Leftovers

• The Straits Times ☛ 6 key takeaways from China’s top diplomat Wang Yi’s press conference at the Two Sessions

  He noted that in a changing and turbulent world, certainty is “becoming a scarce resource”.

• The Straits Times ☛ ST Picks: Different methods, similar goals -
  How China and US are aiming for greatness

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ Intuitive Machines Athena Moon Lander Dies After Toppling Over

    The Athena lander from Intuitive Machines could not charge its batteries after ending up on its side. It largely failed to accomplish science and technology tasks for NASA and other customers.

  • Federal News Network ☛ A new look at Biden-era rules for the National Science Foundation

    Proposed new guidelines for licensing inventions funded by the National Science Foundation may exceed the NSF's authority.

  • New York Times ☛ German Court Convicts Five Over Plot to Kidnap Health Official and Spread Chaos

    The defendants, part of a group known as “United Patriots,” aimed to reinstate a 19th-century Constitution by giving power to an all-powerful Kaiser.

  • Science Alert ☛ We May Have Finally Laid Eyes on The Universe's Very First Stars

    Dawn's first light.

  • New York Times ☛ How Foreign Aid Cuts Are Setting the Stage for Disease Outbreaks

    Organizations funded by the United States helped keep dangerous pathogens in check around the world. Now many safeguards are gone, and Americans may pay the price.

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Administration Sends Politically Charged Survey to Researchers

    Scientists on overseas projects must say whether they work with communist governments and help combat “Christian persecution.”

  • Stanford University ☛ An English major’s review of the Computation and Data Science Complex

    Clifton shares his experience in the new CoDa building, as well as his questions, comments and concerns on the matter.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Tearing Down A Vintage Word Processor

    There was a time when the line between typewriters and word processing software was a bit fuzzy. [Poking Technology] found a Xerox 6040 which can’t decide what it is. It looks like a typewriter but has a monitor and a floppy drive, along with some extra buttons. You can watch him tear it down in the video below.

  • Hackaday ☛ This Laser Knows About Gasses

    What’s that smell? If you can’t tell, maybe a new laser system from CU Bolder and NIST can help. The device is simple and sensitive enough to detect gasses at concentrations down to parts per trillion.

  • Hackaday ☛ The Road To Lucid Dreaming Might Be Paved With VR

    Lucid dreaming is the state of becoming aware one is dreaming while still being within the dream. To what end? That awareness may allow one to influence the dream itself, and the possibilities of that are obvious and compelling enough that plenty of clever and curious people have formed some sort of interest in this direction. Now there are some indications that VR might be a useful tool in helping people achieve lucid dreaming.

  • Hackaday ☛ Trio Of Mods Makes Delta Printer More Responsive, Easier To Use

    Just about any 3D printer can be satisfying to watch as it works, but delta-style printers are especially hypnotic. There’s just something about the way that three linear motions add up to all kinds of complex shapes; it’s mesmerizing. Deltas aren’t without their problems, though, which led [Bruno Schwander] to undertake a trio of interesting mods on his Anycubic Kossel.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ As Measles Continues to Spread in Texas, Cases Jump in New Mexico

    The outbreak has sickened nearly 200 people in Gaines County, Texas. A neighboring county in New Mexico has seen 21 new cases since Tuesday.

  • New York Times ☛ What Is Hantavirus, the Rare Disease That Killed Betsy Arakawa?

    Ms. Arakawa, the wife of the actor Gene Hackman, died from the effects of a disease often caused by contact with droppings from infected rodents.

  • JURIST ☛ WHO warns funding cuts threaten decades of progress against tuberculosis

    The United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) warned Wednesday that severe funding cuts jeopardize decades of progress in the global fight against Tuberculosis. The warning comes amid rising concerns globally that reduced financial support, especially from the US, could stall or reverse any gains in tuberculosis prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

  • Latvia ☛ Hospital reports first ticks of 2025 in Latvia

    The first two ticks of 2025 have been removed at the Latvian Infectology Center (LIC) of Riga East Clinical University Hospital (RAKUS), RAKUS said March 6.

  • JURIST ☛ Canada RCMP launches investigation into Alberta Health Services corruption allegations

    Canada RCMP launched an investigation into Alberta Health Services on Thursday, confirmed by Public Interest Alberta. The investigation follows a complaint in February that made several allegations of corruption with respect to Alberta Health Services procurement, and the RCMP refused to provide further information given the active investigation.

