Leftovers

• Standards/Consortia

  • EFF ☛ Radio Hobbyists, Rejoice! Good News for LoRa & Mesh

    These communications are of very low bit-rate—often less than a few KBps (kilobytes per second) at a distance—and use very little power. You won’t be browsing the web or streaming video over LoRa, but it is useful for sending messages in a wide range of situations where traditional infrastructure is lacking or intermittent, and communication with others over dispersed or changing physical terrain is essential. For instance, a growing body of research is showing how Search and Rescue (SAR) teams can greatly benefit from the use of LoRa, specifically when coupled with GPS sensors, and especially when complimented by line-of-sight LoRa repeaters.

  • Cryptology ePrints Archive ☛ Post-quantum Cryptographic Analysis of SSH [PDF]

    In this paper, we remedy the state of affairs by providing a thorough post-quantum cryptographic analysis of SSH. We follow a “top-down” approach wherein we first prove security of SSH in a more appropriate model, namely, our post-quantum extension of the so-called authenticated and confidential channel establishment (ACCE) protocol security model; our extension which captures “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks could be of independent interest. Then we establish the cryptographic properties of SSH’s underlying primitives, as concretely instantiated in practice, based on our protocol-level ACCE security analysis: for example, we prove relevant cryptographic properties of “Streamlined NTRU Prime”, a key encapsulation mechanism (KEM) which is used in recent versions of OpenSSH and TinySSH, in the quantum random oracle model, and address open problems related to its analysis in the literature. Notably, our ACCE security analysis of post-quantum SSH relies on the weaker notion of IND-CPA security of the ephemeral KEMs used in the hybrid key exchange. This is in contrast to prior works which rely on the stronger assumption of IND-CCA secure ephemeral KEMs. Hence we conclude the paper with a discussion on potentially replacing IND-CCA secure KEMs in current post-quantum implementations of SSH with simpler and faster IND-CPA secure counterparts, and also provide the corresponding benchmarks.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Humans Felt The Effects of Weird Space Weather 41,000 Years Ago

    "Spectacular and threatening."

  • Science Alert ☛ Quantum Teleportation Was Achieved Over Internet For The First Time

    "Nobody thought it was possible.”

• Career/Education

  • The Straits Times ☛ Thai school apologises after student punishment fails to make the cut

    Some netizens said school was too strict in its response to hairstyle violation.

• Hardware

  • Science Alert ☛ We Have a New Record For The Most Accurate Clock Ever Built

    Do you have the time?

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel Arrow Lake refresh might not have a new NPU after all — latest reports indicate a clock speed bump only

    Intel is set to launch the Arrow Lake-S refresh in the latter part of this year and, clashing with previous rumors, it apparently doesn't even have a new NPU. The company might only be overhauling the clock speeds for its upcoming desktop lineup.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-07-10 [Older] Weight loss drugs linked with growing number of side effects

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-07-09 [Older] German Bundestag: Attacks and insults dominate debate

  • New York Times ☛ Sarepta Refuses FDA Request to Stop Shipping Muscular Dystrophy Drug Elevidys

    The regulator had asked Sarepta Therapeutics to halt all shipments of its therapy, Ele­vidys, after three patients died from liver failure after taking it or a similar treatment.

  • PHR ☛ U.S. Rescissions Package Threatens Devastating Consequences for Global Health: PHR

    The U.S. House of Representatives vote to approve the Convicted Felon administration’s proposed rescissions package – clawing back $9 billion in congressionally approved spending, including $8 billion for foreign aid – will have immediate, profound, and devastating consequences on global health, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said today.

  • Science Alert ☛ 40% of People Have Eyes That Aren't Perfectly Round. Here's What You Need to Know.

    The science of astigmatism.

