Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Seen in Stunning New Hubble Image

    A mysterious visitor from deep space.

  • Science Alert ☛ Targeting a Single Hormone Could Help Treat 40% of IBS-D Cases

    Some relief is in sight.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ Low-cost mobile robot and security camera monitors your home and pets

    You might have already seen commercial security robots patrolling public spaces, but there’s now something similar, albeit much smaller, for home users: a low-cost OEM “Intelligent Mobile Monitoring Robot”, sometimes sold as the “Blinky Bot”. It’s essentially a battery-powered, two-lens Full-HD PTZ security camera mounted on a robot chassis with track wheels, allowing it to roam the house or a specific room.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Chihuahua teens win first place at 2025 World Robot Contest

    The students won the “DOBOT Intelligent Manufacturing Challenge — Moon Landing Challenge," which involved designing, programming and building robotic arms that simulated a moon landing.

  • Hackaday ☛ 3D-Printing A Full-Sized Kayak In Under A Day

    If you want to get active out on the water, you could buy a new kayak, or hunt one down on Craigslist, Or, you could follow [Ivan Miranda]’s example, and print one out instead.

  • Hackaday ☛ Continuous-Path 3D Printed Case Is Clearly Superior

    [porchlogic] had a problem. The desire was to print a crystal-like case for an ESP32 project, reminiscent of so many glorious game consoles and other transparent hardware of the 1990s. However, with 3D printing the only realistic option on offer, it seemed difficult to achieve a nice visual result. The solution? Custom G-code to produce as nice a print as possible, by having the hot end trace a single continuous path.

  • Hackaday ☛ Design Review: LattePanda Mu NAS Carrier

    It is a good day for design review! Today’s board is the MuBook, a Lattepanda Mu SoM (System-on-Module) carrier from [LtBrain], optimized for a NAS with 4 SATA and 2 NVMe ports. It is cheap to manufacture and put together, the changes are non-extensive but do make the board easier to assemble, and, it results in a decent footprint x86 NAS board you can even order assembled at somewhere like JLCPCB.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Nvidia responds to claim China is urging local companies to avoid Nvidia H20 — report claims authorities have sent notices discouraging use, especially for government-related purposes

    A new report claims that China is urging local companies to avoid using Nvidia's H20 chip.

  • Hackaday ☛ 2025 One Hertz Challenge: Abstract Aircraft Sculpture Based On Lighting Regulations

    The 2025 One Hertz Challenge is really heating up with all kinds of projects that do something once every second. [The Baiko] has given us a rather abstract entry that looks like a plane…if you squint at it under the right conditions.

  • Hackaday ☛ LEDs That Flow: A Fluid Simulation Business Card

    Fluid-Implicit-Particle or FLIP is a method for simulating particle interactions in fluid dynamics, commonly used in visual effects for its speed. [Nick] adapted this technique into an impressive FLIP business card.

  • Hackaday ☛ Creating A New Keyboard Flex For An Old Calculator

    [Menadue] had a vintage Compucorp 326 calculator with an aging problem. Specifically, the flex cable that connects the button pad had turned corroded over time. However, thanks to the modern PCB industrial complex, replacing the obscure part was relatively straightforward!

  • Hackaday ☛ That’s No Moon, Er, Selectric

    If you learned to type anytime in the mid-part of the 20th century, you probably either had or wanted an IBM Selectric. These were workhorses and changed typing by moving from typebars to a replaceable wheel. They were expensive, though worth it since many of them still work (including mine). But few of us could afford the $1,000 or more that these machines cost back in the day, especially when you consider that $1,000 was enough to buy a nice car for most of that time. [Tech Tangents] looks at something different: a clone Selectric from the sewing machine and printer company Juki.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Federal News Network ☛ VA’s severe health care staffing shortages are on the rise, watchdog finds

    The VA inspector general’s report doesn’t fully capture the impact of VA’s plans to reduce its total headcount.

