Leftovers

• Standards/Consortia

  • APNIC ☛ Is 'Postel's law' causing protocol 'ossification'?

    Meanwhile, over on Hacker News, an adjacent conversation has emerged, less about the incident itself and more about the broader philosophy of protocol design. The discussion touches on John Postel’s famous saying: “Be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you send.” That principle has guided Internet protocol development since the early days of the IETF. It’s so foundational that it’s often treated as a principle of good protocol behaviour.

  • [Old] Ben Jojo ☛ Grave flaws in BGP Error handling

    In a basic BGP setup this is bad, but with extra engineering it could be used to partition large sections of the [Internet]. If BGP sessions between carriers are forced to reset in this way, causing traffic flow to stop, some routes on the [Internet] would not have alternatives to use, making this a family of bugs that is a grave threat to the overall reliability of the [Internet].

  • APNIC ☛ A QUIC progress report

    There has been a major change in the landscape of the Internet over the past few years with the progressive introduction of the QUIC transport protocol. In this post, I’d like to examine current progress with the deployment of QUIC on the public Internet. But first, a review of the QUIC protocol.

  • Amazon Inc ☛ Amazon Linux 2023 achieves FIPS 140-3 validation

    AWS announced that Amazon Linux 2023 (AL2023) has achieved Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-3 Level 1 validation of our cryptographic modules, marking a significant milestone in our commitment to providing secure, compliant operating system options for regulated workloads. FIPS certified modules are particularly important for US and Canadian government workloads, healthcare applications requiring HIPAA compliance, financial services, defense contractors, and other regulated industries. FIPS 140-3, which supersedes FIPS 140-2, represents the latest government security standard for cryptographic modules, jointly validated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS) through the Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP). The validation follows the rigorous requirements outlined in the FIPS 140-3 standard and encompasses critical cryptographic modules including the OpenSSL, Linux Kernel Cryptographic API, NSS, GnuTLS, and Libgcrypt.

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ When Humans Learned to Live Everywhere

    About 70,000 years ago in Africa, humans expanded into more extreme environments, a new study finds, setting the stage for our global migration.

  • Science Alert ☛ First Signs of a 'Ghost' Plume Reshaping Earth Detected Beneath Oman

    A geological mystery solved.

  • Science Alert ☛ Tiny Moth Seen Navigating by The Stars in Scientific First

    What a wonder.

  • Science Alert ☛ Fish Suffer Up to 22 Minutes of Intense Pain When Taken Out of Water

    Fish do have feelings.

  • Science Alert ☛ Axolotl Discovery Brings Us Closer Than Ever to Regrowing Human Limbs

    They're not just a pretty face.

  • Science Alert ☛ Is It Gastro or Food Poisoning? Here's A Guide to Your Upset Stomach

    Decode your diarrhea.

• Hardware

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia Trade Ministry probing reports of Chinese firm’s use of Nvidia Hey Hi (AI) chips

    The ministry is still verifying if any domestic law or regulation has been breached.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ VRAM-friendly neural texture compression inches closer to reality — enthusiast shows massive compression benefits with Nvidia and defective chip maker Intel demos

    AI texture decompression promises better image quality, lower resource usage

  • The Next Platform ☛ Intel Starts Re-Engineering Its Executive Ranks

    It has been two and a half months since new chief executive officer Lip-Bu Tan gave the keynote at Intel’s Vision 2025 event, and the company has been relatively quiet by its own standards over the past several decades as Tan gets the lay of the land and tries to plot out the course of the company to rebuild its foundry business and reorient and focus its chip design and sales business.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Malaysia investigates Chinese use of Nvidia-powered servers in the country — trade minister verifying reports of possible regulation breach following reports of smuggled hard drives and server rentals

    Malaysia’s trade ministry is investigating whether a Chinese firm’s use of Nvidia-equipped servers in a local data center violates domestic laws.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Goodbye to the Northbridge Café

    We don’t live in the northern Sydney suburb of Chatswood anymore, but we still take the train down often for all the Asian food and atmosphere. Also our dentist! I accompanied Clara down today while she had a regular checkup, and decided to grab a coffee and a light lunch from the Northgreen Café while I waited.

