Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Cannabis Use Is Linked to Epigenetic Changes, Scientists Discover

    Here's what we know.

  • Science Alert ☛ Cyborg Beetles Could Be Unlikely Heroes in Future Disaster Rescues

    The cyborg era is here… and it has wall-climbing beetles.

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Next Flight Might Signal Our Existence to Alien Civilizations

    Like Earth screaming into space.

  • Science Alert ☛ Mondayitis Could Have a Deadly Effect On Your Body

    Maybe Garfield was onto something.

  • Science Alert ☛ One Piece of Advice to Parents Slashed Food Allergies in Children

    Time to rethink.

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel axes thousands of technicians and engineers in sweeping U.S. layoffs — cutting 4,000 positions in the U.S., 2,392 in Oregon

    Intel is cutting 2,392 jobs in Oregon, with about 4,000 nationwide, mostly affecting technicians and engineers, despite claims of targeting managers, as part of a broader push for automation and decentralization.

  • CNX Software ☛ Review of GL.iNet Comet (GL-RM1) KVM-over-IP solution and ATX power control board

    GL.iNet sent me a Comet (GL-RM1) remote KVM box for review, along with a GL-ATXPC ATX Power Control Board. I’ll start this review with an unboxing and a teardown, then I’ll use the GL.iNet Comet with a Raspberry Pi 4 SBC to control it from a web browser in the LAN and the GLKVM app from the Internet. Finally, I’ll connect the GL-ATXPC and GL-RM1 to an Orion O6 mini-ITX motherboard to test ATX power control. GL.iNet Comet (GL-RM1) unboxing I received a parcel with two retail boxes: one for the GL-ATXPC ATX power control board and the other for the GL-RM1 Comet Remote KVM.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • NYPost ☛ Cancer deaths from obesity have tripled in 20 years — which states have the highest and lowest rates

    New research reveals a shocking uptick in obesity-related cancer deaths in the last two decades.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Security Week ☛ Grok-4 Falls to a Jailbreak Two Days After Its Release

      The latest release of the xAI LLM, Grok-4, has already fallen to a sophisticated jailbreak.

    • NYPost ☛ Descendant of ‘God of War’ who once ruled Mongolia is a Fentanylware (TikTok) influencer who carries ‘burden’ of his name: ‘Just a girl who drinks matcha’

      "I feel like I'm a case study on how a viral video can bring unwanted attention from ideologies that I personally don't align with," Leonie said.

• Security

  • Confidentiality

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ McDonald's McHire bot exposed personal information of 64M people by using '123456' as a password in 2025

      A pair of security researchers have revealed vulnerabilities in the McHire chatbot Paradox developed for McDonald's that could have been exploited to reveal personal information about roughly 64 million people who have used the service to apply for jobs at their local franchises. (Hat-tip Wired.)

• Defence/Aggression

  • NYPost ☛ Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian suffered injury in Israeli airstrike during 12-day war: report

    Six bombs were dropped on the location, with Pezeshkian said to have suffered injuries to his leg as he and the other officials escaped through an emergency shaft.

  • France24 ☛ Gaza civil defence says 40 dead in Israeli strikes as truce talks remain deadlocked

    Gaza rescuers said Israeli air strikes on Sunday killed more than 40 Palestinians, including at a market and a water distribution point. The latest bloodshed came as Hamas and Israel each accused the other of sabotaging attempts to secure a ceasefire and hostage release deal at indirect talks in Doha.

  • JURIST ☛ Former South Korea president rearrested over martial law controversy

    Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been re-arrested 124 days after being released from his first detention. Yoon was initially taken into custody in January over accusations related to martial law and was released after spending 52 days in detention.

  • JURIST ☛ Iran to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog despite security concerns

    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday said that Iran plans to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog despite restrictions imposed by its Parliament. He also emphasised that entering its bombed nuclear sites posed security and safety issues. >

  • France24 ☛ Dozens killed in violent clashes in predominantly Druze Syrian city

    At least 37 people have been killed in violent clashes between Bedouin tribes and local Druze fighters in the southern Syrian city of Sweida, a war monitor reported Monday, marking the deadliest bout of unrest in the region since May. The unrest has prompted the Syrian government to deploy security forces in a bid to restore order, as fears grow of renewed instability in the Druze-majority province.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ EU Ministers Set To Approve Sanctions Targeting Moldova's 'Destabilizers'

      EU foreign ministers are set to rubber stamp an agreement to impose sanctions on people and entities the bloc deems guilty of “actions destabilizing" Moldova, where Russia still wields massive influence and maintains more than 1,000 troops in the separatist Transdniester region.

    • France24 ☛ Macron to boost French defence targets, citing rise of global threats

      French President Emmanuel Macron is set to announce new French defence budgetary targets on Sunday, in the face of a menacing Russia and a potential US disengagement from Europe, his office said. France's defence budget has already increased sharply since Macron took power, and is projected to rise from 50.5 billion currently to 67 billion euros in 2030.