  • European Commission ☛ Statement by Commissioner Roswall at the UN global plastic pollution negotiations

  • Pro Publica ☛ Indian Drugmaker Sun Pharma Made Promises to the FDA that It Didn’t Keep

  • Pro Publica ☛ Which Drugs Has the FDA Allowed Into the U.S. From Banned Foreign Factories?

  • Science Alert ☛ 'World's Oldest Baby' May Not Be a Record For Long, Says Expert

    Here's what it means for the future of fertility.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists May Have Identified a Natural Alternative to Ozempic

    The solution is inside you.

  • Science Alert ☛ Signs of a Rare Type of Cancer May Be Hiding in Your Voice

    A new tool.

  • Science Alert ☛ Man Hospitalized With Psychiatric Symptoms Following Hey Hi (AI) Advice

    Just see a human doctor.

  • Science Alert ☛ Ultra-Processed Foods Could Sabotage Weight Loss, Even on a 'Healthy' Diet

    Ditch the ready meals.

  • The Straits Times ☛ 5 deaths possibly related to vaping reported since 2019, says Malaysia’s health ministry

    The ministry received 83 reported cases of disease linked to vapes as of June 2025.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Online vape sales in Malaysia thrive despite ban

    Malaysia bans the sale of vape-related products online, yet they remain widely available on the Internet.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • New York Times ☛ MElon Threatens Lawsuit Against Fashion Company Apple Over Claims It Favors OpenAI

      The billionaire said in posts on X that the consumer tech giant was violating antitrust laws by giving preferential treatment to Proprietary Chaffbot Company on the App Store.

    • France24 ☛ Musk to sue Fashion Company Apple for not featuring X or Grok among its top apps

      Billionaire MElon announced Monday that his Hey Hi (AI) startup xAI is planning legal action against Apple, accusing it of antitrust violations by favouring OpenAI's Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot in its App Store rankings. MElon claims Apple's practices block other Hey Hi (AI) apps like xAI's Grok from reaching the top, sparking a sharp response from OpenAI's CEO Scam Altman.

    • Silicon Angle ☛ MElon to sue Fashion Company Apple over ChatGPT’s App Store ranking

      MElon has announced plans to sue Fashion Company Apple Inc. over the fact that the iOS version of Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Chaffbot is the top-ranked app in the App Store.

    • Ars Technica ☛ Why it’s a mistake to ask chatbots about their mistakes - Ars Technica

      The tendency to ask AI bots to explain themselves reveals widespread misconceptions about how they work.

  • Social Control Media

    • Ars Technica ☛ Study: Social media probably can’t be fixed - Ars Technica

      “The [structural] mechanism producing these problematic outcomes is really robust and hard to resolve.”

• Linux Foundation

  • OpenSSF (Linux Foundation) ☛ Securing AI: The Next Cybersecurity Battleground [Ed: Crackpot BS from the GAFAM-led fake security org, citing McKinsey]

    The Hey Hi (AI) wave is here, and it’s only getting bigger. According to a recent report from McKinsey, “over the next three years, 92 percent of companies plan to increase their Hey Hi (AI) investments.” As this Hey Hi (AI) wave washes over almost every industry and is integrated deeply and extensively into critical and non-critical operations, it ushers in a pivotal new cybersecurity battleground: securing AI.

  • OpenSSF (Linux Foundation) ☛ What’s in the SOSS? Podcast #37 – S2E14 Open Source Security: OSTIF’s 10-Year Journey of Collaborative Audits

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ The “Incriminating Video” Scam

      A few years ago, scammers invented a new phishing email. They would claim to have hacked your computer, turned your webcam on, and videoed you watching porn or having sex. BuzzFeed has an article talking about a “shockingly realistic” variant, which includes photos of you and your house—more specific information.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • The Straits Times ☛ China deploys robot antelope in Tibet to surveil real herds

      Doe-like eyes and thick brown fur make the robotic ruminant nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.

    • RFERL ☛ Leaked Files Reveal Serbia's Secret Expansion of Chinese-Made Surveillance

      The Serbian government is facing renewed scrutiny after RFE/RL reviewed documents revealing a significant expansion of its controversial surveillance program in collaboration with Chinese tech giant Huawei despite public protests and legal challenges.