    Alas, in the time we moved away, it looks as though they’ve wrapped up. The lights were out and furniture were gone, though the pretty vines they’d wrapped around the awnings were still there.

  • New York Times ☛ Regulators Approve Lenacapavir for H.I.V. Prevention

    The drug could change the course of the AIDS epidemic. But the Convicted Felon administration has gutted the programs that might have paid for it in low-income countries.

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Travel Restrictions Bar Residents Needed at U.S. Hospitals

    Limits on travel and visa appointments have delayed or prevented foreign doctors from entering the country for jobs set to begin in weeks.

  • Latvia ☛ New private surgery hospital opens in Rīga, Latvia

    On Wednesday, 18 June, a new specialist hospital, the Latvian Microsurgery Centre, will open in Rīga, reports Latvian Radio. It will combine diagnostic, reconstructive, hand, aesthetic medicine and oncological microsurgery services under one roof. The industry has welcomed the move, saying that it will boost medical tourism.

  • Latvia ☛ Mental health in focus at the Ogle festival in July

    On 11-12 July, the Tallinas Street Quarter will host the Ogle 2025 festival, which focuses on mental health. The event is open to everyone for a donation, according to the organisers.

  • Latvia ☛ Rīga Stradiņš' Hospital new building promised for 2029

    By government decision, management of the construction of the A2 building of one of Latvia's biggest hospitals, the Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, has been entrusted to the state-owned company Valsts nekustamie īpašumi/State Real Estate (VNĪ). VNĪ management promises to build the new hospital by 2029, Latvian Television reported on 18 June.

  • Science Alert ☛ Fecal Transplants Present a Concerning Risk For Some, Study Finds

    There could be a better way forward.

  • Science Alert ☛ Early Signs of Cancer Found in Patient Blood 3 Years Before Diagnosis

    A huge head start.

  • Science Alert ☛ Stomach Ulcer Bacteria Could Be a Surprise Ally Against Alzheimer's

    ... and diabetes, and Parkinson's.

  • Science Alert ☛ Breakthrough: FDA Approves Injection to Prevent HIV

    "This is a historic day in the decades-long fight."

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong doctor to be sentenced in July for issuing over 6,600 false Covid-19 vaccine exemptions

    A Hong Kong physician may face jail time after pleading guilty last month to issuing more than 6,600 fake Covid-19 vaccine exemption certificates in 2022.

  • New York Times ☛ Real Risk to Youth Mental Health Is ‘Addictive Use,’ Not Screen Time Alone, Study Finds

    Researchers found children with highly addictive use of phones, video games or social control media were two to three times as likely to have thoughts of suicide or to harm themselves.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Scam Altman says Meta is offering obscene $100M bonuses to poach LLM Slop employees and even bigger salaries — Proprietary Chaffbot Company CEO says ‘none of our best people decided to take them up on that’

      Meta is reportedly offering a $100 million signing bonus to senior Proprietary Chaffbot Company talents, but none have taken it yet.

  • Social Control Media

    • Digital Music News ☛ Google Shareholder Sues Over Fentanylware (TikTok) Extension, Points to ‘Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in Liability’

      A Surveillance Giant Google shareholder and software engineer is suing the US DOJ and Surveillance Giant Google for the Convicted Felon administration’s failure to enforce the federal Fentanylware (TikTok) ban. As the Convicted Felon administration continues to extend the Fentanylware (TikTok) divesture deadline, software engineer and Surveillance Giant Google shareholder Tony Tan says enough is enough.

    • Digital Music News ☛ It’s Official: Convicted Felon Grants Fentanylware (TikTok) Another Extension

      Dihydroxyacetone Man plans to sign yet another executive order this week, granting Fentanylware (TikTok) more time to comply with the federal law requiring its change in ownership. Hell Toupée plans to once again extend the deadline by which Fentanylware (TikTok) must divest from its Chinese parent, ByteDance, or face a federal ban in the United States.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ Ghostwriting Scam

      The variations seem to be endless. Here’s a fake ghostwriting scam that seems to be making boatloads of money.

