Leftovers

• Ruben Schade ☛ PSA: Not all KALLAX boxes fit the same

  I’m a latecomer to the KALLAX system from IKEA. I originally dismissed their cubic shelves as inverse-Goldilocks furniture: too small for most things, but too big for small trinkets. But I consider myself a convert since getting one for our TV cabinet: the cubbies are perfect for all the ancillary stuff we have around the TV, such as cables, controllers, power boards, Ethernet switches, and Arrietty.

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Labubu fans flock to Beijing store after launch of mini dolls

  A dozen furry dolls strung together on a metal chain dangled from Labubu fan Maki Li’s neck as he proudly posed for photos in front of a store selling the toys in central Beijing on Friday.

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong ‘lawyer’ date leaves woman with HK$80,000 bill in suspected dine-and-dash

  Hong Kong police have received a report that a woman was left with a bill of over HK$80,000 at a Michelin-starred restaurant after her date disappeared in a suspected dine-and-dash.

• Science

  • Hackaday ☛ Measuring Nanoparticles By Scattering A Laser

    A fundamental difficulty of working with nanoparticles is that your objects of study are too small for an optical microscope to resolve, and thus measuring their size can be quite a challenge. Of course, if you have a scanning electron microscope, measuring particle size is straightforward. But for less well-equipped labs, a dynamic light scattering system, such as [Etienne]’s OpenDLS, fits the bill.Dynamic light scattering works by shining a laser beam into a suspension of fine particles, then using a light sensor to measure the intensity of light scattered onto a certain point. As the particles undergo Brownian motion, the intensity of the scattered light changes. Based on the speed with which the scattered light varies, it’s possible to calculate the speed of the moving particles, and thus their size.The OpenDLS uses a 3D printed and laser-cut frame to hold a small laser diode, which shines into a cuvette, on the side of which is the light sensor. [Etienne] tried a few different options, including a photoresistor and a light sensor designed for Arduino, but eventually chose a photodiode with a two-stage transimpedance amplifier. An Arduino samples the data at 67 kHz, then sends it over serial to a host computer, which uses SciPy and NumPy to analyse the data. Unfortunately, we were about six years late in getting to this story, and the Python program is a bit out of date by now (it was written in Python 2). It shouldn’t, however, be too hard for a motivated hacker to update.With a standard 188 nm polystyrene dispersion, the OpenDLS calculated a size of 167 nm. Such underestimation seemed to be a persistent issue, probably caused by light being scattered multiple times. More dilution of the suspension would help, but it would also make the signal harder to measure, and the system’s already running near the limits of the hardware.This isn’t the only creative way to measure the size of small particles, nor even the only way to investigate small particles optically. Of course, if you do have an electron microscope, nanoparticles make a good test target.

  • Science Alert ☛ This Week in Science: Brain-Boosting Smells, The Brightest Flash Ever, And More!

    Our weekly science roundup.

  • Science Alert ☛ Treatment For Psychosis May Be 'Fundamentally Flawed', Study Finds

    It's not what we think it is.

  • Science Alert ☛ Stunning Discovery Deep in The Ocean Dwarfs The Famous 'Lost City'

    It's a hundred times larger.

  • Science Alert ☛ Dark Matter Could Turn Some Planets Into Tiny Black Holes

    Eaten by shadows.

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Cortisol Cocktails' Are The Latest Stress-Busting Trend. Here's The Science.

    There's a better way.

• Career/Education

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan should debate cap for foreign residents, government report says

    The country has long sought to maintain a homogeneous population through strict immigration laws.

• Hardware

  • Linux Gizmos ☛ MINIX Expands Elite Series with EU512-AI Mini PC Based on defective chip maker Intel Core Ultra 5 125H

    The EU512-AI is a compact mini PC built for multi-display setups, AI-assisted workloads, and high-speed networking. It supports four 4K displays, offers wired and wireless connectivity, and integrates an NPU for edge inference in space-limited environments.