  • France24 ☛ Visitor eats $6.2 million banana artwork at French museum [Ed: The real scandal is that they call it "art" and value is like Wall Street values worthless companies which lose money]

    A visitor at France’s Pompidou-Metz museum bit into Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous banana artwork “Comedian” last week, prompting swift intervention from security. The $6.2 million piece – famously duct-taped to a wall – was quickly restored, as the artist lamented the guest ate only the fruit, not the tape. The conceptual work has now been consumed multiple times.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Tomb Raider Composer Sentenced to 16 Months for COVID Loan Fraud

    Peter Connelly, a British composer famed for his work on the Tomb Raider video game series, has been sentenced to 16 months in prison over COVID loan fraud. Connelly is best known for his significant contributions to the Tomb Raider franchise, particularly during its Core Design era.

  • New Yorker ☛ The Director Ari Aster Explains His COVID-Era Western “Eddington”

    Ari Aster’s neo-noir Western involves a gun-toting sheriff, COVID, the George Floyd protests, and a mysterious Hey Hi (AI) data center. The writer-director talks with Adam Howard.

  • New Yorker ☛ “Eddington” Is a Lethally Self-Satisfied COVID Satire

    In Ari Aster’s dark comedy, Joaquin Phoenix plays the sheriff of a New Mexico town riven by political clashes and pandemic anxieties.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong gov’t to stop providing free Covid-19 antiviral pills to private doctors from July 29

    The Hong Kong government has announced that it will stop sponsoring private doctors to provide free Covid-19 oral antiviral pills from July 29, as the coronavirus disease “has become a common respiratory viral infection.”

• Proprietary

  • Hackaday ☛ Before Macintosh: The Story Of The Apple Lisa

    Film maker [David Greelish] wrote in to let us know about his recent documentary: Before Macintosh: The Apple Lisa.

  • Federal News Network ☛ Senate intel bill takes on Salt Typhoon, ODNI reorganization

    The Senate intel bill also touches on the intelligence community's Hey Hi (AI) use, the procurement of innovative technologies, and enhanced whistleblower protections.

  • Zimbabwe ☛ Candy Crush maker lays off staff, Hey Hi (AI) they helped build takes their jobs [Ed: Layoffs at Abusive Monopolist Microsoft]

    We knew Hey Hi (AI) wasn’t just a buzzword, but even we’re surprised at how fast the layoffs are piling up.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Zimbabwe ☛ Netflix Uses Generative Hey Hi (AI) in a Show for the First Time. If it’s Good Enough for Them …

      Netflix has officially crossed a line, though it insists it’s nothing to fear. Their move is being hotly discussed in creative circles.

    • Pen Test Partners ☛ Using Hey Hi (AI) Chatbots to examine leaked data

      TL;DR  Introduction  Hey Hi (AI) is proving to be a useful companion for analysing data at scale for forensic examiners (data that is already publicly available if not privately hosted).

    • Security Week ☛ Fraud: A Growth Industry Powered by [Slop]

      With generative Hey Hi (AI) [Slop] enabling fraud-as-a-service at scale, legacy defenses are crumbling. The next wave of cybercrime is faster, smarter, and terrifyingly synthetic.

    • New York Times ☛ X Hits Grok Bottom + More Hey Hi (AI) Talent Wars + ‘Crypto Week’

      “XAI had to apologize after Grok began praising Adolf Hitler, making antisemitic comments and referring to itself as MechaHitler.”

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ New Mobile Phone Forensics Tool

      The Chinese have a new tool called Massistant.

    • Security Week ☛ Settlement Reached in Investors’ Lawsuit Against Meta CEO Mark Kapo-berg and Other Company Leaders

      A settlement has been reached in the class action brought by investors against Meta over the Cambridge Analytica incident, but details have not been shared.

      >

    • Security Week ☛ Anne Arundel Dermatology Data Breach Impacts 1.9 Million People

      Anne Arundel Dermatology said hackers had access to its systems for three months and may have stolen personal and health information. 

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ Lightning strikes kill 33 people in eastern India

    The Bihar government announced compensation of 4 million rupees to the families of those who died.

