Leftovers

• Hackaday ☛ Ask Hackaday: Now You Install Your Friends’ VPNs. But Which One?

  Something which may well unite Hackaday readers is the experience of being “The computer person” among your family or friends. You’ll know how it goes, when you go home for Christmas, stay with the in-laws, or go to see some friend from way back, you end up fixing their printer connection or something. You know that they would bridle somewhat if you asked them to do whatever it is they do for a living as a free service for you, but hey, that’s the penalty for working in technology.

• Science

  • New Yorker ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s Department of Energy Gets Scienced

    International climate experts have extensively debunked the D.O.E.’s recent report, but will science win out?

  • CS Monitor ☛ How ‘Martian mania’ fueled a desire to study the Red Planet

    “The Martians” unfolds the fantastical claims of life on Mars, which forced astronomers to bolster their research and separate fact from science fiction.

  • Science Alert ☛ Most of The World Will See an Eerie 82-Minute Blood Moon This Month

    Bring it!

  • Science Alert ☛ Meat Protects Against Cancer, Suggests Controversial Study. Here's The Catch.

    The study's methods contain important nuances.

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Ultrabroadband' 6G Chip Clocks Speeds 10 Times Faster Than 5G

    Welcome to the future.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Common Heart Drug Taken by Millions May Often Be Useless – or Even Risky

    New guidelines are needed.

  • Science Alert ☛ Colossal Antarctic Iceberg Is Finally Breaking Apart After 40 Years

    "It's basically rotting underneath."

  • Science Alert ☛ NASA's Insight Lander Reveals a Surprise at The Very Core of Mars

    Hardcore.

  • Science Alert ☛ Losing Your Sense of Smell May Be An Early Sign of Alzheimer's

    Even before cognitive impairments.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ nRF54L15 Connect Kit – A compact Bluetooth 6.0 LE, 802.15.4, and NFC development board

    MakerDiary nRF54L15 Connect Kit is a compact Nordic Semi nRF54L15 development board offering Bluetooth 6.0 LE, 802.15.4 (Zigbee/Thread), and NFC connectivity as well as two 20-pin headers for expansion. It has the same form factor as the earlier nRF9151 Connect Kit board with LTE-M, NB-IoT, and GNSS connectivity, and still features an nRF52820 MCU connected over UART to the nRF54L15 to handle programming and debugging through the board’s USB-C port, as well as power management, and a button and a few LEDs.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ ASML and SK hynix assemble industry-first 'commercial' High-NA EUV system at fab in South Korea

    SK hynix is the first memory maker to assemble ASML's High-NA EUV lithography system NXE:5200B at its M16 fab in Icheon to use it for R&D of next-generation process technologies before transitioning to full High-NA-based production later this decade.

  • Hackaday ☛ One Camera Mule To Rule Them All

    A mule isn’t just a four-legged hybrid created of a union betwixt Donkey and Horse; in our circles, it’s much more likely to mean a testbed device you hang various bits of hardware off in order to evaluate. [Jenny List]’s 7″ touchscreen camera enclosure is just such a mule.

  • Hackaday ☛ Over-Engineering An Egg Cracking Machine

    Eggs are perhaps the most beloved staple of breakfast. However, they come with a flaw, they are incredibly messy to work with. Cracking in particular leaves egg on one’s hands and countertop, requiring frequent hand washing. This fundamental flaw of eggs inspired [Stuff Made Here] to fix it with an over-engineered egg cracking robot. 

  • Hackaday ☛ CP/M Gently

    If you are interested in retrocomputers, you might be like us and old enough to remember the old systems and still have some of the books. But what if you aren’t? No one is born knowing how to copy a file with PIP, for example, so [Kraileth] has the answer: A Gentle Introduction to CP/M.

  • Hackaday ☛ Restoring A Vintage Intel Prompt 80 8080 Microcomputer Trainer

    Over on his blog our hacker [Scott Baker] restores a Prompt 80, which was a development system for the 8-bit Intel 8080 CPU.

