on graft in the country’s armed forces.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Latest graft probe on China defence minister Dong Jun a blow to foreign engagement

    Admiral Dong Jun, the international face of the PLA, has been in the job for just 11 months.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says top military official Miao Hua suspended, under investigation

    He had been removed from office and was suspected of “serious violations of discipline”.

  • Taiwan leader to visit Hawaii as part of visit to Pacific: report

    The islands’s foreign minister declined to say if President Lai would visit Hawaii on his Pacific trip.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ As Taiwan’s Lai Ching-te prepares Pacific nation visits, China vows to ‘resolutely crush’ any attempts at independence

    China on Thursday vowed to “resolutely crush” any attempts for Taiwan independence, as the self-ruled island’s President Lai Ching-te is set to embark on an overseas trip. Beijing claims Taiwan as its own territory and baulks at any official contact Taipei has with other countries.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan holds air defence drill ahead of President Lai’s Pacific trip

    China is also likely to launch military drills in the coming days near Taiwan.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Ahead of Taiwan president’s Hawaii trip, China says it will defeat secessionism

    China' military also urged the US not to send the wrong signals on Taiwan independence.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China criticises Trump tariff threat, says it won’t solve America’s problems

    Trump’s comments fired the starting gun for what analysts expect to be a four-year trade war.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China warns of 'necessary actions' if US escalates chip curbs

    China warned on Thursday it would take \"necessary actions\" to protect Chinese firms if the U.S. escalated chip control measures, following reports that the Biden administration could unveil new export restrictions as soon as this week.

  • Explained: What is America’s ‘blacklist’- and does it really work against China?

    A U.S. government list intended to restrict business with objectionable foreign companies grows longer.

  • New York Times ☛ With Trump Returning and Hezbollah Weakened, Iran Strikes a Conciliatory Tone

    As Iran faces domestic and foreign challenges, its bellicose rhetoric on the United States and Israel has given way to signs that it wants less confrontation.

  • New York Times ☛ Lebanon Cease-Fire Appears to Hold Despite Israeli Strike

    Israel said it had targeted militants headed to a rocket facility, but neither Israel nor Hezbollah seemed keen to immediately return to full-scale fighting.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Catherine Thorbecke: China’s dystopian tech influence grows in Vietnam

    Over the years, internet freedoms in Vietnam have been severely beaten back.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • New York Times ☛ E.U. Vessels Surround Anchored Chinese Ship After Cables Are Severed in Baltic Sea

      Multiple countries are investigating and the authorities in Europe say they have not ruled out sabotage. But U.S. intelligence officials have assessed that the cables were not cut deliberately.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania, Finland, Sweden set up team to probe Baltic Sea cable damage

      The top prosecutors and the heads of law enforcement agencies of Lithuania, Finland, and Sweden have set up a joint investigation group to investigate the recent incidents when internet cables on the Baltic Sea bed were damaged.

    • JURIST ☛ Russian court orders arrest of French journalist for crossing Kursk border illegally

      The Leninsky District Court of Kursk issued an in absentia arrest order for France 24 journalist Catherine Norris Trent and several other unidentified individuals on Tuesday. In a statement issued on Telegram, the court alleges that the group crossed into the Sudzhansky District of Kursk illegally while filming a report with Ukrainian armed forces.

    • North Korea doesn’t deny reports of troop deployment to Russia

      North will ‘fulfill obligations’ under a June defense pact with Russia, North’s UN envoy said.

    • RFERL ☛ More Than 1 Million Ukrainians Left Without Electricity After Latest Russian Attack

      Russia unleashed a "massive" attack on Ukraine’s infrastructure on November 28, leaving more than 1 million people without power in freezing temperatures across the country.

    • RFERL ☛ Trump Nominates Defense Adviser Kellogg As Special Envoy For Ukraine, Russia

      U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on November 27 tapped Keith Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long served as a top adviser to Trump on defense issues, as his nominee to be special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘His tool is blackmail’ How Ukrainian media reacted to Trump’s appointment of Keith Kellogg as Ukraine-Russia envoy — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Ukraine confirms it discussed lowering draft age with allies, says issue not a ‘point of disagreement or tension’ — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ More than 80,000 Russian servicemen confirmed killed in Ukraine, majority of whom were civilians before full-scale war — BBC and Mediazona — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ U.S. pressuring Ukraine to lower draft age to 18 amid troop shortage — Financial Times — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia launches massive attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Biden administration preparing $725 million military aid package for Ukraine — Reuters — Meduza

    • France24 ☛ Chronic inflation hits Russia as huge pay increases fuel rising prices

      Inflation has again spiked in Russia in recent months, fuelled by massive public spending on the Ukraine war and big wage increases in many sectors of the economy. To counter this, the Central Bank raised its benchmark interest rate to a record 21 percent at the end of October, a measure that has yet to halt the persistent rise in prices.

