Leftovers

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ Happy 10th Birthday to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. Now Drop Dead.

    Ten years ago, astronomers made an epic discovery with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. Cosmology hasn’t been the same since, and it might not stay that way much longer.

  • CS Monitor ☛ ‘We can’t not pay attention.’ Student scores hit new lows on nation’s report card.

    U.S. 12th graders’ reading and math scores fell to their lowest levels on record in 2024, according to the test dubbed “the nation’s report card.”

  • Science Alert ☛ This Asteroid Held Liquid Water Much More Recently Than We Thought

    "It was a genuine surprise!"

  • Science Alert ☛ Microbe That Can Eat Mars Dust And Make Oxygen Could Be a Great Space Pet

    Call it 'Chroo'.

  • Science Alert ☛ Animals Are Evolving Along Two Opposite Paths For One Major Reason

    Unnatural selection.

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Own Mouth Bacteria Could Give You a Heart Attack, New Study Suggests

    Brush your dang teeth.

  • Science Alert ☛ Brain Scans Reveal When You'll Change Your Mind – Before You Do

    Here's what really happens in your brain.

• Hardware

  • CNX Software ☛ QMK-compatible macro keyboard features 0.85-inch LCD keycaps, 2.01-inch display

    Waveshare has recently released the MK10, a Stream Deck-like macro keyboard featuring ten mechanical keys with 0.85-inch LCD keycaps and a secondary 2.01-inch screen. The macro keyboard also supports Hey Hi (AI) voice interaction, real-time hardware and weather data integration, and customizable themes with drag-and-drop editing. The company also highlights Home Assistant compatibility for Smart Home control. The device features a dual-system architecture, where an Allwinner T113-S3 dual-core Cortex-A7 processor runs Linux, and a GD32 microcontroller runs QMK firmware, ensuring low-latency mechanical input. The 10 LCD keys can display images or videos with overlay support, and the 2.01-inch screen shows additional status or customization options.

  • Silicon Angle ☛ Shares of Synopsys crater after export restrictions derail China sales

    Chip design software company Synopsys Inc. missed expectations on earnings and revenue today, hit by weakness in its chip designs segment, and investors sent its stock plummeting in extended trading.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ Scientists Begin Testing Bird Flu Vaccine in Seals

    If the results are promising, veterinarians hope to give the shots to wild Hawaiian monk seals, which are endangered.

  • New York Times ☛ Vaccines and C.D.C. Chaos Expose Tensions Between Convicted Felon and Kennedy

    While there is no evidence of a break between them, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has caused consternation among Hell Toupée and some of his aides.

  • BIA Net ☛ Six child workers under 14 killed on the job in Turkey in one month

    At least 192 workers were killed on the job in August, according to the Health and Safety Labor Watch.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Not ‘disgusting food’ anymore: China’s century, salted duck eggs finding fans in US

    These once niche products are finding their way into big box mainstream US grocery stores and supermarkets.

  • Science Alert ☛ Ultra-Processed Food Is Harming Men's Health in Three Key Ways

    What are we doing to our bodies?

  • Science Alert ☛ Do Your Knees 'Click'? Here's What It Means, And When to See a Doctor

    It's not always a bad sign.

  • Financial Express ☛ Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk to lay off 9,000 employees worldwide to save $1.26 bn

    Wegovy-maker, Novo Nordisk, has revealed plans on Wednesday to eliminate 9,000 employees as part of a global restructuring. The initiative is expected to cut costs by 8 billion Danish crowns (approximately $1.26 billion) each year, as the firm faces growing competition from its US rival, Eli Lilly.

• Proprietary

  • Oracle layoffs delivered via Zoom in ‘project update’ meetings

    The affected employee further added, “my access was revoked very quickly. My RSUs were due to vest in Feb, but now I’ll lose them.”

    Another employee who was let go shared the personal toll, saying, “my parents depend on me, and telling them was the hardest part.”

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea uncovers massive SIM fraud operation using stolen foreign passport data

      Those arrested are accused of registering SIM cards under fake identities and selling them to criminal groups.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Former WhatsApp security manager sues company for privacy violations, professional retaliation

      Attaullah Baig alleges that the social control media giant fired him for raising security concerns about its WhatsApp messaging platform.