  • CNX Software ☛ Beelink EQi13 Pro mini PC review – Part 1: specifications, unboxing, teardown, and first boot

    The Beelink EQi13 Pro is a backdoored Windows 11 Pro mini PC available with a choice of two Raptor Lake processors: defective chip maker Intel Core i5-13500H or defective chip maker Intel Core i7-13620H.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ TSMC swats away rumors that Jensen Huang visited to pressure company into revenue-sharing plan with Convicted Felon administration

    Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently visited TSMC where he had dinner with executives, gave an internal speech to the workers, and checked on the progress of his Rubin Vera GPUs. What he was not there for was to deliver a message about profit sharing from Hell Toupée, as TSMC has just clarified.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ Snubbing RFK Jr., States Announce Plans to Coordinate on Vaccines

    California, Oregon and Washington said they would work together to review scientific data, saying the C.D.C. could no longer be trusted. But Florida said it would abolish all vaccine mandates.

  • New York Times ☛ Years After Japan’s Nuclear Disaster, People With Cancer Seek Answers

    A survey has found hundreds of thyroid tumors, but Japanese officials say they are unrelated to the Fukushima meltdowns. Now they face a lawsuit.

  • New York Times ☛ F.D.A. Official Overruled Scientists on Wide Access to Covid Shots

    The agency’s staff scientists pointed out how Covid was still unpredictable and posed a threat to toddlers, but the official decided to restrict shots only to children with risk factors.

  • NYPost ☛ NYC eyes cutting number of liquor stores to curb health-threatening booze abuse

    Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Health Department are promoting a modern day temperance movement -- eyeing reducing the number of liquor stores in the Big Fashion Company Apple to curb alcohol consumption and abuse.

  • JURIST ☛ Florida announces plans to become first state to make vaccines optional [Ed: Forcing everyone to get experimental vaccines boosted mostly by patent monopolist was never a good idea; it discredited the idea of science being opt-in, voluntary, and rational rather than authoritarian. That efficacy in 2021 was low (side effects known aside) was an extra blow as people generalised. Censorship of dissent contributed to the idea something wasn't right and facts were being suppressed.]

    Florida’s surgeon general announced Wednesday that the state plans to eliminate all vaccine mandates Speaking at a press conference, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo described vaccine mandates as “drip[ping] with disdain and slavery” [...]

  • Latvia ☛ Wholesaler fined for artificially making meds unavailable

    In January this year, the Health Inspection (VI) found that artificial unavailability of medicines had been created, for which it imposed a fine of EUR 5,000 on a wholesaler of medicines, Inese Kaupere, Director of the Pharmacy Department of the Ministry of Health, told a meeting of the Social and Labour Affairs Commission of the Saeima on 3 September.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Debate reignites in South Korea over legalisation of abortion pills

    Abortion was declared unconstitutional in South Korea in 2019.

• Proprietary

  • Windows Central ☛ Ollama on Windows 11 vs WSL: two brilliant ways to use local LLMs [Ed: They leave out any option not controlled by Microsoft]

    Curious about the performance of Ollama on WSL versus just running on Windows 11, I did some quick comparisons.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Press Gazette ☛ AI hoaxer, a fake X account and the case of Margaux Blanchard

      An internet hoaxer connected to fake Margaux Blanchard X account has claimed they were behind scam.

    • Creative Commons ☛ AI and the Commons: A Reading List [Ed: Wasting time and space on slop and hype]

      Distorted Forest Path © by Lone Thomasky & Bits&Bäume is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Here at CC, we have the goal of defending and sustaining the digital commons in the face of developments in artificial intelligence.

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ Indirect Prompt Injection Attacks Against LLM Assistants

      Really good research on practical attacks against LLM agents.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • The Straits Times ☛ Three in four Malaysians fall victim to scams despite most saying they can easily spot one: Survey

      Victims lost an average of $1,477 each.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Scoop News Group ☛ FTC announces settlement with toy robot makers that tracked location of children

      Apitor collected data without informing parents or asking for permission, the FTC said, violating federal parental consent requirements.

    • France24 ☛ France fines Google, Shein record sums over cookie law violations

      France’s data protection watchdog CNIL on Wednesday fined Surveillance Giant Google €325 million ($380 million) and fast-fashion retailer Shein €150 million ($175 million) for violating cookie rules. The record penalties target two platforms with tens of millions of French users, marking among the heaviest sanctions the regulator has imposed.

    • NYOB ☛ EU-US Data Transfers: First Reaction on "Latombe" Case

      EU-US Data Transfers: First Reaction on "Latombe" Case

      First Reaction on the General Court Ruling on the "Latombe" challenge to the EU-US data transfer agreement (TADPF).