    • EDRI ☛ Public consultation on ”retention of data by service providers for criminal proceedings”. Answering guide for civil society organisations and individuals.

      The European Commission has launched a public consultation to gather your views about the impact of data retention rules in view of adoption of legislative and non-legislative measures at EU level. Here's EDRi's guide on how to answer the tricky consultation.

• Defence/Aggression

  • JURIST ☛ Rights groups raise alarm over surge in executions in Saudi Arabia

    Human Rights Watch and the Middle East Democracy Centre raised alarm on Monday over the increasing use of the death penalty to crush peaceful dissent without due process in Saudi Arabia this year.

  • RFERL ☛ Iran Reports 21,000 Arrests During June War With Israel

    Iranian police say they detained around 21,000 people for alleged security violations during the 12-day war with Israel in June, a figure far higher than earlier official estimates.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuanian defense firms, science bodies to work with Brazil's Embraer

    Eight Lithuanian defence and security industry firms and research institutions have signed a letter of intent with Brazil’s Embraer Corporation, one of the world’s largest aerospace and defence technology manufacturers, the Lithuanian Defence and Security Industry Association announced on Monday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China, US pledge funds for Pacific Islands ahead of key meeting they will not attend

    The Pacific leaders' meeting in September will consider regional security.

  • France24 ☛ Fighting resumes in eastern DR Congo

    Violent combat has broken out between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo despite a peace treaty, security and local sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday, August 11. Kinshasa and the M23 signed a declaration of principles on July 19, in which they committed to a permanent ceasefire, following the signing of a peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda in late June.

  • Defence Web ☛ Large quantities of drugs and contraband seized in prisons

    Correctional facilities have recorded repeated large-scale seizures of illegal drugs and other controlled substances over the past three financial years, with dagga remaining the most confiscated item.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong woman detained on suspicion of murdering mother, brother

    A 52-year-old Hong Kong woman has been detained by police on suspicion of murdering her elderly mother and younger brother in a flat in Sham Shui Po.

  • New York Times ☛ Israeli Hostage Families Call for Nationwide Walkout

    Relatives of captives held by Hamas denounced the Israeli government for what they called “an endless war without purpose.” It was unclear how many people would take part in the labor strike.

  • New York Times ☛ Philippines Condemns China After South China Sea Collision Captured on Video

    Footage shows a Chinese coast guard vessel chasing a Philippine boat and then ramming a Chinese warship. It was the latest confrontation in the contested waters.

  • New York Times ☛ Human Rights Report Under Convicted Felon Blunts Language on Israel and El Salvador

    A collection of U.S. reports on human rights offenses trimmed or omitted past language on violations in El Salvador, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and Israel, all seen as partners by Hell Toupée.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says Thai art show ‘distorts’ its policies on Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong

    The show’s co-curator said artworks were removed or altered at Beijing’s request.

  • France24 ☛ Israeli air strikes rock Gaza as Hamas chief arrives in Cairo for ceasefire push

    Israeli strikes on Gaza City killed at least 11 people overnight, medics said Tuesday, as Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya touched down in Cairo for talks to revive a stalled US-backed ceasefire plan. The latest push comes amid a mounting civilian death toll and deep divisions over terms for ending the war.

  • Pro Publica ☛ New Uvalde Records Reveal Campus Safety Concerns Were Raised Before Shooting

    Records released this week provide more details about campus safety concerns raised before the deadly 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and include some surviving teachers’ accounts that school leaders didn’t check on them after they were injured and traumatized.

    The documents from Uvalde County and the school district also indicate that the 18-year-old shooter had behavioral and attendance issues before he dropped out of high school, and that his mother had told sheriff’s deputies that she was scared of him.

  • The Straits Times ☛ India, China set to resume direct flights in sign of closer ties

    Passenger flights between the two neighbouring countries were suspended after the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Sacrificing Ukraine will only increase the cost of stopping Putin’s Russia

      Pressuring Ukraine to accept a Kremlin-friendly settlement may succeed in pausing the current war, but it will not bring peace. On the contrary, it will set the stage for international instability on a far larger scale, writes Pavlo Zhovnirenko.