  • Pro Publica ☛ El Salvador Prison CECOT Housed Over 60 Venezuelans Who Were Seeking U.S. Asylum and Deported by Trump

    José Manuel Ramos Bastidas never set foot in the U.S. — at least not as a free man. He left Venezuela in January 2024, hoping to earn enough money to pay for his newborn son’s medical needs. Born with a respiratory condition, the family’s “milagrito,” or “little miracle,” had severe asthma and repeatedly needed to be hospitalized. The cost of treatment had become impossible to manage on the meager wages Ramos made washing cars in Venezuela’s collapsed economy, so he trekked thousands of miles through a half dozen countries to reach the U.S. border.

    When Ramos arrived, he didn’t sneak into the country. He followed the rules established by the Biden administration for immigrants seeking asylum. He signed up for an appointment through a government app and, when he was granted one, turned himself in to request protection. An immigration official and a judge determined he didn’t qualify, and Ramos didn’t fight the decision.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-07-11 [Older] US: Court throws out plea deal for alleged 9/11 mastermind

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-07-11 [Older] US secretary of state meets Chinese counterpart in Malaysia

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-07-10 [Older] Weight loss drugs linked with growing number of side effects

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-07-09 [Older] German Bundestag: Attacks and insults dominate debate

  • NYPost ☛ Call of Duty maker can’t be held responsible for Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooter, lawyer argues

    A lawyer for the maker of the video game Call of Duty argued Friday that a judge should dismiss a lawsuit brought by families of the victims of the Robb Elementary School attack in Uvalde, Texas.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean shaman accused of raping teen in ‘exorcism’ claims lost memory

    The man in his 20s is accused of sexually assaulting the victim and filming the brutal attack.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan will not provoke confrontation with China, does not seek conflict: V-P Hsiao

    She said Chinese pressure on Taiwan had only escalated over the past few years, but that the island’s people were peace-loving.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Charting a strategic path for Syria’s postwar reconstruction

    As Syria emerges from over a decade of conflict, easing sanctions by the United States, the European Union (EU), and other European partners is an important step toward reintegrating Syria into the global economy. Yet, for a country that has been economically isolated for over fourteen years, lifting sanctions is only the beginning.

  • France24 ☛ Exiled Syrian family returns home to ruins of Yarmouk refugee camp after fall of Assad

    South of the Syrian capital Damascus, Yarmouk refugee camp was the scene of violent clashes between Bashar al-Assad's regime and rebel militias, and later the Islamic State group, during the almost 14-year-long Syrian war. Ahmed and Jihane Tameem were among those who fled the bombs at the end of 2012. Three years later, they left Syria and found refuge in Sweden with their two children. Now, after the fall of Assad, they have returned home to reunite with their loved ones. FRANCE 24's Claire Billet and Olivier Jobard report.

  • JURIST ☛ UN urges civilian protection amid escalating conflict in Syria

    The United Nations on Tuesday called for immediate de-escalation and the protection of civilians as violence intensifies in multiple parts of Syria. Inter-ethnic violence erupted between Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias in Sweida after a Druze merchant was abducted on the highway to Damascus and was met with government intervention and Israeli airstrikes.

  • France24 ☛ 50 days for Putin: “Much ado about nothing?”, UK Data Breach scandal, Israel bombs Damascus

    A panel of Praris-based journalists review the week's international news: stories that made the headlines and also those the viewers may have missed.

    Putin’s 50 days deadline: “Much ado about nothing?”, The Afghan leak & the UK super injunction, Why did Israel bomb Damascus?

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea bans foreigners from beach resort after Lavrov trip

      Mr Sergei Lavrov visited the resort town and met Mr Kim Jong Un on the leader’s yacht.

    • JURIST ☛ Russia prisoner sentenced to 6 years for discussing Ukraine invasion with cellmates

      A Russian military court sentenced a prisoner to an additional 6 years of imprisonment and a 49,000 rubles (approximately $600) fine on the charges of public calls to terrorism and the spread of “war fakes,” according to local media.