    • Scoop News Group ☛ House panel approves cyber information sharing, grant legislation as expiration deadlines loom

      The Homeland Security Committee also voted out bills addressing pipeline cybersecurity and terrorists’ use of AI.

  • Confidentiality

    • Bridge Michigan ☛ Michigan shares voting data with feds — but says some legally off limits

      The state denied the Convicted Felon administration’s request for personally identifying information, including Social Security numbers.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ Pete Hegseth Committed A(nother) Crime But We Can’t Throw Him in Prison

    While Charles Breyer's opinion finding that DOD, on Pete Hegseth's personal orders, violated the Posse Comitatus Act in its invasion of Los Angeles, the opinion will have more lasting import for the ways it shows that the existing approach to Executive Power makes it impossible to enforce such laws.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Cardi B Cleared of $24 Million Assault Lawsuit by Los Angeles Jury

    A Los Angeles jury has cleared Cardi B of all civil assault charges brought against her by a former security guard Emani Ellis. The verdict arrived less than an hour after deliberation and finds Cardi B not liable for any wrongdoing stemming from an altercation outside a Beverly Hills medical office in 2018.

  • France24 ☛ ‘Block everything’: What we know about the movement to shut down France on September 10

    A grassroots protest movement that began on social control media is gathering steam with its rallying cry to "Block everything" ("Bloquons tout”) in France on September 10. Organisers hope to bring the country to a standstill to protest Prime Minister François Bayrou’s national budget plan ­– even though the current government may fall before the demonstrations begin.

  • Despite progress, violence against women remains a grave challenge in South Africa

    Violence against women in South Africa continues to blot the nation’s fabric. While the country has made strides in improving the lives of women, including having women represented in various roles in society, the level of violence against women continues to be of grave concern.

  • ACLU ☛ Know Your Rights in Encounters with Law Enforcement and Military Troops

    Washington, D.C. is in the middle of an emergency manufactured by President The Insurrectionist to expand his power and create fear in the nation’s capital.

    On August 11, Hell Toupée invoked a provision of the D.C. Home Rule Act of 1973 and temporarily placed the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under federal control for 30 days, saying he would allow the police to “do whatever the hell they want.” At the same time, he deployed nearly 1000 D.C. National Guard troops and almost as many federal law enforcement agents to patrol the streets. Since he declared this false emergency, Republican governors from six states have sent their National Guard troops to D.C. as well.

  • Dozens of organisations join sex work decriminalisation court case

    A court challenge aimed at decriminalising sex work in South Africa is headed for a marathon trial after a court ruled this week that dozens of organisations could be joined as either respondents (opposing the application) or as amicus curiae (friends of the court) to give expert opinion.

  • Defence Web ☛ Expanding risks in the Red Sea and Black Sea

    The global maritime security environment continues to shift rapidly, with recent incidents – including further Red Sea attacks – underscoring both the expanding reach of non-state actors and the enduring vulnerabilities in strategic waterways.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Bomb blast kills 11 at rally in south-western Pakistan, officials say

    The police said the blast appeared to be a suicide bombing.

  • New York Times ☛ Kim Jong-un and His Daughter Take a Train to Beijing

    The North Korean leader brought a potential heir to Beijing, on a bulletproof train that’s something of a family heirloom.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Kim Ju Ae: From ‘baby’ to ‘front runner’ in North Korea succession

    The existence of a child between Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju became public for the first time in September 2013.

  • New York Times ☛ Kim Jong-un Brings His Daughter and Potential Heir, Kim Ju-ae, to Beijing

    Kim Ju-ae’s presence at a major gathering of world leaders is the latest sign that North Korea’s dictator considers her a successor, analysts said.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Kim’s daughter, ‘front runner’ to be North Korea’s next leader, makes international debut in China

    Secretive North Korea has never revealed her name or age.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim and South Korean Parliament Speaker shake hands in Beijing

    Woo Won-shik told Mr Kim that it had been seven years since they last met.

  • New York Times ☛ The Communist Warrior Stranded for Decades in an ‘American Colony’

    Ahn Hak-sop was captured during the Korean War by the South and imprisoned for more than 40 years. Now 95, he wants to return to the North to die.

