Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Ancient Pit of Horrors May Have Been Spoils of a Victory Celebration

    The surprising savagery of prehistoric wars.

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Hairstyle Could Generate Pollution on Par With Busy Traffic

    This is concerning.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ China plans to outpace Neuralink with a state-backed brain chip blitz — seven ministries, a 17-point roadmap, and clinical trials where patients play chess

    China has just drawn its battle lines in a new frontier of computing, with a sweeping new policy document laying out its ambition to build an internationally competitive BCI industry within five years.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Reveal a Simple Technique to Communicate With Your Cat

    It really works!

  • Science Alert ☛ Strange Living Islands Have Appeared on The Great Salt Lake, And Now We Know Why

    Secrets below the surface.

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Mother's Germs May Have Influenced Your Brain's Development

    Long before you were even born.

  • Science Alert ☛ This Rare State of Sleep Could Reveal Secrets of Consciousness

    What does it mean to dream of nothing?

  • Science Alert ☛ Levels of Omega-3 Could Help Explain Women's Alzheimer's Risk

    Another factor to consider.

  • Science Alert ☛ Can Vitamin D Slow Aging? A New Study Says Yes – But There's a Catch

    Here's what we know.

  • Science Alert ☛ Melatonin Overdoses in Australia Raise Questions Over Its Safety in Children

    Here's what we know.

  • Science Alert ☛ Watermelon-Shaped Atom Seen Breaking Apart in a Most Unusual Way

    Bizarre.

  • NYPost ☛ Scientists amazingly uncover a 520 million-year-old fossil with its brain and guts intact: ‘Almost perfect preservation’

    Fossils usually leave us with bones turned to stone, the hard remains of creatures long gone.

• Career/Education

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania celebrates first day of school with new academic year

    Lithuania celebrates the traditional Day of Science and Knowledge on Monday, marking the start of the new academic year in schools, universities and vocational institutions.

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Shuttle intros semi-ruggedized barebone defective chip maker Intel Arrow Lake-S mini PC — support for 65W defective chip maker Intel Core Ultra 200 CPUs

    Small form factor (SFF) PC specialist Shuttle has rolled out a semi-rugged compact PC system dubbed the XPC slim DH810.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ South Korea Doctors’ Strike Begins to Wind Down

    Thousands of residents and interns were protesting a government proposal that would have dramatically increased the number of medical students in the country.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean doctors end 18-month walkout, bringing relief to hospitals

    The Health Ministry reached a deal in August that allowed trainees to return without penalty.

  • New York Times ☛ Exxon and California Spar in Dueling Lawsuits Over Plastics

    The oil giant accused the state’s attorney general and four nonprofit groups of defamation after they sued over recycling claims.

  • New York Times ☛ We Ran the CDC: RFK Jr. Is Endangering Every American’s Health

    Agency leaders sound the alarm.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s top 3 universities see record withdrawals to medical schools

    This comes after South Korea’s first increase in medical school student quotas in 27 years.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Krebs On Security ☛ The Ongoing Fallout from a Breach at Hey Hi (AI) Chatbot Maker Salesloft

      The recent mass-theft of authentication tokens from Salesloft, whose Hey Hi (AI) chatbot is used by a broad swath of corporate America to convert customer interaction into Salesfarce leads, has left many companies racing to invalidate the stolen credentials before hackers can exploit them. Now Surveillance Giant Google warns the breach goes far beyond access to Salesfarce data, noting the hackers responsible also stole valid authentication tokens for hundreds of online services that customers can integrate with Salesloft, including Slack, Surveillance Giant Google Workspace, Amazon S3, Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Azure, and OpenAI.

    • Digital Music News ☛ Meta Did Not Have Permission to Make Its Flirty Celebrity Chatbots—AI Responses Tweaked for Teens Ahead of Senate Probe

      Meta scrambles to change its flirty celebrity Hey Hi (AI) chatbots ahead of a Senate probe so they no longer generate inappropriate responses to underage users. Facebook (Farcebook) parent company Meta has removed some of its Hey Hi (AI) celebrity chatbots, with “temporary changes” to its chatbot policies related to teens.

    • Latvia ☛ LTV: Recent paedophilia case raises concerns about internet safety

      The case of the 36-year-old man accused of 160 counts of child abuse is the biggest of its kind ever uncovered by the State Police. The vast majority of victims were found and exploited online. Latvian Television's De Facto programme is raising concerns about whether the negative trend goes hand in hand with preventive measures.

