Leftovers

• France24 ☛ French artist Seth on harnessing street art's universal language

  Street art used to mean spontaneous scribbles under the cover of darkness; now those images hang in major museums and sell at auction for millions. A new exhibition at the Petit Palais in Paris is celebrating the universal language of street art. “We Are Here” features work from around the world, including an installation by French artist Seth. He tells us how collaborating with people around the world has informed both his style and the way he creates his pieces, and why we should adopt more of a child-like attitude when we encounter artwork in galleries.

• Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

  • Wouter Groeneveld ☛ That Time Dynalogic Lost My Phone

    Remember that shiny new Samsung clamshell smartphone I got at the end of April this year? It already broke. The screen suddenly started flickering and turned white. It wasn’t the more fragile hinge or the screen near the hinge, but more likely a loose connector somewhere. Yet I was pretty upset, as the phone was just over six months old.

  • Nolen Royalty ☛ Auto-texting STOP to unknown numbers · eieio.games

    I’m sick of political spam texts. Here is a stupid solution.

    I’m not telling you that you should do this. But this morning I made my phone auto-respond “STOP” to any unknown number: [...]

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ 2024 Closes With One of The Year's Best Meteor Showers. Here's How to See It.

    Don't let the Moon ruin it.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Gave a Mushroom a Robot Body And Let It Run Wild

    Because this will end well.

  • Science Alert ☛ Leaded Fuel May Have Triggered a Mental Health Crisis Among Generation X

    A 20th century catastrophe.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Creating A Radiation King Radio In The Real World

    If you’re a fan of the Fallout series of games, you’ve probably come across a Radiation King radio before. In the game, that is, they don’t exist in real life. Which is precisely why [zapwizard] built one!

  • Hackaday ☛ 3D Printer Eliminates The Printer Bed

    Anyone who has operated a 3D printer before, especially those new to using these specialized tools, has likely had problems with the print bed. The bed might not always be the correct temperature leading to problems with adhesion of the print, it could be uncalibrated or dirty or cause any number of other issues that ultimately lead to a failed print. Most of us work these problems out through trial and error and eventually get settled in, but this novel 3D printer instead removes the bed itself and prints on whatever surface happens to be nearby.

  • Hackaday ☛ From Felt To Fate: Building Your Own Sorting Hat

    Ever wondered how it feels to have the Sorting Hat decide your fate? [Will Dana] wanted to find out, so he conjured a bit of Hogwarts magic, and crafted a fully animatronic Sorting Hat from scratch. In the video below, he covers every step of bringing this magical purple marvel to life—from rapid joystick movements to the electronics behind it all.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ 30-year-old Pentium FDIV bug tracked down in the silicon — Ken Shirriff takes the microscope to Intel's first-ever recall

    Ken Shirriff, noted reverse engineer and processor historian, has identified the specific transistors, incorrectly laid, which caused the original Pentium to be recalled at a cost of $475 million.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Science Alert ☛ One Age Group Stands Out For Heat-Related Deaths, And It's Not What We Expected

    Nobody is immune.

  • Science Alert ☛ Supercharge Your Daily Walk With These 5 Simple Changes

    Step 1 ...

  • Science Alert ☛ Dolphins in Gulf of Mexico Are Now Testing Positive For Fentanyl

    It's a growing problem.

  • Science Alert ☛ These Temporary Electronic Tattoos Can Measure Your Brain Activity

    Printed directly onto your scalp.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ For now, ‘Dreamers’ will be shut out of the health care marketplace in 19 states

    GOP state officials argued that the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule created earlier this year would be a strong incentive for immigrants to remain in the U.S. illegally.

  • New York Times ☛ R.F.K. Jr.’s War on Corn Syrup Brings a Health Crusade to Trump Country

    When Donald J. Trump said Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could “go wild” on health, he might not have expected his pick for health secretary doing battle against the president-elect’s own voters.

  • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ US health panel adds self-testing option for cervical cancer screening

    Studies show women and doctors collect samples with similar accuracy.

  • PHR ☛ Severe Harms from Idaho’s Abortion Ban Likely to Expand with Trump Administration Poised to Reverse EMTALA Guidance: PHR

    Idaho’s abortion ban has caused preventable medical crises and chaos in the state’s health system, according to an amicus curiae brief filed by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) for the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals hearing in Idaho v. United States, which opens in Pasadena, California on Tuesday. 