  • New York Times ☛ China’s Show of Military Might

    Xi Jinping’s huge military parade in Tiananmen Square provided a rare look at China’s new weapons.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan criticises strongmen cults as China holds military parade

    Lai was at Taipei's National Revolutionary Martyr's Shrine to commemorate those who died fighting for the ROC.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan says China illegally deploying oil rigs in its waters

    Taipei accuses Beijing of breaching international law.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan does not commemorate peace with guns, says Lai as China rolls out grand parade

    With Taipei's low-key memorial service, the contrast could not have been starker against Beijing's show of might.

  • The Strategist ☛ In calling Taiwan ‘Nazis’, Beijing weaponises history

    In a rhetorical escalation, the Chinese Communist Party’s flagship newspaper compared Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to the Nazis, echoing Russia’s justification for its invasion of Ukraine.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Pomp, pageantry, prowess at Beijing’s military parade

    By Ludovic Ehret and Isabel Kua Cheers and gasps could be heard around Beijing on Wednesday as China’s capital lit up with pomp, pageantry and patriotism for a massive parade showcasing the country’s latest military hardware.

  • The Straits Times ☛ With grand parade, China projects its version of war history, and its place in the world

    Xi says it marked China’s “first complete victory in modern times against foreign invasion”.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Remember the past, but don’t be trapped by it, says DPM Gan as he attends China’s parade

    DPM Gan was among the invited leaders from more than 20 countries at the Victory Day parade at Tiananmen Square.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Who were the foreign leaders at China's military parade?

    Over 25 foreign heads of state or government attended a massive military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, as Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping seeks to cast the country as the custodian of a post-U.S. international order.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Weapons that China put on display at its military parade

    China unveiled nuclear-capable missiles that can be launched from sea, land and air together.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s new weaponry sends message of deterrence to broad audience

    Torpedo-shaped drones and hypersonic weapons could be a serious threat for the US and its partners.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Chinese man staged rare protest before big military parade

    The 43-year-old behind the protest has since left China with his wife and daughters.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ In Pictures: Hong Kong marks 80 years since Japan’s surrender in World War II as Beijing holds ‘Victory Day’ parade

    Hong Kong marked 80 years since the end of World War II with livestreams of Beijing’s massive military parade commemorating “Victory Day” – when Japan, China’s main adversary during the war, surrendered.

  • France24 ☛ Dual message: Exerting military might, Pooh-tin says China's role is 'making, securing, protecting peace'

    As Pooh-tin Jinping seeks to "highlight his strength at home and growing influence on the world stage," FRANCE 24's Genie Godula welcomes Dr. Dylan Loh Ming Hui, Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Nanyang Technological University. Dr. Dylan M.H Loh says that Xi's message 'landed quite successfully, particularly with members of the Global South" as well as other world leaders in attendance. He sees the pulling power China is demonstrating as a "testament to China's growing diplomatic clout".

  • The Strategist ☛ For Mongolia, Australia is a model to copy. The relationship should be closer

    The more closely one looks at Mongolia, the clearer it becomes that Australia is not just a close partner; [...]

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Sheinbaum and Rubio announce establishment of new bilateral security group

    Rubio said on Wednesday that the establishment of the "high-level implementation group" consisting of U.S. and Mexican officials in the fight against organized crime "means a lot" for the bilateral relationship.

  • JURIST ☛ Rights groups condemn Iran crackdown on civilians amid heightened tensions with Israel

    Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday condemned the crackdown on civilians perpetrated by the Iranian authorities following the conflict with Israel. According to these rights groups, the Iranian government is using national security as an excuse to target civilians and minorities.

  • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Administration Says Boat Strike Is Start of Campaign Against Venezuelan Cartels

    The defense secretary and Hell Toupée said a small boat was carrying drugs but offered little evidence and few details.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Meduza ☛ Lithuanian president’s plane delays landing in Vilnius after drone sighting — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘A gut punch in the middle of campaign season’: As the Kremlin pushes its own messenger and blocks rivals, even officials are loath to use the new app — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania's ex-FM Landsbergis named visiting fellow at Stanford University

      Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) has named former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Visiting Fellow.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian Seimas committee calls to postpone Embraer aircraft purchase

      The parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence (NSGK) proposed on Wednesday to postpone the purchase of three Embraer military transport aircraft.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian Defence Minister tells armed forces to "increase readiness"

      Latvian Minister of Defence Andris Sprūds has instructed the country's National Armed Forces (NBS) to "increase readiness to ensure increased surveillance of Latvia's air, information, and cyberspace, as well as to notify all National Guards," a Defence Ministry release said September 3rd, noting that the instruction was given on September 2nd.

