Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Evidence of World-Changing Comet Explosion 12,800 Years Ago Found in The Ocean

    Dust from alien elsewhere.

  • Science Alert ☛ Ancient Tools Suggest Indonesian 'Hobbits' Had a Mysterious Neighbor

    Could this be another lost hominin?

  • Science Alert ☛ Giant Stick Insect Found Hiding in Rainforest May Be Australia's Heaviest

    How did we miss this?

• Career/Education

  • American Oversight ☛ American Oversight Challenges IRS’s “Ridiculous” Attempt to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Its Targeting of Harvard University

    The IRS claims all documents — phone logs, calendar invites, etc. — would reveal confidential tax return information.

  • Stanford University ☛ Stanford chemist sues University for alleged anti-Semitic discrimination

    Israeli chemist Shay Laps filed a lawsuit against professor and lab director Danny Chou, alleging that Chou’s falsified sexual harassment claims indicated anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli bias. The University stated that Laps’ allegations are “unsubstantiated.”

• Hardware

  • The Straits Times ☛ Humanoid robot enrolls in doctoral drama programme in China

    Experts expect to make breakthroughs in the robot’s interaction with the physical world.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Two Chinese nationals arrested in the U.S. over GPU smuggling worth 'tens of millions of dollars' — over 20 shipments of Hey Hi (AI) chips and numerous illicit payments tracked

    Two Chinese nationals have been arrested in the U.S. over allegations they shipped tens of millions of dollars' worth of Hey Hi (AI) GPUs to China in exchange for cash.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ The U.S. and China are engaged in a race over chip development — both countries are racing to build infrastructure

    Both superpowers are building up chip development capabilities while trying to reduce dependencies upon one another.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ China semiconductor 'megamerger' strategy reportedly stalling — new report says high-level merger plans to strengthen domestic chip industry face multiple headwinds

    Despite China’s push to consolidate its semiconductor sector into a few strong players, efforts have largely stalled due to valuation conflicts, political obstacles, and technological gaps.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ U.S. Senator probes defective chip maker Intel board over CEO Lip-Bu Tan's former China links —raises national security concerns amid Cadence scandal

    Senator Tom Cotton is pressing Intel’s board over CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s past China investments and whether he knew about subpoenas tied to Cadence, his former company, which recently pleaded guilty to selling chip design tools to a Chinese military university during his tenure.

  • CNX Software ☛ Nuvoton MG51 8-bit 8051 MCU family features with up to 64KB flash, 4KB SRAM

    Nuvoton MG51 Series is a new family of 8-bit 8051 microcontrollers clocked at up to 24 MHz with up to 64KB flash, 4KB SRAM, 5V operation, industrial temperature range, and a range of peripherals such as UART, I2C, SPI, 12-bit ADC, as well as up to 46 GPIOs.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ TSMC employees reportedly stole 2nm trade secrets to share with Rapidus — accused are said to have shared 'hundreds of process integration technical photos'

    TSMC is probing an alleged leak of 2nm process integration images to Japan's Rapidus, though the data's content, impact, and Rapidus's involvement remain uncertain.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Mexican health authorities recall a popular Colgate toothpaste

    Consumers had been reporting adverse reactions after using Colgate Total Clean Mint, leading Mexican health authorities to remove it from the market.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Young adults majority of new HIV cases in Malaysia

    Young adults comprised the majority of new HIV cases reported in Malaysia in 2024, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Hit by US tariffs, Indonesia plans to sell shrimp to China instead

    The US tariffs could see Indonesia’s shrimp exports plunge by 30 per cent.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China extends probe on imported beef in respite for global suppliers

    The inquiry came as slowing demand squeezes the world’s largest market for beef imports and consumption.

  • Science Alert ☛ These Symptoms Could Be Early Warning Signs of MS, a Decade Before Diagnosis

    Up to 15 years before more clear-cut symptoms appear.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Disease That Makes You Allergic to Meat And Dairy Is Spreading Around The World

    Some important mysteries remain.