      This is a big story about scams being run from Texas and Pakistan estimated to run into tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars, viciously defrauding Americans with false hopes of publishing bestseller books (a scam you’d not think many people would fall for but is surprisingly huge).

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • OpenRightsGroup ☛ Automated Hiring and Firing: How the Data Act will harm gig workers

      The Data Use and Access (DUA) Act, which was finally passed last week, could particularly impact the estimated 4.4 million people who work for ‘gig’ economy platforms in the UK, who are classed as self employed, and therefore not protected by employment law.

    • OpenRightsGroup ☛ Police forces to get authoritarian powers to extract data from online accounts

      Digital rights campaigners Open Rights Group has condemned the last minute addition of extreme powers to the Crime and Policing Bill. The new additions would give the police the powers to extract data through a seized device to any online accounts that have been accessed by that device.

    • Press Gazette ☛ Daily Beast gains on Reddit and Facebook (Farcebook) as Surveillance Giant Google traffic falls

      And Vox Media CEO says Proprietary Chaffbot Company is a good partner but still doesn't value content high enough.

  • Confidentiality

    • Latvia ☛ Fire service official allegedly bribed with store gift cards

      The Internal Security Bureau (IDB) Latvia's 'police of the police' (and other Interior Ministry institutions) said June 18th it was pressing for the prosecution of a State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) official for suspected bribery and leaking of confidential information.

    • Silicon Angle ☛ UBS confirms employee data leak after ransomware attack on supplier

      Switzerland-based multinational investment bank UBS Group AG has confirmed that employee data was stolen and published online following a successful ransomware-style attack on one of its third-party suppliers.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan’s entrepreneurs in China feel the heat from cross-strait tensions

    The number of Taiwanese working in China dropped from 409,000 in 2009 to 177,000 in 2022.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China lashes out at G-7, top EU official for criticism of policies

    Beijing called the comments “irresponsible,” “manipulative” and a “smear”.

  • The Straits Times ☛ New Zealand halts Cook Islands funding over China row

    This comes amid the Cook Islands' deepening ties with China.

  • NYPost ☛ North Dakota man tried to collect confiscated gun after sending email threatening federal official: ‘I don’t want this situation to end up like Minnesota’

    “I don’t want this situation to end up like Minnesota over the weekend,” Dalzell wrote. “When lawmakers make laws and the state doesn’t follow the laws they created it would probably piss some people off right."

  • New York Times ☛ Focusing on Iran, Israel sends more troops to its borders and withdraws some from Gaza.

  • New York Times ☛ Austria Moves to Tighten Gun Laws After Deadly School Shooting

    The government announced proposals to make it harder to buy a firearm after a gunman killed nine students and a teacher.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s dual aircraft carrier training in Pacific signals ambition, but draws Japan’s wariness

    But China still has a long way to go to challenge the “island chain” strategy of the US and its allies, say experts.

  • JURIST ☛ American Bar Association files suit against Convicted Felon Administration over executive orders constitutionality

    The American Bar Association (ABA) filed a lawsuit against US President The Insurrectionist’s Administration and several federal departments and staff seeking to enjoin several executive orders the organization believes are unconstitutional on Monday.

  • JURIST ☛ Germany court sentences Syria doctor for crimes against humanity and war crimes

    A German regional court sentenced a former Syrian doctor to life in prison Monday for crimes against humanity, war crimes and murder. The Syrian national, identified as Alaa M., had been actively involved in the Assad regime’s crackdown on opposition members.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Indonesian minister faces backlash after calling 1998 mass rape a ‘rumour’

    There are concerns that it is an attempt to downplay politically sensitive episodes in the nation’s past.

  • New Yorker ☛ The Rise And Fall of DOGE

    Without MElon, what is the Department of Government Efficiency going to do?

  • Federal News Network ☛ ‘Absolutely nuts’: DHS secretary to review all contract, grant awards over $100k

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued new guidance requiring contracting officers to give her office five days to approval contract and grants awards.