  • The Straits Times ☛ From serving drinks to carrying luggage: Robotic dogs’ warm welcome wows freshmen at China university

    The robots serve as examples of how academic research can translate into real-world applications.

  • CS Monitor ☛ China’s humanoid robots are gaining ground – but they’re not there yet

    The U.S. and China are racing to build humanoid robots capable of performing many daily tasks – but the complexity of home and business environments makes that challenging.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ US makes it harder for chipmakers to run fabs in China amid new Alibaba processor reports

    The U.S. Commerce Department is making it more difficult for chipmakers to operate their fabs in China, Reuters reported today. The move affects Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and SK hynix Inc., the world’s two largest memory suppliers. The latter company makes much of the HBM memory in Nvidia Corp.’s graphics cards.

  • Hackaday ☛ Building A Shifting Ratchet Wrench

    Convenient though they may be, [Trevor Faber] found some serious shortcomings in shifting spanners: their worm gears are slow to adjust and prone to jamming, they don’t apply even force to all faces of a bolt head, and without a ratchet, they’re rather slow. To overcome these limitations, he designed his own adjustable ratchet wrench.

  • Hackaday ☛ Does It Make Sense To Upgrade A Prusa Mark 4S To A Core One?

    One of the interesting things about Prusa’s FDM 3D printers is the availability of official upgrade kits, which allow you to combine bits off an older machine with those of the target machine to ideally save some money and not have an old machine gathering dust after the upgrade. While for a bedslinger-to-bedslinger upgrade this can make a lot of sense, the bedslinger to CoreXY Core One upgrade path is a bit more drastic. Recently the [Aurora Tech] channel had a look at which upgrade path makes the most sense, and in which scenario.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel confirms it has already received $5.7 billion from US government, CFO claims the deal was to halt the sale of its chip fabs [Ed: Socialism is when taxpayers are forced to buy a dying company]

    Intel confirmed it has received the $5.7 billion it was expecting as part of the Convicted Felon administration's investment in the company, though the CFO claims it was all designed to stop it selling its chip fabrication business, which has been a loss leader for several years.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel, Samsung, and SK hynix hit by another abrupt US policy change — government revokes waivers for advanced chipmaking tools at companies' China-based fabs

    The U.S. government has revoked export waivers that allowed Intel, Samsung, and SK hynix to ship advanced chipmaking tools to their Chinese facilities, forcing them to seek licenses within 120 days or risk operational disruption.

  • New York Times ☛ Targeting Iran’s Leaders, Israel Found a Weak Link: Their Bodyguards

    Israel was able to track the movements of key Iranian figures and assassinate them during the 12-day war this spring by following the cellphones carried by members of their security forces.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • NYPost ☛ The size of your neck can predict your risk of heart disease and diabetes — how many inches is too big

    Some doctors are already using neck size as a screening tool.

  • MIT Technology Review ☛ RFK Jr’s plan to improve America’s diet is missing the point

    A lot of Americans don’t eat well. And they’re paying for it with their health. A diet high in sugar, sodium, and saturated fat can increase the risk of problems like diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease, to name a few. And those are among the leading causes of death in the US.

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Syphilis on rise in Michigan newborns as some adult cases decline

    State health officials report a three-year decline in primary and secondary syphilis infections while grappling with a surge in cases passed from mothers to babies.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia to tap treated sewage effluent as farm fertiliser, water recycled with Newater-like tech

    The projects by government-owned Indah Water Konsortium are part of a major recycling effort.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Anthropic Settles the Authors’ Class Action on Training Data: What It Means for Fair Use, Compensation, and Competition

      Anthropic and a certified class of book authors have reportedly reached a class-wide settlement in Bartz v. Anthropic PBC, the Northern District of California case challenging the company’s ingestion of millions of books as training data to build Claude. The parties filed a notice on August 26, 2025, stating that they executed a binding term sheet and will seek preliminary approval in early September. The procedural posture reveals two critical features: (1) Judge Alsup’s June order finding that training on lawfully obtained books constituted fair use as a matter of law; and (2) his conclusion that Anthropic’s acquisition and storage of “pirated” works in a central library could constitute infringement—potentially exposing the company to staggering statutory damages.

