Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ Yeah, but do you need it?

  Back in the 2000s when I was studying compsci in Adelaide, I had a Singaporean roommate a few years ahead of me who became a mentor of sorts. No, let me revise, he was a mentor, no need for qualification. He helped me a lot, whether it was navigating moving away from friends and family in an unfamiliar city thousands of kilometres from home, to cooking on a tight budget, to dealing with social anxiety.

  One of his trademark phrases when I was contemplating something was “yeah, but do you need it?” If he didn’t get an answer, or something he considered rambling, he’d ask again with a simple “yeah, but do you need it?”

• MIT Technology Review ☛ How a 30-year-old techno-thriller predicted our digital isolation

  In April, Mark Kapo-berg, as tech billionaires are so fond of doing these days, pontificated at punishing length on a podcast. In the interview, he addressed America’s loneliness epidemic: “The average American has—I think it’s fewer than three friends. And the average person has demand for meaningfully more."

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ How Vera Rubin Telescope Scientists Will Deal With 60 Million Billion Bytes of Imagery

    The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will make the study of stars and galaxies more like the big data-sorting exercises of contemporary genetics and particle physics.

  • Hackaday ☛ All You Need To Know About Photographic Lenses

    If you have ever played around with lenses, you’ll know that a convex lens can focus an image onto a target. It can be as simple as focusing the sun with a magnifying glass to burn a hole in a piece of paper, but to achieve the highest quality images in a camera there is a huge amount of optical engineering and physics at play to counteract the imperfections of those simple lenses.

  • Science Alert ☛ Jaw-Dropping Explosions on The Sun Captured in First NASA PUNCH Images

    "You have never seen anything quite like this."

  • Science Alert ☛ It's Official: Scientists Confirmed What's Inside Our Moon

    The verdict is in.

  • Science Alert ☛ This Fish Has a Weird See-Through Head With Its Eyes On The Inside. Here's Why.

    It's not just protection.

  • Science Alert ☛ New Clues Emerge on How Life Survived 'Snowball Earth'

    Could aliens be hiding in ponds?

• Career/Education

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Schools must be national security ‘gatekeepers,’ gov’t says after principal warns against US consulate event

    A Hong Kong school principal has warned teachers not to take part in Independence Day activities hosted by the US consulate after the city’s authorities reportedly warned that participation may violate national security legislation.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Building Diode And Diode-Transistor Logic Gates

    The fun part about logic gates is that there are so many ways to make them, with each approach having its own advantages and disadvantages. Although these days transistor-transistor logic (TTL) is the most common, diode-transistor logic (DTL) once was a regular sight, as well as diode-resistor logic (DRL). These logic gates are the topic of a recent video by [Anthony Francis-Jones], covering a range of logic gates implemented using mostly diodes and resistors.

  • Hackaday ☛ PVA Filament: Not Always What It Seems

    PVA filament is an interesting filament type, for the reason that while it can be printed with any FDM printer, it supposedly readily dissolves in water, which is also the reason why PVA glue sticks are so popular when doing crafts and arts with young children. This property would make PVA filament ideal for printing supports if your printer can handle two different materials at the same time. So surely you can just pick any old PVA filament spool and get to printing, right? As [Lost in Tech] found out, this is not quite the case.

  • CNX Software ☛ TRMNL customizable 7.5-inch wireless E-Ink display supports plugins for greater ease-of-use

    TRMNL is a 7-5-inch wireless E-Ink display based on an ESP32-C3 RISC-V WiFi and Bluetooth SoC and designed to be customizable, allowing users to disassemble their device, modify the (open-source) firmware, and retrieve API keys without voiding the warranty. The default 1,800 mAh battery is good enough for over 3 months on a charge, but the company also provides an option for a 2,500 mAh battery that is said to last for more than 6 months (not sure how the math works here). 