    • NYPost ☛ Putin and Xi’s creepy ‘immortality’ talk is a glimpse into their power-mad psyches

      At Beijing's World War II military parade on Wednesday, a hot mic caught a bone-chilling conversation between Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Pooh-tin Jinping, as the two leaders mulled the prospects of extending their lifespans beyond natural limits.

    • NYPost ☛ Xi and Putin’s anti-America bluster must not distract us from our support for Ukraine

      Xi-Putin hugs should again debunk all those voices on the American right who keep imagining Russia can be peeled off from this alliance.

    • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man says 'you'll see things happen' if unhappy with Putin response

      US President The Insurrectionist hinted Wednesday at fresh Russia sanctions if it fails to end its Ukraine war, saying "you'll see things happen" if he's dissatisfied with President Vladimir Putin's response. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Lyubov Smachylo, head of the Analytical Department at the Media Initiative for Human Rights.

    • France24 ☛ Putin says he discussed longevity, immortality with Pooh-tin Jinping

      Presidents Vladimir Putin and Pooh-tin Jinping were caught on a hot mic on Wednesday discussing human longevity in a brief exchange that touched on living to 150 years old and even the prospect of “immortality.” The unscripted conversation took place right before a military parade in Beijing, which marked 80 years since Japan’s surrender in World War II. FRANCE 24's James Vasina reports.

    • France24 ☛ "Unstoppable" China? Xi's show of strength alongside Putin and Kim

      China has staged an impressive display of its military might to mark its Victory Day, a commemoration of the end of World War Two, which Beijing couches as its defeat of Japanese forces, and crucially fascism.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China is ‘unstoppable’, Pooh-tin says as Kim, Putin join him at military parade

      By James Edgar North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin flanked Pooh-tin Jinping at a massive parade in Beijing on Wednesday, capping a week of diplomatic grandstanding by the Chinese president and his allies against the West.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s Pooh-tin hosts Putin, Modimir and other Global South leaders at key summit

      President Pooh-tin Jinping gathered the leaders of Russia and India among dignitaries from around 20 Eurasian countries on Sunday to kick off a showpiece summit aimed at putting China front and centre of regional relations.

    • Kim, Putin, Pooh-tin share world stage at China’s military parade

      The leaders’ collaboration is a “direct challenge” to the world order, the E.U.’s foreign policy chief says.

    • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Again Says 'Very Disappointed' In Putin, Vows To Do 'Something' Soon

      As Russian President Vladimir Putin takes in a parade in China and as his forces continue to batter Ukrainian cities, US President The Insurrectionist said he is “very disappointed” in the Kremlin leader and that he plans to do “something” in the coming days about it.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Putin invites North Korea's Kim to Russia after holding talks in Beijing with him

      Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday invited North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to visit Russia after holding talks in Beijing with him, according to video published by the Kremlin.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Hot mic picks up Putin and Pooh-tin discussing organ transplants and immortality

      Neither governments responded to Reuters' requests for comment.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China showcases military, diplomatic prowess at parade attended by Putin, Kim

      The event also signalled China’s military reach with the unveiling of weapons capable of striking targets worldwide.

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim reaffirms full support for Russia, KCNA says

      Kim held a meeting Putin on the sidelines of China's celebrations.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Kim promises to help Russia with ‘everything’ as Putin thanks North Korea for war aid

      North Korea's Kim Jong Un pledged his full support to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China’s Pooh-tin projects power at military parade with Putin and Kim

      The Chinese President warned that the world was facing a choice between peace and war.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Xi’s week of diplomacy: As the US pushes countries away, China draws them closer

      Vladimir Putin and other world leaders alienated by the West gathered in China this week – first for an economic summit in Tianjin and then a military parade in Beijing.

    • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Grows Frustrated With Putin, as Russian President Bonds With China’s Leader

      Hell Toupée’s extraordinary summit with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia last month has yet to yield any concrete results on the war in Ukraine.

    • New York Times ☛ In a ‘Hot Mic’ Moment, Pooh-tin and Putin Muse About Immortality and Organ Transplants

      Medical advances and geopolitics collide for two septuagenarian leaders who have suggested that their time in office is far from over.