  • Latvia ☛ Latvia might introduce stricter rules on vaping in public

    The EU has adopted new recommendations on the use of electronic smoking devices in public places. Although Latvia already has quite strict rules in this respect, the Ministry of Health plans to propose further restrictions, including a ban on the use of electronic cigarettes from the windows of residential buildings, Latvian Radio reports December 10.

• Proprietary/Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • WCCF Tech ☛ Google Might Start Layoffs In January Claims Post On Online Message Board

    Google employees are worried that they might be laid off next year as the firm has allegedly increased its target layoffs for the lowest performers, according to unverified posts on an employee board. According to posters, managers at one of the biggest technology companies in the world have tightened the criteria for letting go of employees even amidst productivity growth among Google engineers.

    Google, like its tech peer Microsoft, has struggled to match the stock market performance of the top performers in 2024 due to regulatory concerns revolving around its search engine business. The posts follow Google parent Alphabet's third-quarter earnings call, in which CFO Anat Ashkenazi shared that she would like to reengineer the firm's cost base further.

  • Snopes ☛ Home Salon Email That 'Fired' Stressed Employees Was PR Stunt

    YesMadam is a real home salon company based in India, and it did conduct a survey to assess staff stress levels. However, YesMadam did not fire any employees as a result of the survey. The alleged email screenshot shared online was part of a "planned move" to highlight the idea of giving staff days off to focus on their mental health, according to a statement from the company and an employee central to the internal PR campaign.

• Linux Foundation

  • The Hindu ☛ Linux Foundation launches LF India to boost open source innovation - The Hindu [Ed: iophk: Will more than 2% of the budget there be used on Linux?]

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • Latvia ☛ Scammers awake and alert for Christmas shopping

      Many people rush out to buy Christmas presents for their loved ones, including through online shopping, which seems convenient – no need to leave the house. However, this is also a time when scammers are particularly active, trying to get money from shoppers. How to protect yourself? Latvian Television spoke to cybersecurity experts.

    • New IP Scam Alert: Fraudsters Now Impersonating Registered Attorneys

      In a concerning development, the authority that regulates the Australian and New Zealand IP professions, the Trans-Tasman IP Attorneys Board (TTIPAB), has warned attorneys about an ongoing scam involving the impersonation of registered IP attorneys to defraud IP rights owners.  Specifically, the TTIPAB has warned that ‘IP Australia became aware of a scam that is currently circulating, where applicants are pressured into filing a trade mark via emails fraudulently purporting to be from a well-known registered attorney.’  Of course, this type of scam could easily target any type of IP right. The threat is particularly worrying because it undermines one of the traditional safeguards against IP-related scams – checking whether correspondence comes from a registered attorney.

    • ‘Instagram scammer’ Caroline Calloway seemingly claims she slept with suspected assassin Luigi Mangione

      Calloway posted a text message saying, “OMG guys I literally f—ked the United Healthcare CEO assassin,” and “are you literally kidding me?”

    • ADF ☛ Nigeria’s ‘Hustle Kingdom’ Trains Future Generations of Cybercriminals

      Nigeria’s so-called Yahoo Boys begin learning the tricks of online fraud early. They’re often as young as 12 when they are recruited into the country’s cybercrime training network known as “hustle kingdom.”

    • The Straits Times ☛ Scam farms in the Philippines change tactics to avoid sweeping crackdown

      They are now operating “guerilla-style” in resorts or houses in the provinces, officials say.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • New York Times ☛ Could Facial Recognition Help Find Man Sought in United Healthcare CEO’s Killing?

      Anil Jain, an expert on facial recognition technology at the Michigan State University, said the photo in which the man is smiling contains enough detail for a facial recognition system to yield potential results.

    • CS Monitor ☛ After CEO killing, police used high-tech tools. But a civilian cinched the dragnet.

      Some say violence is valid political speech. But the investigation of a CEO’s killing – with a citizen-led capture – sparked a different response.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ Luigi Mangione, Suspect in CEO Killing, Withdrew From a Life of Privilege and Promise

    The suspect, Luigi Mangione, was an Ivy League tech graduate from a prominent Maryland family who in recent months had suffered physical and psychological pain.

  • France24 ☛ UnitedHealth CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione fights extradition to avoid facing charges

    Luigi Mangione, the man charged in last week’s killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, appeared in a Pennsylvania courtroom on Tuesday, where he was denied bail and his lawyer said he would fight extradition to New York City, where the attack happened.