  • France24 ☛ Radio Resistance: Remembering Charles de Gaulle's Appeal of June 18

    This Wednesday marks the 85th anniversary of one of France's most famous radio broadcasts: Charles de Gaulle's Appeal of June 18 during World War II. We dive not only into the history of the speech, but we also explore the mysteries, deepfakes, falsehoods and parodies surrounding it, as well as how it helped solidify a continued love of radio in France.

  • France24 ☛ Khamenei says Iran will 'never surrender', warns off US

    Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday the nation would never surrender as demanded by President The Insurrectionist and warned the United States it would face "irreparable damage" if it intervenes in support of its ally. The speech came six days into the conflict, with Convicted Felon demanding Iran's "unconditional surrender" while boasting the United States could kill Khamenei and fuelling speculation about a possible intervention.

  • France24 ☛ The age of war? Israel-Iran conflict further undermines global security

    The Insurrectionist sold us a different kind of Pax Americana. The U-S-led global rules-based order was always about soft power backed by bulk military might.Dihydroxyacetone Man's rules on Inauguration Day veered instead to the utilitarian: yes to the world’s top superpower staking imperial claims to parts of the planet deemed vital to national interests. Yes to coveting Greenland’s strategic minerals and Panama’s essential waterway. No to forever wars in places like Ukraine where the US pays while Europe reaps the benefits of curbing Vladimir Putin’s westward march.

  • The Straits Times ☛ As the two Koreas ease tensions, what ‘big, beautiful’ deal could spark a new Convicted Felon-Kim summit?

    Dihydroxyacetone Man and new South Korean leader Lee Jae Myung have made attempts to reconciliate with Pyongyang.

  • New York Times ☛ Under China’s Threat, Taiwan Needs Its Own Power Sources More Than Ever

    Taiwan, which makes most of the world’s advanced computer chips, relies almost entirely on imported energy.

  • New York Times ☛ Before Iran’s internet was throttled, one resident described a ‘deserted’ Tehran.

  • France24 ☛ 'I may do it, I may not': Convicted Felon weighs US involvement in Israel-Iran war

    President The Insurrectionist has left his intentions on whether the US will join the Israel-Iran conflict deliberately ambiguous, telling reporters in the White House, "I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do." Convicted Felon is set to receive an intelligence briefing later Thursday while Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets his UK counterpart for talks expected to focus on the conflict.

  • France24 ☛ 'Kooky Tucker Carlson': Split forms in MAGA world as Convicted Felon weighs next steps on Iran

    A schism has opened among President The Insurrectionist's most devout MAGA supporters and national security conservatives over the Israel-Iran conflict, as some longtime defenders of the president's America First mantra call him out for weighing a greater U.S. role in the region.

  • New York Times ☛ Iranians mostly lost internet access on the sixth day of Israeli strikes.

    The shutdown appears to be the result of an internal decision rather than a consequence of an Israeli strike.

  • New York Times ☛ See where Israeli strikes have damaged Iranian nuclear and military facilities so far.

    The nuclear watchdog of the United Nations has confirmed Israeli strikes on multiple facilities in Iran.

  • New York Times ☛ Quietly, Pakistan Wages a Deadly Drone Campaign Inside Its Own Borders

    As it strikes militants, the country’s security services are adopting a tactic that Pakistan once criticized the United States for using.

  • France24 ☛ Stephen Miller: how an anti-immigrant crusade is remaking US policy

    Top adviser Stephen Miller has urged US President The Insurrectionist to take a harsh line on immigration starting with the infamous "Muslim ban" of his first administration. Now, Miller's insistence that ICE triple arrests to 3,000 a day has sparked mass protests while border patrols are forced to prioritise rounding people up off the streets over targeting criminals – just to make the quota.

  • NYPost ☛ Dozens of Iranian missiles strike major Israeli hospital, causing severe damage, and other civilian centers

    Israel’s military warned people Thursday to evacuate the area around Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor.

  • New York Times ☛ Iranian Civilians Are Killed in Israeli Strikes, Including a Poet and an Equestrian

    Israel has said it does not target Iranian civilians, but hundreds have died in the violence, among them a poet and her family, an equestrian and a graphic designer.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Strike on Iran Would Bring Risks at Every Turn

    The largest perils may lie in the aftermath, many experts say, just as they did in Afghanistan and Iraq.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US will strike North Korea if South attacked with nukes, South's spy chief nominee says

    North Korea has for years pursued a nuclear programme.

  • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man: ‘Not Looking To Fight’ But Prepared To Block Iran From Getting Nuclear Arms

    Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected a call by US President The Insurrectionist for Iran's "unconditional surrender" as Israeli air strikes pounded targets across Iran for a sixth day.

  • RFERL ☛ Israel Targets Tehran, Other Sites As Convicted Felon Leaves Open Possibility Of US Entry Into Conflict

    Israel again targeted Tehran and the surrounding region with air strikes early on June 19, hours after US President The Insurrectionist said he was “not looking” to join the fight but would move if necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Almost 800 Chinese citizens evacuated from Iran, Beijing says

    Almost 800 Chinese citizens have been evacuated from Iran since Israel launched military strikes against the country last week, Beijing said Wednesday. “Currently… 791 Chinese nationals have been relocated from Iran to safe areas,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular news conference. “More than 1,000 other people are in the process of […]

  • France24 ☛ 'Dihydroxyacetone Man did not have the desire, the courage, or the will to tell Israelis not to start this war'

    Iran's supreme leader on Wednesday rejected US calls for surrender in the face of blistering Israeli strikes and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage” to them, in a recorded video aired by state TV. Khamenei dismissed the “threatening and absurd statements” by Convicted Felon. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's Erin Ogunkeye is pleased to welcome Barbara Slavin, Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington and Lecturer in International Affairs at George Washington University.

  • France24 ☛ 'No one knows what I'm going to do': Convicted Felon refuses to say if US will strike Iran

    President The Insurrectionist left the question of whether the United States will join Israeli strikes on Iran up in the air Wednesday, as he said that Tehran had reached out to seek negotiations. "I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do," Convicted Felon told reporters as he supervised the installation of a new flagpole on the White House South Lawn.

  • France24 ☛ 'What is most important is to avoid a nuclear accident' in Iran, says IAEA chief Grossi

    As Israel's strikes on Iran target several Iranian nuclear facilities, FRANCE 24 spoke to Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "What is most important," he said, "is to avoid a nuclear accident with serious radiological consequences". Grossi also urged support for "any negotiation, including bilateral, between the United States and Iran".

  • France24 ☛ Ehud Barak asserts US won't battle Iran in full-scale war: 'US has not won any war in last 75 years'

    President The Insurrectionist would not say whether he has decided to order a US strike on Iran, a move that Tehran warned anew would be greeted with stiff retaliation if it happens. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's François Picard is pleased to welcome former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Israel's former PM warns that the only "viable" solution for putting an end to Iran's nuclear weapons programme is to "topple the regime." Mr. Barak does add that this military objective would require a US-Israel joint military operation. And while Convicted Felon might consider assisting Israel to destroy the Fordow nuclear facility, Mr. Barak is not convinced the US would ever enter into a full-scale war with Iran.

  • France24 ☛ What Iran’s reprisals against Israel reveal of its ballistic missile capabilities

    Iran has fired roughly 350 missiles in response since Israel launched its military offensive on Friday – a far cry from the 1,000 Tehran had reportedly planned. The retaliatory strikes offer a chance to assess the reality of Iran’s missile capabilities, long portrayed as among the most fearsome in the region.

  • NYPost ☛ Israel’s military warns people to evacuate area around Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor

    Israel’s military warned people Thursday to evacuate the area around Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor.

  • NYPost ☛ Kim Jong Un erases two officials from months-old state photos, prompting fears they were executed over botched warship launch: report

    Admr. Kim Myong Sil and Hong Kil Ho, who operate Chongjin Shipyard, were expunged from the North Korean photographic record on orders of Kim — who blames them for the hermit kingdom’s inability to launch a naval destroyer last month.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • France24 ☛ Putin says NATO’s increased defense spending poses no 'threat' to Russia

      Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday NATO's drive to increase defence spending was no "threat" to Moscow, ahead of the alliance's expected approval of a plan to bolster European military capacity. In a late-night briefing, Putin vowed to continue advancing in Ukraine and dismissed President Volodymyr Zelensky's legitimacy.