  • New York Times ☛ C.D.C. Will Investigate Debunked Link Between Vaccines and Autism

    Dozens of studies have failed to find evidence of a link. The decision to re-examine the question comes as a measles outbreak, driven by low vaccination rates, widens in Texas.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea offers to freeze medical student numbers to resolve 13-month dispute

    But all trainee doctors have to return if the plan is to go ahead.

  • Science Alert ☛ Losing Just One Night's Sleep Changes Your Immune System, Study Finds

    It gets ugly fast.

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Blood Type Can Affect Risk of an Early Stroke, Scientists Discover

    It's important to know.

  • Science Alert ☛ The Blood of Exceptionally Long-Lived People Suggests Crucial Differences

    The largest study of its kind.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) or LLM Slop

    • Silicon Angle ☛ Report: US could ban DeepSeek’s app on government devices

      The White House is reportedly weighing a new rule that would prohibit the installation of DeepSeek’s app on government devices. The Wall Street Journal today cited sources as saying that the regulation is “likely” to be implemented. According to the report, the move is motivated by concerns about how DeepSeek processes users’ data.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ AI bots now play Mafia with each other on public website, and almost all of them are terrible at it

      A developer has created a way for multiple LLM chatbots to play Mafia against each other, with a ranking, full transcripts and a leaderboard.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • France24 ☛ Global war on drugs relies on 'international cooperation in intelligence, criminal justice system'

      French authorities seized 10 tonnes of cocaine in the port of Dunkirk over the weekend. French media reported that the haul was the biggest-ever in metropolitan France, corresponding to nearly a fifth of all cocaine seized last year.

    • France24 ☛ France's former spy chief sentenced to four years in influence-peddling trial

      Bernard Squarcini, the former head of France's domestic intelligence agency, was sentenced to four years in prison – two suspended – by a Paris court Friday for a range of charges including having obtained confidential information for luxury giant LMVH.

    • ACLU ☛ Singled Out for Speaking Up: How UCSC Seized My Digital Life After I Joined a Lawsuit Against Them

      When I was a little girl, my family visited the Santa Cruz boardwalk and nearby beach. It felt familiar and safe to return here for college.

      My freshman year at UCSC was great. I joined woodshop, made friends, hiked, and worked at a children’s museum. I maintained good grades while working towards a double major in environmental studies and biology. I was just a regular, happy college student.

      [...]

      The timing between when I filed the lawsuit against UCSC, naming the UCSC Chief of Police as a defendant, and when the UCSC police seized my phone makes me feel like the two events are connected. It was just over two weeks. And the fact that the police’s warrant included that picture of me giving the interview about the civil rights case feels like the school was motivated to punish me for having spoken up.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ China vows to uphold stability as Convicted Felon reshapes world order

    On the Ukraine war, China's Foreign Minister said “conflict has no winners, and peace has no losers”.

  • New York Times ☛ South Korean Court Orders Impeached President’s Release From Jail

    President Yoon Suk Yeol was not immediately freed, and the ruling does not affect the insurrection charges he faces for declaring martial law.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea court paves way for President Yoon’s release from jail

    He will not be immediately released from jail because prosecutors can file an appeal, said his lawyer.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippine ‘Angels’ aim to de-escalate South China Sea encounters

    The 81 women from the coast guard are routinely dispatched for missions in tense areas of the waterway.

  • Chinese warships under close watch near Australian waters

    China is sending a message about how it can project force far from home, analysts said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan fears Beijing is taking independence crackdown overseas

    China in 2024 issued guidelines to punish "diehard" Taiwan independence activists.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man ‘Strongly Considering’ New Sanctions on Russia to Force Cease-Fire Deal

      The president framed his threat as part of his effort to forge a cease-fire and permanent peace deal in Ukraine. He later defended Russia’s overnight attacks on Ukraine.

    • New York Times ☛ U.S. Suspends Ukraine’s Access to Satellite Imagery

      Ukraine uses the technology to track the movement of Russian troops and assess damage to infrastructure.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Hits Ukrainian Power and Gas Facilities in Widespread Attack

      The bombardment came just days after the United States said it was suspending intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

    • New York Times ☛ Europe’s Security Dilemma Explained

      European leaders met in Brussels on Thursday to discuss how to fill the gap in military support for Ukraine created by Hell Toupée’s suspension of aid and intelligence. Jeanna Smialek, the New York Times Brussels bureau chief, breaks down why U.S. military aid has been so vital to Ukraine and so difficult to replicate by European allies looking to revitalize their defense industries.