    • Scoop News Group ☛ UK sanctions Russian hackers, spies as US weighs its own punishments for Russia

      The hackers were allegedly involved in operations against Ukraine and a Russian on U.K. soil, the latter with malware tied to U.S. 2016 election interference.

    • European Commission ☛ EU adopts 18th package of sanctions against Russia

      European Commission Press release Brussels, 18 Jul 2025 The European Commission welcomes the Council's adoption of the 18th Russia sanctions package, aimed at further ramping up pressure on the country and supporting EU's goal of achieving a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

    • European Commission ☛ Questions and answers on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian man faces €7,000 fine after breaching border to enter Belarus

      A Lithuanian national who crashed through a border barrier and crossed into Belarus while driving a car-sharing platform's vehicle is facing a €7,000 fine, Lithuania's Prosecutor General’s Office said on Thursday.

    • LRT ☛ BKT proposes resuming Belaruskali transit via Lithuania, government rules it out

      Birių Krovinių Terminalas (BKT), the Klaipėda-based bulk cargo terminal partly owned by Belarusian fertiliser giant Belaruskali, has proposed a settlement that would see the resumption of fertiliser transit through Lithuania, according to a letter obtained by BNS.

    • Meduza ☛ E.U. approves new sanctions against Russia, lowering oil price cap — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian lawmaker says WhatsApp should ‘prepare to leave’ the country — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘There’s a 99-percent chance it will happen’: Meduza’s Kremlin sources say Russia is poised to ban WhatsApp in a bid to quell discontent — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ God-bearing people to save us from consumerism Political scientist Sergey Karaganov (the guy who suggested nuking Poland) has a blueprint for a state ideology to establish Russia as Earth’s protector — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ New EU sanctions will target the heart of Russia's war economy – Lithuanian FM

      As EU member states approved the bloc’s 18th – and arguably one of its toughest – packages of sanctions against Russia on Friday, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said the measures strike at the core of Russia’s war economy.

    • JURIST ☛ Defected Russia soldier sentenced to 23 years in prison

      A Russian military court sentenced a defected soldier to 23 years of imprisonment and a fine of 590,000 rubles (approximately $7,500), according to local media. Anton Hozhaev faced charges of performance management of a terrorist organization, treason, legalization of funds obtained by criminal means, and defection. 

    • JURIST ☛ New Russia anti-extremism amendments spark concerns over increased crackdown on dissent

      Amnesty International denounced on Thursday new legislative amendments in Russia that strengthen the fight against extremism. The organization emphasized that new bills that allow groups to be declared “extremist” without a court decision and penalize searching for or accessing “extremist materials” online pave the way for the ruthless persecution of the opposition and other critics [...]

    • Meduza ☛ Overnight Russian attack on Ukraine kills at least three and hits rabbi’s car — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Zelensky appoints former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov as head of Ukraine’s Security Council — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘I could snap your neck like a chicken’s’: A volunteer from Belgorod raised money for Ukrainian refugees. Now she’s going to prison for 22 years. — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Trump told Zelensky Ukraine should go on the offensive — Washington Post — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Closing in As Russian forces advance on two Donbas cities at once, Ukraine stands to lose another key supply route — Meduza

    • The Straits Times ☛ Australia delivers Abrams tanks to Ukraine for war with Russia

      Australia is one of the largest non-Nato contributors to Ukraine.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Ukraine’s tools for voteless democracy

      As Russia squeezes its citizens into submission, Ukrainians rely on a spirit of equality and respect to maintain legitimate governance. One tool: e-petitions to the president’s inbox.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Australia delivers Abrams tanks to Ukraine for war with Russia

      SYDNEY - Australia's government said on Saturday it had delivered M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine as part of a A$245 million ($160 million) package to help the country defend itself against Russia in their ongoing war.

