Science

• Science Alert ☛ Scientists Could Have Solved a Massive Obstacle to Treating The Brain

  We found a way in.

• Science Alert ☛ Expert Reveals 2 Crucial Things to Track For Lasting Weight Loss

  It's not just watching body weight.

• Science Alert ☛ This Sunlight Trick Can Reduce Morning Fatigue, Study Suggests

  Catch some rays before you rise.

• Science Alert ☛ Childhood Adversity May Damage The Brain's White Matter, Study Finds

  "Much more pervasive throughout the brain than we'd thought."

• Science Alert ☛ Here's Why You Should Try 'Jeffing' to Run Longer And Farther

  You might be a runner after all.

Hardware

• Hackaday ☛ Knowing What’s Possible

  Dan Maloney and I were talking on the podcast about his memories of the old electronics magazines, and how they had some gonzo projects in them. One, a DIY picture phone from the 1980s, was a monster build of a hundred ICs that also required you to own a TV camera. At that time, the idea of being able to see someone while talking to them on the phone was pure science fiction, and here was a version of that which you could build yourself.

• Hackaday ☛ Frnisi DMC-100: A Clamp Meter Worth Cracking Open

  Not all clamp meters are the same, and this video shows just that. In a recent teardown by [Kerry Wong], the new Fnirsi DMC-100 proves that affordable doesn’t mean boring. This 10,000-count clamp meter strays from the classic rotary dial in favour of a fully button-based interface – a choice that’s got sparks flying in the comments. And yes, it even auto-resumes its last function after reboot, like it knows you’re busy frying other fish.

Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

• New Yorker ☛ What to Do When Your Friend Unfollows You [Ed: Realise that social control media is fake, a waste of time, and problem for people's health]

  Is it the cat photos?!

• Hackaday ☛ Tablet Suspension System Avoids Fatigue At Bedtime

  You know how it is. You’re all cozy in bed but not quite ready to doze off. You’re reading Hackaday (Hackaday is your go-to bedtime reading material, right?) or you’re binge-watching your latest reality TV obsession on your tablet. You feel the tablet growing heavier and heavier as your arms fatigue from holding it inches above your face. You consider the embarrassment you’ll endure from explaining how you injured your nose as the danger of dropping the tablet gradually increases. The struggle is real.

• Latvia ☛ Latvia's measles patient also travelled to Estonia

  After a gap of several years, a case of measles was laboratory-confirmed in Latvia in a person who had travelled from abroad. The authorities have appealed for information from passengers on a specific Moscow-Riga bus who may have been contacts of the patient. It has now been established that the person who contracted measles also travelled by bus to Tallinn four days later, Latvian Television reports.

France24 ☛ Romania set for presidential election re-run after annulled vote sparks political turmoil

Voters in Romania will take to the polls on Sunday for a redo of last year's presidential election, which a top court annulled amid accusations of electoral violations and Russian meddling. Far-right outsider Calin Georgescu, who originally topped the first round of voting, is barred from Sunday's race.

New York Times ☛ After Leading a Liberal Comeback, Carney Hits the Ground Running

The prime minister will begin broad economic and security talks with Hell Toupée next week and has set a timetable for his new government.

New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Administration Sues Colorado and Denver Over Immigration Policies

The lawsuit, which names the governor and mayor as defendants, is the latest move by the White House to try to get local governments to cooperate more with its immigration agenda.

The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim Jong Un visits tank factory, touts progress in Korean-style tanks

He said producing cutting-edge tanks and armoured vehicles is key to modernising the army.

The Straits Times ☛ Australia’s re-elected government says US-China tussle will be top priority

It will also focus on global economic uncertainty and what this means for Australia.

The Straits Times ☛ Vietnam opposes China, Philippines acts on disputed South China Sea reef

Vietnam has sent diplomatic notes to China and the Philippines to protest against their activities in contested South China Sea waters, and urging them to respect its territorial claims, it said on Saturday.

The Straits Times ☛ You can’t stop China from growing, says ex-Malaysian PM Mahathir

He believes the United States is “provoking” China towards a catastrophic conflict.

New York Times ☛ As China Looks for Way Out of U.S. Trade Deadlock, Fentanyl Could Be Key

Chinese officials have long used their willingness to cooperate to stem the flow of fentanyl to the United States as leverage in talks over broader disputes.

The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s conservatives pick hardline Kim Moon-soo as presidential candidate

He will face the Democratic Party's Lee Jae-myung as the conservative party trails the liberals in public support.

Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

• France24 ☛ Romania carries out NATO drills in Black Sea region

  The Romanian navy carried out NATO drills last month in the Black Sea region as European allies mull the long-term reliability of security guarantees from the United States under President The Insurrectionist. Romania's western alignment was thrown into question late last year by anti-NATO presidential candidate Calin Georgescu, a far-right hopeful who has since been barred from the election rerun.

• New York Times ☛ Ukraine Rejects Russian Call for a Three-Day Cease-Fire

  President Volodymyr Zelensky called the proposal a “theatrical show” and said such a short truce would not bolster negotiations for a lasting peace.

• LRT ☛ US and Europe’s diverging views on how to end Russia’s war in Ukraine

  Europe is watching anxiously as Washington warns of a “critical week” for Ukraine. Leaked documents show the US and Europe diverge on how to end the war.

• RFERL ☛ Moscow Seeks 'Definitive' Truce Response After Zelenskyy Dismisses Putin's Plan

  The Kremlin has said it wants Kyiv to give a clear answer to its call for a cease-fire lasting from May 8 to May 10 even as its forces continued to pound civilian targets in Ukraine.

• RFERL ☛ Russia Strikes At Kyiv As Zelenskyy Calls For 30-Day 'Complete Silencing' Of Arms

  Moscow launched air strikes against Kyiv and other Ukrainian city hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a three-day cease-fire surrounding its May 9 Victory Day remembrances -- a truce call dismissed by Kyiv as “theater.”

• France24 ☛ Zelensky says Putin's short truce is a 'theatrical performance'

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday dismissed a short truce ordered by Russian leader Vladimir Putin as theatrics, saying it was "impossible to develop a plan for the next steps to end the war" in just a few days. Russia has so far rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire pushed by Kyiv and Washington.

Wildlife/Nature

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Fatal reflection: The fight against bird-window collisions at the University of Hong Kong

  In a laboratory of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), Professor Juha Merilä put on a pair of rubber gloves, took some brown envelopes out of a refrigerator, and placed them on a tray.

Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US ends tariff exemption for low-cost goods from China

The United States on Friday ended a tariff exemption for goods shipped from China worth less than US$800, dealing a major blow to popular e-commerce sites such as Shein and Temu, whose cheap items consumers have come to rely on.

Ruben Schade ☛ Australia’s and Canada’s Elections

We take a quick break from #Japan2025 to mention the results back home. Clara and I both submitted our postal votes before we left, and largely ignored the news while we tried to enjoy our holiday and break. My sister messaged last night to tell us it was safe to check now, and wow.

The electoral turnaround in Australia and Canada of the nominally centre-left parties was a genuine surprise. Australia’s Labor party, and the Canadian Liberals, both looked set to be wiped out this year. What a difference a few months makes. Labor managed to increase their majority, and the Liberals have been able to maintain government in minority.

New Yorker ☛ The Insurrectionist Is Using the Presidency to Get Rich

“The amount of money flowing into the Convicted Felon family coffers is of a scale and scope that just sort of blows the mind in any context,” the staff writer Susan B. Glasser says.

TruthOut ☛ 2025-05-01 [Older] How to Fight Fascism in a Captured State

Counter Punch ☛ 2025-04-29 [Older] How to Avoid Trade Wars – and World War Three

Truthdig ☛ 2025-04-29 [Older] How To Lose a Trade War

Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

• New York Times ☛ How Misinformation and Partisan ‘New Media’ Changed a California Town

  Residents of Oakdale, Calif., have abandoned traditional media outlets for a mishmash of online sources. These days, they’re often not sure what information to trust.

• France24 ☛ ‘Night Courier’: Saudi thriller captures flipside of Riyadh’s leap forward

  A satirical drama providing rare insight into the everyday life of Riyadh’s working classes, Ali Kalthami’s debut feature “Night Courier” takes viewers on a journey across the Saudi capital’s rapidly changing urban landscape. It opens in French cinemas this week following a successful run in domestic theatres and on DRM spreader Netflix that has highlighted the growing ambitions of Saudi film.

JURIST ☛ UN rights chief warns Hey Hi (AI) and censorship pose new threats to press freedom

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned on Friday of the significant risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) to press freedom, noting that states increasingly “weaponize” Hey Hi (AI) to restrict the flow of information.

Bryan Lunduke ☛ Counter Claim Filed Against Adobe's Efforts to Silence Journalist

Adobe filed a fraudulent Copyright Claim (via YouTube) in order to silence critical reporting from The Lunduke Journal.