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Workado settles with FTC over allegations it inflated its Hey Hi (AI) detectors’ capabilities

      Workado publicly claimed its Hey Hi (AI) content detector could accurately determine whether a piece of text was generated by Hey Hi (AI) in 98% of cases. The FTC said its "no better than a coin flip."

    • Press Gazette ☛ Who’s suing Hey Hi (AI) and who’s signing: Brazilian newsbrand sues Proprietary Chaffbot Company and Japanese newspaper sues Perplexity [Ed: Microsoft sued again for copyright infringement disguised as "AI"]

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • WhichUK ☛ How to avoid scams when booking last-minute holidays

      Action Fraud received over 6,000 reports of holiday fraud last year with £11m lost

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ Baggage Tag Scam

      I just heard about this:

      There’s a travel scam warning going around the internet right now: You should keep your baggage tags on your bags until you get home, then shred them, because scammers are using luggage tags to file fraudulent claims for missing baggage with the airline.

      First, the scam is possible. I had a bag destroyed by baggage handlers on a recent flight, and all the information I needed to file a claim was on my luggage tag. I have no idea if I will successfully get any money from the airline, or what form it will be in, or how it will be tied to my name, but at least the first step is possible...

• Defence/Aggression

  • NYPost ☛ Yearbook photo shows trans Minnesota killer Robin Westman’s first year living as a woman

    The yearbook photograph was taken the same year Westman formally changed his name from Robert to Robin, a move his mother signed off on.

  • International Business Times ☛ 2025-08-21 [Older] 'I Will Defend Your Border': US Veteran Kayaks Illegally to Canada to Claim Asylum

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-27 [Older] Can India and Pakistan move past their Indus water row?

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-27 [Older] Children killed in Minneapolis school shooting — police

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-27 [Older] German trans neo-Nazi accused of abusing the law

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Is the cautious China-Iran military cooperation at a turning point?

    With a new war between Iran and Israel still an immediate threat, China might need to ask itself: Is cooperation with Iran worth risking its diplomacy model in the Gulf?

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-28 [Older] SCO summit: Iran looks to the East amid geopolitical crisis

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korean leader Kim’s China trip shows shifting dynamics in nuclear diplomacy

    It will send a message to the US and its allies that it is not the North Korea they faced years ago.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-28 [Older] NATO members all hit 2% target, but only 3 meet new goal

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-27 [Older] German government passes military service bill

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-26 [Older] Dresden: Man arrested after tram knife attack on US citizen

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-26 [Older] Defying the war: A teenager's life in Kyiv

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean man jailed for one year for kicking female migrant worker in face

    Reports of workplace harassment involving migrant workers more than tripled from 65 in 2020 to 225 in 2024.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Unresolved pain’: Last surviving comfort women in Asia seek closure, 80 years on

    The issue continues to evoke strong emotions in South Korea and Japan.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Cops rescue five children, including two babies, from Malaysia paedophile ring

    Police ops carried out in Johor Bahru, Selangor and Penang led to the bust of the ring.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China parade inspires military-themed haircuts for children

    A parent felt it could inspire children about their own country.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says stronger ties with India is in interest of both sides

    There was no “secret diplomacy” between the two countries, only “normal communication and interaction,” it said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan, India agree on closer economic, security ties for next decade

    This comes as Tokyo places greater emphasis on India’s growing global role.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Ties thaw between Asian rivals India and China

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold talks with Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping on Sunday, as ties between the Asian rivals thaw against the backdrop of U.S. President The Insurrectionist's imposition of punitive tariffs on New Delhi. 