    • RFERL ☛ EU Approves New Russia Sanctions Package Including Key Oil Price Cap

      The European Union has approved its latest sanctions package, the 18th since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine over three years ago, including a key price cap on Russian oil exports.

    • CS Monitor ☛ ‘It’s everyone’s business.’ In Finland, national security is a shared responsibility.

      National security in Finland is a society-wide effort that goes beyond the military. Under the shadow of Russian aggression, Europe is taking a look.

    • LRT ☛ Lukashenko’s balancing act – does he have something to offer both the West and Putin?

      The disputed president of Belarus, Aliaksandr Lukashenko, threatens the Baltic states and Poland with extinction, yet signals to the Americans a willingness to talk and cooperate. Does the Minsk regime leader truly have room to manoeuvre and secure the sanctions relief he so desperately seeks from the West, or is he merely a figure in the Kremlin’s game?

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • New York Times ☛ Friday Briefing: Convicted Felon’s Order on Epstein Records

    Plus, panic-buying Korean beauty products

  • New Yorker ☛ The Insurrectionist, Jeffrey Epstein, and Three Conspiracy-Theory Theories

    Dihydroxyacetone Man rode the paranoid style of MAGA politics to power. Has he discovered that he can’t control it?

  • New York Times ☛ Why Convicted Felon Can’t Shake Jeffrey Epstein

    The journalist Will Sommer examines the perfect storm of the Epstein files, Convicted Felon, QAnon and MAGA.

  • New Yorker ☛ Michael Wolff on MAGA’s Revolt Over Jeffrey Epstein

    The journalist talks about his interviews with the infamous abuser, and the political fallout from the White House’s attempt to close his case.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Damage mounts in South Korea as torrential rains enter fourth day

    SEOUL - Torrential rains that lashed South Korea for a fourth day on Saturday kept nearly 3,000 people from returning to their homes, while livestock were stranded up to the neck in rising waters as the death toll reached four with two missing, authorities said.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Big Black Fish: Chinese farmer makes splash with homemade submarine

      A 60-year-old farmer in China has built his own “Big Black Fish” — a homemade submarine that can accommodate two people, dive eight metres and stay underwater for 30 minutes at a time.

    • Hackaday ☛ PVCSub: A Submarine From The Plumbing Aisle

      Today in the submersibles department our hacker [Rupin Chheda] wrote in to tell us about their submarine project.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Japan voters see little hope for tariff reprieve in carmaker Mazda’s home town

      Mazda faces US tariffs of 25% on vehicles, a dispiriting prospect for an electorate already battling inflation.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • The Straits Times ☛ Curious humpback whale disrupts Sydney Harbour ferry services during morning rush hour

      The juvenile whale was first spotted by commuters around Fort Denison, near the Sydney Opera House.

    • Science Alert ☛ Mammals Have Evolved Into Anteaters at Least 12 Times Since The Dinosaurs

      Step aside, crabs!

    • Science Alert ☛ Plague Death in Arizona Shows Insidious Disease Never Disappeared

      Not just a disease of history.

    • Science Alert ☛ Moths Don't Like to Lay Their Eggs on Plants That Are Screaming

      Well, would you?

• Finance

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Official data shows record-high company registration figures in Hong Kong

    Hong Kong has logged record-high company registration figures, with close to 1.5 million local firms registered in the city as of June, according to the latest official data.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia’s export-oriented businesses fret as deadline for US tariff deal draws near

    They are particularly worried about the uncertainty over tariffs on transshipped goods.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China mulls over economy-boosting measures to counter ‘severe situation’

    Growth hit 5.2 per cent in the second quarter, official data showed on July 15.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US bank Wells Fargo employee blocked from leaving China: reports

    US bank Wells Fargo told AFP Friday it was working to help one of its employees return to the United States, after reports they had been barred from leaving China. Multiple media outlets reported earlier Friday that the employee involved was Chenyue Mao, an Atlanta-based managing director who was born in Shanghai.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan ‘working around the clock’ to strike tariff deal with US

    Taiwan’s trade negotiators were “working around the clock” to strike a tariff deal with the United States, the island’s vice president said Friday, two weeks before Washington’s deadline. The Insurrectionist has given his trade partners until August 1 to reach an agreement with the White House or be hit with his threatened levies.