    • Latvia ☛ Saeima rejects idea to ban Russians, Belarusians from working at schools

      On November 28 the Saeima decided not to refer to viewing in the committees a proposal of the opposition National Alliance (NA) to prevent Russian and Belarusian citizens from working as teachers in Latvian schools.

    • Latvia ☛ Rēzekne's residents refuse to rename "Russian-friendly" streets

      There are still several streets in Rēzekne whose names could be regarded as glorifying the Soviet regime. The association "Public Memory Center" has appealed to the Rēzekne municipality to rename them, but the residents don't support the change, Latgale Regional Television reported on November 27.

    • Plastic treaty faces hurdles as Russia, Saudi Arabia mire negotiations

      Campaigners want an international agreement to limit the production and supply of plastics.

    • Meduza ☛ BTS for me, but not for thee: Kadyrov’s daughter owns a K-pop-themed cafe in central Grozny, despite Chechnya’s past repression of the genre — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Georgian prime minister announces suspension of E.U. membership talks until end of 2028 — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Violent clashes break out in Tbilisi after Georgian prime minister suspends E.U. membership talks — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Kazakhstan launches criminal investigation after digital billboard displays Ukrainian flag during Putin’s visit — Meduza

    • France24 ☛ 'Dark tourism' on the rise in Ukraine: Is war tourism educational or unethical?

      Dark tourism.... or visiting places associated with tragic events, is on the rise in Ukraine. A handful of companies now offer this controversial tour. Story by Elitsa Gadeva and Anna Pereira

    • Meduza ☛ ATACMS strikes on Russia don’t raise risk of nuclear war, but Moscow may escalate sabotage in Europe — Reuters — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian defense minister visits North Korea to meet with military and political leaders — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘It turns everything to dust’ Putin says Russia could target Kyiv ‘decision-making centers’ with new Oreshnik missile — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Putin flaunting new Oreshnik missile to undermine Trump’s efforts to end war, says Zelensky — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Absolutely no reason for panic’: As ruble falls, Putin says situation is ‘under control’ — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Strikes Ukraine’s Energy Sector as Putin Signals More to Come

      Ukraine said the attacks targeted energy infrastructure. President Vladimir V. Putin said they were retaliation for Kyiv’s use of long-range American missiles.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Ukraine flag appears on big screen during Putin visit to Kazakhstan

      The screen was soon switched off, but images and videos of the incident quickly circulated online.

    • France24 ☛ War in Ukraine: Putin says barrage 'response' to West-supplied missiles

      A massive aerial bombardment of Ukraine's energy facilities was in response to Kyiv striking Russian territory with Western-supplied missiles, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday. Pledging Moscow would always respond to Ukraine's use of US-supplied ATACMS missiles, Putin said his military was considering a strike on the heart of Kyiv in retaliation to any future attacks. For more, FRANCE 24 journalist, Andrew Hilliar.

    • France24 ☛ 'Europe needs to wake up to the reality of Russia's threat'

      Russia unleashed its second big attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure this month on Thursday, triggering deep power cuts across the country. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on Putin's brutal war on Ukraine, FRANCE 24's Nadia Massih is joined by Peter Zalmayev, Director of the Eurasian Democracy Initiative.

    • France24 ☛ A Russian missile and drone attack targets Ukraine's energy infrastructure

      President Vladimir Putin has said that a massive Russian overnight attack on Ukrainian infrastructure was a response to Kyiv's attacks on Russian regions using longer-range Western missiles. More than a million Ukrainians were left without power Thursday.