  • Social Control Media

    • Silicon Angle ☛ China’s top social control media platforms take steps to comply with new Hey Hi (AI) content labeling rules

      China’s top social control media platforms, including ByteDance Ltd.’s Tiktok clone Douying and Tencent Holding’s WeChat, rolled out new features today to try and comply with a new law that mandates all artificial intelligence content is clearly labeled as such.

    • Zimbabwe ☛ Australia’s Social Media Ban (Yes, Zim’s Affected too): Experts Warn of Massive Risks

      Australia is not backing down from its, in my opinion, virtue-signalling idea: starting December 2025, kids under 16 will be banned from using social control media.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ Mexico’s Cartels Are Using Military Weapons

    Recent attacks on villages in Mexico’s western state of Michoacán reveal the cartels’ growing paramilitary-style power, using drones, I.E.D.s and other weapons of war. Paulina Villegas examines the aftermath of these assaults.

  • Defence Web ☛ Lax security sees SAAF base lose ammunition to thieves – report

    The SA Air Force (SAAF) base in Bloemfontein – home to its Rooivalk combat support helicopter squadron – is another addition to the list of SA National Defence Force (SANDF) facilities where lax security has seen theft, including that of ammunition, happen.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Stop killing journalists in Gaza and allow international media in

    Targeted attacks on journalists pose a threat in conflict zones everywhere if they are allowed to go unpunished

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea suspends anti-North Korea radio broadcasts

    South Korean President Lee has vowed to take further steps to dial down tensions with the North.

  • New York Times ☛ India Was the Economic Alternative to China. Convicted Felon Ended That.

    A lurch in policy has shaken the India-U.S. economic alliance against China, leaving India little choice but to consider reversing its own strategy.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Explainer-The slow train from North Korea: How Kim Jong Un travels to China

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang by train on Monday on his way to Beijing, Yonhap news agency reported, relying on a slow but specialised form of transport that the reclusive country's leaders have used for decades.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim takes train to China for military parade, Yonhap says

    He is expected to hold separate talks with Pooh-tin Jinping and Vladimir Putin.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim inspects new missile production line

    The North Korean leader's visit to the missile production line comes ahead of a planned trip to Beijing.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan flags huge cost of China’s military parade in growing war of words

    A Taiwanese deputy minister said Beijing's parade would in effect cost more than 36 billion yuan (S$6.48 billion).

  • The Straits Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man says India offered to reduce tariffs on US goods to zero

    WASHINGTON - U.S. President The Insurrectionist said on Monday that India has offered to reduce its tariffs on U.S. goods to zero, even as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was making public shows of solidarity with Chinese and Russian leaders in the face of trade pressure from Washington.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Xi, Putin and Modi huddle in Tianjin as China pitches SCO unity against shifting US order

    But it is difficult to immediately see the impact of the summit on other countries, said an analyst.

  • France24 ☛ Xi Jinping uses SCO summit to promote new world order

    At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping showcased strong ties with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and India’s Narendra Modi, using the platform to challenge US dominance and promote multilateral cooperation. Despite past tensions, Modi is increasingly aligning with China and Russia amid rising trade pressures from the U.S., while Pooh-tin prepares for a major military parade marking 80 years since World War II’s end.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Pooh-tin slams ‘bullying’ in speech to regional leaders at summit

    The Chinese leader also called on SCO’s partners to “oppose Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation”.

  • France24 ☛ SCO Summit: Cooperation or competition?

    The SCO summit in Tianjin highlights the growing strategic partnership between Russia and China, while India also seeks to assert its influence, particularly in the race for leadership in the Global South. Economic ties with Belarus are being strengthened, and Pakistan is among the key participants. While the summit signals a challenge to US dominance, there have been no formal security moves—just a message to Washington, which is watching closely. FRANCE 24 spoke with Natasha Kuhrt, Senior Lecturer in International Peace & Security, for her analysis.

  • Defence Web ☛ Trojan cargo: The strategic threat of weaponised shipping containers

    On 1 June 2025, Ukraine executed a drone strike unlike any before: 117 AI-enabled FPV (first person view) drones, hidden inside standard 40-foot shipping containers, were launched deep inside Russian territory in a coordinated operation dubbed Spider’s Web. The containers travelled thousands of kilometres across Russia, moved by unsuspecting civilian truck drivers. >

  • New York Times ☛ China Shows Off Its Power

    Xi Jinping is using a summit with leaders like Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin as an opportunity to pull countries away from the U.S.

  • Press Gazette ☛ News diary 1-7 September: Parliament returns, China marks Japan defeat with 80th anniversary parade, tube strikes begin

    A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda this week, from the team at Foresight News.