  • Stanford University ☛ Person of interest in UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting worked as counselor for Stanford summer studies course

    Luigi Mangione, a former Stanford summer studies counselor, was detained in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson following a massive manhunt.

  • ADF ☛ Misseriya, Dar Hamar Tensions Add Ethnic Dimension to Sudan War

    Thousands of members of the Dar Hamar tribe gathered for a rally in support of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Sudan’s West Kordofan region in mid-November.

  • ADF ☛ Child Soldiers’ Numbers Swelling in Eastern DRC

    Constance was 13 years old when she left her home in North Kivu province in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to join a militia called the Alliance of Patriots for a Free and Sovereign Congo. Child soldiers are known as kadogos, which means “little ones” in Swahili.

  • New York Times ☛ Sednaya Prison in Syria: What to Know

    Amnesty International described it as a “human slaughterhouse,” where, other rights groups say, tens of thousands of people were detained, tortured and killed during the 13-year civil war.

  • ADF ☛ Ex-Sudanese PM Hamdok Calls for ‘Broad Front’ to End War

    Former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok says it is up to the people of his country, aided by the international community, to end the brutal war that has shattered Sudan since April 2023. “The primary responsibility for stopping this war rests with the Sudanese people,” Hamdok recently told DW during an hourlong interview.

  • NYPost ☛ Biden to kill Nippon Steel’s $15B takeover of US Steel on national security grounds: report

    The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States panel reviewing the deal must refer its decision on the merger to Biden by Dec. 22 or 23, Bloomberg reported.

  • ADF ☛ Terror Group Lukarawas Adds to Northwest Nigeria’s Security Concerns

    A terror organization known as Lukarawas is sowing fear in northwest Nigeria’s Kebbi and Sokoto states, an area in which Boko Haram, the Islamic State West African Province and bandit gangs continuously wreak havoc.

  • ADF ☛ Grand African NEMO Strengthens Collaboration to Combat Sea Crimes

    As part of the fight against illegal fishing, drug and human trafficking, piracy, oil theft, and other sea crimes in the Gulf of Guinea, navies and coast guards from more than two dozen countries participated in the Grand African Navy Exercise for Maritime Operations (NEMO) 2024.

  • New York Times ☛ Australia Signs Security and Economic Treaty With Nauru

    In return for financial support, the Pacific island nation of Nauru pledged not to enter any security pacts without Australia’s assent.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US imposes trade restrictions on two Chinese firms over human rights

    Its Commerce Dept added Zhejiang Uniview Technologies and Beijing Zhongdun Security Technology Group to the entity list.

  • Guangzhou Metro starts airport-style scans after deadly attacks

    The checks come as schools and other venues buy up traffic barriers in the wake of a fatal car attack.

  • Defence Web ☛ Rogue and incompetent officers weakening stability of the SAPS – Cameron

    The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron, has called on senior management within the South African Police Service (SAPS) to cease self-destructive behaviors that could undermine the progress already made in reforming the service into an effective force against crime.

  • Defence Web ☛ Mozambique’s deadly protests: how the country got here

    The protests that followed Mozambique’s contested October elections have been the most protracted and deadliest since multiparty democracy in 1990. Police have reportedly killed at least 50 since Daniel Chapo, from the ruling Frelimo, was declared winner by a fanciful 70%. The party has been in power since independence in 1975.

  • Scoop News Group ☛ Steady leadership prepares TSA to face evolving cyber threats

    New presidents bring new policies. But amid rapidly expanding cyber threats, steady leadership at the federal agencies charged with securing critical infrastructure is, well, critical. David Pekoske, a retired U.S. Coast Guard vice admiral and administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, is uniquely positioned to provide that leadership.

  • Scoop News Group ☛ Wyden legislation would mandate FCC cybersecurity rules for telecoms

    It would go beyond the FCC’s own proposal to regulate telecommunications carriers under federal wiretapping law.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Indonesian police involved in 31 extrajudicial killings: Rights group

    At least 116 cases of alleged police violence have been recorded in 2024.

  • Off Guardian ☛ Syria: New Government takes shape as Israel move in

    In the two days since Damascus fell to the “liberating” rebels, the Syria situation has moved on apace. Bashar al-Assad and his family – rumoured to have been in a plane crash on Sunday – are now confirmed alive having been granted asylum in Moscow, according to Russian sources.