    • France24 ☛ Macron to raise defence targets in Bastille Day address

      President Emmanuel Macron is set to address France's armed forces Sunday evening in a speech traditionally held on the eve of Bastille Day. Macron is expected to set new French defence targets in the face of a menacing Russia and a potential United States disengagement from Europe, according to his office. FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert brings you the details.

    • France24 ☛ France’s Macron calls for major hike in defence spending: ‘To be free, we must be feared’

      President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday called for a substantial rise in France’s defence spending over the next two years, citing imminent threats, particularly Russia. “To be free in this world, we need to be feared,” the French leader said, noting he wants to see a €3.5 billion hike in defence spending in 2026, and by another €3 billion in 2027. Lawmakers will need to approve such measures.

    • France24 ☛ Watch live: France’s Macron to announce 'major' defence policy measures on eve of Bastille Day

    • RFERL ☛ Lull In Russian Attacks On Ukraine Ahead Of Convicted Felon's 'Major Statement'

      Ukraine experienced a rare respite from Russia's relentless drone attacks overnight from July 12-13, marking the first such lull in two months. However, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia still launched 60 drones and decoys targeting various regions within a 24-hour period.

    • France24 ☛ Several killed in Russian drone strikes on Ukraine

      Russia fired more than 620 drones and long-range missiles overnight, killing at least six people in the latest wave of strikes, Ukraine said Saturday, adding that it was close to an agreement to receive more Patriot air-defence systems.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Ukraine Recovery Conference: Europe underlines long-term commitment

      The 2025 Ukraine Recovery Conference, which took place in Rome on July 10-11, has provided a clear demonstration of continued European commitment to Ukraine, writes Edward Verona.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Ukraine can benefit from growing tech ties between Gulf states and the US

      As the Middle East adjusts to new geopolitical realities, growing tech sector cooperation between the US and the Gulf states is creating a range of opportunities for Ukraine, writes Anatoly Motkin.

    • NYPost ☛ North Korea’s Kim Jong Un vows ‘unconditional support’ of Russia’s war in Ukraine: ‘Invincible fighting brotherhood’

      North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised Russia's top diplomat that his country would "unconditionally support" Russia's war on Ukraine and preferred method of solving the conflict, according to state media.

    • European Commission ☛ President von der Leyen attends Ukraine Recovery Conference and announces a €2.3 billion package to support reconstruction efforts

      President Ursula von der Leyen attended the third Ukraine Recovery Conference Summit hosted in Rome this week.

    • RFERL ☛ World Awaits Convicted Felon’s ‘Major Statement’ On Ukraine-Russia Amid Global Diplomatic Flurry

      Ukraine, Russia, and much of the rest of the world are awaiting a planned “major statement” on the conflict by US President The Insurrectionist amid a flurry of diplomatic activity from Washington to Kyiv.

    • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man says US will send Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine

      US President The Insurrectionist said on Sunday he will send Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine, saying they are necessary to defend the country because Russian President Vladimir Putin "talks nice but then he bombs everybody in the evening." Convicted Felon did not give a number of Patriots he plans to send to Ukraine, but he said the United States would be reimbursed for their cost by the European Union.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • JURIST ☛ UN agencies warn fuel shortage could “collapse” humanitarian operations in Gaza

      In a joint statement issued Saturday, several UN agencies warned that the current fuel shortage in Gaza could halt the humanitarian efforts in the region, possibly jeopardizing millions of civilians. The agencies, including the World Health Organisation and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, stressed that “fuel must be allowed into Gaza”.

• Finance

  • France24 ☛ Germany urges tough EU response if 'fair deal' cannot be reached on US tariffs

    Europe’s biggest economy on Sunday urged a tough EU response if the bloc is unable to strike a “fair deal” with the United States over trade tariffs. On Saturday, US President The Insurrectionist threatened to slap the European Union with 30 percent tariffs. “We won’t accept just anything,” Lars Klingbeil, finance minister of Europe’s biggest economy, told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong court to hear appeals from 13 jailed democrats and gov’t in landmark nat. security case

    A Hong Kong court is set to hear appeals from the defence and prosecution in the city’s largest national security case, which involved tens of high-profile pro-democracy figures.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • JURIST ☛ Kyrgyzstan court orders liquidation of independent news broadcaster

    On Wednesday, a Kyrgyzstan court ordered the liquidation of independent broadcaster Aprel TV, terminating its broadcasting and social control media operations. The ruling was borne out of a lawsuit filed by Kyrgyz prosecutors, citing “negative and destructive” reporting of the government that could undermine its authority. 

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ Event Wrap: PacNOG 35

    APNIC conducted training and presented at PacNOG 35, held in Suva, Fiji from 23 to 27 June 2025.

    [...]

    The event welcomed participants for five days of workshops and the conference day. The program featured presentations from local and regional industry experts on topics including RPKI, DNS/DNSSEC, networking and much more.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Gemini* and Gopher

  • Technology and Free Software

    • Melodic Flatline

      One may wish to automate the otherwise tedious task of reducing all note events to a single pitch (unless your DAW has a thingy that does that) so that one may more quickly review the rhythm of a melody.