    • Silicon Angle ☛ UK Online Safety Act sparks surge in VPN use and dark web activity

      A new report out today from tech research site Comparitech looking at the U.K.’s Online Safety Act highlights rising concerns over censorship, surveillance and the unintended consequences of the law since it went into effect earlier this year. >

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ South Korean Woman Cleared Decades After Biting Attacker’s Tongue During Attempted Rape

    Choi Mal-ja, who was convicted of inflicting bodily harm, said she fought for a retrial so other South Korean women would not suffer as she did.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea overturns 60-year ruling on woman who bit off man’s tongue in self-defence

    She had been convicted of causing grievous bodily harm and handed a 10-month prison sentence.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea to send chartered plane to Atlanta to bring back workers detained in US

    A Korean Air Boeing 747-8i plane with 368 seats will fly from South Korea's Incheon to Atlanta.

  • The Straits Times ☛ 6 in 10 South Koreans disappointed in US government over Georgia raid: Poll

    A majority of those in their 40s and older said they were disappointed.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Workers say South Korean companies warned about questionable US visas before Hyundai raid

    Many of the people arrested were skilled workers who were sent to the US to install equipment.

  • The Straits Times ☛ US immigration raid exposes South Korea business visa woes

    Hundreds of South Koreans were arrested at a Hyundai-LG battery plant being built in Georgia.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Return of South Korean detainees in US postponed, says Seoul

    South Korea had arranged for a chartered plane to bring back about 300 workers detained in last week’s raid.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Detained South Korean workers to depart US on Sept 10, says report

    Seoul arranged for a chartered plane to bring back about 300 workers detained in the raid.

  • New York Times ☛ Delayed Release of Workers Detained in Georgia Raid Fuels Anger in Korea

    It is unclear when the South Korean detainees will be repatriated. They were previously scheduled to depart the United States on Wednesday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim oversees ICBM engine test

    Images carried by state media show Mr Kim looking at the flame from the test with binoculars.

  • The Straits Times ☛ At least 10 hurt in explosion at South Korean military base

    Two soldiers suffered serious burns to their arms and thighs.

  • AccessNow ☛ Access Now’s statement on Nepal’s escalating digital repression and deadly crackdown

    Access Now is deeply alarmed by the government of Nepal’s violent crackdown on human rights, both online and off.

  • France24 ☛ 'Years of frustration' caused Nepal unrest: Papers react to Gen Z protests [Ed: Not social control networks commandeering them?]

    Nepal's Gen Z protests cause several Nepali news sites to be inaccessible. But first: the French papers react to their new prime minister. Also, the inside pages in France attempt to understand this Wednesday's "Bloquons tout" movement and strikes. Finally, the Guardian brings us a bit of joy as conservationists build boats for endangered saltmarsh sparrows.

  • The Strategist ☛ How allies pull the US toward nuclear conflict

    When Israel launched a surprise strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, US forces were quickly drawn into a regional war.

  • France24 ☛ How Qatar, targeted by Israeli strike, came to play key role in middle east crisis

    Qatari security forces and emergency fire personnel deployed Wednesday around the site of an Israeli attack the previous day on Hamas’ political leaders. Israel's attack in Qatar threatens to upend negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages. Qatar had been mediating those talks, acting as a crucial broker, as Emerald Maxwell explains.

  • France24 ☛ Israel's attack on Hamas in Qatar: What we know

    Israel on Tuesday conducted a surprise air strike in Doha, Qatar, targeting Hamas leaders and killing six, including the son of the group’s chief negotiator for Gaza ceasefire talks. Here's what we know about this attack what has drawn condemnation from European allies and even a rare rebuke from US President The Insurrectionist.

  • France24 ☛ Flotilla for Gaza reports second drone attack on boat at Tunisian port

    The Global Sumud Flotilla, an international aid initiative to deliver vital supplies to Gaza, said on Wednesday that one of its boats was attacked by a drone at a Tunisian port, the second such strike in two days.