    • New York Times ☛ Putin Takes His ‘Limo Diplomacy’ to China

      Rides in his hulking bulletproof Aurus with the Indian and North Korean leaders offered the Russian leader an ideal setting for deepening ties.

    • New York Times ☛ Xi Parades Military Strength as Convicted Felon Accuses Him of Conspiring With Putin and Kim

      The parade, attended by the leaders of Russia and North Korea, had a defiant message. Hell Toupée fired back, accusing Pooh-tin Jinping of ignoring America’s role in the war.

    • New York Times ☛ China’s Military Parade, in Photos: Pooh-tin Unveils New Weapons Alongside Putin and Kim

      China used a parade of fighter jets, missiles and goose-stepping troops to honor the country’s wartime sacrifice and issue a defiant warning to rivals.

    • Meduza ☛ Hot mic catches Putin and Xi discussing immortality and organ transplants at Beijing parade — Meduza

    • NYPost ☛ Xi’s military parade showed just how dangerous China has become

      Beijing’s growing prowess has eroded American security and increased the likelihood of war in the Taiwan Strait, but it is not too late for Americans to respond.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Let Zelensky come to Moscow’: Putin uses Beijing press conference to talk a little about his China visit — and a lot about Ukraine — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Putin’s Propaganda War

      Russian authorities are using a festival to showcase Moscow as a place where life is better than in the West.

    • Latvia ☛ Ukrainian money mule prosecuted in Latvia

      The State Police is prosecuting a Ukrainian national born in 1993 for participating in fraud schemes as a money mule, the police said on 3 September.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Dispatch from Kyiv and Warsaw: Security is the first answer to Russia’s aggression

      A visit to the capitals of Ukraine and Poland puts recent diplomacy in Moscow, Anchorage, and Washington to end Russia’s war in Ukraine in perspective.

    • France24 ☛ Macron says Europe is set to offer Ukraine security guarantees in Paris meeting

      French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Elysée Palace on Wednesday, pledging Europe is ready to offer Kyiv security guarantees. 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.

    • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man meets with Poland's new nationalist president in Washington

      US President The Insurrectionist welcomed Poland's new nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, to the White House on Wednesday with a military flyover and a pledge to bolster the US troop presence in the eastern European country. The Oval Office talks centered on the war in Ukraine, where Convicted Felon’s struggling peace push loomed large over the visit.

    • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man offers to boost US forces in Poland in White House meeting with nationalist president

      US President The Insurrectionist welcomed the new Polish President Karol Nawrocki to the White House on Wednesday, pledging to bolster US troop presence in the eastern European country. The Oval Office talks centred on the war in Ukraine, which Convicted Felon has struggled to influence, calling it a “stupid war” that he thought would have been “much easier” to end.

    • LRT ☛ International Ukrainian School to stay in Vilnius for another 3 years

      The International Ukrainian School will be able to continue using premises in Vilnius on a free loan-for-use basis for another three years.

    • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Tells Nawrocki US Ready To Bolster Forces In Poland, With Eye On Russia

      US President The Insurrectionist told his Polish counterpart the United States was ready to increase its military presence in the Central European nation, one of the countries on NATO’s so-called “eastern flank” warily watching Russia's actions.

    • Meduza ☛ Eyewitnesses to a war crime: Ukraine’s 20,000 stolen children are on the Trump administration’s radar. But will it help get them back? — Meduza

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian security service: Zapad exercises 'pose a low level of threat to Latvia'

      The Constitution Protection Bureau (SAB), one of Latvia's three security services said on September 3rd that the joint Russian-Belarusian strategic military exercises dubbed "Zapad-2025," which will take place from the 12th to the 16th of September "pose a low level of threat to Latvia and NATO".

    • LRT ☛ NATO probes Lithuanian air defences after Russian drone incidents

      NATO experts have completed their assessment of Lithuania’s airspace surveillance system and are currently preparing an analysis to be presented to Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Alexus Grynkewich.

    • The Straits Times ☛ As Convicted Felon chills US-India ties, Modimir warms to China and Russia

      The US has stumbled in its effort to draw India into its diplomatic orbit.