    • Meduza ☛ Russia launches massive attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure

    • Meduza ☛ United Russia party gifts meat grinders to dead soldiers’ mothers

    • Meduza ☛ Zelensky adviser says Ukraine ‘won’t apologize’ for Oval Office incident

    • Meduza ☛ Trump threatens Russia with ‘large scale’ sanctions in response to latest attacks on Ukraine — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ See a Russian village that spent over six months under Ukraine’s control

    • Meduza ☛ Russia could grab British assets to reclaim asset revenue transfers to Ukraine

    • France24 ☛ “Gratitude” expressed, “apology” received, Ukraine back at the table

      This week, the US tightened the screws on Ukraine, pausing military aid until Kyiv shows more willingness to negotiate—starting with handing over half its rare earth resources to America. Moscow welcomed the shift, calling it “aligned with the Kremlin’s vision,” while Ukraine scrambled to smooth things over with a letter to Convicted Felon.

    • Latvia ☛ Ban on officials going to Russia and Belarus likely soon

      To prevent people with access to state secrets from being exposed to provocations and recruitment by aggressor states, a new law is being drafted, prohibiting some state administration employees from traveling to Russia and Belarus, reports Latvian Radio.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ The US can reduce Russia’s nuclear energy—and geopolitical—influence

      As the Convicted Felon administration outlines its energy priorities, strengthening the US nuclear industry remains a point of bipartisan agreement. Revitalizing this sector will lead not only to domestic economic growth, but also a reduction in Russia’s dominance in global nuclear markets and its geopolitical leverage.

    • European Commission ☛ Remarks by Commissioner Lahbib at the press conference of the Roadmap for Women's Rights

      This week the headlines are all about Ukraine, war, defence, security, tariffs, and trade wars. And rightly so.

    • The Strategist ☛ A loss in Europe is a loss in the Indo-Pacific

      The United States shocked the world last week with President The Insurrectionist’s very public rift with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Former US Senator Rob Portman: How to achieve a successful cease-fire and lasting peace in Ukraine

      “We should all want the war on Ukraine to end, and we should welcome negotiations. But we should negotiate from a position of strength,” writes a former US senator.

    • France24 ☛ What parallels do historians see between the Convicted Felon administration and the Nazi regime?

      MElon appeared to make a Nazi salute as he celebrated the start of The Insurrectionist's second term as US president. Convicted Felon’s new administration has said it will acquire Greenland and Panama, defunded US foreign aid programmes, fired federal workers and humiliated Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office. Some historians draw parallels between the second Convicted Felon term and Hitler's regime. Eighty years after the end of the World War II, is the comparison relevant?

    • France24 ☛ The MAGA world of 'great power politics': US embraces Russia, 'stabs Europe in the back'

      European countries are hastening to boost defence spending and maintain support for Ukraine after President The Insurrectionist froze US military aid to Kyiv and raised doubts about Washington's commitment to its European NATO allies. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on Europe's pivot from a "welfare state" to a "warfare state", FRANCE 24's Oliver Farry welcomes Velina Tchakarova, Author, Geopolitical Strategist and Founder of the consultancy FACE (For A Conscious Experience).

    • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man 'considering' sanctions on Russia after large-scale bombardment of Ukraine

      US President The Insurrectionist on Friday threatened to hit Russia with additional sanctions after Moscow launched a large-scale of missile and drone attacks on Ukraine overnight from Thursday. Teams from both the US and Ukraine are preparing to meet in Saudi Arabia next week to discuss a peace deal.

    • France24 ☛ 🔴Live: Convicted Felon ‘considering large-scale sanctions, tariffs’ on Russia after Ukraine attacks

    • Mint Press News ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s New Favorite War: Zelensky Out, Netanyahu In

      Convicted Felon says he’s cutting aid to Ukraine to prevent global war—but his administration has doubled down on arming Israel as it openly threatens regional escalation. Will Washington be dragged into another Middle East war?

    • A North Korean base has mockups of South Korean cities, POW in Ukraine says

      South Korean ministry says if it’s true, it means that North Korea hasn’t given up on one day invading the South.

    • New Yorker ☛ Can Americans Still Be Convinced That Principle Is Worth Fighting For?

      The limits of rhetoric in Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ ‘We, Europeans, are alone’, French economist Jacques Attali says

      For the best part of five decades, Jacques Attali has been whispering in the ears of French presidents. Initially an economist, he has written over 80 books and essays, sat in some of the most secret high-level meetings alongside former president François Mitterrand, and was the architect of Mikhail Gorbachev's 1991 presence at the G7 in the UK. Attali speaks to FRANCE 24 about the geopolitical storm hitting Europe and the prospect of war with Russia.