  • JURIST ☛ Amnesty International demands immediate release of Chad opposition leader relatives

    Amnesty International on Monday called upon Chad authorities to “immediately release” the relatives of killed opposition party leader Yaya Dillo Djerou, who remain detained despite being acquitted. The statement urges Chadian authorities to release 10 detained relatives of the opposition Parti Socialiste sans Frontières (PSF) leader.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea reports South Korea's martial law crisis for first time

    SEOUL - North Korean state media KCNA on Wednesday reported for the first time on South Korea's ongoing political turmoil since President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law attempt.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Power struggle intensifies among South Korea investigative bodies over Yoon’s martial law case

    Military investigators are securing materials related to martial law at counterintelligence-related offices.

  • New York Times ☛ South Korea Martial Law Fallout: What to Know on Yoon’s Future

    The president faces an accusation of insurrection and, in a first for a sitting leader, the possibility of arrest. Here’s what to know about his political future.

  • New York Times ☛ South Korea’s Opposition Leader Determined to Oust President Yoon After Martial Law

    Lee Jae-myung, the main opposition leader, is leading efforts to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his declaration of martial law. He could also be the next president.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean President’s arrest possible in theory, but many obstacles in the way

    South Korea has seen many former presidents arrested, but never a sitting president.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s top diplomat urges restoration of global trust amid political turmoil

    The martial law debacle has drawn widespread global condemnation as democratic backsliding.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea opposition party plans to pass budget Bill that sparked martial law

    President Yoon Suk Yeol cited opposition to government budgets to justify his Dec 3 martial law decree.

  • The Straits Times ☛ K-pop light sticks find new life in rallies against Yoon in Seoul

    Though President Yoon’s martial law decree was quickly overturned, many younger Koreans were furious. 

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea slaps travel bans on more top officials

    Former defence minister Kim said “all responsibility for this situation lies solely with me”.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea prosecutors seek arrest warrant for ex-defence minister as probe accelerates

    Prosecutors allege that Kim advised President Yoon to unlawfully declare martial law.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea assembly passes special counsel probe into Yoon Suk Yeol’s insurrection charges

    Opposition-led Assembly passes proposal, but Yoon still holds power to appoint special counsel.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s ruling party discusses Yoon resigning in Feb before snap election

    The ruling party discussed holding a snap election in April or May.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean broadcaster targeted by martial law feared for his life

    Mr Kim, who is left-leaning and anti-establishment, appears to have been the only media figure targeted.

  • The Straits Times ☛ S. Korea ex-defence minister Kim Yong-hyun formally arrested for insurrection

    A formal arrest warrant was issued earlier for Kim Yong-hyun, who had already been detained on Dec 10.

  • North Korean civil defense units ordered to start drone training – without drones

    Training indicates the country could be implementing Kim Jong Un’s plans to mass produce military drones.

  • JURIST ☛ South Korea corruption investigation office imposes travel ban on President Yoon Suk Yeol

    South Korea’s Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) on Monday confirmed it had requested and secured a travel ban on President Yoon Suk Yeol, following his controversial martial law declaration last week.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia PM Anwar deflects questions on house arrest for Najib

    KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim refused to answer questions on Tuesday on the existence of a royal decree that would allegedly allow jailed former premier Najib Razak to serve his prison sentence at home.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia’s Anwar keeping mum on existence of controversial decree on house arrest for Najib

    Former PM Najib has a court appeal on Jan 6 to confirm the royal "addendum".

  • China's record 'worsening' on Human Rights Day, activists say

    There is less and less room to criticize the government, follow a religion or receive justice in a court of law.

  • The Strategist ☛ China edges closer to intervention in Myanmar

    Military intervention by China in Myanmar’s civil war is more likely than generally thought.

  • Myanmar to organize election in fewer than half of townships, parties say

    The military hopes an election that China is supporting will legitimize its rule.