    • France24 ☛ Russian forces advance in Ukraine's east in lead-up to Convicted Felon-Putin talks

      Russian troops have broken through Ukraine's lines in the Donetsk region, open-source data showed on Tuesday, threatening the mining town of Dobropillia. The sudden advance comes just days ahead of planned talks between US President The Insurrectionist and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday. FRANCE 24's correspondent in Kyiv, Emmanuelle Chaze, tells us more.

    • France24 ☛ The security of Europe is being decided in Ukraine, former ambassador says

      FRANCE 24's Mark Owen speaks to Oleh Shamshur, forrmer Ambassador of Ukraine to France, about the upcoming meeting between The Insurrectionist and Vladimir Putin in Alaska. He says that any territorial concession to Putin will only be a prelude to a wider war in Europe and that the security of the continent is being decided now in Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ 'Ukraine doesn't have much room for manoeuvre': EU makes appeal to Convicted Felon ahead of talks with Putin

      European Union leaders appealed to US President The Insurrectionist to defend their security interests at a key summit with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin later this week over the war in Ukraine. Putin appeared to be on the verge of making a key territorial grab ahead of Friday’s summit, potentially to use as leverage in any peace negotiations. Stuart Norval welcomes Dr Gavin Hall, NATO expert and Teaching Fellow in Political Science and International Security at the University of Strathclyde.

    • France24 ☛ EU leaders say Ukraine must 'decide its own future' ahead of Convicted Felon-Putin meeting

      Leaders from every country in the European Union except Hungary on Tuesday stressed that Ukrainians must have the right to decide their own future ahead of an upcoming summit between US President The Insurrectionist and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the US state of Alaska. It remains unclear if Ukraine will be part of the talks. International Affairs Editor Philip Turle explains.

    • France24 ☛ Russian forces advance in Ukraine's east in lead-up to Convicted Felon-Putin talks

      Russian troops have broken through Ukraine's lines in the Donetsk region, open-source data showed on Tuesday, threatening the mining town of Dobropillia. The sudden advance comes just days ahead of planned talks between US President The Insurrectionist and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine's borders must not be changed by force, EU leaders say

      Leaders from every country in the European Union except Hungary on Tuesday stressed that Ukrainians must have the right to decide their own future ahead of an upcoming summit between US President The Insurrectionist and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the US state of Alaska. It remains unclear if Ukraine will be part of the talks. France24 correspondent Emmanuelle Chaze reports from Kyiv, Ukraine.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Putin holds call with North Korea’s Kim, ahead of Convicted Felon meeting

      During the call on Aug 12, Mr Putin thanked Mr Kim for supporting his war on Ukraine.

    • New York Times ☛ A Half-Baked Alaska Summit

      The meeting is a bad idea, but there’s an opportunity for Convicted Felon to punish Putin’s thievery.

    • New York Times ☛ When Convicted Felon Meets Putin, Anything Could Happen

      The U.S. president is pushing to end the war in Ukraine, but analysts say the Russian leader could turn a hastily planned meeting to his advantage.

    • Meduza ☛ Russia accuses Ukraine of preparing ‘false flag’ attack to derail Friday’s Putin–Trump summit in Alaska — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Germany’s top tabloid retracts article about Putin’s ‘secret’ daughter over suspicions of fake quotes and photos — Meduza

    • Latvia ☛ 31,000 Ukrainians currently under Latvia's protection

      On 30 June 2025, 4.31 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine as a consequence of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine had temporary protection status in the EU.

    • Latvia ☛ European leaders united on Ukraine negotiations (with one exception)

      On Tuesday, August 12, the leaders of nearly all European Union member states, including Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, issued a statement on Ukraine.

    • European Commission ☛ European Union Leaders' Statement on Ukraine

    • The Strategist ☛ Ground robots are transforming battle-casualty evacuation in Ukraine

      The Russia-Ukraine war has evolved into a technological arms race, with uncrewed machines playing a central role across every domain of combat.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian president urges Finland to back swift start to Ukraine’s EU talks

      Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has called on Finland to support Ukraine’s aim of beginning negotiations on European Union membership as soon as possible.