  • France24 ☛ Tunisia: Second Gaza-bound flotilla hit by suspected drone

    Videos shared on the Global Sumud Flotilla’s social control media accounts show what the Gaza-bound group says was a second strike, allegedly carried out by a drone, along with the damage it caused.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Focus on dual deterrence, not headcount, for transforming US Forces Korea

    In Washington, a narrow focus on the number of US troops in South Korea has obscured a more important discussion on the broader capabilities needed going forward.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Memo to Congress: Capabilities matter more than numbers for US forces in Korea

    When it comes to the US military presence in South Korea, what the US force is capable of doing matters more than exactly how many troops are stationed there. As the US Senate and House draft this year’s must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, they should focus on requirements, not setting a floor for USFK.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Israel strikes Yemen's Sanaa, Houthi-run Al Masirah TV says

    Israel struck the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Wednesday, Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said, in an attack that witnesses said targeted the Houthi defence ministry.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China condemns Israel strike in Doha, concerned about escalation

    China urged "certain major powers" to promote a ceasefire, end hostilities, and ease regional tensions.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel’s Attack on Qatari Soil Leads Gulf Powers to Question U.S. Protection

    The brazen attempt to kill the political leaders of Hamas in Doha could upend the foundations of an American-led order in the Middle East.

  • New York Times ☛ Hamas Fighters Claim Responsibility for Bus Stop Shooting in Jerusalem

    Israeli officials said the attack at the crowded bus stop on Monday spurred, in part, the decision to launch Tuesday’s targeted strikes against Hamas leaders in Qatar.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Attempts to Kill Hamas Leadership in Airstrike on Qatar, a Gaza War Mediator

    The Gulf nation of Qatar has been trying to negotiate a cease-fire in the conflict. The attack threatened to destabilize those peace efforts.

  • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man says 'not thrilled' by Israel's strike on Qatar

    US President The Insurrectionist gave Benjamin Netanyahu a rare slap on the wrist Tuesday over Israel's strikes against Hamas in Qatar, as he insisted he played no role in the attack by one close US ally against another.

  • CS Monitor ☛ When unauthorized migrants leave out of conscience

    Voluntary deportations in the U.S. are on the rise, in part to escape stepped-up law enforcement, but sometimes to honor the law.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Deportation Sent Asylum Seeker Back Into China’s Grip

    A Chinese man crossed dangerous jungles to enter the United States, in a failed bid for asylum. After being deported home in 2023, he faced a choice: stay or try to leave again?

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Drugmakers Warn White House of Chaos as Convicted Felon Weighs Curbs on China

    Behind the scenes, major pharmaceutical companies and Convicted Felon-tied billionaires are furiously lobbying in opposite directions over proposed anti-China measures.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China doubles down on Brics to defend free trade but grouping’s divisions remain

    Brics leaders had to walk a tightrope between criticising US tariffs while avoiding a confrontation with Mr Convicted Felon.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China to establish nature reserve in disputed Scarborough Shoal in South China Sea

    The specific boundaries and zoning of the reserve will be announced separately.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Dell reportedly cutting staff from China operations — affected employees have until October 10 to apply for internal transfer

    Dell's latest layoff impacts its EMC storage division and Client Solution Group and comes roughly a year after it let go of 12,000 employees.

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania’s government program pledges defence boost, tax stability and reset with China

    Lithuania’s incoming government, led by Prime Minister-designate Inga Ruginienė, on Tuesday presented its program to the parliament, promising a sharp increase in defence spending, stability on taxation after a sweeping reform, and a softer line toward China.

  • The Strategist ☛ In contested region, Indonesia diversifies arms imports

    Indonesia’s recent arms procurement spree underscores its pursuit of middle-power autonomy.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australia to spend $1.4 billion on autonomous undersea vehicles

    The vehicles are capable of engaging in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and strike.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Google to obey South Korean order to blur satellite images on maps

    South Korea is one of the few places in the world where Surveillance Giant Google Maps does not fully function.

• Environment

  • The Straits Times ☛ North China posts longest rainy season since 1961; country faces hottest summer

    Atmospheric scientists have linked this to climate change.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Japan Airlines hit with second warning over drunk pilots

      JAL said it would further strengthen its checks on alcohol use and health of its staff.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Salvaged shipwreck porcelain gets new life in Malaysia

      Malaysian artist Alice Chang saw the potential to transform the shattered plates and cups.

    • New York Times ☛ At IAA Mobility Car Show in Munich, the German Automakers Feel Optimistic

      The spotlight at the Munich auto show this year is swinging back to BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen after previously focusing on Chinese automakers.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China takes aim at car industry’s fraudulent advertising tactics

      The move is the latest in a series of actions by Beijing to stamp out unhealthy competition.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia residents find clouded leopard resting on roof

      The wild cat was handed over to the Kuala Lumpur Wildlife and National Parks Department.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia recovers $11 million in assets linked to Jho Low in 1MDB case

    This brings the total amount of assets recovered by Malaysia in the 1MDB case to S$9.5 billion.