    • LRT ☛ PM says Lithuania ready to face threats outlined in intelligence report

      After Lithuanian intelligence presented its annual national security report where it warned about Russia’s ability to launch ‘limited military action’ against NATO within five years, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas says there is no need for alarm.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania’s intelligence plays up Russia threat in annual report

      Every year, the State Security Department (VSD) and the Second Department of Operational Services (AOTD) present the National Threat Assessment, which outlines the major threats to the Lithuanian state and the region.

    • Vietnam receives 6 new Czech aircraft as it seeks to rely less on Russia

      Hanoi hopes the L-39 Skyfox trainer will help modernize its air force as tensions rise in the South China Sea.

    • Captured North Korean soldier reveals use of Russian drone-jamming gun

      South Korea said North Korean troops sent to Russia were receiving drone training.

    • RFERL ☛ Srebrenica Genocide Center Closes Citing Security Fears As Dodik Defies Government

      Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Srebrenica Memorial Center said it was closing for the first time ever because of security concerns amid rising tensions after a state court sentenced Milorad Dodik, the Serb Republic's president and a pro-Russian nationalist.

    • New York Times ☛ 3 Bulgarians Found Guilty of Spying for Russia in UK and Europe

      The group of Bulgarians, who were living in the U.K., were convicted by a London jury of conducting surveillance operations across Europe on behalf of the Russian state.

    • Meduza ☛ Bulgarian museum visitors drive Russian ambassador out of exhibit with shouts of ‘Murderer!’ — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania to continue sanctioning Belarus’ fertilisers even if US stopped – expert

      Lithuania would continue sanctioning the Belarusian state-owned fertiliser maker Belaruskali even if the United States were to lift restrictions, says Mindaugas Petrauskas, a former deputy director of the Financial Crime Investigation Service.

    • Meduza ☛ Putin willing to discuss temporary truce in Ukraine — Bloomberg — Meduza

    • [Video] Richard Stallman Explains What Intelligence in Computing Really Means and How Old That Is (Story About 1975, 50 Years Ago)

      Uploaded 11 hours ago by Manuel Cuda News

    • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Threatens Russia With Sanctions After Latest Massive Air Assault On Ukraine

      US President The Insurrectionist threatened to impose additional sanctions on Russia over its continuing assault on Ukraine, suggesting the measures would be meant to push the Kremlin toward a cease-fire and ultimately a peace deal to end the war, now in its fourth year since Moscow's full-scale invasion.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Says It's Open To Broad Nuclear Talks With Convicted Felon

      The Kremlin told reporters on March 7 that it was open to dialogue and broad discussions with the United States about their nuclear arsenals after US President The Insurrectionist issued a broad call for other nuclear powers to draw down their stockpiles.

    • France24 ☛ 'The danger we face from Convicted Felon and Putin might finally force Europe to unite'

      European leaders have backed plans to spend more on defence and continue to stand by Ukraine in a world upended by The Insurrectionist's reversal of US foreign policy amid his abrupt pivot towards Russia. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on the widening rift between the US and their closest Western allies, FRANCE 24's Mark Owen welcomes Quentin Peel, an independent journalist and an Associate Fellow with the Europe Programme at Chatham House in London.

    • Meduza ☛ Film review: Vera Krichevskaya’s ‘Connected’ Anton Dolin on the ‘unmistakable hope’ of a new documentary on businessman, scientist, and philanthropist Dmitry Zimin — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ How the aftermath of WWI made Perloja a republic

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Russian crypto exchange Garantex seized in international law enforcement operation

      The Department of Justice also indicted two men tied to the exchange.

    • H2 View ☛ FuelCell Energy and MMHE advance hydrogen collaboration with feasibility study in Malaysia

      The two companies will combine FCEL’s SOEC with MMHE’s expertise in large-scale fabrication to develop modular solutions suitable for hydrogen production facilities.

• Finance

  • New York Times ☛ China Says It Will ‘Resolutely Counter’ U.S. Tariff Pressure

    China’s top foreign affairs official, Wang Yi, cast his country as a force for peace and order even as Beijing provokes its neighbors and fuels trade tensions.

