Leftovers

• Hardware

  • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

    • Ava ☛ my wife and her dumbphone

      Of course, I know how she handles her daily life like this, but instead of writing from my outside perspective, I wanted to give her the opportunity to say it herself. I asked for questions and she has now answered them.

    • India Times ☛ Apple's move to eSIM-only strengthens global trend

      eSIMs contain digital data with the same information as physical SIM cards, providing a "secure means for authenticating devices onto networks," the GSMA global standards-setting body says.

      Most handsets released in recent years are capable of working with eSIMs, although many still offer a physical SIM slot as well.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ What Is in the MAHA Report?

    Today we look at the Make America Healthy Again movement.

• Proprietary

  • Windows TCO / Windows Bot Nets

    • Krebs On Security ☛ Microsoft Patch Tuesday, September 2025 Edition

      Microsoft Corp. today issued security updates to fix more than 80 vulnerabilities in its backdoored Windows operating systems and software. There are no known "zero-day" or actively exploited vulnerabilities in this month's bundle from Redmond, which nevertheless includes patches for 13 flaws that earned Microsoft's most-dire "critical" label. Meanwhile, both Fashion Company Apple and Surveillance Giant Google recently released updates to fix zero-day bugs in their devices.

    • Security Week ☛ US Offers $10 Million Reward for Ukrainian Ransomware Operator

      Volodymyr Tymoshchuk allegedly hit hundreds of organizations with the LockerGoga, MegaCortex, and Nefilim ransomware families.

    • Scoop News Group ☛ U.S. indicts Ukrainian national for hundreds of ransomware attacks using multiple variants

      The Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against a Ukrainian national alleged to be central to a ransomware campaign affecting hundreds of companies worldwide.  Volodymyr Viktorovych Tymoshchuk, known online as “deadforz,” “Boba,” “msfv,” and “farnetwork,” is accused of developing and deploying ransomware variants Nefilim, LockerGoga, and MegaCortex, all of which have been used in attacks [....]

• Security

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Spyware blasts: Strict liability for abnormally dangerous activities

    This report explores the possibility of bringing cases related to spyware abuses under strict liability for abnormally dangerous activities in California and the UK.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ How Macron Failed to Curb the Far Right

    As France drifted to the right, the president has tried to make the country more business-friendly and win back voters. His strategy hasn’t worked.

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Why the Pentagon had been reluctant to combat narco-trafficking in the Western Hemisphere

    The recent US strike on a suspected drug-carrying vessel is a reminder that the US military had for years resisted getting more deeply involved in counternarcotics.

  • New York Times ☛ Elizabeth Tsurkov, Princeton Student, Is Released From Iraq, Convicted Felon Says

    Israel and Iraq confirmed the release of Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Russian-Israeli graduate student at Princeton who was kidnapped in Iraq in 2023 by the militant group Kataib Hezbollah.

  • Defence Web ☛ Iran and other nations aiming to take part in Exercise Mosi III

    The multinational naval exercise Mosi III, originally due to be held in November but now postponed due to the G20 summit, was to see involvement from Iran, Ethiopia, and Indonesia in addition to primary participants South Africa, China, and Russia.

  • New York Times ☛ Explosive Protests in Nepal

    Demonstrators have set fire to government buildings. The military has sent in troops to restore order.

  • The Strategist ☛ How authoritarian propaganda presents Indonesian protests as foreign-instigated

    Russia and China often work from the same playbook. This is clear in their reactions to domestic protests in places of interest, including Indonesia.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Atlantic Council ☛ To counter Chinese and Russian influence in Africa, Turkey could be a decisive ally for the US and Europe

      As Turkey continues to develop closer ties to African nations, the United States and Europe should work with Ankara as a partner in its efforts to gain soft power throughout the continent.

    • France24 ☛ 'Success rate of air defenses not as good as NATO would want', analyst says

      Poland shot down on Wednesday what it said were Russian drones in Polish airspace, drawing vows of support from the United States and other NATO members. Speaking on FRANCE 24, Dafydd Townley, Teaching Fellow in US Politics and International Security at the University of Portsmouth says that 'the success rate of air defenses in dealing with Russian drones is not as good as NATO would want'.