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s military, coast guard patrol disputed South China Sea atoll

    China sent its naval and air forces on "combat readiness" patrols in the waters and airspace around the atoll.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US, China and other partners barred from Pacific Islands summit as regional tensions bite

    More than 20 of the Pacific Island Forum's partners will be excluded.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Nanjing massacre film set becomes China school holiday hotspot

    Star-studded Dead To Rights is one of several summer releases about the war with Japan.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s support for multilateralism is vital, says UN’s Guterres

    Mr Pooh-tin in turn said China would always be a “reliable partner” to the UN.

  • The Straits Times ☛ India’s Modi arrives in Tianjin ahead of summit hosted by China

    This is Mr Modi's first to China since 2018.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Indonesia President Prabowo cancels China trip as protests continue

    Days of protests spread further over the death of a motorcycle rider hit by a police vehicle.

  • The Straits Times ☛ DPM Gan to attend WWII anniversary events in Beijing on visit to China

    It is his first visit to China since becoming deputy prime minister in May 2024

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ US senators arrive in Taiwan to reinforce ‘partnership’

    Senior members of the US Senate armed services committee arrived in Taiwan on Friday to “re-emphasise the partnership” between the United States and the democratic island claimed by China.

  • Scoop News Group ☛ Top FBI official says Chinese reliance on domestic firms for hacking is a weakness

    Jason Bilnoski with the FBI’s cyber division told CyberScoop that investigators seized on the mistakes of companies China has used in its widespread cyberespionage.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Thailand power vacuum will ‘not affect’ border security, says defence ministry

    The ruling has left Thailand with an acting prime minister amid a fragile ceasefire with Cambodia.

  • JURIST ☛ Lebanon authorities urged to release former Libya leader’s son

    Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement on Thursday calling on the Lebanese authorities to immediate release Hannibal Gaddafi, who has been held in pre-trial detention for 10 years.

  • JURIST ☛ UN warns of state collapse amid escalating gang violence in Haiti

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the Security Council on Thursday that state authority is collapsing in Haiti as gang violence spreads across the country, disrupting daily life and forcing families to flee their homes.

  • France24 ☛ US deploying waships near Venezuela : Show of force raising tensions in the Caribbean

    Tensions between the United States and Venezuela are escalating as a significant U.S. naval buildup unfolds in the Southern Caribbean and surrounding waters, which American officials say is intended to counter threats from Latin American drug cartels. President The Insurrectionist has made targeting these cartels a central priority of his administration, framing it as part of a broader strategy to curb migration and strengthen security along the U.S. southern border. Peter O’Brien tells us more.

  • France24 ☛ Red Cross says Israeli plan to evacuate residents of Gaza City is 'incomprehensible'

    As the Israeli army intensified operations to seize Gaza City and relocate its inhabitants, the Red Cross warned that the dire lack of shelter, healthcare and nutrition meant that evacuating the population was "not only unfeasible but incomprehensible under the present circumstances".

  • France24 ☛ Israel declares Gaza’s largest city a combat zone, death toll passes 63,000

    As the military confirmed the resumption of fighting, health authorities reported that the death toll in Gaza has reached 63,025, with hospitals recording 59 new deaths in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, aid organisations and a church sheltering residents pledged to remain in Gaza City, refusing to abandon the hungry and displaced who rely on their support. Military analyst Elijah Magnier tells us more.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China's Pooh-tin meets India's Modi in Tianjin

    Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have begun a bilateral meeting in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin, state media outlet Xinhua said on Sunday.

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Has Obliterated America’s 30-Year Courtship of India

    India must decide whether go all in with a capricious Convicted Felon or hedge its bets through a rapprochement with China.

  • New York Times ☛ China Rekindles Wartime Fury, Stirring Fears of Anti-Japan Hate

    A series of World War II dramas about China’s fight against Japan is drawing audiences to their feet, and, in some cases, to tears. Some say it helps deflect public discontent.

  • New York Times ☛ Tran Trong Duyet, John McCain’s Captor at the ‘Hanoi Hilton,’ Dies at 92

    He endorsed Mr. McCain’s presidential bid in 2008 after insisting, despite accounts to the contrary, that no Americans were tortured under his watch in the Vietnam War.

