Leftovers

• Latvia ☛ Korean and Latvian artists to flex their muscles at Rīga gallery

  From September 12th to November 1st, the contemporary art gallery ASNI in Rīga will host an exhibition of Korean and Latvian artists titled “Adonid Syndrome”.

• Science

  • Latvia ☛ One day left for UniLab Elevate accelerator applications

    Until September 12th, students, researchers, employees, or recent graduates of Latvian universities of science (RTU, RSU, LU, and LBTU) have the opportunity to apply for UniLab Elevate – a pre-accelerator for technology-driven business ideas, reports Labs of Latvia.

  • New York Times ☛ $10 Million in Contraceptives Have Been Destroyed on Orders From Convicted Felon Officials

    The birth control pills, IUDs and hormonal implants were purchased by U.S.A.I.D. for women in low-income countries. They had been in limbo in a Belgian warehouse after the U.S. cut much of its foreign aid.

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Corewell Health drops gender-affirming care for minors amid federal crackdown

    It’s the second major system to drop transgender services after Michigan Medicine announced last month it would stop providing hormonal therapies and puberty blocker medications for young patients.

  • Latvia ☛ Latvia's has EU's third-shortest life expectancy

    According to preliminary 2024 data, life expectancy at birth in the EU was 81.7 years, up 0.3 years compared with 2023. This information comes from the provisional data on life expectancy published by Eurostat today.

  • Science Alert ☛ First-Ever: Elusive Baby Planet Caught Carving Out Cosmic Rings

    Finally!

  • Science Alert ☛ Game of Thrones 'Mountain' Shatters World Deadlift Record in Superhuman Feat

    "It's almost surreal."

• Career/Education

  • Digital Music News ☛ Farm Aid Warns of Cancellation if Local Worker Strike Continues—’The Financial Impact Could Be Devastating’

    Farm Aid warns its annual festival could be cancelled if the University of Minnesota and striking workers cannot reach a deal by next week.

  • ACLU ☛ Free Speech At Risk in America’s Schools

    Across the country, lawmakers and federal agencies are attempting to censor what students and educators can read, learn, and discuss in classrooms. These efforts—whether banning books in Department of Defense schools, silencing teachers in Oklahoma and Florida, or chilling protests at universities—strip away fundamental rights and limit opportunities for an honest, inclusive education.

    At the ACLU, we know that our rights don’t disappear at the schoolhouse gate. When government officials suppress ideas about race, gender, identity, or systemic inequality, they not only deny students an accurate education, they undermine democracy itself. That’s why we’re challenging these laws and policies in court: to ensure that classrooms remain places where young people can think critically, engage with diverse perspectives, and prepare to participate fully in civic life.

  • APNIC ☛ APNIC 60: So long and thank you!

    In total, there were 809 registered attendees in person (508) and online (301), representing 53 economies. Representatives of 381 APNIC Member organizations participated in the conference. Attendees were highly active on social media using the official hashtag #APNIC60 on X, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Additionally, 24 videos were uploaded to the APNIC 60 YouTube stream. For more detailed information on APNIC 60, view the conference report.

  • APNIC ☛ Open source all the way down at APNIC 60

    Open source software underpins most networks and the Internet as a whole.

    The Open Source Technologies session at APNIC 60 explored four different applications of open source software to networking and network operations.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Analog Optical Computer For Inference And Combinatorial Optimization

    Although computers are overwhelmingly digital today, there’s a good point to be made that analog computers are the more efficient approach for specific applications. The authors behind a recent paper in Nature are arguing that inference – essential for LLMs – can be done significantly more efficiently using an analog optical computer (AOC).

  • Hackaday ☛ How The TI-99/4A Home Computer Worked

    Over on YouTube [The 8-Bit Guy] shows us how the TI-99/4A home computer worked.

  • Hackaday ☛ Round And Round With A Tape Delay Synth

    Over the years we’ve been entertained by an array of musical projects from [Look Mum No Computer], and his latest is no exception. It’s a tape delay, loop generator, and synth all in one. Confused? That’s what you get if you position a load of tape heads around a rotating disk with magnetic tape on its perimeter.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ Baby Hiking Club helps South Korean parents bond with their infants – and one another

    Launched just less than a year ago, the club has grown into a group of more than 1,100 parents and babies.

  • Hackaday ☛ How Strong Of A Redbull Can You Make?

    Energy drinks are a staple of those who want to get awake and energetic in a hurry. But what if said energy is not in enough of a hurry for your taste? After coming across a thrice concentrated energy drink, [Nile Blue] decided to make a 100 times concentrated Redbull.

  • New York Times ☛ Their Schools Banned Phones. Out Came the iPods and Cassette Players.