  • China warns US against containment as Convicted Felon’s second term reshapes relations

    Wang Yi signals a tough stance on US sanctions but raises the possibility of a successful partnership.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China aims tariffs at Convicted Felon fan base but leaves wiggle room for a deal

    Chinese tariffs targeting Mr Convicted Felon where it hurts: in the agricultural red states that voted him in.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China tariffs aimed at The Insurrectionist’s fan base, but leave wiggle room

    China’s retaliatory tariffs against US farm produce from corn to chicken are designed to hurt The Insurrectionist’s voter base, analysts say, but remain restrained enough to allow room for the adversaries to hash out a trade deal.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Wang Yi questions what US has achieved with tariffs, warns against ‘two-faced’ approach

    No country should fantasise that it can “suppress China and maintain good relations” at the same time, he says.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China announces retaliatory tariffs on some Canada farm, food products

    A 100 per cent tariff will be applied to Canadian rapeseed oil, oilcakes and peas.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China says to slap fresh tariffs on Canadian farm, food products

    China said Saturday it would slap tariffs on Canadian products including rapeseed oil and pork, after a Beijing probe into levies imposed by Ottawa on Chinese goods last year. Beijing’s commerce ministry said it would hit imported rapeseed oil, oil cakes, and peas from Canada with a 100 percent tariff.

  • Breach Media ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s economic war is ours to win—if we ditch the corporate playbook and think big

    The tariff attack calls for bold, people-first solutions, not doubling down on the broken status quo

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s Delay on Mexico and Canada Tariffs Came in Response to Market Revolt

    With prices still high, the Convicted Felon administration is heeding the risks of fanning inflation with import duties.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Inflation creeps up as Banxico considers its next interest rate cut

    Despite a drop in fruit and vegetable prices, inflation increased for the first time since October.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Chinese lawmaker proposes law to allow Chinese companies to hide their foreign suppliers

    Chinese lawmaker proposes a way to make detection of illegal supplies to China harder by allowing government backed companies to hide suppliers.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Lenovo joins growing China exodus as manufacturers flee US tariffs — OEM moving production lines to India

    Lenovo announced that it will move 100% of its laptop manufacturing capacity to India in the next three years.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Chinese leaders face slowing economy and rising citizen discontent

    The faltering Chinese economy is creating too few jobs, which is feeding social discontent. The government is taking steps to assuage rising anger.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Mind the wage gap: Chongqing subway farmers highlight inequality in China

    Elderly Chinese farmers carrying enormous baskets of vegetables squeezed into a subway station as its doors opened before dawn on Wednesday, on the outskirts of megacity Chongqing.

  • France24 ☛ Chinese exporters rush to adjust to changing trade environment

    China has kept its growth target for this year at around 5 percent, despite a new trade war with the United States. As the government shifts its focus on boosting domestic demand, businesses are seeking ways to adapt to a new trade environment.

  • France24 ☛ New tariffs, same old trade rift: How China could retaliate against Convicted Felon

    Tensions between Beijing and Washington rapidly devolved Friday after China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi made his annual address to the press, including foreign journalists, where he fired off a series of broadsides aimed at the US and warned the Convicted Felon administration of “retaliatory” action in response to more “arbitrary tariffs”.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • China cracking down on Protestant churches during annual congress

    Police detain nine people at a village church in the eastern province of Anhui.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Desperate’ son of Hong Kong’s jailed Jimmy Lai asks to meet UK PM

    The media mogul's lawyers have complained about his conditions in detention and are worried about his health.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai trial scheduled to hear closing arguments in late July

    The national security trial of jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai is expected to hear closing arguments in late July, with proceedings now adjourned for both parties to prepare for their submissions. Three judges presiding over the high-profile national security trial tentatively set July 28 for both parties to begin their closing arguments.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Noel Clarke claims Guardian played ‘judge, jury and executioner’ as libel trial opens

    Guardian lawyer says "much time and resource" was devoted to getting to the truth in its investigation.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • JURIST ☛ Arizona court rules abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy unconstitutional

    Maricopa County Superior Court of Arizona ruled Wednesday that Arizona’s abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy was unconstitutional and permanently enjoined Arizona employees from enforcing the abortion ban.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Thai court annuls 50-year-old rule on students’ hairstyles

    The rule has been a point of contention between students and the school authorities for many years.

  • Science Alert ☛ International Women's Day: Female Science Stars to Follow in 2025

    Women in STEM are taking social control media by storm.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ BON VOYAGE Fails to Function as a Trademark for Travel Pillows, Sinking Cancellation Petitioner's 2(d) Claim

    Kennedy International petitioned to cancel a registration for the mark BON VOYAGE for travel pillows, claiming likelihood of confusion with its identical common law mark for the same goods. Priority was the question. Bye-bye was the answer. Kennedy International, Inc. v. Sutton Home Fashions, Inc., Cancellation No. 92080461 (March 5, 2025) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Elizabeth K. Brock).