  • Science Alert ☛ What Is Chikungunya? A Guide to The Virus Spreading in China

    The US has issued travel advice.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Security Week ☛ Major Enterprise Hey Hi (AI) Assistants Can Be Abused for Data Theft, Manipulation

      Zenity has shown how Hey Hi (AI) assistants such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Cursor, Gemini, and Salesfarce Einstein can be abused using specially crafted prompts.

  • Windows TCO / Windows Bot Nets

    • Security Week ☛ Flaws Expose 100 Dell Laptop Models to Implants, backdoored Windows Login Bypass

      ReVault vulnerabilities in the ControlVault3 firmware in Dell laptops could lead to firmware modifications or backdoored Windows login bypass.

    • Security Week ☛ Over 1 Million Impacted by DaVita Data Breach

      DaVita has notified over 1 million individuals that their personal and health information was stolen in a ransomware attack.

    • Trail of Bits ☛ Prompt injection engineering for attackers: Exploiting Microsoft's proprietary prison GitHub Copilot

      Prompt injection pervades discussions about security for LLMs and Hey Hi (AI) agents. But there is little public information on how to write powerful, discreet, and reliable prompt injection exploits. In this post, we will design and implement a prompt injection exploit targeting Microsoft's proprietary prison GitHub ’s Copilot Agent, with a focus on maximizing reliability and minimizing the odds of detection.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • The Straits Times ☛ Online kidnapping scams on the rise in Vietnam, targeting people living far from home

      'Virtual kidnappings’ typically follow a pattern and often target students living away from home.

    • SANS ☛ Do sextortion scams still work in 2025?, (Wed, Aug 6th)

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • New Yorker ☛ The Internet Wants to Check Your I.D.

      New safety rules require users to verify their identities before gaining access to sites. This spells the end of the relative anonymity that we’ve come to expect online.

• Defence/Aggression

  • France24 ☛ Ghana’s defence, environment ministers among 8 killed in helicopter crash

    Ghana's defence and environment chiefs were killed in a helicopter crash on Wednesday along with six others, the  presidency said. The incident comes at a time of heightened regional security concerns amid rising jihadist activity near Ghana's northern border.

  • SAPS National Commissioner meets Basotho counterpart

    The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola has met with his counterpart in Lesotho, Advocate Borotho Matsoso. Monday’s meeting in Maseru, Lesotho, discussed allegations that there are illegal Basotho military training camps in South Africa.

  • Defence Web ☛ Kenya boosts armoured vehicle fleet with Springbuck and M1117 APCs

    Kenya’s inventory of armoured vehicles continues to grow, with the country recently taking into service new DCD Springbuck armoured personnel carriers (APCs) from South Africa and second hand M1117 armoured security vehicles from the United States.

  • Federal News Network ☛ The Pentagon’s supply chain has a blind spot and it could be a national security risk

    "If someone turns off that supply chain, like we saw with the China example, that's critical material that's not making it to your systems," said Bill Russell.

  • France24 ☛ Dozens of Palestinians killed seeking aid as Israel mulls full occupation of Gaza

    At least 63 Palestinians were killed overnight and into Wednesday in the Gaza Strip, according to local health officials, who said 38 of that number died seeking food aid from UN convoys and US-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites. The surge in violence comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to announce further military action, possibly including reoccupation plans for Gaza.

  • New York Times ☛ How the Nuclear Attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Changed Japan

    The country’s postwar Constitution is under scrutiny as Japan rebuilds its military, spooked by a rising China and other potential threats.

  • New York Times ☛ India, Once America’s Counterweight to China, Is Now Facing Convicted Felon’s Wrath

    With threats of tariffs up to 50 percent, Hell Toupée seems to be scrapping America’s plan to turn India into a counterweight to China, declaring instead that it is a “dead economy.”

  • The Straits Times ☛ US says it has started seabed mineral talks with Cook Islands

    Western nations have become increasingly concerned about China’s plans to increase its influence in Pacific countries.

  • The Straits Times ☛ India’s Modi to visit China for first time in 7 years, says source, as tensions with US rise

    Indian PM Narendra Modi will go there for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, said the government source.