    Enterprising students have been bringing the contraband of yesteryear to school in what they see as a “loophole” in cellphone bans.

• Proprietary

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • From VR to AI: MSHEQ highlights tech-driven evolution in employee training [Ed: Slop is not a skill. This is misuse.]

      Technology’s greatest benefit might be to human development, not equipment, as training evolves. Michelle Bala, Head of Training at MSHEQ Health and Safety Consultants, said “learners now require flexibility, relevance, and interactivity. They require training which is interactive, relevant to their real work, and available at any time and place.”

  • Social Control Media

    • Zimbabwe ☛ The Biggest Scam in Zimbabwe, Fake Sir Wicknell Strikes Across Social Media

      Zimbabweans are being urged to exercise extreme caution as one of the most sophisticated scams in recent history spreads rapidly across social control media platforms.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • OpenRightsGroup ☛ Briefing: VPNs and the Online Safety Act

      Briefing on the public’s use of VPN technology. VPNS ARE UNLIKELY TO BE USED BY 6-12 YEAR OLDS

      BARRIER, NOT ELIMINATION

      Age assurance measures aim to make accessing restricted content more difficult for underage users.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Defence Web ☛ Drones, disinformation and guns-for-hire are reshaping conflict in Africa: new book tracks the trends

    Alessandro Arduino has researched Africa’s security affairs with a particular focus on the use of private military companies and other guns-for-hire across the continent. In his latest book, Money for Mayhem, Arduino examines how military privatisation intersects with international power dynamics.

  • New York Times ☛ In South Korea and Japan, Fury at U.S. Fuels Backlash Over Trade Deals

    Officials and business leaders in both countries are questioning commitments their governments made to invest hundreds of billions in American manufacturing.

  • New York Times ☛ South Korean Leader Warns of U.S. Investments After Hyundai-LG Plant Raid

    President Lee Jae Myung made the comments as hundreds of South Korean workers swept in an immigration raid were flying home on Thursday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean workers head home after US immigration raid stunned ally

    South Koreans made up most of the 475 people arrested in the Sept 4 raid at a Hyundai-LG battery factory.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea asks US Congress to support a new visa, workers heading home

    Washington and Seoul have since agreed to discuss a new visa category for South Koreans.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s Kim Ju Ae ‘likely successor’: Seoul

    The teen drew global attention this month when she made her first official overseas trip with her father.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China says Fujian, newest aircraft carrier, sailed through Taiwan Strait

    China said on Friday that its third and newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, recently sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait to carry out “scientific research trials and training missions” in the South China Sea.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s newest aircraft carrier sails through sensitive Taiwan Strait

    The carrier began sea trials in 2024 and has yet to formally enter service.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan approves special funds for ships, drones to deter China

    Funds would also go towards industries hit by US tariffs and cash handouts.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Explainer: What is the Scarborough Shoal and what is China planning there?

    China approved the creation of a national nature reserve at the disputed Scarborough Shoal on Sept 10.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Philippines protests China’s nature reserve plan for Scarborough Shoal

    The Philippines protested on Thursday against a Chinese scheme to create a “nature reserve” on the disputed Scarborough Shoal, the site of repeated clashes in the South China Sea.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China cannot be ignored, Britain’s trade minister says as row over embassies clouds ties

    Britain’s Labour government is seeking closer economic ties with markets outside the European Union.

  • France24 ☛ Israel has ‘gone beyond any borders’ with Doha strike, Qatar PM warns UN

    Israel’s leaders “do not care” about hostages in Gaza after striking Hamas officials in Doha this week, Qatar’s prime minister told the UN on Thursday. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Israel had “gone beyond any borders” as world powers condemned Tuesday’s deadly attack on the US ally.

  • France24 ☛ Has Qatar suspended its mediation efforts in the Gaza conflict?

    In the wake of Israel's unprecedented strike on Doha, a rumour circulated online that Qatar had suspended its mediation efforts in the Gaza conflict. But this rumour is false, at least for now, as France 24's Charlotte Hughes explains.

  • France24 ☛ 'Netanyahu willing to risk his highest diplomatic achievement in order to keep his base'

    FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky reports from Jerusalem as the Israeli strikes on Doha are pushing Qatar to reconsider its role as mediator in the Gaza talks. She says that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems willing to risk his highest diplomatic achievement, the Abraham Accords, in order to keep his base, as he approves a major settlement project in the West Bank and vows that "there will be no Palestinian state".

  • France24 ☛ Strikes in Qatar: Netanyahu pushes the limits in Israel's war against Hamas

    The unprecedented Israeli strikes against Hamas leaders in Qatar on Tuesday revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to cross what were previously red lines in his mission to decapitate the Islamist movement. But there may be a high price to pay for such a risky strategy – including for the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

  • New York Times ☛ What Drove Israel’s Brazen Attack on Hamas in Qatar?