  • New York Times ☛ What Travelers Need to Know About the Upcoming Strike in France

    The planned shutdown, which will affect transit in and beyond Paris, dovetails with the tube strike in London.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • JURIST ☛ US appeals court upholds $83.3M verdict in Convicted Felon defamation case

    The US Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an $83.3 million defamation verdict in favor of writer E. Jean Carroll on Monday, backing up a jury finding that President The Insurrectionist defamed her when he dismissed her 2019 sexual assault allegations as false.

  • The Straits Times ☛ If it ain’t broke, why fix it: Top PAS leaders set to retain posts at Islamist party’s congress

    Leadership stability in PAS sets it apart from the power struggles in Malaysia's other major parties.

  • Hong Kong legislature rejects bill on same-sex partnerships

    The measure followed a ruling requiring the government to create a legal framework for recognizing same-sex unions.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Patriotic National Day fireworks on Oct 1 to feature pandas, National Games and aerospace achievements

    Hong Kong will host a 23-minute patriotic fireworks display on National Day, titled “Victoria Harbour Fireworks Shine Across the Motherland.” The October 1 celebration will feature over 30,000 fireworks to mark the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Pacific Islands leaders to back ‘ocean of peace’ at summit clouded by China tensions

    By Ben Strang Pacific Islands leaders will declare an “ocean of peace” urging powers to respect the region’s sovereignty, Australia’s prime minister said Wednesday at a summit clouded by China’s alleged meddling. There was a heavy police presence in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara as the 18 Pacific Islands Forum member states met in the […]

  • The Strategist ☛ Rising dragon, slumbering Sam

    Last week was one for the books. US President The Insurrectionist rebranded the Department of Defense as the Department of War. And China held a remarkable parade and flyover in Beijing.

  • The Strategist ☛ Australia’s northern front in global resource war

    Thirty-three years ago, Deng Xiaoping said that ‘The Middle East has oil, but China has rare earths.’ Today, that rings truer than ever.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • The Straits Times ☛ Killing Hong Kong’s Lai would strengthen democracy message, son says

    Charges against Jimmy Lai could carry between 15 years and life in prison.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Lifestyle brand Refinery29 closes UK office and lays off journalists

    Refinery29 will continue operations in the US, France, and Germany.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Online polling start-up invests in freelance video reporters

    Suffrago has ambitions to produce video reports in every constituency.

  • Press Gazette ☛ City AM trumpets resurgence of print profitability

    City AM business growth celebrated as it marks 20th anniversary.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Zimbabwe ☛ $50 for Buffering? Why Zimbabwe’s Internet “Up To” Speeds Are Misleading, and What Potraz Should Do

    A Techzim reader recently summed up the frustration many Zimbabweans feel: “Haaa, internet in Zim is a hustle.

  • Internet Society ☛ The Data Dump Dilemma: Why Public Digital Platforms Risk Failing the People They Serve

    A data dump occurs when platforms demand exhaustive personal details upfront, creating friction for users while offering little additional value to governance.  

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Red Sea undersea cable cuts that slowed internet over the weekend blamed on commercial shipping — sabotage seems unlikely, but repairs could take weeks

    A few days after signs of cable disruptions surfaced in the Red Sea, experts are pointing to a more prosaic explanation than initial fears of targeted sabotage.

  • APNIC ☛ Keynotes at APNIC 60: Leslie Daigle and Vu The Binh

    Leslie Daigle and Vu The Binh opened APNIC 60 with keynotes: Leslie on tackling bad traffic, and Vu on Viet Nam’s path to IPv6-only and its strategies for IPv6, data centres, and CDNs.

  • APNIC ☛ Measuring the OneWeb satellite network

    Guest Post: Measuring real-world latency, handover, and performance of the OneWeb satellite network.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • JUVE ☛ BioNTech and Pfizer strike back against GSK in London

    Last week, Pfizer and BioNTech filed a joint action against GSK at the UK High Court (case ID: HP-2025-000044). The reason for the action is not yet clear from the public documents.