    • CS Monitor ☛ Russian drones, downed over Poland, prompt pushback from NATO alliance

      Russia says it didn’t plan to fly drones over Poland, but NATO's leader calls it a “reckless” move that will only strengthen the alliance's resolve.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘A clear message to the elites’: Russia’s IB ban cuts off students’ best route to foreign universities — and undermines their chances in domestic ones — Meduza

    • ADF ☛ Russia Targets Africa with Retooled Information Operations

      As Russian involvement in Africa has shifted from the private Wagner Group mercenary force to government control under the Africa Corps, information operations also have evolved. Wagner widened influence campaigns and information operations in Africa as part of its work on the continent.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania tightens border security as Russian-Belarusian Zapad drills begin

      Lithuania will step up security along its borders with Belarus and Russia during large-scale military drills by its neighbours, the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) said Tuesday.

    • The Straits Times ☛ China, Russia, Mongolia step up security ties with border exercise

      The exercise took place in an unidentified border region shared by the three countries.

    • LRT ☛ Poland’s President Nawrocki: ‘We are responsible for the entire region’ – interview

      In an exclusive interview with LRT, Polish President Karol Nawrocki talks about the situation of the Polish minority in Lithuania, as well as the new regional bulwark against Russia.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian forces monitor airspace, prep air raid alert system

      Lithuania’s military monitored the country’s airspace and put the air raid warning system on standby as Russian drones entered Polish airspace, the authorities said on Wednesday.

    • LRT ☛ NATO members hold consultations over drones in Poland – Lithuanian defence minister

      NATO allies are currently holding consultations under Article 4 provisions after Russian drones repeatedly violated Polish airspace on Wednesday night, Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė says.

    • France24 ☛ Poland 'closest to open conflict since WWII', PM says after Russian drones shot down

      Poland is the closest it has been to open conflict since World War Two, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday after the NATO member state shot down Russian drones over its territory. He said Poland had asked NATO to open consultations under Article 4 of its treaty, which states that members of the Western military alliance will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territory, political independence or security of any of them is threatened.

    • France24 ☛ Von der Leyen urges EU to fight for place in 'hostile' world

      EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday urged Europe to assert its independence in a "hostile" world, as she condemned Russia's drone incursion in Poland and pushed for tougher action against Israel over Gaza.

    • France24 ☛ NATO, EU condemn 'Russia's reckless behaviour' after Poland drone incursion

      NATO on Wednesday slammed Moscow's "reckless behaviour" after Russian drones violated Polish airspace, and hailed the alliance's "very successful reaction" to counter the incursion. EU chief von der Leyen meanwhile said Russia had carried out a "reckless and unprecedented" violation of Polish airspace.

    • Latvia ☛ Defence Minister asks for possible temporary closure of Latvian airspace on eastern border

      Minister of Defence Andris Sprūds (Progressives) has asked the National Armed Forces (NBS) to assess the temporary closure of airspace in Latvia's eastern border area in connection with the Russian drones shot down in Poland, Sprūds said on social control media on 10 September.

    • France24 ☛ Was Russian drone incursion deliberate or accidental?

      Poland shot down what it said were Russian drones in its airspace on Wednesday with the backing of military aircraft from its NATO allies, the first time a member of the Western military alliance is known to have fired shots during Russia's war in Ukraine. The incident will ratchet up tensions between Russia and the West, but NATO's response will largely depend on whether the incursion is deemed to be deliberate or an accident, says France 24's Angela Diffley.

    • New York Times ☛ Nuclear Sites Dotted Across Ukraine Pose Threat of Radiation Disaster

      Each day of war risks a strike on sites that could scatter radioactive material. Officials say one laboratory near the front has been hit dozens of times.

    • New York Times ☛ Russian Bomb Hits Crowd of Retirees, Killing at Least 23, Ukraine Says

      President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the strike on older people picking up their pensions should prompt a global response.

    • New York Times ☛ Drones Over Poland Are Latest Violation of Countries Near Ukraine

      Poland denounced what it has described as an incursion by more than a dozen Russian drones. It would not be the first time Russia’s war effort had spilled beyond Ukraine.