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Even Nvidia's China-specific RTX 5090D falls victim to the infamous 16-pin melting issue

    Two GeForce RTX 5090D owners share their unfortunate experience with the 16-pin power connector meltdowns.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Nvidia RTX 5090D falls victim to infamous 16-pin melting issue — saga continues with China-specific chip

    Two GeForce RTX 5090D owners share their unfortunate experience with the 16-pin power connector meltdowns.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Nvidia products could be made using humanoid robots for the first time ever — company in talks with Foxconn to deploy them in Houston factory building GB300 Hey Hi (AI) servers

    Nvidia is reportedly in talks with Foxconn over plans to deploy humanoid robots in a Houston factory building GB300 chips.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Windows 11 24H2 updates are still failing on Western Digital's SN770, despite the fact that a fix came out 8 months ago — here's what to do if you're stuck

    Microsoft is blocking backdoored Windows 11 version 24H2 on systems with WD Black SN770 SSDs due to a firmware issue, yet offers no clear guidance to users despite a firmware fix having been available since October 2024.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Green Party UK ☛ Green Party MPs Back Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

    Today Green MPs backed the continued passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in the House of Commons. All four Green MPs voted yes at the Bill’s third reading.

  • New York Times ☛ People With Severe Diabetes Are Cured in Small Trial of New Drug

    Most in a small group of patients receiving a stem cell-based infusion no longer needed insulin, but the drug may not suit those with more manageable type 1 diabetes.

  • Science Alert ☛ Casino Lights Could Be Warping Your Brain to Take Risks, Scientists Warn

    Some questionable ethics here.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ You don’t have to like coffee shops

    If we all liked technical writing, jazz, anime, public transport, vtubers, apartments, Asia, BSD operating systems, retrocompting, architecture, ocean liners, metadata, aviation, and coffee, we’d all be me. And that’s a horrifying prospect for everyone involved.

    (I’d also say that telling someone they don’t like coffee shops immediately after a post saying they’re sad they lost one of their favourites isn’t the… best timing, but you do you)!

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Off Switch' in The Brain to Stop Binge Drinking Discovered in Mice

    New hope for treating alcohol addiction.

  • Science Alert ☛ There's a Shocking Reason Ticks Are So Dangerous (It's Us)

    A history of human errors created a crisis.

  • Science Alert ☛ One Weight Loss Strategy Is 5x More Effective Than Ozempic, Trials Show

    Each has pros and cons.

  • Latvia ☛ Protect yourself from Midsummer creepy-crawlies

    While Midsummer is without doubt the most important date on the Latvian calendar, celebrating it properly can come with certain inconveniences – not least the risk of being stung or bitten by insects, ticks and even snakes.

• Proprietary

  • Windows Central ☛ This free Windows tool recreates Circle to Search on Windows and Linux

    Circle to Search is a powerful feature for Android that allows you to get more information about content on your screen. However, a free new app for Windows mimics the functionality of Circle to Search.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Hackaday ☛ ELIZA Reanimated

      The last time we checked in with the ELIZA archeology project, they had unearthed the earliest known copy of the code for the infamous computer psychiatrist written in MAD-SLIP. After a lot of work, that version is now running again, and there were a number of interesting surprises.

    • Press Gazette ☛ Who’s suing Hey Hi (AI) and who’s signing: BillBC threatens Perplexity, raft of Prorata partnerships

    • The New Stack ☛ How AI Can Help You Learn the Art of Programming - The New Stack

      Warp Terminal's built-in AI can generate code, explain every line and guide you through compilation — turning the terminal into your personal coding tutor.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ HKUST student denied bail after allegedly posing as anti-graft agency officer, defrauding victim of HK$278K

      A PhD student at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has been denied bail after allegedly posing as an anti-corruption investigator and attempting to defraud a victim of HK$278,000. The defendant, surnamed Zhang, appeared at the Eastern Magistrates’ Court on Thursday to face a charge of conspiring to defraud.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • New York Times ☛ Europe’s Growing Fear: How Trump Might Use U.S. Tech Dominance Against It

      To comply with a Trump executive order, Microsoft recently helped suspend the email account of an International Criminal Court prosecutor in the Netherlands who was investigating Israel for war crimes.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean taxi driver under fire for sexually harassing Thai tourist

    The alleged incident has sparked outrage among South Korean netizens.