  • Pro Publica ☛ Trump HUD Prepares to Drop Major Housing Discrimination Cases

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is preparing to shut down seven major investigations and cases concerning alleged housing discrimination and segregation, including some where the agency already found civil rights violations, according to HUD records obtained by ProPublica.

    The high-profile cases involve allegations that state and local governments across the South and Midwest illegally discriminated against people of color by placing industrial plants or low-income housing in their neighborhoods, and by steering similar facilities away from white neighborhoods, among other allegations. HUD has been pursuing these cases — which range from instances where the agency has issued a formal charge of discrimination to newer investigations — for as many as seven years. In three of them, HUD officials had determined that the defendants had violated the Fair Housing Act or related civil rights laws. A HUD staffer familiar with the other four investigations believes civil rights violations occurred in each, the official told ProPublica. Under President Donald Trump, the agency now plans to abruptly end all of them, regardless of prior findings of wrongdoing.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New Yorker ☛ Leah Litman on Convicted Felon’s Supreme Court

    “I think the Supreme Court, in particular, has proven that it is really fine with a lot of what the Administration is doing, and that they are basically willing to bend over backwards and ignore their own rules and procedures to allow the Administration to do what it wants,” Litman says.

  • JURIST ☛ US states sue Convicted Felon to block FEMA program funding cuts

    20 US states sued President The Insurrectionist’s administration on Wednesday with the aim of blocking the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) cut of funding to a specific pre-disaster mitigation program.

  • New York Times ☛ Cuban Minister Resigns After Accusing Beggars of Faking Poverty

    The labor and social security minister drew public outrage when she said “there are no beggars” in Cuba, where many people struggle to afford food.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines' Marcos to discuss trade and security during U.S. visit as tariffs loom

    Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr will visit the United States next week with a clear message to President The Insurrectionist that the Philippines must become economically stronger if it is to serve as a truly robust partner, an official said on Friday.

  • France24 ☛ Nigeria’s diplomatic recall risks stalling global cooperation (experts)

    Nigeria's president has recalled over 100 ambassadors worldwide – except the envoy to the UN – sparking concern over a sudden diplomatic vacuum. Experts say the move could stall intelligence gathering, treaty negotiations and global cooperation. With Nigeria seen as a crucial ally in fighting Islamist insurgency in West Africa, the absence of its envoys on the world stage could bring major consequences. Our correspondent Chinwe Ossondu explains.

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Tulsi Gabbard Accuses Kash Patel of Covering Up for the Obama Deep State

    Tulsi Gabbard has spun a wild tale of politicized intelligence that got Convicted Felon's rubes good and frothy but crumbles under the least scrutiny. But let's pretend they're true. If so, Pam Bondi must fire and criminally prosecute Kash Patel.

  • New York Times ☛ Gabbard Claims Obama Administration Tried to Undermine Convicted Felon in 2016

    Democrats denounced a report issued by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as politically motivated and error-ridden.

  • The Straits Times ☛ I will not be PM for third time if PN takes over Malaysia government: Mahathir

    He said he would just want to play the role of adviser.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Dozens protest in Malaysia against ‘alpha male’ Convicted Felon nominee for US envoy

    Nick Adams has harshly criticised Islam and shown support for Israel’s war in Gaza.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s spy agency attacks foreign efforts to ‘steal’ rare earths

    Unusually large quantities of antimony appeared to have been transshipped into the US, Reuters reported.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China quietly issues 2025 rare earth quotas, sources say

    The country is increasingly sensitive about rare earths and its control over the supply.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says successful US trade talks make return to tariff war unnecessary

    Commerce Minister Wang said the current overall tariff level imposed by the US on China was “still high” at 53.6%.