    • RFERL ☛ Putin Claims Ready For Talks, Even As Death Toll From Russia's Latest Attack On Kyiv Hits 28

      Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is ready "to find a solution" to his war with Ukraine and to potentially even meet with the Ukrainian leader, even as the death toll from the Russia's latest attack on Kyiv rose 28 people.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukrainian Frontline Medics Scramble To Save Lives In Sumy

      In Ukraine's embattled Sumy region, frontline medics race to save lives at a makeshift stabilization point as Russian forces intensify cross-border attacks.

    • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Says Iran's Ayatollah Safe 'For Now' As Tehran Residents Flee

      President The Insurrectionist says the United States knows where Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding and that Iran's leader is safe "for now," as residents of Tehran fled the capital in droves amid Israeli warnings of "significant" air strikes.

    • France24 ☛ Putin says NATO’s increased defence spending poses no 'threat' to Russia

      Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that NATO's drive to increase defence spending was no "threat" to Moscow, ahead of the alliance's expected approval of a plan to bolster European military capacity. In a late-night briefing, Putin vowed to continue advancing in Ukraine, questioned President Volodymyr Zelensky's legitimacy and dismissed civilian deaths from Russian attacks.

    • Latvia ☛ Car and boat delivery ready to depart from Latvia to Ukraine

      In the coming days, the last 20 cars donated during the large-scale campaign ‘100 Cars for Ukraine’ will be sent to Ukrainian special forces on the front line. Along with the cars, boats will also be delivered, Latvian Television reported on 17 June.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide: Ukraine must emerge from war independent—including its energy

      “The geopolitics of energy is important . . . because it is so central to power dynamics," the foreign minister said at the 2025 Global Energy Forum.

    • LRT ☛ Ukraine won't be invited to join NATO in The Hague – Lithuanian FM

      Ukraine will not be invited to join NATO during next week's summit in The Hague, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said on Wednesday.

    • RFERL ☛ Death Toll From Russian Strikes Rises To 28 As More Bodies Pulled From Kyiv Rubble

      Ukrainian emergency workers pulled more bodies from the rubble of destroyed Kyiv apartment buildings hit by Russian missile and drone strikes, as the death toll in the Ukrainian capital rose to 28 people, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea to send army builders, deminers to Russia’s Kursk region

      North Korea has become one of Russia’s main allies during Moscow’s Ukraine offensive.

    • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Skips Zelensky Meeting as G7 Talks End With Little for Ukraine

      President Volodymyr Zelensky had hoped to secure more support from the Group of 7 nations, but the crisis in the Middle East was seen as a more urgent priority.

    • Citizen Lab ☛ Same Sea, New Phish: Russian Government-Linked Social Engineering Targets App-Specific Passwords

      Keir Giles, a prominent expert on Russia, was targeted with a new form of social-engineering attack that leverages App-Specific Passwords. Surveillance Giant Google links the operation to UNC6293, a Russian state-backed group.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia will no longer recognize non-biometric Russian passports

      In one month's time, Latvia will cease recognition of non-biometric passports issued by aggressor state Russia.

    • LRT ☛ Details emerge about Russian man who jumped from Lithuania transit train

      The Russian national who jumped from the passenger train transiting Lithuania is 21-year-old Danil M from Bashkiria in southwestern Russia, independent media Agentstvo reported on Wednesday.

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Unusually patient suspected Russian hackers pose as State Department in ‘sophisticated’ attacks on researchers

      They weren’t in any hurry, according to Citizen Lab, and used an interesting attack vector. Surveillance Giant Google Threat Intelligence Group also provided details on the attacks.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Thousands evacuated as severe flooding hits southern China

    Vast areas of Zhaoqing city in Guangdong province were submerged.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ BYD and Other Chinese Carmakers Expand Sales in Europe Despite Tariffs

      BYD and other companies doubled their share of the car market after the European Union imposed higher tariffs on electric vehicles from China.

    • New York Times ☛ Your Hey Hi (AI) Queries Come With a Climate Cost

      When it comes to artificial intelligence, more intensive computing uses more energy, producing more greenhouse gases.