    • New York Times ☛ NATO Says It Scrambled Fighter Jets to Shoot Down Russian Drones Over Poland

      The incursion was the first time alliance planes had engaged enemy targets in NATO airspace. Poland’s leader called it “a large-scale provocation.”

    • RFERL ☛ Poland Says It Shot Down Russian Drones In NATO Airspace, A First In Ukraine War

      The Polish military scrambled fighter jets and placed air defense systems on high alert after drones crossed into Polish airspace during Russian strikes near Poland's border with Ukraine, Polish authorities said on September 10.

    • LRT ☛ Whom will Ukrainians trust once the war ends? – opinion

      Russia's full-scale invasion has reshaped almost every aspect of everyday life for Ukrainians. Whom people trust has also changed.

    • JURIST ☛ UN seeks ways to reduce rights abuses at annual Human Rights Council meeting

      The UN condemned growing violence and pro-war propaganda in a global update at the 60th session of the Human Rights Council on Monday. “Russia’s war in Ukraine has turned even more deadly."

    • France24 ☛ Poland: Russian drones shot down after violating airspace

      Poland invoked NATO Article 4 for urgent talks after multiple drones entered its airspace overnight during strikes on western Ukraine, marking the first time Russian drones have been downed over the country.

    • France24 ☛ Poland says shot down Russian drones that violated its airspace

      Poland said early Wednesday that multiple Russian drones entered and were shot down over its territory with help from NATO allies, describing the incident as an “act of aggression” carried out during a wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Censorship turns reading into deciphering’: Nine artists confront the blacked-out pages erasing war, Putin, and queer lives from Russia’s books — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ From hot mics to hard math: Xi and Putin muse about 150-year lifespans and even immortality. Here’s what the science says. — Meduza

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Experts react: Poland just shot down Russian drones over its territory. Is Putin ramping up his war on Europe?

      The Russian drones may have strayed from their original flight paths, or the Kremlin could be launching an aggressive new gambit against NATO.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian experts comment on Russian drones in Polish airspace

      Wednesday morning's shooting down of several Russian drones violating NATO airspace in Poland is logical given the recent intensity of Russian drone attacks in Ukraine. Therefore, Moscow has been counting on the possibility of Russian drones entering Polish airspace, according to experts interviewed by the Latvian Public Media on 10 September morning.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia allocates 5 million euros to buy US weapons for Ukraine

      On Tuesday, September 9th, the Latvian cabinet supported a draft order to allocate 5 million euros to a NATO and United States initiative to supply weapons Ukraine, the “PURL” (Prioritized Ukraine Requirement List).

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian President, Prime Minister support Poland amid Russian drone threat

      The President emphasized that Russian aggression in Ukraine is not a distant phenomenon, and this incident confirms it once again.

    • New York Times ☛ Putin’s Message to Ukraine, Europe and Convicted Felon: I Won’t Back Down

      With escalating airstrikes, the Russian leader appears determined to demonstrate that he will dictate the terms for any end to the war.

    • The Straits Times ☛ How united is the 'autocratic alliance' challenging the West?

      Beyond the bonhomie of Pooh-tin Jinping's unprecedented meeting with Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un last week, there are limits to what the European Union described as an "autocratic alliance" defying the West, diplomats, lawmakers and analysts said.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Says 24 Dead In 'Brutal' Russian Strike On Ukraine's Donetsk Region

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says 24 civilians were killed in a "frankly brutal" Russian air strike on a village in eastern Ukraine and called on the international community to respond with an "appropriate reaction."

    • RFERL ☛ Auction For $325-Million Russian-Owned Super Yacht Amadea Set To Conclude

      The fact that the auction of the Amadea has proceeded at all is significant, given that the Convicted Felon administration has been shifting priorities away from foreign corruption and kleptocracy investigations.

    • Meduza ☛ Senior Russian officials encourage Americans to blame leftists and Ukraine supporters for conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s murder — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Poland restricts flights along border with Belarus and Ukraine until mid-December — Meduza

    • CS Monitor ☛ Russia waves away blame after its drone incursion in Poland

      Moscow’s defenders argue that the incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace on Wednesday might be a Ukrainian conspiracy. Critics say it’s simply the Kremlin testing Western resolve.