  • New York Times ☛ Taiwan Says China Has Deployed Largest Fleet of Ships in Decades

    Taiwan is on high alert in response to China’s unannounced deployment of naval and Coast Guard ships, as tensions rise over U.S. support for the island.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China sending largest naval fleet in decades to region, threat level severe: Taiwan

    Some 47 military planes and 12 navy ships were detected operating around the island.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan says China carrying out huge maritime drills around island, with almost 90 ships spotted

    Taiwan said Tuesday that dozens of Chinese warships and other vessels have been deployed around the island, in one of China’s biggest-ever military exercises. Taiwanese forces were on high alert in anticipation of Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army staging war games in response to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s visits to the United States last week.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines to continue resupply missions in South China Sea, won’t escalate situation

    The latest skirmish happened around Scarborough Shoal, a prime fishing patch.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Assad’s fall in Syria exposes limits of China’s Middle East diplomacy

    The Chinese President had earlier vowed to support the then Syrian president in “opposing external interference”.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Pooh-tin Jinping says trade war with US will have ‘no winners’

    Trump has pledged to impose even higher tariffs on China after taking office in January.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China arrests former agriculture minister Tang Renjian for corruption

    Tang, 62, was removed from the leadership roster of the ministry’s website in May.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Pacific Islands wait for Trump, wary of climate and China stance

    Pacific island nations at the centre of a strategic rivalry between the U.S. and China that brought infrastructure and funding hope President-elect Donald Trump stays engaged in the region but are wary of competition spilling into confrontation, diplomats say.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian-Ukrainian choir holds first concert Tuesday

      Latvian volunteers and Ukrainian war refugees have joined their voices in one choir. After extensive rehearsing, the choir is ready to delight audiences with its first concert on Tuesday, December 10.

    • Latvia ☛ More than 10,000 Ukrainian war refugees employed in Latvia

      At the beginning of December, more than 10,000 Ukrainian refugees were Latvian taxpayers. They were either self-employed or employed mainly in segments where wages are far from luxurious and working conditions are harsh, LSM+ reports.

    • RFERL ☛ U.S. Loans Ukraine $20 Billion Before Biden's Departure

      The United States announced it has loaned Ukraine $20 billion backed by the interest earned on frozen Russian assets, part of a $50 billion G7 support package agreed to this summer.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Denies Reports Of Russian Breakthrough In Sumy Region

      Ukraine has rejected reports of a Russian breakthrough into the northeastern region of Sumy characterizing them as part of Moscow's disinformation campaign while Russia again struck civilian areas in the northeast and south.

    • New York Times ☛ In Georgia Protests, Echoes of Ukraine’s Past Revolutions

      This former Soviet Republic has been rocked by anti-government demonstrations over the same issues that hurtled Ukraine into war — its relationship with Europe and Russia.

    • Meduza ☛ Zelensky announces successful tests of new Ukrainian missile — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ Probe into suspected spy’s Lithuanian citizenship likely to take time

      The Migration Department has launched an investigation into whether Eduardas Manovas, a man suspected of spying for Russia, legally acquired Lithuanian citizenship 20 years ago.

    • LRT ☛ Top court to weigh in on Drobiazko’s Lithuanian citizenship revocation

      The Regional Administrative Court has decided to ask for the Constitutional Court’s opinion on the constitutionality of the laws under which Russian-born ice dancer Margarita Drobiazko was stripped of her Lithuanian citizenship.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania’s would-be culture minister changes course on Russian culture

      Lithuania’s Social Democrat Culture Minister-designate Šarūnas Birutis says he is against bringing the existing Russian culture. Last week, he said the country should not censor everything linked to Russian culture.

    • China ‘made wrong bet’ on Assad regime in Syria, say analysts

      Beijing may now be forced to rethink its alignment with Iran and Russia in the Middle East.

    • RFERL ☛ Ex-Mercenary Bodyguard Of Moscow-Friendly Romanian Candidate Freed

      A Romanian former mercenary and bodyguard of far-right pro-Russian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu has been released by a Romanian court after he and a group of armed associates were detained by police while heading toward Bucharest on December 8.

    • TwinCities Pioneer Press ☛ Trudy Rubin: Assad’s fall deals a blow to Russia and Iran, but leaves Syria’s future uncertain

      Yet, what gives me hope is that the Iranians and Russians will no longer be able to bend Syria to their will.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Russian security official Medvedev arrives in China, Russian agencies report

      Senior Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Beijing for two days of talks with Chinese leaders, Russian news agencies reported late on Tuesday.

    • New York Times ☛ What to Know About the Countries Still Fighting in Syria After al-Assad’s Ouster

      Bashar al-Assad is gone, and Russia and Iran have stepped back. But Israel, Turkey and the United States are carrying out airstrikes.