  • France24 ☛ Israel-Iran war: How are Asian heavyweights reacting to the hostilities?

    The ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran is testing old alliances. Asian heavyweights China and India have taken different positions. This week we take a closer look at what’s behind the posturing from Beijing and New Delhi. Plus, where does Asia’s other nuclear-armed state, Pakistan, stand on the issue?

  • American Oversight ☛ New Lawsuit Seeks Convicted Felon Administration Records on Weaponized Immigration Enforcement

    American Oversight is zeroing in on the administration's use of immigration enforcement to punish perceived opponents — and to protect allies.

  • France24 ☛ Bukele’s El Salvador: Popularity, power, and the price of security

    Nayib Bukele came to power in El Salvador in 2019, winning outright in the first round of presidential elections. Since then, he has steadily consolidated his control. Bukele’s party has dominated the National Assembly since 2021. In 2022, he declared a state of emergency, which remains in effect to this day. He also pressured the Supreme Court to allow him to run for a second term – previously prohibited by the Constitution. Despite concerns over his human rights record, Bukele enjoys overwhelming popularity, with polls showing over 80 percent approval. Since the start of the state of emergency, more than 400 inmates have died in jail. This year, he began constructing a new mega-prison to house hundreds of illegal migrants deported by the United States and labelled terrorists. Six years into his presidency, FRANCE 24 takes a look at the Bukele phenomenon. Laurence Cuvillier and Matthieu Comin report.

  • Survivor tells how trapped miners ate human flesh and cockroaches to survive

    Zama zama miner Patrick Ntsokolo saw colleagues eating cockroaches and even dead bodies underground after police from Operation Vala Umgodi blocked deliveries to illegal miners at Stilfontein.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan-US-Philippines coast guards simulate crisis amid China threat

    The 3 countries have warned about Chinese activity in the disputed regional waters.

  • New York Times ☛ A U.S. Attack on Iran Would Show the Limits of China’s Power

    China, which depends on Iran for oil and to counter American influence, has a lot to lose from a wider war. But there’s not much it can do about it.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China angered by British warship sailing as Taiwan raises alert level

    Beijing said such an action undermined peace and stability in the region.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan pursues homegrown Chinese spies as Beijing intensifies espionage

    Taiwan is vetting hundreds of thousands of military service members, public school teachers and civil servants in a bid to root out potential homegrown Chinese sympathisers, as Beijing intensifies espionage on the island.

  • NYPost ☛ Iran suggests US using nuclear talks as cover for Israeli airstrikes as negotiations remain stalled

    "We don't know how we can trust them anymore. What they did was, in fact, a betrayal of diplomacy."

  • RFERL ☛ European Diplomats Report No Progress After Talks In Geneva As Convicted Felon Considers US Action In Iran

    Israel and Iran exchanged more strikes on June 20 as diplomatic efforts led by France, Britain, and Germany yielded only a statement expressing "grave concerns" about the escalation of tensions and a willingness to meet again.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man reverses 2 decades of US ban on Israeli antinuke strikes

    Hell Toupée has broken with two decades of U.S. policy by approving Israel’s ambition to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. Could he go further?

  • France24 ☛ Israel-Iran war: Intense destruction in Iran, negotiations at a standstill

    Residential buildings in Iran have been attacked alongside other targets struck by Israel, as detailed by FRANCE 24's Saeed Azimi. Meanwhile, internet restrictions remain in place across Iran, justified as necessary to protect national security and the population. This escalation unfolds as diplomatic efforts falter, with the EU seeking a solution while Iran refuses to negotiate with the United States.

  • New York Times ☛ Accusations fly at a heated U.N. Security Council session on Iran and Israel, amid pleas for peace.