  • Overpopulation

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s baby box is last refuge for single mothers

      A baby box is a facility that allows mothers to safely leave their babies in a protected environment.

• Finance

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s central bank chief warns against unilateralism in currency, payments policies

    China’s central bank boss on Wednesday warned that the global monetary system could be “weaponised” and politicised by dominant countries, as the country navigates an uneasy trade truce with the United States.

  • France24 ☛ Fed keeps rates unchanged as Convicted Felon insults Powell again

    The US Federal Reserve has kept its benchmark interest rate at the current range of 4.25% - 4.50%, as it expects slower growth, higher inflation and slightly higher unemployment by the end of the year than it previously forecast. The move was widely expected, including by The Insurrectionist, who nonetheless insulted Fed Chairman Jerome Powell again. Plus, Nippon Steel has completed its takeover of US Steel after agreeing to let the US government have significant control in business decisions.

  • New York Times ☛ Social Security Benefits Could Be Cut in 8 Years Unless Congress Acts

    The nation’s key program for retiree benefits continues to see financing shortfalls. Unless Congress acts, those drops could lead to payment cuts in eight years.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ Visitors rush to see South Korea's Blue House before presidential return

    Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans have thronged the Blue House in central Seoul in recent months to get their last glimpse of the historic compound before it is returned to official use as the home and office of the country's president.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Beijing official praises Hong Kong leader for ‘positive progress’ in boosting economy, improving people’s livelihoods

    China’s top official on Hong Kong affairs has praised the city’s leader for making “positive progress” in boosting the economy and improving people’s livelihoods. Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO), arrived in Hong Kong on Wednesday evening for a five-day visit.

  • The Strategist ☛ Bookshelf: How China won over America, and then lost it

    In the four decades before 2010, the United States maintained a policy of engagement with China, notwithstanding such fluctuations as the reaction to the Tiananmen Square massacre.

  • The Strategist ☛ Now show the US, and Australians, how AUKUS addresses China threat

    The Pentagon’s review of the AUKUS defence partnership has surely generated anxiety in Canberra. But the Convicted Felon administration’s goal of verifying the program’s alignment with the ‘America First’ agenda presents Australia’s leadership with an opportunity.

  • AccessNow ☛ The EU must stop the digitalisation of the deportation regime and withdraw the new Return Regulation

    On March 11, 2025, the European Commission published a new legislative proposal for a ‘Return Regulation’ which is set to expand the detention and deportation of migrant people, including children, in the EU.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia obtains local court order against Telegram for allegedly spreading harmful content

    Telegram and two channels on the platform allegedly disseminated content that violates Malaysian law.

  • La Quadature Du Net ☛ French Administrative Supreme Court illegitimately buries the debate over internet censorship law

    In November 2023, La Quadrature du Net, Access Now, ARTICLE 19, European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL), European Digital Rights (EDRi) and Wikimedia France filed a complaint [...]

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ ‘We accept the risks’: Sky News boss calls for journalists to be allowed into Gaza

    Sky News MD Jonathan Levy joins voices calling for international journalists to be able to report from Gaza.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Veteran Chinese dissident faces ongoing police harassment despite prison release

    Chen Yunfei subjected to multiple rounds of questioning and repeated surveillance, after his March release.

  • JURIST ☛ American Bar Association files suit against Convicted Felon administration over executive orders targeting law firms

    The American Bar Association (ABA) on Monday filed a lawsuit against President The Insurrectionist’s administration and several federal departments and staff, seeking to enjoin various executive orders the organization believes are unconstitutional.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • JUVE ☛ Taylor Wessing bolsters Dutch practice with litigators from Simmons & Simmons [Ed: Seems like a lousy ad thinly disguised as "journalism"; follow the money...]

    While Sebastien Versaevel will officially join Taylor Wessing on 1 August, Bas Berghuis van Woortman’s start date remains unconfirmed. Berghuis van Woortman began his career in 1996 as an associate at full-service firm Stibbe, before moving to Freshfields as senior associate in 1999. He then joined Simmons & Simmons as partner in 2009.