    • Meduza ☛ Russia renames school in occupied Ukraine after CIA official’s son who died fighting for Moscow — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania preps its bomb shelter network – what you should know

      Lithuania has been updating its shelter network since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Two incidents involving Russian drones entering Lithuania in July prompted the public to question – where to hide in case of danger?

    • RFERL ☛ On The Front Line, Ukrainian Drone Crew Hunts Russian Troops

      Current Time correspondent Oleksiy Prodayvoda and cameraman Mykola Ryzhchenko spent a day with a Ukrainian reconnaissance team on the front line in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region. They watched as the team located a Russian artillery gun and helped guide in a drone strike.

    • France24 ☛ Some Ukrainians concerned Poland may hesitate to support Kyiv after drones shot down

      FRANCE 24's Gulliver Cragg reports from Kyiv as NATO jets shoot down Russian drones in Poland, with some Ukrainians concerned that the long range of the Russian attack may discourage Warsaw from sharing its air defenses with Ukraine. Debris from the Russian drones was found in 11 towns across Poland, including on the outskirts of Warsaw.

    • Meduza ☛ Poland’s unwanted visitors: How Russia’s cheapest military drones triggered an international crisis in NATO airspace — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Poland seeks air defense support from allies after Russian drone incursion — Meduza

    • Atlantic Council ☛ What is the Coalition of the Willing actually willing to do in Ukraine?

      European troops in Ukraine could serve as a meaningful element within a broader deterrence package, but Coalition of the Willing leaders should focus on making the Ukrainian military strong enough to deter the Kremlin, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

    • NYPost ☛ Psycho Charlotte train suspect slaughtered Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska because he thought she was reading his mind, sister says

      Tracey Brown, who was physically attacked by her brother in a previous incident in 2022 that saw him bite her and break a door, said her brother was a paranoid schizophrenic who told her multiple times the government had implanted a chip in him.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • NYPost ☛ American Airlines flight strikes ‘multiple’ birds en route to San Fran from Philly

      The San Francisco-bound flight was back on the tarmac at PHL by 7:30 a.m., making for a short-lived departure.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • Mexico News Daily ☛ 92 gray whales have washed up dead in Baja California Sur, the worst die-off in decades

      Scientists say malnutrition is to blame — not poaching or ship strikes — after most carcasses were found decomposed and showed no signs of direct human harm.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • France24 ☛ Sebastien Lecornu, the loyal Macron ally set to become PM at 39

    Sebastien Lecornu, named Tuesday as France's new prime minister, has served as defence minister for over three years during much of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and is seen as a deeply loyal, if discreet, ally of President Emmanuel Macron. Still just 39, Lecornu has been one of the few faces of continuity in the French cabinet at a time of multiple changes of government.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • 37signals LLC ☛ Words are not violence

    Debates, at their finest, are about exploring topics together in search for truth. That probably sounds hopelessly idealistic to anyone who've ever perused a comment section on the internet, but ideals are there to remind us of what's possible, to inspire us to reach higher — even if reality falls short.

    I've been reaching for those debating ideals for thirty years on the internet. I've argued with tens of thousands of people, first on Usenet, then in blog comments, then Twitter, now X, and also LinkedIn — as well as a million other places that have come and gone. It's mostly been about technology, but occasionally about society and morality too.

    There have been plenty of heated moments during those three decades. It doesn't take much for a debate between strangers on this internet to escalate into something far lower than a "search for truth", and I've often felt willing to settle for just a cordial tone!

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ GloRilla Seeks Dismissal in ‘All Naturale, No BBL’ Copyright Infringement Battle: ‘These Songs Are Not Substantially Similar’

    GloRilla and Universal Music have moved to dismiss a “Never Find” infringement suit, arguing, among several other things, that the phrase at the action’s center cannot be copyrighted. The way the plaintiff (one Natalie Henderson, aka Slimdabodylast) tells the story, she popularized that phrase, “all naturale, no BBL,” on social control media back in early 2024.