  • France24 ☛ Israel/Iran, Convicted Felon’s decision, G7, Bezos Wedding Protests

    In a week of escalating conflict between Israel and Iran—decades in the making—assassinations, airstrikes, and missile attacks have pushed the region to the brink. Iran is striking back, with seven days of air raid sirens across Israel and a hospital hit in Beersheba. As the crisis deepens, Hell Toupée faces a pivotal choice: whether to join the fight and unleash the only weapons capable of destroying Iran’s underground nuclear site at Fordo. A decision is promised within two weeks. Meanwhile, across Europe, protests erupt over “over-tourism.” Demonstrators in Spain, Portugal, and Italy take to the streets with slogans like “Your Holiday, Our Misery.” In Barcelona, tourists are targeted with water pistols. In Venice, the arrival of Jeff Bezos for his three-day wedding sparks outrage: “No Space for Bezos” read the signs.

  • France24 ☛ No, this Israeli minister didn’t say that he underestimated Iran’s missile capabilities

    A video shared widely on X shows a heated exchange between Israeli politicians Itamar Ben Gvir and Omer Bar-Lev, with posters claiming that the two politicians were fighting after the Iranian strikes carried out on June 13, 2025. It turns out, however, that this conversation actually took place in March 2022 and has no ties to the current conflict.

  • France24 ☛ Israel-Iran war enters its second week with multiple strikes

    #Israel and #Iran exchanged fire for the second week running on Friday, with the war between the two foes continuing into its eighth consecutive day.

    The Israeli army said it had hit multiple targets in Tehran overnight, including what it said was a nuclear weapons research centre.

    FRANCE 24 has the details.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ 2 Hongkongers evacuated from Israel as conflict with Iran enters 8th day

    At least two Hongkongers, along with more than 100 Chinese students, have been evacuated from Israel, as the country’s conflict with Iran entered its eighth day.

  • France24 ☛ 'In military terms, US and Israel would be able to destroy Iran nuclear program, weaken their govt'

    Since launching airstrikes on Iran last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been working to pull President The Insurrectionist into the war, and sway a sceptical American public. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's William Hilderbrandt welcomes General Dominique Trinquand, former Head of the French Military Mission at the United Nations.

  • France24 ☛ Escalating air war between Israel and Iran enters second week

    The second week of airstrikes between Israel and Iran sees intensified attacks on Iran's air defence systems and missile launchers, aiming to disrupt its nuclear programme. Retaliatory strikes have severely damaged residential areas in southern Israel. Human rights groups report over 657 fatalities in Iran, including military commanders, while at least 24 have died in Israel.

  • New York Times ☛ An Iranian strike in downtown Haifa damaged at least two places of worship.

    Shockwaves from the attack in Israel’s third-largest city damaged a mosque and a church.

  • New York Times ☛ Are Israel’s Airstrikes on Iran Within Legal Bounds?

    International law experts are divided.

  • The Strategist ☛ The future of Iran’s nuclear program: views from ASPI analysts

    Among all the uncertainties of the Israel-Iran conflict, two things are clear: a nuclearised Iran is a threat to global security; and Tehran will not give up its nuclear program easily.

  • New York Times ☛ What Happens if Convicted Felon Decides to Strike Iran or Assassinate Its Leader?

    If the United States bombs an underground uranium enrichment facility in Iran or kills the country’s supreme leader, it could kick off a more dangerous and unpredictable phase in the war.

  • New York Times ☛ Live Updates: Convicted Felon Suggests There’s Little He Can Do to Stop Israeli Attacks on Iran

    The president also dismissed a diplomatic effort in Geneva that yielded no breakthrough. “Europe is not going to be able to help,” he said. Early Saturday, Israel and Iran traded new strikes as the conflict entered a ninth day.