  • JUVE ☛ Bayer appoints Dorian Immler as new IP head as Jörg Thomaier steps down

    Jörg Thomaier (58) has a background in chemistry and joined Bayer CropScience as trainee to become a European patent monopoly attorney in late 1997. After a spell in the polymers division, he took over management of the patent monopoly department, building up the technology section between 2002 and 2004, especially engineering.

  • Unified Patents ☛ Another Malikie Wi-Fi patent monopoly challenged

    On June 16, 2025, Unified filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 7,315,747, another patent monopoly owned and asserted by Malikie Innovations Limited, an NPE and entity of New PP Licensing LLC. The ‘747 patent, formerly assigned to Blackberry Ltd., is generally directed to providing availability data in a messaging environment. It has been asserted against technology that sends availability data over Wi-Fi and also cellular networks developed by Match Group, Inc.

  • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Short and sweet: G 1/24

    G 1/24 has now been issued, and concludes “The description and any drawings are always referred to when interpreting the claims, and not just in the case of unclarity or ambiguity.”

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ The $1 Million Bounty Clause and Unreviewable Sanctions Order

    The new Realtek decision highlight an interesting quirk of ITC appeals: a jurisdictional gap associated with review of ITC sanctions decisions.  Here, court dismissed Realtek's appeal from the ITC's denial of sanctions against Future Link Systems, finding it lacked jurisdiction to review sanctions decisions that are not ancillary to a final determination. Realtek Semiconductor Corporation v. International Trade Commission, 2023-1187 (Fed. Cir. June 18, 2025).

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Are Jewelry and Underwear Related Under Section 2(d)?

    The USPTO refused to register the mark BRIGHT STAR for jewelry, finding confusion likely with the identical mark registered for "Athletic footwear; Caps; Men’s dress socks; Socks; T-shirts; Thermal socks; Underwear." The first DuPont factor weighed "heavily" in favor of affirmance, but what about the goods? How do you think this came out? [Don't be cynical and say that clothing is related to everything.] In re H.K. Designs Inc., Serial No. 90283406 (June 16, 2025) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Cheryl S. Goodman).

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Who’s Drake’s Ghostwriter? Lil Wayne’s Son Says It’s His Dad

    In a candid YouTube interview, Lil Novi, the son of legendary rapper Lil Wayne, has ignited a debate in the hip-hop community. Lil Novi suggests that his father served as Drake’s ghostwriter during his early career.

  • Digital Music News ☛ SoundExchange Sues Napster and Sonos, Alleging $3.4 Million in Unpaid Royalties

    SoundExchange is suing Napster and Sonos for over $3.4 million in allegedly unpaid copyright monopoly royalties related to the Sonos Radio service. Napster was once the face of online music piracy, but the brand came full circle after the rebranding of Rhapsody transformed it into a legal music streaming service.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Major Music Publishers’ Anthropic Suit Receives Mediation Deadline Extension — Is a Serious Negotiation Underway?

    Are music publishers and Anthropic inching towards a settlement in their ugly copyright monopoly confrontation? Time will tell, but they’ve reached an early agreement concerning an initial Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) session. Both the major publishers and the Hey Hi (AI) giant disclosed as much in a new request to the court.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Kai Tak Sports Park drew 590,000 concertgoers in first 3 months since opening, Hong Kong gov’t says

    Around 590,000 people attended concerts held at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park in the first three months after it opened, with over half of them tourists, the government has said.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Dancing Naked on the Head of a Pin: The Early History of Microphotography

    In 1853, John Benjamin Dancer achieved a feat of seemingly impossible scale: he shrunk an image to the size of a sharpened pencil tip. Anika Burgess explores the invention of microphotography and its influence on erotic paraphernalia and military communications.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ The Language of Form: Lothar Schreyer’s Kreuzigung (1920)

    The sole example of a Bauhaus workshop’s arcane theatrical scoring system, combining colours, words, and complex symbolic notation.

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Trojan Pig: Tiny Cryptic #11

    Eleventh instalment in our series of extremely small and free-form cryptic crossword puzzles, themed on our latest essay.