    • France24 ☛ Putin says there's no need to panic over Russia's plummeting ruble

      Russian President Vladimir Putin says there's no need to panic over the country's plummeting currency... despite the ruble weakening to its lowest level in over two years. Australia has passed a law banning social control media for under-16s. Voters in Ireland are heading to the polls on Friday, but whoever ends up governing the country will be faced with a unique economic situation. Plus, political chaos in France briefly drove its borrowing costs to the same level as Greece's for the very first time.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea battles second day of heavy snow; four dead

    Dozens of flights were cancelled, and ferry operations were suspended.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Tens of thousands in 6 Malaysian states hit by flooding, says PM Anwar

    Malaysia's Meteorological Department expects continuous heavy rain to last until Nov 29.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia warns of worst flooding in a decade as monsoon season hits; 63,000 in shelters

    Deputy PM Zahid Hamidi asked for preparations as he evoked the heavy floods of 2014.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China rolls out emergency measures for cold wave

    The China Meteorological Administration activated a level-four emergency response on Nov 25.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean train conductor’s 4-min toilet break led to delay of 125 trains

      Many of them were delayed 20 minutes from their originally scheduled arrival times.

    • H2 View ☛ Malaysia targets two million tonnes of blue hydrogen by 2030

      The Malaysian government has set an ambitious target to produce two million tonnes of hydrogen annually by 2030, according to local media reports.

    • Hackaday ☛ US Is Getting Its First Onshore Wave Power Plant

      Renewables let you have a more diverse set of energy inputs so you aren’t putting all your generation eggs in one basket. One type of renewable that doesn’t see a lot of love, despite 80% of the world’s population living within 100 km (~60 mi) of a coastline, is harnessing the energy of the tides. [via Electrek]

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan dies at 86

    He built a reputation as a savvy, Harvard-trained businessman whose fingerprints were everywhere.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Till cash do us part: Woman in China makes $55k in 3 months from ‘flash’ marriages and divorces

    Some matchmaking firms are under police probe for duping men looking for potential wives.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Singapore’s strong brand name in China comes down to Singaporeans there: SM Lee

    He wraps up a six-day official visit to the country, where he met President Pooh-tin and other leaders, as well as visit Singapore firms.

  • Latvia ☛ Young economists invited to enter Latvian central bank student paper competition

    To promote the research and analysis of Latvia's and the euro area's macroeconomic issues by involving the most talented young economists in this work, the Latvian central bank, Latvijas Banka, has announced its annual Competition of Student Scientific Research Papers.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s state media praise some US firms amid fears of a new trade war

    State-owned Global Times praised Apple, Tesla, Starbucks and HP for strong collaboration with Chinese partners.

  • European Commission ☛ Commission closes State aid investigations into Fiat, Amazon and Starbucks tax rulings

    European Commission Press release Brussels, 28 Nov 2024 The European Commission has closed three in-depth State aid investigations into transfer pricing tax rulings granted by Luxembourg to Fiat and Amazon, and by the Netherlands to Starbucks.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania’s Achema union seeks to reopen talks on higher wages

    
    

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Defence Web ☛ R472 million spent by Presidential Medical Unit over the last five years

    The Presidential Medical Unit (PMU), staffed by South African Military Health Service (SAMHS) personnel, spent R472 million on providing medical care over the last five years. This is according to Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga, who was answering a Parliamentary question posed by the Democratic Alliance’s Chris Hattingh.

  • Latvia ☛ Rīga hospital could miss out on EU funding over unsuccessful tender

    Latvia could be left without a new hospital and miss out on almost €100 million of the European Union's Recovery Plan money. Riga East Clinical University Hospital (RAKUS) was looking for a builder for its new Infectious Diseases Hospital, but nobody applied for the tender, Latvian Radio reported on November 27.

  • Daniel Pocock ☛ Watching Irish general election 2024 results

    As an independent candidate I'm not expecting to get too many votes. Ireland is a country where traditions are very strong and people gravitate to the parties and candidates they grew up with. On top of that, my campaign was subject to distortion and obfuscation in Google search results. I will be happy if I get more than 5 votes but even that is not certain. In the last election, some independent candidates only got 23 votes each.

    There is still time for people to go and vote now before the polling stations close.