  • New Yorker ☛ Why Israel Struck Iran First

    The Israeli American writer Yossi Klein Halevi is vehemently opposed to Benjamin Netanyahu, but he makes a case for why Netanyahu was right to start a war, whatever the consequences.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Chinese exports of rare-earth magnets plummet in May

    Exports reportedly hit their lowest level since 2015, excluding the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra meets army commander to defuse political crisis

    She was forced to apologise on June 19 over a call with Mr Hun Sen that appeared online.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Latvia ☛ State Security Service talks counter-terrorism

      On 19 June, Latvian State Security Service (VDD) held is latest biannual meeting of Counterterrorism Centre Expert Advisory Council, where current developments were discussed and the priorities for the next half of the year were outlined.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘We really are in a perfect storm’: Russia’s finance minister admits federal budget is facing ‘serious turbulence’ — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ An economic reality check: Officials clash at St. Petersburg forum over the perfect weather metaphors for Russia’s recession risks and the ruble’s strength — Meduza

    • The Straits Times ☛ Indonesia expects to sign free trade deal with Russia-led union this year, minister says

      Indonesia expects to sign a free trade agreement with the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) this year in a move likely to boost demand for its commodity exports, its senior economic minister said in a statement released on Friday.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania, Baltics call for Russian army personnel to be banned from EU

      Baltic and Nordic countries on Thursday called for a Schengen Zone visa ban for members of the Russian armed forces and "other armed groups", Estonia’s public broadcaster ERR reports.

    • Latvia ☛ Russians, Belarusians banned from buying real estate in Latvia

      On Thursday, 19 June, the Saeima adopted in its final reading a new law prohibiting Russia and Belarus, as well as their citizens, from acquiring real estate in Latvia.

    • Latvia ☛ Nordics, Baltics and partners to 'compile guidelines' on Russia's shadow fleet

      On 19 June, Ivars Lasis, Under Secretary of State, Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participated in an online meeting of the Baltic and Nordic foreign ministers and senior officials in a format dubbed 'NB8++' to discuss action to reduce the risks posed by the Russian shadow fleet in the Baltic Sea.

    • CS Monitor ☛ NATO eyes the essence of security

      The 32-country transatlantic military alliance will decide if today’s conflicts and challenges demand spending on nontraditional defenses – and democratic values.

    • Meduza ☛ Russian single mother sentenced to 18 years for allegedly trying to flee to Ukraine and join the Freedom of Russia Legion — Meduza

    • NYPost ☛ Russian soldier kills, eats comrade in twisted attempt to survive Ukraine war: report

      He bit more than the bullet. A Russian soldier on the frontlines in Ukraine murdered his comrade and ate the corpse to survive the grim wartime conditions — only to end up dying anyway, Kyiv’s military intelligence reported.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Civilians flee in Ukraine’s Sumy region, but Russia faces huge losses

      In Ukraine’s border region of Sumy, Russian forces are making very slow progress, but enough to force Ukrainian civilians from their villages.

    • RFERL ☛ Latest Russian Attack On Residential Building Kills 1 In Odesa

      A Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian coastal city of Odesa has killed one person and injured at least 13 others -- including three rescue workers -- as the capital, Kyiv, continues to reel from deadly air strikes earlier this week.

    • France24 ☛ Russia-Ukraine drone attacks intensify as peace talks collapse

      Russia and Ukraine have intensified their drone and missile strikes as US-led peace talks teeter on the brink of collapse. Ukraine's air force reports that Moscow launched 86 drones overnight, resulting in at least one death and dozens of injuries. Charlotte Lam reports.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Russia’s shadow army: Central Asian migrants are dying in Ukraine

      Russia has recruited or coerced thousands of Central Asian migrants to fight for Moscow in its war against Ukraine.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that’s ours,’ Vladimir Putin declares — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Putin Does Not Rule Out Capturing Key Ukrainian City

      Moscow has hoped to mend relations with the United States while continuing to wage war in Ukraine, but Mr. Putin’s insistence on pushing his offensive has come at a diplomatic cost.