    • Meduza ☛ Russian authorities propose redirecting 25 percent of traffic fine revenue from regional budgets to federal budget — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian lawmakers approve first reading of bill requiring language proficiency test for migrants’ children enrolling in schools — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian regions announce $1000 payments to pregnant college and university students — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘I worked as a dancer at a strip club’: A former Russian stripper tells Holod Media about her struggles in a heavily stigmatized industry — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘A perfect storm’: Russia is facing a severe labor shortage. Economists say it will only get worse in the coming years. — Meduza

    • Latvia ☛ Cigarette smuggling from Belarus to Latvia continues

      Balloons, drones, rafts - all this equipment is used to transport smuggled cigarettes from Belarus to Latvia. Criminals try to make the most of technology to ensure the goods reach the other side of the border. Attempts to smuggle contraband by hiding it in goods or in the construction of railway carriages also continue, Latvian Radio reported on December 10.

    • JURIST ☛ Poland faces scrutiny over forced migrant pushbacks

      Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday criticized the inhumane treatment of migrants attempting to cross into Poland from Belarus, attributing the actions to Polish border guards.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Russian victory in Ukraine would spark a new era of global insecurity

      If Vladimir Putin's Russia is allowed to claim even a limited victory in Ukraine, it will embolden other authoritarian regimes and plunge the world into a new era of insecurity, writes Victor Liakh.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘A personal defeat for Putin’ What the failure to protect Assad could mean for Russia’s future — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Putin expresses support for requiring DNA samples from all Russian soldiers — Meduza

• Environment

  • University of Michigan ☛ How UMich researchers are using their work to address climate change

    Climate change is a well-documented threat, with experts predicting that if it continues unchecked, it will contribute to ecosystem disruption, severe weather events, food insecurity, rising ocean levels and various other problems. Global leaders and individuals alike are looking at ways to contend with the issue but significant challenges remain.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Hackaday ☛ Flying Drones That Can Walk And Jump Into The Air: An Idea With Legs?

      When we look at how everyone’s favorite flying dinosaurs get around, we can see that although they use their wings a lot too, their legs are at least as important. Even waddling or hopping about somewhat ungainly on legs is more energy efficient than short flights, and taking off from the ground is helped by jumping into the air with a powerful leap from one’s legs. Based on this reasoning, a team of researchers set out to give flying drones their own bird-inspired legs, with their findings published in Nature (preprint on ArXiv).

• Finance

  • New York Times ☛ Scott Bessent, Trump’s Pick for Treasury Secretary, Doesn’t Fit the President-Elect’s Loyalist Mold

    A hedge-fund titan who worked for George Soros. A deep-rooted Southerner with a fondness for high-end real estate. A gay man, married with children. Who is Scott Bessent?

  • CS Monitor ☛ After President Milei’s first year, Argentina’s economy is looking strangely ... normal

    President Javier Milei’s first year saw a sharp decrease in inflation and a stronger peso as he implemented sweeping government cuts. Even as unemployment and poverty have surged, his approval rating still hovers around 50%.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Press Gazette ☛ GB News dismisses report accusing it of ‘almost obsessive’ coverage of Muslims

    The Centre for Media Monitoring report said Ofcom should "do its job and regulate the channel".

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Rupert Murdoch loses attempt to give Lachlan control in family trust overhaul

    Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch plan to appeal the ruling.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Prince Harry could face ‘extensive’ questioning in trial of claim against Sun publisher

    Prince Harry could face an “extensive” four days of questioning in the witness box in his upcoming trial against the publisher of The Sun over allegations of unlawful information gathering.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Spectator rebuked for calling Juno Dawson ‘a man who claims to be a woman’

    Rare Clause 12 (discrimination) breach ruling from IPSO after Dawson said she was "deliberately misgendered".

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ WhatsApp group with ex-US envoy not for ‘collusion,’ jailed media mogul Jimmy Lai tells national security trial

    Jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai has told a national security trial that his WhatsApp group involving former US diplomat James Cunningham was not meant to be a “collusion group.”

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Citizen Lab ☛ The Citizen Lab’s submission to the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs

    Kate Robertson, Senior Researcher at the Citizen Lab provided a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence, and Veterans Affairs, that contributes to the ongoing consideration of Bill C-26, which seeks to give the federal government the power to impose cybersecurity regulations on telecom and critical infrastructure providers in Canada.