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  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Suspected Of Jamming GPS As EU Chief's Plane Landed In Bulgaria

      The GPS navigation system of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's was jammed as it prepared to land over the weekend, Bulgarian officials said, sparking accusations of a Russian interference operation.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘A fair balance must be restored’: Putin blames the West for Russia’s war in Ukraine and hints at progress in talks with Trump at China-led SCO summit — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Drone-sparked forest fire near ‘Putin’s palace’ extinguished after four days — Meduza

    • France24 ☛ Make Russia great again? Why Putin won’t relent on Ukraine

      Sure, it’s Russian troops that launched an unprovoked invasion…But it’s the West that started the war in Ukraine. That’s the long repeated line spun again this Monday at a summit in China by Vladimir Putin. Repeat a lie often enough and people will believe it, goes the saying… but to those cry cynism, for Putin, this founding myth story’s not at all a myth.

    • Meduza ☛ Russia’s Belgorod covers kindergartens in anti-drone nets as children head back to school — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Man rams car into gates of Russian Consulate General in Sydney — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ No more phone sharing, VPN ads, or ‘foreign agent’ teachers An inexhaustive list of the bans going into effect in Russia on September 1 — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Clear disrespect for society’: Russian man arrested after juggling with live hedgehog at first-day-of school celebration — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russia and China sign ‘legally binding’ agreement to build major new gas pipeline — Meduza

    • The Straits Times ☛ Explainer: Inside Kim Jong Un’s slow train ride from North Korea to China

      Since becoming the North Korean leader in 2011, Mr Kim has used a train to visit China, Vietnam and Russia.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Man arrested for crashing car into Russian consulate in Sydney

      Officers attempted to speak to the driver before he drove his vehicle into the gates of the property.

    • France24 ☛ Russia trying to keep below threshold of response, expert says, as EU chief plane GPS jammed

      A plane carrying EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was hit by GPS jamming as it readied to land in Bulgaria on Sunday, Brussels said Monday, alleging Russia was thought to be behind the incident. FRANCE 24's Mark Owen speaks with Patrick Bury, Senior Associate Professor in Warfare and Counter Terrorism at the University of Bath. He says that Russia is trying to keep their actions 'below the threshold of response'.

    • European Commission ☛ Statement by President von der Leyen with Lithuanian President Nausėda

      European Commission Statement Vilnius, 01 Sep 2025 Dear Gitanas,

      Thank you for your warm welcome. Yesterday you celebrated Lithuania's Freedom Day.

    • Meduza ☛ Suspect arrested in murder of former Ukrainian parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Ukraine planning new strikes deep in Russian territory, Zelensky says — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘This crime was not random’: Prominent Ukrainian politician Andriy Parubiy’s murder was months in the making. Here’s what we know about the assassination and the suspect. — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Kyiv Links Moscow to Killing of Former Ukrainian Parliament Speaker

      Ukraine said it had arrested a suspect in the murder of the politician, who had voiced anti-Russian views. The authorities did not explain how the suspect was tied to Moscow.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia Suspected of Jamming GPS for E.U. Leader’s Plane, Officials Say

      The Bulgarian authorities believe that Russia disrupted navigation signals that would have been used by a plane carrying Ursula von der Leyen, European officials said.

    • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s Attempt to Repackage His Capitulation in Ukraine

      As it becomes increasingly clear that Steve Witkoff will never negotiate peace in Ukraine, Convicted Felon's White House is preparing to blame Europe for Witkoff's incompetence.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Sources Say Parubiy Murder Suspect Has Confessed, Cited Russian Contacts

      A man Ukrainian police have detained in connection with the assassination of former parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy has reportedly said he was in contact with Russian representatives prior to the fatal attack.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian FM urges EU to speed up Ukraine’s accession even without unanimous agreement

      Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys urged the European Union to move faster on Ukraine’s bid to join the bloc, saying technical negotiations should begin without delay.

    • LRT ☛ EU should seize Russia’s frozen assets for Ukraine’s benefit, says Lithuanian FM

      Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys says the European Union should seize frozen Russian assets without further discussions and use them to support Ukraine, since providing funding from national budgets is becoming more difficult.

    • LRT ☛ EU’s von der Leyen welcomes Lithuania’s push to use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine

      European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday welcomed Lithuania’s proposal to expand the use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky expected to meet European leaders in Paris on Thursday

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet European leaders in Paris on Thursday as part of international efforts to end Russia's three-and-a-half-year invasion, a source told AFP on Monday. US President The Insurrectionist is "is not so far expected to be there", the source said.