    • France24 ☛ Putin can’t have a veto on Ukraine’s EU membership: Parliament speaker Stefanchuk

      Talking Europe welcomes Ruslan Stefanchuk, Speaker and Chairperson of the Ukrainian Parliament. Elected in October 2021 – just months before Russia’s full-scale invasion – Stefanchuk is a seasoned political figure, a close ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky, and second in line to the presidency under Ukraine’s constitution. A respected legal scholar, he brings that expertise to bear in discussing the legal complexities surrounding the use of frozen Russian assets. We also examine Ukraine’s difficult road toward EU accession, its ongoing rule-of-law reforms, and what Kyiv needs most from its Western partners at this critical time.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ NATO Defense Spending Tracker

      The Transatlantic Security Initiative's NATO defense spending tracker delves into data and figures to analyze current defense spending trends.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine slams Putin's 'disdain' for peace process after he says 'whole of Ukraine' belongs to Russia

      Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga on Friday said that Vladimir Putin had shown "disdain" for the peace process between the two countries after the Russian president earlier said that the "whole of Ukraine" belonged to Russia.

• Environment

  • France24 ☛ 'Collective problem needs collective solution: Global warming projected to increase well beyond 2°'

    Arctic peatlands are expanding as the climate warms, new research showed Thursday, a change that could slow global warming in the near term but have the opposite effect in future. Peatlands are the largest terrestrial store of carbon, locking away twice as much heat-trapping CO2 from the atmosphere in their waterlogged soils as all the world's forests. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's Alison Sargent welcomes Prof. Joeri Rogelj, Director of Research at the Grantham Institute and Professor of Climate Science & Policy at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China warns of more floods as extreme storms hit world’s No. 2 economy

    The red alerts covered areas in the provinces of Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou and Guangxi region.

  • JURIST ☛ US Supreme Court sets rules for venue selection in environmental lawsuits

    The US Supreme Court issued two rulings on Wednesday that establish where challenges to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) actions should be filed, remanding one lawsuit to regional circuits and directing the other suit to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Clean energy could help China achieve 2035 economic goals, slash emissions: Study

      Decisions made over the coming months will be key, the report said.

• Finance

  • New York Times ☛ Chinese Tech Giants Have Big Ambitions in Brazil

    Confronted with tariffs and scrutiny in the United States and Europe, Chinese consumer brands are betting that they can become household names in Latin America’s biggest economy.

  • India Times ☛ Amazon gives employees 30 days 'deadline' to …. or resign in 60 days

  • New Yorker ☛ America’s Oligarch Problem

    How did the United States join Russia and China as an oligarchy? The staff writer Evan Osnos chronicles the shift in his new book, “The Haves and Have-Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultrarich.”

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ New S. Korean President’s call for public to suggest Cabinet members ‘more than a populist move’

    He called it a “meaningful first step towards the people becoming the main actors in running the state”.

  • New York Times ☛ Ex-Malaysia Premier Najib Has Money Laundering Charges Dropped

    Money-laundering charges against Najib Razak were dropped because of prosecutorial delays, intensifying criticism that he was being treated leniently.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea's chief trade negotiator plans US visit June 22-27

    South Korea's trade minister Yeo Han-koo will visit the United States from June 22 to 27, the trade ministry said on Saturday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Monsters and memes: Labubu dolls ride China soft-power wave

    Chinese toymaker Pop Mart’s Labubu monster dolls have gained popularity, riding China's soft power wave.

  • Meduza ☛ Nepo babies and Kremlin Labubu dolls The stranger sights at this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum — Meduza

  • The Straits Times ☛ Leaders of China, New Zealand discuss trade, Pacific security

    New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon said his meeting with Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping was constructive.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ Online critics face growing scrutiny as Malaysia rolls out controversial data collection project

    At least half a dozen people have been questioned by the police for social control media posts critical of government decisions.