  • France24 ☛ US denies visas to Palestinian Authority leaders heading to UN General Assembly

    The State Department said Friday that it would deny visas to members of the Palestinian Authority for next month’s UN General Assembly, including Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. Under an agreement as the host of UN headquarters in New York, the US is not supposed to refuse visas for officials heading to the world body. Here’s General Secretary at the Palestinian National initiative, Mustafa Barghouti speech.

  • France24 ☛ After Israeli air strikes kill Houthi prime minister, Israel readies for counter-attack

    Israel is preparing for Houthi retaliation after an Israeli air strike on Thursday killed the Houthi prime minister and other top officials of the Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky reports from Jerusalem.

  • France24 ☛ Yemen's Houthis confirm death of prime minister and other officials in Israeli strike

    The Iran-backed Houthis on Saturday confirmed that an Israeli airstrike killed the prime minister of the rebel-controlled government and several other ministers in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Thursday.

  • France24 ☛ Yemen's Houthis confirm death of their leader and several ministers in Israeli strike

  • CS Monitor ☛ Houthi rebel prime minister killed by Israeli airstrike in Yemen

    The Iranian-backed Houthis say an Israeli airstrike has killed Ahmed al-Rahawi, the prime minister of the rebel-controlled government in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. The Israeli military confirmed it targeted a Houthi military site in Sanaa Thursday where the Houthis say Mr. Rahawi was killed.

  • New York Times ☛ Over 15 Killed in Gaza City, One Day After Israel Ends Daily Pauses for Aid

    One attack was an effort to assassinate Abu Obeida, one of Hamas’s best-known spokesmen, Israeli officials said. It was not immediately clear if that succeeded.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Latvia ☛ REMINDER: Changes to Latvian entry rules from September 1st

      As previously reported by LSM, from September 1st the rules of entry to Latvia change for many third-country nationals (including Ukrainian citizens), and the Foreign Ministry has also provided a reminder of the changes, which is reproduced in full below.

    • RFERL ☛ As Ukraine, West Seek Peace Talks, Russia Vows Autumn Offensive In Occupied Regions

      As Kyiv, its European allies, and Washington continued to seek ways to end the fighting in Ukraine, Russia outlined plans for an autumn offensive, with the army chief saying the military was establishing the tasks ahead for the Kremlin’s military forces.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Seeks New US, Europe Meeting, Says Fresh Russian Offensive Imminent

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv is seeking a fresh meeting with US President The Insurrectionist and European allies as soon as next week after telling reporters that Russia is poised to launch a new offensive in eastern Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Mourns Victims Of Mass Russian Missile Strike

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia's massive missile and drone attack on Kyiv, which killed at least 25 people, "a strike by Russia" against US President The Insurrectionist, who himself was "not happy" about the assault, according to the White House.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Russia's Putin arrives in China's Tianjin for security summit

      Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin on Sunday, Chinese and Russian state media reported, for a regional security summit that China hopes can counter Western influence in global affairs.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Putin lands in Tianjin for summit hosted by China

      More than 20 leaders including North Korean, Iranian and Turkish presidents will attend the summit.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Twenty questions (and expert answers) about the negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine

      August saw a flurry of diplomatic activity to end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As September nears, Atlantic Council experts share their insights on what to expect next.

    • France24 ☛ Leading Ukrainian politician assassinated in western Ukraine

      Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the "horrific murder" of the leading Ukrainian politician Andriy Parubiy and said all necessary means would be used in the investigation into the killing. FRANCE 24's Emmanuelle Chaze reports frpm Kyiv.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine peace efforts on the EU Agenda while Russia's 'massive strike' kills 1, injures 29

      Officials said an overnight Russian drone and missile strike on Kyiv killed at least 21 people, including four children, and injured dozens more. The attacks, which shook the capital into the early hours of Thursday, damaged buildings at 33 sites across all 10 districts, including the headquarters of the European Union mission to Ukraine and the British Council. France 24’s international affairs editor Philip Turle explains further, placing the assault in the broader context of the fragile Ukrainian-Russian peace process.