    The candidates with fewer votes are eliminated in earlier rounds of counting. Counting begins at 9am on Saturday, 30 November and the first eliminations will become clear some time around lunchtime.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • France24 ☛ Recount order, Fentanylware (TikTok) claims throw Romania election into chaos

      Romania's presidential election was thrown into chaos Thursday as a court ordered a recount of first-round results and security officials alleged that interference via Fentanylware (TikTok) had boosted a little-known far-right candidate. The Romanian presidency said security officials had detected "cyberattacks" intended to influence the outcome of Sunday's vote. FRANCE 24's Mark Owen speaks to Oana Popescu-Zamfir, Director at GlobalFocus.

    • New York Times ☛ Romania Court Orders a Recount After Surprise Election Result

      A top court issued the ruling just days after an ultranationalist outsider unexpectedly won the most votes in the first round of presidential elections held Sunday.

    • New York Times ☛ Australia Bans Social Media for Everyone Under 16

      The law sets a minimum age for users of platforms like TikTok, Instagram and X. How the restriction will be enforced online remains an open question.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • JURIST ☛ Kazakhstan urged to ensure fair process for journalist and revise its speech offenses laws

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Kazakhstan’s authorities on Thursday to guarantee a fair appeal for an investigative journalist sentenced to prison for spreading false information. The rights group also called on the country to revise its laws concerning speech offenses to align them with international standards for freedom of expression.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Dylan Jones steps down after 18 months as Standard editor

    Jones will stay on to "write frequently" as editor at large, the company's executive chairman said.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai tells national security trial overthrowing China’s Communist Party was ‘crazy’ idea

    Jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has told his national security trial it was “crazy” to think that China’s Communist Party could be overthrown.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • The Straits Times ☛ How $96 funeral wreaths became symbol of protest in South Korea

    Protestors now use funeral wreaths wrapped with sharp words to draw attention to their cause.

  • JURIST ☛ Federal judge holds New York City in contempt for violence in city jails

    Chief US District Judge Laura Taylor Swain found New York City in contempt Wednesday for failing to reduce violence and brutality in the Rikers Island jail complex.

  • AccessNow ☛ OCHA: a new era for humanitarianism must include digital protection

    Access Now congratulates Tom Fletcher on his appointment as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ Event Wrap: Peering Asia 6.0

    APNIC supported and participated in Peering Asia 6.0, held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 6 to 7 November 2024.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Ars Technica ☛ Smart gadgets’ failure to commit to software support could be illegal, FTC warns - Ars Technica

    “When we don’t own what we buy, everything becomes disposable…”…

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • KOL451 | Debating the Nature of Rights on The Rational Egoist (Michael Liebowitz)

    In this episode of The Rational Egoist, host Michael Liebowitz engages in a stimulating debate with libertarian writer and patent monopoly attorney Stephan Kinsella on the nature of rights.

  • JUVE ☛ Swerving the matter of granting genetic scissor patents at the EPO [Ed: EPO has become extremely corrupt]

    It was supposed to be an interesting autumn at the European Patent Office for the granting of a basic patent monopoly on CRISPR/Cas9 technology. The biotech industry was expecting legal clarity following decisions by the Boards of Appeal concerning the granting of two basic patents filed by the Nobel Prize winners Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna.

  • Hindsight by Stealth? Pre-RtB ‘Ascertainment’ After Sandoz v Bayer

    A recent Full Court decision suggests that demonstrating prior art could be ‘reasonably expected to be ascertained’ under the pre-Raising the Bar (RtB) law may be considerably easier than previously thought.  But has the pendulum swung too far?  In relaxing the evidentiary requirements for establishing that prior art information would have been found by the skilled person, the Full Court may have undermined a safeguard against hindsight analysis that was inherent in the prior law.

• Trademarks

  • Heather J Meeker ☛ JavaScript Trademark Challenge

    This week, as a Thanksgiving present to the tech industry, Deno Land petitioned the US Patent and Trademark Office to cancel Oracle’s JavaScript trademark. JavaScript–which helpfully has little to do with Java–is a programming language for client-side web applications.

• Copyrights/Music

  • Digital Music News ☛ Drake Draws Support from Funkmaster Flex Amid Intensifying Kendrick Lamar Beef, UMG Legal Battle

    A high-stakes rap beef just became even more intense: Amid a continued showdown with Kendrick Lamar – and as he spearheads related litigation against Universal Music – Drake is receiving words of support from Funkmaster Flex. By now, most have at least heard about the newest chapter in the Drake v. Kendrick Lamar dispute.