  • JURIST ☛ Canada air-drops 21,600 pounds of humanitarian aid in Gaza

    Global Affairs Canada (GAC) released a statement on Monday confirming that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have provided “life-saving humanitarian assistance” in Gaza amidst the “pressing humanitarian needs of Palestinians.” CAF relied on CC-130J Hercules aircraft to drop 21,600 pounds of aid to Gaza.

  • The Strategist ☛ In securing the Indian Ocean, Australia and France are stronger together

    Australia is already under a lot of expectation in the Pacific Ocean, as the United States reduces its aid program and China is busy exploring trenches there.

  • New York Times ☛ Despite Opposition, Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet to Discuss Gaza Military Push

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with a group of senior ministers on Thursday as the families of the hostages warn that moving into new areas could endanger the captives.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Europe’s play to keep Convicted Felon happy cannot come at the expense of a longer-term strategy

      Even as the EU prioritizes defense and security interests with the US, it could come at the cost of economic and political cohesion in the bloc.

    • Meduza ☛ Jailed mother of Chechen opposition activists gets another nearly four-year sentence — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ For 25 years, a Moscow State University institute researched teleportation. Then the media took notice — and its website vanished. — Meduza

    • The Straits Times ☛ India’s security chief in Moscow after US tariff threats: Media

      His reported visit to Moscow coincides with that of US envoy Steve Witkoff.

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • Federal News Network ☛ A new bill looks to enhance whistleblower protections for FBI employees

    The legislation would protect FBI agents who appeal adverse personnel decisions.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Monsoon peaks in south China, unleashing landslides, disease

    Meteorologists link the heavier-than-usual downpours to climate change.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Flash floods kill 6 in Myanmar-China border town

    The northern town of Laiza has reported flash flooding since early Aug 4.

  • New York Times ☛ Charleston’s Climate Lawsuit Against Oil Giants Is Dismissed

    The legal claim, one of a raft of lawsuits across the country, had accused companies of a yearslong disinformation campaign about climate change.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia plans barrierless toll system modelled after Singapore’s ERP

      Highway operator Plus will begin public trials of the automatic number plate recognition system in mid-August.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Tourists in Malaysia urged to wear seat belts on buses following change in law

      Mr Ashfar said bus drivers and operators should not be held liable if passengers do not follow rules.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean prosecutors question former first lady accused of graft

    This comes as her husband, ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol, remains in detention for declaring martial law.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea says timing of US tariff cut on autos not decided

    The US will charge a 15 per cent tariff on imports from South Korea, including autos.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Mexico adds record 1.26 million formal jobs in July as gig workers gain benefits [Ed: If a rise in "gig jobs" comes at the expense of real job, then it is a negative, not a positive]

    The Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) reported that 1.353 million formal sector jobs were created between January and July, an increase of 6.1% since the end of 2024.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s leaders take aim at ‘pointless’ meetings and ‘bureaucratism’

    Streamlining meetings and capping documents at 5,000 words were among suggestions in a government notice.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Chinese leaders take aim at ‘pointless’ meetings and ‘bureaucratism’

    China’s top lawmakers are telling officials across the country to hold fewer meetings and give shorter speeches in a bid to root out “pointless formalities”, state media reported on Wednesday.

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Spending Bill Means Big Cuts for New Mexico

    Health care. Food. Outdoor recreation. Wildfire protection. The arts. Hell Toupée’s new domestic policy law will have wide-ranging effects in New Mexico, which depends heavily on federal funding.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Leaders of South Korea, Vietnam to meet next week amid trade woes, sources say

    They aim to boost cooperation on technology at a time of global trade tension that could affect their ties.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Surfing the Hallyu: What Taiwan can learn from South Korea’s cultural diplomacy

    With sustained investment and strategic branding, Taiwan can increase global awareness, deepen international partnerships, and fortify its national identity through cultural diplomacy.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania’s Social Democrats nominate former trade unionist Ruginienė for prime minister

    Lithuania’s ruling Social Democratic Party on Wednesday nominated Social Security and Labour Minister Inga Ruginienė as its candidate for prime minister, following the resignation of Gintautas Paluckas earlier this week, two party sources confirmed to BNS.