    • France24 ☛ Leading Ukrainian 'statesman' and 'patriot' assassinated in western Ukraine

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the “horrific murder” of Andriy Parubiy, 54, a leading figure in Ukraine’s pro-European protest movements who was shot and killed in Lviv on Saturday. A former speaker of parliament, Parubiy  also previously served as secretary of the National Security and Defence Council.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine's military says it struck two Russian oil refineries overnight

      On Saturday, the Ukrainian military reported overnight strikes on Russian oil refineries in Krasnodar and Syzran, with Kyiv recording multiple explosions and a fire at the Krasnodar facility, which produces three million tonnes of light petroleum products each year. Charlotte Lam and Axelle Simon tell us more.

    • France24 ☛ Ukrainian warship sunk by naval drone, killing 2 crew members

      Russia announced that it had destroyed the Ukrainian Navy’s Simferopol, a medium reconnaissance ship, using a naval drone at the mouth of the River Danube. The Ukrainian Navy confirmed the incident, reporting casualties among the crew. Liza Kaminov tells us more.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian, Hungarian foreign ministers clash on X over ban on Ukrainian commander

      Lithuania’s foreign minister traded barbs Thursday with his Hungarian counterpart after Budapest imposed an entry ban on a Ukrainian military commander accused of involvement in attacks on a key oil pipeline.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukrainian Authorities Hunt Killer Of Former Parliament Speaker Parubiy

      Ukrainian authorities launched a manhunt for the attacker how brazenly shot dead former parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy on the streets of the western city of Lviv on August 30.

    • RFERL ☛ Former Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Andriy Parubiy Shot Dead In Lviv

      Former Ukrainian parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy was shot dead in the western city of Lviv on August 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Strikes Russian Refineries As Moscow Launches Massive Drone Assault

      Ukrainian drone forces struck two major Russian oil refineries -- Krasnodar in southern Russia and Syzran in the Samara region -- overnight on August 30, igniting fires and causing explosions in facilities key to supplying fuel for Russian military units.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Modi reaffirms India’s support for Ukraine peace settlement during call with Zelensky

      Mr Zelensky said he stressed to Mr Modi that Russia was "continuing the war, continuing to kill”.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Distracts Its Citizens From Ukraine War With Nonstop Festivals

      A festival known as Summer in Moscow showcases the city’s transformation into an ultramodern metropolis. But the feast can’t last forever.

    • New York Times ☛ Large Russian Air Attack Hits Ukraine, Amid Stalled Bid for Peace Talks

      It was the second massive assault in three days, as the Kremlin rebuffed peace talks sought by Ukraine and the United States.

    • New York Times ☛ How Russia Is Distracting Citizens From the War

      Moscow is hosting a big summer festival as Russia continues its war in Ukraine. Katrin Bennhold, a senior international reporter for The New York Times, talks with Ivan Nechepurenko, a Times reporter in Russia, about the spectacle and what it says about Russian public opinion more than three and a half years into the war.

    • New York Times ☛ Weapons to Start Flowing Into Ukraine Under European Deal With Convicted Felon

      A package of U.S. cruise missiles is among the first shipments of purchases by NATO allies to be sent to the embattled country.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine’s Donetsk Faces Water Crisis Under Russian Occupation

      The Russian authorities have seized on the crisis in Donetsk to argue that taking over the rest of the region from Ukraine would allow Moscow to restore the water supply.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia’s Deadly Attack on Kyiv

      Also, the secret of “KPop Demon Hunters.”

    • New York Times ☛ 2 Weeks After Convicted Felon Talks, Russia Bombards Kyiv, Killing at Least 23

      The strikes, which hit a five-story apartment building, a shopping mall and buildings used by European governments, were the largest on the Ukrainian capital since the Alaska summit.