    • LRT ☛ Nausėda vows support for Ukraine's territorial integrity ahead of US–Russia talks

      Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda spoke by phone with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, reaffirming his country's support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

    • CS Monitor ☛ ‘Who are we?’ Russia aims to strip teens’ Ukrainian identity.

      In Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine, a battle is on over national identity. Russia wants Ukrainians to feel Russian, and teens are the front line.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Makes Battlefield Advances in Ukraine, Seeking an Edge in Convicted Felon Talks

      Russian forces have moved several miles into Ukrainian-held territory in the east, threatening to outflank Ukraine’s positions.

    • New York Times ☛ Why Surrendering a Key Eastern Region Would Be Hard for Ukraine

      As Hell Toupée talks of land swaps, Ukrainians find it difficult to imagine giving up the Donbas, for military, humanitarian and political reasons.

    • Meduza ☛ Ukrainian army says Russian missile strike hit training unit, killing one — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia extends veteran status and benefits to ‘defense participants’ in border regions under Ukrainian missile strikes and incursions — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Zelensky proposes allowing adult Ukrainian men under 22 to travel abroad — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian breakthrough near Pokrovsk raises risk of encirclement of Ukrainian forces at a key Donbas stronghold — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian Armed Forces vehicle repairs carried out at Hegelmann group’s garage

      The Lithuanian Armed Forces service and purchase some vehicles from the Kaunas district-based company Ivetra Ir Ko, whose shareholder Anton Hegelmann recently attended a meeting with representatives from Russia and Iran.

    • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Kash Patel and John Solomon Declare Their Own Sources and Methods Illegal

      Kash Patel and John Solomon are engaged in a great deal of projection when they suggest that Adam Schiff -- and only Adam Schiff -- leaked material from HPSCI's Russian investigation.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Is Suspected to Be Behind Breach of Federal Court Filing System

      Federal officials are scrambling to assess the damage and address flaws in a sprawling, heavily used computer system long known to have vulnerabilities.

    • Meduza ☛ Zelensky open to freezing front line, ceding de facto control of occupied territory to Russia — The Daily Telegraph — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘We have no strength left’: Russian forest firefighters plead for help, saying they’re exhausted, underpaid, and lack basic gear — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Telegram blocks hacker group leaking and selling Russian officials’ private correspondence — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia will ban calling on WhatsApp and Telegram, media personality Ksenia Sobchak says — Meduza

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • JURIST ☛ US federal judge rejects request to unseal grand jury materials from Maxwell sex trafficking case

    US District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer in New York rejected on Monday the Convicted Felon administration’s request to unseal grand jury materials from the Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking case. The court took grand jury secrecy into great consideration, stating: This factor weighs heavily against unsealing.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Possible 10-day October break in South Korea fuels record travel rush

      A rare alignment of three national holidays could give South Koreans a rare 10-day stretch off.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Mixed reactions among Malaysia drivers on S’pore move to clamp down on illegal ride-hailing services

      LTA has been ramping up enforcement against such services.

    • Dihydroxyacetone Man admin cancels $156M Michigan solar program as coal plant decision looms

      Michigan has already committed nearly $14 million of the federal funds to support projects from Escanaba to Detroit. State officials left the door open to a potential lawsuit.

    • France24 ☛ Nine dead in massive blast at Brazilian explosives factory

      A pre-dawn explosion tore through an explosives plant near Curitiba, Brazil, on Tuesday, killing nine workers, injuring seven others, and shattering windows in homes more than a kilometre away, authorities said.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Stablecoins gain critical mass after GENIUS Act cements rules — banks and companies rush to register new coins [Ed: Elect criminals, bribe criminals, get crimes OK'd]

      US banks and financial institutions are keen to take advantage of the stablecoin provisions put into US law by the GENIUS Act, though regulation remains murky.