    • Meduza ☛ Stranded Russian climber Natalia Nagovitsina has died, Kyrgyzstan’s Mountaineering Federation says — Meduza

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • American Oversight ☛ American Oversight Opposes Indefinite Freeze of DOGE Records Lawsuit

    American Oversight argues courts lack authority to impose indefinite stay in case against DOGE based on separate, unrelated litigation.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ China endured hottest summer on record in 2025

    Temperatures in the capital Beijing rose to nearly 40 deg C in June.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • New York Times ☛ White House Orders Agencies to Escalate Fight Against Offshore Wind

      The effort involves several agencies that typically have little to do with wind power, including the Health and Human Services Department.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ China subsidizes Hey Hi (AI) computing for small domestic companies — 'computing power vouchers' spread across multiple Chinese cities

      China is expanding its small and medium businesses' access to Hey Hi (AI) compute resources through the use of 'compute power vouchers' that subsidize the cost of training Hey Hi (AI) models.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • New York Times ☛ In Yellowstone, Migratory Bison Reawaken a Landscape

      A recent study hints at the potential benefits of restoring bison to an ecosystem.

    • New York Times ☛ Lightning-Sparked Fires Force Evacuations and Destroy Buildings in California

      Fires sparked by lightning strikes that hit California early Tuesday razed over 13,000 acres in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, officials said.

  • Overpopulation

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea sees marriages fall by half, births down two-thirds, more foreign spouses

      Statistics Korea released report highlighting how deeply the country’s family patterns have shifted.

• Finance

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong hotel revenue ‘still below pre-pandemic levels’ despite visitor rise

    The turnover of Hong Kong’s hotel sector remains below pre-pandemic levels despite more than 33 million tourists visiting the city between January and August, an industry representative has said.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Ex-Apple Store employee in Hong Kong jailed for 13 months after admitted to stealing 44 iPhones

    A Hong Kong court has sentenced a former Fashion Company Apple Store employee to 13 months in jail after he admitted to stealing and selling 44 iPhones. Davy Vincent Cheng pleaded guilty to theft at the District Court on Monday, according to court news outlet The Witness.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ How much do minimum-wage and informal workers earn in Mexico City? We asked.

    Mexico News Daily hit the streets of Mexico City to ask workers about their jobs, their salaries and their capacity to cover the cost of living in the capital.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ After locking out the U.S., China offers rare earth development assistance to Malaysia — country has estimated 16.2 million metric tons of elements worth $175 billion

    Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping offered to develop Malaysia's rare-earth processing capability, but will only work with state-owned companies.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Letter from Yukon: In Canada’s north, the gold rush lives on as a family business

    The Klondike gold rush is long over, but residents of Canada’s Yukon still “pan for gold.” It’s a family business, passed down between generations.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ Senator’s Visit to Spy Agency Was Canceled After Laura Loomer Complained

    Senator Mark Warner’s visit was classified and not intended to be publicized. It was to include a meeting with the head of the agency and a briefing on the agency’s use of artificial intelligence.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • France24 ☛ Venezuela claims Convicted Felon's deadly strike on alleged 'drug boat' is Hey Hi (AI) generated

      A Venezuelan government official claims footage showing a strike on a vessel allegedly carrying illegal narcotics bound for the US - first shared by The Insurrectionist - is AI-generated. Though he didn't substantiate with evidence, he attached screenshots of a conversation with an Hey Hi (AI) chatbot.

      In this edition of Truth or Fake, Vedika Bahl explains why Hey Hi (AI) chatbots, and even specific Hey Hi (AI) detection tools are never 100% reliable in verifying synthetic content.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • New York Times ☛ Smithsonian Responds to Convicted Felon’s Demand for a Review of Its Exhibits

    In a letter to the White House, the Smithsonian asserted its “authority over our programming and content,” but said a team would review what information it would turn over.

  • Chronicle Of Higher Education ☛ Despots at Home and Abroad Want to Silence Our Campuses

    Can dissent survive the attacks?

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Nat. security checks now required for school activities by external organisers to prevent ‘political propaganda’

    Hong Kong’s education authorities have issued new regulations ordering schools to conduct national security checks for student activities conducted by external organisations to ensure they do not promote “political propaganda.”