    • LRT ☛ Whitaker: Convicted Felon is creating situation where Russia is forced to negotiating table

      NATO and the US are committed to the defence of the Baltic states, assures US Ambassador to NATO Matthew G. Whitaker, as Washington is reviewing American troop presence in Europe and appears to be in the mood to roll back its involvement.

    • LRT ☛ Chief of Defence: around 40,000 troops to train in Baltics and Poland during Zapad drills

      Around 40,000 troops will be training in the Baltic States and Poland, with approximately 16,000 stationed in Lithuania, during the Zapad military exercise planned by Russia and its ally Belarus in September, Lithuania’s Chief of Defence, Raimundas Vaikšnoras, has said.

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea leader Kim promises ‘beautiful life’ for families of ‘martyrs’ killed in Russia

      He hosted the families of soldiers at a meeting to honour the troops on Aug 29.

    • France24 ☛ Xi hosts Putin, Modi at SCO summit in show of Global South unity

      China’s Pooh-tin Jinping welcomed on Sunday Russia’s Vladimir Putin, India’s Narendra Modi and leaders from around 20 countries to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, a high-security gathering aimed at boosting Beijing’s influence and promoting "a multipolar world order".

    • New York Times ☛ Xi Uses Summit, Parade and History to Flaunt China’s Global Pull

      With the leaders of Russia and India visiting, China’s president will show how he can use statecraft, military might and history to push for global influence.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Pakistan says floods made worse by Indian action

    Torrential monsoon rain ravaged neighbouring adversaries India and Pakistan this week.

• Energy/Transportation

  • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-08-21 [Older] US Flight Attendants Are Fed up Like Their Air Canada Peers. Here's Why They Aren't Likely to Strike

• Wildlife/Nature

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-28 [Older] Hurricane Katrina left lasting legacy for youngest survivors

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-26 [Older] Deadly Typhoon Kajiki makes landfall in Vietnam

Finance

• The Straits Times ☛ South Korea prosecutors seek 15-year jail term for Kakao founder Kim

  Kim was accused of being involved in manipulating the stock price of SM Entertainment.

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-28 [Older] Kenya mulls reforms as 'bribery culture' faces scrutiny

• CBC ☛ 2025-08-26 [Older] Young people can't find jobs. Is Canada's economy in trouble?

• CBC ☛ 2025-08-25 [Older] Is now the moment for first-time buyers to get into the housing market?

• CBC ☛ 2025-08-26 [Older] Canada Post lost $407M in 2nd quarter, says customers seeking out other parcel carriers

• Silicon Angle ☛ Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang claims $600B in annual capital spending – wait, what?

  ...spend around $600 billion in annual capital expenditures — a figure he said had doubled in just two years...

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-28 [Older] India vs. US: Who stands to lose most in the trade dispute?

• US News And World Report ☛ 2025-08-22 [Older] Canada Will Match US Tariff Exemptions Under USMCA Trade Pact, Prime Minister Carney Says

• CBC ☛ 2025-08-22 [Older] Canada removing retaliatory tariffs on CUSMA-compliant U.S. goods

• US News And World Report ☛ 2025-08-22 [Older] Canada to Remove Many Retaliatory Tariffs on US Goods, Says Carney

• CBC ☛ 2025-08-22 [Older] Fed-up Canadians say no one at CRA is taking their call. The union says it's set to get worse

• CBC ☛ 2025-08-22 [Older] Cenovus signs $7.9B deal to buy MEG as Strathcona says company is 'preying on a weak board'

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-27 [Older] France: Budget plans throw government into crisis yet again

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-27 [Older] 'Door to the EU is open,' Merz tells Moldova

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Badminton federation smoothes feathers ruffled by shuttlecock shortage amid rising Chinese raw material prices

  Skyrocketing raw material prices in China have caused shuttlecock prices to more than double in recent months as suppliers struggle to meet rising demand from badminton enthusiasts around the world. However, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) insists the shortage is not “at a crisis level yet”.

AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

• JURIST ☛ US Federal Reserve board member sues Convicted Felon over attempted firing

  US Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook brought a lawsuit against President The Insurrectionist Thursday, contending that he illegally tried to remove her.

• JURIST ☛ Maryland federal judge orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia remain in US pending legal proceedings

  A US federal judge in Maryland on Wednesday ordered that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an El Salvador native whose wrongful deportation has been the subject of numerous lawsuits and federal court rebukes this year, is not to be deported from the US as cases involving him wind their way through the courts.

• New York Times ☛ China Is Trying to Expand Its Social Safety Net. Yet Many Chinese Are Worried.

  A move to force employers to pay into benefits for their employees has left people worrying that small businesses will close and jobs will be lost.

• Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong’s opposition Democratic Party to hold disbandment vote, sell office in December

  Hong Kong’s opposition Democratic Party will hold a vote on its dissolution and sell its office in December, the party’s chair has said. Lo Kin-hei, chairperson of the 30-year-old party that was once the largest opposition force in the city’s legislature, confirmed the plan to HKFP on Thursday night.

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-28 [Older] Italian platform's sexist content targets Meloni and others

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-27 [Older] Denmark PM apologizes for forced Inuit contraception

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-28 [Older] US Fed Governor Lisa Cook sues Cheeto Mussolini administration

• The Straits Times ☛ South Korean negotiators struggle to close gaps with US despite summit, tariff deal

  The two countries have yet to produce documents covering security, economy, trade or investments.

• Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

  • BIA Net ☛ Critical digital literacy: A key competency in combating hate speech and disinformation

    Hate speech and disinformation spreading across digital platforms are part of a multi-layered problem that deepens social polarization. The solution for a more equitable, inclusive, and resilient digital ecosystem lies in critical digital literacy.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Do you have friends or family who are ‘Confidently Wrong’ about Mexico? A perspective from our CEO

    Mexico News Daily CEO Travis Bembenek introduces "Confidently Wrong," a new podcast that clears up misinformation about Mexico.

  • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-27 [Older] Fact check: Is the Cheeto Mussolini administration rewriting history?

Censorship/Free Speech

• Tom's Hardware ☛ UK Steam users must register a credit card to unlock game titles with adult content — UK’s Online Safety Act requires blocking minors from accessing mature content

  Valve has started enforcing a new UK-only rule on Steam: If you want to browse or buy “mature” games, you’ll need to put a valid credit card on file.

Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-28 [Older] Hong Kong: Pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai's trial ends

• Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-08-28 [Older] Hong Kong: What's next for Jimmy Lai as his trial wraps up?

Civil Rights/Policing

• New Yorker ☛ The Insurrectionist’s War on Culture Is Not a Sideshow

  Adam Gopnik discusses the Administration’s moves to dictate what is acceptable and unacceptable in American culture, and why pluralism remains essential to democracy.

• The Straits Times ☛ Blood shed in Jakarta: Prabowo appeals for calm but he’s unlikely to succeed, say analysts

  The unrest may not ease soon, and observers say much depends on how the government chooses to respond.

• The Straits Times ☛ TikTok says live feature temporarily suspended in Indonesia over protests

  Violent protests have rocked Indonesia since the death of a man hit by a police vehicle.

• France24 ☛ Fire set by protesters in Indonesia kills three amid a wave of urban unrest

  Three people were killed in Makassar on the eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi after a city council building was set ablaze by protesters amid a wave of unrest that rocked major Indonesian cities – the most violent protests of Prabowo Subianto’s presidency. Prabowo cancelled a planned trip to China next week in order to monitor the situation in Indonesia.

• New York Times ☛ Protests Spread Across Indonesia After a Deadly Clash With Police

  Rising unemployment and inflation have driven days of demonstrations. A 21-year-old man was killed when police responded with force to a protest on Thursday.