  • Overpopulation

    • France24 ☛ Refugees grapple with hunger and cholera in Sudan's displacement camps

      Lacking soap, clean water and the most basic medicine, hundreds of thousands of people in refugee camps in Sudan's Darfur are facing an outbreak of cholera. The World Health Organization said last week that 100,000 cases had been reported across the country since July 2024.

• Finance

  • Michigan lawmakers push to expand Rx Kids, but does ‘no strings’ cash work?

    A Michigan Senate committee held a hearing Tuesday on expanding Rx Kids, which offers recipients $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 a month for their children in their first year of life.

  • The Straits Times ☛ In China’s factory heartland, warehouses weather Convicted Felon tariffs

    As US President The Insurrectionist keeps moving the line, Guangzhou is no longer on edge.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US Hell Toupée signs order to extend China tariff truce by 90 days

    US President The Insurrectionist on Monday ordered a delay in the reimposition of higher tariffs on Chinese goods, hours before a trade truce between Washington and Beijing was due to expire. The White House’s halt on steeper tariffs will be in place until November 10.

  • France24 ☛ China and US: Raise of reciprocal tariffs delayed for at least 90 days

    US President The Insurrectionist on Monday ordered a 90-day extension to a US-China tariff truce, hours before it was due to expire – keeping higher duties on hold until November 10 as both sides continue trade talks. Carys Garland tells us more.

  • Daniel Miessler ☛ I'm Worried It Might Get Really Bad

    I'm starting to worry things might get very bad, very soon.

    Not like in a year or two, but maybe in a few months. As in spontaneous recession type of thing. In the US mostly, but perhaps globally.

  • New York Times ☛ What Is Rent Stabilization, and Why Is It an Issue in the NYC Mayor’s Race?

    Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s push to keep “rich” people out of less-expensive apartments is aimed at his political rival in New York, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.

  • New York Times ☛ Cuomo’s Attack on Mamdani’s Apartment Struck a New York Nerve

    The attacks in the New York City mayor’s race may have veered into the personal, but they also reflected a larger debate on who should benefit from government regulation of housing costs.

  • Defence Web ☛ SASSA deductions from veterans’ pensions of urgent concern – AVSA

    Military veterans advocacy group Amalgamated Veterans of South Africa (AVSA) has raised its concerns over the lack of clarity with regard to South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) deductions from military veterans’ pensions, which is causing confusion for former soldiers.

  • Pro Publica ☛ DOJ: Greystar to Stop Using Algorithmic Rent-Setting Software

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ From Van Cleef to Vacheron, luxury gifts at centre of probe into South Korea’s former first lady

    The gifts include a diamond necklace, a high-end watch and designer shoes.

  • The Straits Times ☛ From Van Cleef to Vacheron, luxury gifts at center of probe into South Korea’s former first lady

    The gifts include a diamond necklace, a high-end watch and designer shoes.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia, partners sending peace mission to Myanmar to help Rohingya refugees

    Bangladesh shelters more than one million Rohingya refugees in camps in Cox’s Bazar.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian flag hoisted upside down heats up debate ahead of national day celebrations

    Some in the Chinese community say they will not display the flag at their premises.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China cuts ties with Czech president over Dalai Lama visit

    Czech President Petr Pavel met the 14th Dalai Lama in India in July.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s former first lady arrested after court issues warrant, Yonhap reports

    Former first lady Kim Keon Hee denies accusations of graft.

  • New York Times ☛ South Korea’s Ex-First Lady Kim Keon Hee Is Arrested on Corruption Charges

    Kim Keon Hee, accused of accepting Chanel bags and other items as bribes, is the only former first lady in the country to have been put behind bars. Her husband has also been jailed on insurrection charges.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan President Lai’s approval rating at lowest after political setbacks

    Just 28% of respondents in a media poll said they were satisfied with his performance.

  • The Strategist ☛ Digital siege puts Taiwan’s resilience to the test

    The most sustained conflict unfolding between China and Taiwan is not taking place on the water or in the air; it is happening in cyberspace.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • Federal News Network ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man nominates conservative economist to head agency that compiles jobs, inflation data

      The announcement comes one day before the BLS is scheduled to release the latest inflation data for July.