  • New York Times ☛ ‘Justice Will Prevail,’ Mahmoud Khalil Says as He Goes Free on Bail

    Mr. Khalil, a Columbia graduate, had been held in Louisiana for over three months as the Convicted Felon administration sought to deport him. A judge found reason to believe it was retaliation for his pro-Palestinian speech.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • France24 ☛ Information war: Iran and Israel battle to control the narrative

    The media have faced criticism for their coverage of past conflicts – for example, when American journalists failed to challenge the US government's claims about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, or in the Balkans, where some reporters were accused of fuelling tensions by selectively omitting or downplaying key information. As the war between Israel and Iran escalates, FRANCE 24 speaks to Mark Seddon, former UN correspondent and speechwriter for the UN secretary-general, to examine how the conflict is being covered in the media.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • France24 ☛ Abortion is highly restricted in microstates such as Monaco, Andorra

    In microstates like Monaco and Andorra, abortion laws are highly restrictive. These small countries maintain strict regulations that severely limit access to abortion services, reflecting conservative social and religious values. As a result, women seeking abortions often face significant legal and practical barriers within these territories. The Entr team investigated, as Renée Bertini explains.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • JUVE ☛ Astellas and Hoyng ROKH successfully defend Xtandi in the Netherlands

    The patent monopoly owner, The Regents of the University of California, and its exclusive sub-licensee Astellas so far have had considerable success throughout Europe in defending their Xtandi-related patents. The UK High Court and the German Federal Patent Court previously upheld patents relating to the active ingredient enzalutamide.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Article III, the PTAB, and Expired Patents: Constitutional Analysis After Oil States

    The Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether the PTAB can invalidate expired patents through inter partes review, in a case that could limit the reach of the landmark Oil States decision that found IPRs constitutionally permissive. In Apple Inc. v. Gesture Technology Partners, the Federal Circuit ruled that PTAB retains jurisdiction over expired patents, but the patentee argues in its petition that once patents expire, they become purely private property rights that require traditional court adjudication rather than administrative review. Certiorari petition - Gesture v. Apple.

    In Oil States Energy Services, LLC v. Greene’s Energy Group, LLC, 584 U.S. 325 (2018), the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of inter partes review (IPR) proceedings under Article III and the Seventh Amendment.  Older property rights cases had barred administrative action to eliminate private property rights. 

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ Reshuffle at Düsseldorf Regional Court as Daniel Voß moves to UPC full-time [Ed: UPC is illegal and JUVE knows it, but at this point many get paid to pretend not to know and to play along with kangaroo courts]

      From 1 July, Daniel Voß, who presides over Düsseldorf Regional Court’s Chamber 4b on a part-time basis, will move to the UPC’s Munich local division full-time. A court spokesperson confirmed to JUVE Patent that Carsten Haase will take over as presiding judge of Chamber 4b. Haase is currently presiding judge of Chamber 4c.

    • Kluwer Patent Blog ☛ Golconda and the Quest for Coherence: Unitary and National Patents in the European Landscape [Ed: UPC is illegal and will likely collapse not long from now; why play along with the EPO and now EU corruption? They violate laws and constitutions out in the open.]

      This article follows the jurisdictional analysis initiated in Legal Inception: Harmonizing the UPC and National Courts through EU Law. That piece focused on procedural structure. This one turns to the interpretive culture required to make that structure coherent.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ WYHA? TTAB Finds DOCRETENTION Merely Descriptive of Document Retention Software

    The Board sustained the USPTO's refusal to register the proposed mark DOCRETENTION for downloadable software and SAAS for generating, editing, managing, accessing, merging, distributing, protecting and securing documents, files and data, on the ground of mere descriptiveness under Section 2(e)(1). Would you have appealed? In re Inkit Inc., Serial No. 97915050 (June 17, 2025) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Thomas L. Casagrande).

  • Right of Publicity

    • Jonathan Faber ☛ Will a valuation of the Jimmy Buffet estate’s diverse intellectual property be required?

      Jimmy Buffett, upon his passing in 2023, left behind a business empire worth an estimated $275M.

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Wyclef Jean Introduces Superfan Monetization Platform OpenWav at Indie Week 2025

    Grammy-winning artist Wyclef Jean, 88rising cofounder (and early investor in Musical.ly and Triller) Jaeson Ma, and former Head of Amazon Music for Independent Artists Madeline Nelson gathered for Indie Week Happy Hour to launch OpenWav.