  • JURIST ☛ Hong Kong escalates pressure on overseas activists with passport cancellations, financial bans

    Hong Kong authorities on Monday cancelled passports and banned financial support for 16 overseas-based pro-democracy activists accused of endangering national security. The orders were issued under Hong Kong’s 2024 Article 23 national security legislation, officially known as the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Father of activist wanted under nat. sec law pleads not guilty to attempting to handle daughter’s insurance funds

    The father of overseas activist Anna Kwok, who is wanted under the national security law, has pleaded not guilty to attempting to handle her funds.  Kwok Yin-sang, a merchant, appeared at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday afternoon.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong security chief defends tightened prison rules, citing need to safeguard nat. security

    Hong Kong security chief Chris Tang has defended tightened prison rules that came into effect last month, saying the amendments were necessary to safeguard national security.

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Planning for a Cover-Up in a House with Small Children and Other Stories of How Todd Blanche Is Helping a Sex Trafficker

    Todd Blanche will conduct his next effort to make Convicted Felon's sex trafficking problem go away in a home where JD Vance is raising three young children.

  • ACLU ☛ The Voting Rights Act at 60: A Legacy in Jeopardy, a Democracy at Risk

    This August marks 60 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act (VRA) into law. The act is the crown jewel of civil rights legislation and seeks to finally make the Constitution's promise of equality real. In the past year alone, the ACLU was in federal court wielding this very law to ensure that Black voters have an equal opportunity to participate in the political process in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. These two realities capture where we are: celebrating the VRA's legacy, while fighting desperately to save it from destruction.

    At the ACLU's Voting Rights Project, we’ve relied on the VRA to combat discrimination, litigating at least 16 cases under the act in the past decade alone. But increasingly, we’re fighting to save the act itself.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • The Straits Times ☛ Musk v Modi: Inside the battle over India's internet censorship

    No signs of souring personal relations between Mr MElon and Mr Modi, who have a warm public rapport.

  • JURIST ☛ Stanford student newspaper sues Convicted Felon administration over attempt to deport pro-Palestine students

    The student newspaper at Stanford University sued the Convicted Felon administration on Wednesday over the government’s attempt to use federal immigration law as a way to deport noncitizens who have spoken out on their pro-Palestine beliefs.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • The Straits Times ☛ 1-hour romance: Why South Korean kids are ‘dating’ for just one period during school hours

    The fear of being a “relationship virgin” has started to impact young children in South Korea.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea to offer visa-free entry to Chinese tourists from late September

    The visa-free offer was first announced in March.

  • ACLU ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man's Birthright Citizenship Executive Order: What Happens Next

    On his first day in office, President The Insurrectionist issued an executive order seeking to end the constitutionally-guaranteed right to birthright citizenship. The American Civil Liberties Union and our partners swiftly sued to block that cruel and lawless action, as did other groups of plaintiffs around the country.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Federal Court (E.D. Va.) Reverses TTAB Decision: Apple's REALITY COMPOSER and REALITY CONVERTER Not Merely Descriptive of Developer Software

    On cross-motions for summary judgment, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia reversed the Board's decision [TTABlogged here] sustaining an opposition to registration of the marks REALITY COMPOSER and REALITY CONVERTER for downloadable software used by developers working on other software applications to produce and/or edit three-dimensional effects in augmented reality (“AR”). The Board found the marks to be merely descriptive of the goods, but new evidence submitted by Apple, including four expert reports, convinced the district court that that the marks "are both suggestive and have acquired secondary meaning." Apple, Inc. v. Zerodensity Yazilim Anonim Sirketi, Civil Action No. l:24-cv-284 (LMB/LRV) (E.D. Va. August 1, 2025).

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ The Battle for Control Over the US Copyright Office Continues: Register Fired by Convicted Felon Forces an Emergency Injunction Battle; Appeals Court Is Next

    Shira Perlmutter’s injunction push is heating up: The ex-Register’s emergency injunction motion and distinct injunction-denial appeal are both moving forward. We provided top-level updates about the developments yesterday, after the presiding judge closed out July by denying the reinstatement-minded Perlmutter’s request for a preliminary injunction.