  • ACLU ☛ We Need to Know More About State Supreme Court Cases

  • Digital Music News ☛ Lizzo No Longer Personally Liable in Harassment Suit — Touring Company Could Still Be Subject to Action

    A federal judge has ruled that Lizzo is no longer personally liable for the harassment lawsuit filed against her last year. Her touring company Big Grrrl Touring Inc. could still be subject to action, however.

  • ACLU ☛ Why the Fight for Racial Justice is a Human Rights Issue

  • Solange Knowles supporting sister Beyoncé ‘no matter what’ as Jay-Z fights rape lawsuit

    A source exclusively tells Page Six that the “Losing You” singer “let Beyoncé know she’s there for her sister and is available to talk anytime she needs.”

  • NYPost ☛ Diddy allegedly made creepy remark before raping 13-year-old with Jay-Z, lawsuit claims

    "It is unfair to have to try to understand inexplicable degrees of malice meant to destroy families and human spirit." — Jay-Z

  • Jay-Z embraces mother-in-law Tina Knowles after ‘hacker’ liked post about rape lawsuit

    The music mogul stood — seemingly strategically — next to the matriarch while posing for pictures at the premiere of his daughter Blue Ivy's first movie.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ Optical power balancing in DWDM

    Guest Post: How to calculate theoretical optical power estimates at various ingress/egress points of a DWDM system before field validation.

  • Latvia ☛ What have Latvians Googled this year?

    Google has compiled statistics on the most searched keywords of the year. Among the Latvian top searches are the musician Dons, train operator Vivi and recipes for waffles, Surveillance Giant Google said in a release on December 10.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian lawmakers approve Bill to broaden internet control

    More than 20 consultation sessions were held with stakeholders in the drafting of the Bill.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China probes US chip giant Nvidia for ‘violating’ anti-monopoly law

  China on Monday launched an investigation into US chip giant Nvidia for allegedly violating its anti-monopoly laws, a top government agency said, as the two countries race for global chipmaking dominance.

• Tom's Hardware ☛ Nvidia could face massive $1 billion fine over antitrust violations in China — Nvidia's Mellanox acquisition is in Beijing's crosshairs

  The investigation against Nvidia is seen as a reaction to the increasing chip export restrictions imposed by the U.S. government.

• China hits US chipmaker Nvidia with antitrust investigation

  The announcement came a few weeks after the US announced a semiconductor export control package against China.

• NYPost ☛ Kroger’s $25B deal to buy grocery rival Albertsons blocked by federal judge in win for Biden administration

  The companies argued at trial that they needed to merge to compete with global conglomerates such as Walmart and Amazon.

• Public Knowledge ☛ Public Knowledge Joins Four Other Consumer Groups in Petition To Deny T-Mobile Acquisition of UScellular

  The proposed merger would harm competition in the wireless market and is contrary to the public interest.

• Tom's Hardware ☛ Empyrean Technology gives control to CEC after U.S. blacklisting — China’s top developer of chip design systems hands reins to state-owned firm

  Empyrean Technology, the world's 4th-largest EDA (electronic design automation) firm, has given control of the company to state-owned China Electronics Corporation following blacklisting by the U.S. government's Entity List.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Three Recent Section 2(d) Oppositions - Which Was/Were Dismissed?

    The outcome of a Section 2(d) opposition is obviously more difficult to predict than a Section 2(d) appeal. Priority, strength of the opposer's mark, a crowded field, and lack of actual confusion may come into play, for example, and the parties may enter into stipulations or make admissions that significantly affect the result. By my estimate, Section 2(d) oppositions have been sustained about 80% of the time so far this year, which may indicate how the deck is stacked against applicants in the likelihood-of-confusion analysis. Here are three recent Board decisions in relatively uncomplicated cases, at least one of which was a dismissal of the opposition. How do you think they came out? [Answer in first comment].

    RLP Ventures, LLC v. Heising-Simons Foundation, Opposition No. 91246949 (December 5, 2024) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Mary Beth Myles). [Opposition to registration of AMERICAN MOSAIC JOURNALISM PRIZE for "Nonprofit services, namely the awarding of fellowships and monetary prizes in the field of journalism" [JOURNALISM PRIZE disclaimed] in view of the mark MOSAEC for information and entertainment services and charitable fundraising services.]