    • Digital Music News ☛ Cornell Researchers Develop Light-Based Watermark to Detect Deepfakes

      A new wave of research out of Cornell University is making headlines in the fight against deepfakes. As synthetic media becomes more sophisticated and harder to distinguish from authentic content, the stakes for industries like music and film have never been higher.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ ‘Local Authority’ proves paid-for local news can work in UK towns as well as big cities

    Local Authority is a newsletter covering the Medway region of Kent.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Secrecy order wrongly given to murdered child after no reporters attended court

    The absence of journalists at a pre-trial hearing allowed a wrongful identification ban to go unchallenged.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • JURIST ☛ China urged to protect imprisoned activists facing human rights violations

    UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders Mary Lawlor on Monday called on the Chinese authorities to uphold the rights of human rights defenders who have been imprisoned.

  • JURIST ☛ China urged to protect imprisoned activists against human rights violations

    UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders Mary Lawlor on Monday called on the Chinese authorities to maintain the rights of human rights defenders who have been imprisoned.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Myanmar security forces involved in systematic torture, says UN report

    GENEVA - United Nations investigators said on Tuesday they have found evidence of systematic torture by Myanmar security forces and identified some of the most senior perpetrators.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Ruben Schade ☛ A new or rebooted Web

    No, this isn’t about IPv6! We’re moving up the OSI stack today and talking about the current state of the Web, and whether it needs a similar shakeup.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ The Federal Circuit’s Heavy Lifting on Automation Patents

    In a decision that should provide welcome clarity for mechanical device patents, the Federal Circuit reversed a district court's dismissal of patent monopoly infringement claims involving automated exercise equipment, holding that claims incorporating an electric motor to automate previously manual dumbbell weight selection are not directed to abstract ideas under Alice step one. PowerBlock Holdings, Inc. v. iFit, Inc., No. 24-1177 (Fed. Cir. Aug. 11, 2025).  While the decision provides a victory for mechanical automation patents, the court's reasoning appears to turn primarily on the physical nature of the claimed system - using an electric motor to move mechanical components.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ Frohwitter puts pressure on Nvidia with third UPC suit [Ed: UPC is illegal and unconstitutional, yet JUVE always omits that (it's paid to)]

      Bernhard Frohwitter’s company Partec and its exclusive licensee BF exaQC AG filed a third complaint with the UPC against semiconductor manufacturer Nvidia last Friday. Like two previous actions, the suit filed with the Munich local division seeks injunctive relief and damages (case ID: ACT_34542/25). The UPC website has not yet published details of the lawsuit.

• 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, decided on the same day. No hints this time. How do you think they came out? [Answer in first comment].

    In re Lemon Inc., Serial No. 98247563 (August 8, 2025) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Cheryl S. Goodman). [Section 2(d) refusal of the mark CRYSTAL OF ATLAN in view of the registered mark HEROES OF ATLAN, both for computer game software.]

• Copyrights

  • Press Gazette ☛ Who’s suing Hey Hi (AI) and who’s signing: Major Japan newspaper sues Perplexity, while Gannett signs

  • Digital Music News ☛ Diddy’s Payback Is Just Getting Started: Rapper Broadens NewsNation Defamation Complaint, Seeking ‘Not Less Than $100 Million in Damages’

    Diddy is expanding his lawsuit against a TV network and its associates for defamation over “fabricated” sexual assault claims, seeking “not less than $100 million in damages.” Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is now broadening his lawsuit against Courtney Burgess, Ariel Mitchell, and Nexstar Media, which operates the NewsNation TV news network.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Federal Judge Rejects Anthropic Bid to Pause Authors’ Infringement Class Action — Trial Still Set for December

    A federal judge has rejected Anthropic’s motion to stay a high-stakes copyright monopoly infringement case ahead of a scheduled December trial. Judge William Alsup just recently denied the Hey Hi (AI) giant’s sought pause, after late June delivered what was in many respects a major win for Anthropic.