    • France24 ☛ France and Germany boost defense ties amid global tensions

      French President Emmanuel Macron hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on August 29 for the Franco-German Council of Ministers. They discussed Europe’s economy, support for Ukraine, and defense, with Merz pushing for German leadership on security. But political tensions in France and Germany are straining the partnership amid broader concerns over NATO, nuclear deterrence, and Europe’s reliance on US protection. Marie Krpata, Research Fellow at the Study Committee on Franco-German Relations at IFRI, has more on this issue.

    • New York Times ☛ For Putin, the Global Isolation Is Easing

      Eurasian leaders eagerly met the Russian leader at a summit this week, as Hell Toupée has helped ease his isolation over the war in Ukraine.

    • New York Times ☛ Xi, Putin and Modi Try to Signal Unity at China Summit

      Their display of friendship in China was aimed at projecting an alternative to U.S. global leadership, even as serious differences among them remain.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Putin, Modi showcase their bond with hug, car drive

      The displays of closeness between the two men come as their relationship comes under global scrutiny.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Modi says Russia and India stand together even in difficult times

      At the bilateral meeting, Putin addressed Modi in Russian as “Dear Mr Prime Minister, dear friend”.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Russia accused of GPS jamming flight of EU leader von der Leyen over Bulgaria

      European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s plane landed safely at Plovdiv airport. President Von der Leyen, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow’s war in Ukraine, is on a four-day tour of European Union nations bordering Russia and Belarus.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Urges China To Push Russia To End War As Putin Arrives In Beijing For Talks, Parade

      Ukraine urged China to pressure Vladimir Putin to move toward peace as the Russian president arrived in Beijing following his participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit – where he defended the war that has killed tens of thousands of people.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Presidents Pooh-tin and Putin round on West at regional summit in China

      Presidents Pooh-tin Jinping and Vladimir Putin took turns Monday to swipe at the West during a gathering of Eurasian leaders for a showpiece summit aimed at putting Beijing front and centre of regional relations.

    • France24 ☛ Jude Law channels Kremlin leader at Venice Film Festival

      Jude Law premiered 'The Wizard of the Kremlin' at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday, drawing attention for his striking transformation into Vladimir Putin. Directed by Olivier Assayas, the film explores Putin’s rise to power, with Law delving obsessively into the leader’s mannerisms. The political drama is already emerging as one of the festival’s most talked-about titles.

    • Meduza ☛ Ivan Zhdanov replaced as head of Navalny-founded Anti-Corruption Foundation after nearly seven-year tenure — Meduza

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ Afghanistan earthquake kills 800, injures 2,800; Taliban asks world for help

    The disaster will further stretch the resources of a nation already grappling with humanitarian crises.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan, South Korea had hottest summer on record in 2025

    Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Unification Church leader denies directing political bribery in South Korea

    The church has come under the spotlight in a criminal probe into ex-President Yoon and his wife.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean, US held ‘acrimonious’ talks over fund ahead of summit, Korean official says

    South Korea has said direct investment would account for a small portion of the investments.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Key for countries to work together to seize opportunities amid tariff uncertainty: DPM Gan in China

    He is on a five-day working visit to China that began in the trade and manufacturing hub of Guangdong.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • CAFC Upholds Prosecution Laches Ruling Against Gil Hyatt

    On Friday, August 29, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a precedential decision in Hyatt v. Stewart affirming the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia’s ruling on remand that inventor Gil Hyatt’s efforts to obtain patent monopoly rights from four patent monopoly applications filed in 1995 were barred by prosecution laches. Ruling that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s affirmative defense was available in Hyatt’s civil action to obtain patent monopoly rights under 35 U.S.C. § 145 under the law of the case, the Federal Circuit also rejected arguments that federal jurisdiction under Section 145 extended to the entirety of the Board’s decision, including parts of those rulings in which the Board reversed examiner rejections.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou now world’s top innovation hotspot: UN

    Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou has overtaken Tokyo-Yokohama to become the world’s top cluster for innovation, the United Nations said Monday. The UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) said the Chinese cluster had leapfrogged its Japanese rival in its 2025 Global Innovation Index.

• Copyrights

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Mexico says works created by Hey Hi (AI) cannot be granted copyright

    The case reached the Supreme Court after Mexico's copyright monopoly office denied an application for an artwork created with an Hey Hi (AI) dubbed Leonardo, on the basis that it lacked human intervention.