  • NYPost ☛ US revokes visas of Brazilian justices after its top court cracks down on ex-president Bolsonaro

    Brazil's Supreme Court issued search warrants and restraining orders against Bolsonaro on Friday, banning him from contacting foreign officials over allegations he courted the interference of U.S. President The Insurrectionist.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • New York Times ☛ Lawmakers Question Whether CBS Canceled Colbert’s Show for Political Reasons

    Paramount, the network’s parent, recently agreed to pay Hell Toupée $16 million to settle his lawsuit over the editing of an interview on the CBS News program “60 Minutes.”

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ HKFP Monitor July 19, 2025: Revived talk of ‘soft resistance,’ reactions to Jimmy O. Yang’s tête-à-tête with John Lee

    This week, we look at how top officials revived talk of “soft resistance” as the national security law hit its five-year mark, while indie publishers launched their own book fair amid mounting scrutiny.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ 2025 journalism job cuts tracked: Informa Techtarget to cull 10% of staff after merger, Reach to cut 50 sports roles

  • RFERL ☛ US District Court Orders USAGM to Pay RFE/RL for Rest of Fiscal Year

    A US court granted Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) request for a preliminary injunction in its lawsuit against the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) over its failure to pay RFE/RL its congressionally appropriated funds.

  • BIA Net ☛ bianet receives fake court orders demanding removal of news articles

    Fake rulings for censorship purposes have targeted Turkey's independent outlets several times over the past couple of years.

  • JURIST ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man threatens Wall Street Journal lawsuit amid Epstein transparency controversy

    The Insurrectionist vowed Friday to sue The Wall Street Journal over a report claiming he wrote a sexual letter to Jeffrey Epstein, adding to his legal battles against major news organizations as his administration faces backlash for closing the Epstein case despite transparency promises.

  • Public Knowledge ☛ Hell Toupée’s Rescissions Package Threatens Free Press

    Today, the U.S. House voted 216-213 to pass the “Rescissions Act of 2025” to claw back 9 billion dollars in bipartisan federal funding for a variety of grantees, including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds both National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Zimbabwe ☛ Econet SmartBiz Customers Frustrated By Slower Internet Speeds

    There’s been quite a bit of chatter on social control media lately about Econet’s SmartBiz internet service.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Federal Circuit Expands Prosecution History Estoppel to Simple Claim Cancellations in Colibri Heart Valve

    In a decision that broadens the reach of prosecution history estoppel (and thus limits doctrine of equivalents), the Federal Circuit reversed a $106 million jury verdict in Colibri Heart Valve LLC v. Medtronic CoreValve, LLC, No. 2023-2153 (Fed. Cir. July 18, 2025). The court held that prosecution history estoppel barred Colibri from asserting doctrine of equivalents infringement based solely on the cancellation of a broad claim during prosecution—even though the asserted claim itself was original and never amended.

  • DOJ Misses the Mark on Injunctions

    On July 11, 2025, the non-practicing entity (NPE) Radian Memory Systems LLC dropped a request for injunctive relief against Samsung after the defendant provided new evidence that undercut the immediate risk needed to justify such an order.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: How Did These Three Recent Section 2(d) Appeals Turn Out?

    Section 2(d) affirmances are running at about 90% this year (as usual). Here are three recent appeals. No hint this time. How do you think they came out? [Answer in first comment].

• Copyrights

  • Public Domain Review ☛ Through the Magnifying Glass: The Cheese Mites (1903)

    A trick film in the peepshow vein, involving magnification and mites on a block of cheese.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Authors’ Anthropic Infringement Suit Receives Class Certification — ‘Comprehensive, Per Work List’ of Pirated Books Due September 1st

    A federal judge has granted class certification in a copyright monopoly complaint levied against Anthropic by authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson. Judge William Alsup ordered as much yesterday, weeks after Anthropic scored a partial win in the high-stakes case.