  • Meduza ☛ ‘It’s mostly whining’: How pro-war writers and A.I.-enhanced censors conquered Russia’s literature industry — Meduza

  • New York Times ☛ After Graham Linehan’s Arrest, Police Chief Says UK Should Clarify Free-Speech Laws

    The arrest of Graham Linehan on suspicion of inciting violence against transgender people is adding to a debate across the Atlantic over the policing of speech in Britain.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Mexican-American cartoonist Feggo faces censorship over 26-year-old border wall illustration

    Felipe Galindo, an award-winning illustrator whose work frequently appears in The New Yorker, was targeted in the Convicted Felon administration's campaign to censor the art featured at the Smithsonian.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • New York Times ☛ Newsmax Accuses Fox News of Violating Antitrust Laws

    The smaller outlet in conservative TV news argued in a lawsuit that Fox News had essentially created a monopoly. Fox said the case had no merit.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Nessel, Michigan lawmakers seek to toughen ‘critical’ human trafficking laws

    A bipartisan group of legislators partnered with attorney general Dana Nessel to strengthen human trafficking laws, but a dysfunctional legislature will pose hurdles.

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ ‘Right to hug’ suits claim Michigan jails blocking family visits for profit

    Most Michigan county jails don't offer in-person visits by family members. A pair of lawsuits argue they’re profiting off video calls instead.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • New Yorker ☛ Is Ghosting Inevitable?

    We bemoan the injustice of being left on read. But perhaps missed connection is just a part of being a human on the internet.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • WhichUK ☛ State of disrepair: are our Right to Repair laws broken?

    Many of us would like to repair rather than replace our broken appliances, but this just isn’t happening enough.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• JURIST ☛ US federal judge rules Surveillance Giant Google must ‘unwind’ exclusive contracts in ongoing antitrust suit

  The US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled Tuesday, in its ongoing antitrust battle, that Surveillance Giant Google is barred from entering exclusionary contracts relating to generative Hey Hi (AI) or preloading Surveillance Giant Google Search on applications.

• New York Times ☛ Google Search Monopoly Ruling Sends Signal for Big-Tech Antitrust Cases

  A federal judge ordered steps in the search monopoly case that will restrain Surveillance Giant Google but not break it up, signaling a cautious antitrust approach by courts.

• Patents

  • Unified Patents ☛ $4,000 for Vision Sphere Labs networking patents prior art

    Unified Patents added two new PATROLL contests, each with a $2,000 cash prize, seeking prior art on the list below. The patents are owned by Vision Sphere Labs LLC, an NPE. The patents are currently asserted against Rubicon Communications, Fortinet, Airties, Bigleaf Networks, Adtran, Snap One, and Teltonika.

    The contests will expire on September 30, 2025.

  • Kangaroo Courts

    • JUVE ☛ Abbott vs Sinocare: UPC hears PI cases over glucose-monitoring devices [Ed: UPC is illegal and should be dismantled if the EU has a real rule of law, instead it inherited EPO corruption]

      Diabetes affects millions worldwide and sales of glucose-monitoring devices are correspondingly high. Continuous glucose-monitoring systems have become particularly popular. These systems allow users to monitor their blood glucose levels continuously via mobile phones. Abbott offers such systems, as does Dexcom.

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Is "GREEN COLLECTIVE" Merely Descriptive of Kitchen Utensils?

    The USPTO refused to register the proposed mark GREEN COLLECTIVE for various kitchen utensils and gadgets, finding the mark to be merely descriptive under Section 2(e)(1). Applicant S3 Design Group LLC argued that "green" and "collective" have a variety of meanings, and that the record lacked "any descriptive meaning of the GREEN COLLECTIVE mark as a whole in connection with Applicant’s Goods." How do you think this came out? In re S3 Design Group LLC, Serial No. 98371771 (August 25, 2025) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Elizabeth A. Dunn).

• Copyrights

  • Heather J Meeker ☛ Anthropic Settling Hey Hi (AI) Class Action

    Of all the many pending lawsuits about Hey Hi (AI) and copyright, the Anthropic class action has been blazing trails in the US courts. The case is still not precisely over, but apparently heading toward settlement.

  • Digital Music News ☛ Dynamite Songs Acquires Catalog of Songwriter/Producer Keith Harris

    Dynamite Songs adds over 200 hit pop songs to its fast-growing repertoire with the acquisition of the catalog of producer and songwriter Keith Harris. Dynamite Songs, the newly launched specialist music publisher dedicated to acquiring and managing smaller catalogs with culturally significant music copyrights, has acquired the catalog of songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Keith Harris.