    Israeli officials and analysts say that revenge for the Hamas-led 2023 attack on Israel, and frustration over moribund Gaza truce negotiations, informed the decision to strike in Doha.

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Joins U.N. Security Council’s Criticism of Israeli Strike in Qatar

    The United States, ordinarily a protector of Israel at the United Nations, signed on to a statement condemning its attack on Hamas in the Qatari capital.

  • France24 ☛ Qatar reconsidering its mediator role in Gaza ceasefire talks after Israel strikes Doha

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “killed any hope” of releasing hostages still held in the Gaza Strip after Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar’s prime minister said on Thursday. The comments from Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani underscored the wider anger among Gulf Arab countries over Tuesday's strike that killed at least six people. FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell reports.

  • France24 ☛ 'Clash of the civilisations ideology ramping up the potential for escalatory war around the world'

    In the wake of Israel's attempt to kill the political leaders of Hamas, the UN Security Council has condemned the strikes on Qatar's capital Doha. Although, they did did not mention Israel in the statement agreed to by all 15 members. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, François Picard welcomes Ben Lorber, Author and Senior Research Analyst at progressive think tank Political Research Associates (PRA).

  • The Straits Times ☛ China pilots village surveillance in Solomon Islands, seeking stability

    China has exported its village surveillance model to the Solomon Islands in the Pacific, where Chinese police are piloting fingerprint and data collection to curb social unrest, officials and locals confirmed to Reuters.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Fighting corruption strengthens Ukraine in the war against Russia

      Ukraine's efforts to combat corruption on the domestic front play a vital role in the country's broader fight for national survival against Vladimir Putin's resurgent Russian imperialism, writes Matthew H. Murray.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Belarus hosts Russian war games as Putin’s drones probe Poland

      On September 12, Belarus and Russia will begin their largest joint military exercises since the start of Putin's Ukraine invasion, just two days after at least nineteen Russian drones penetrated neighboring Polish airspace, writes Hanna Liubakova.

    • New York Times ☛ Russia’s Strategy Against the West: Escalate Slowly and See if It Responds

      Ukrainian and European officials say President Vladimir V. Putin has become emboldened by a lack of Western pushback.

    • New York Times ☛ Belarus Frees 52 Political Prisoners and Gets a Warm Thank-You From Convicted Felon

      The release came as Aleksandr Lukashenko, the country’s authoritarian leader and an ally of President Vladimir Putin of Russia, seeks to normalize ties with the Convicted Felon administration.

    • Latvia ☛ Russian diplomat summoned in Latvia over latest Russian crimes

      Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said September 11th it had summoned a Russian embassy official and handed over a protest note related to Russia's multiple illegal violations of Polish airspace on September 10th as well as its barbaric attacks on Ukrainian civilians as part of its ongoing war of aggression.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian National Security Council emphasises air defence development

      The National Security Council meeting on Wednesday, 10 September, discussed the situation regarding Russia's hostilities in Ukraine and drone incidents in Polish airspace and agreed on the priority importance of developing air defence capabilities at both national and NATO level, the President's Chancellery said.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ China, India, and North Korea back Russia as changing global order takes shape

      Support from China, India, and North Korea for Russia’s war in Ukraine will allow the killing to continue while undermining Convicted Felon’s efforts to pressure the Kremlin into ending the invasion, writes Katherine Spencer.

    • RFERL ☛ Allies Rally To Poland’s Defense After Russian Drones Violate Airspace

      France and Germany said they were helping to strengthen NATO ally Poland’s air defense after at least 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace on September 10, severely raising tensions between the Western military alliance and Moscow.

    • New York Times ☛ Drone Barrage Over Poland Was a Test for NATO, and the U.S.

      A continent already on edge over the Ukraine war sees a Russian challenge to NATO readiness and to an America that wants to disengage from Europe.

    • New York Times ☛ On Ukraine and Gaza, Convicted Felon Casts Himself as a Bystander, if He Can’t Be a Peacemaker

      Hell Toupée often insists he can bring peace to global conflicts. But when allies and adversaries alike appear to be ignoring him or testing American will, he adopts a what-can-you-do shrug.

    • Meduza ☛ Kyiv’s patsies Mediazona confirms the identities of the five truckers who unwittingly transported Ukrainian drones to Russian airfields in ‘Operation Spiderweb’ — Meduza

    • Latvia ☛ UPDATED: Latvia closes airspace along its eastern border

      Latvia's airspace will be closed to a depth of 50-kilometres along its eastern borders with Russia and Belarus from 18:00 on September 11th until at least September 18th, with the possibility of an extension after that, Defence Minister Andris Sprūds (Progressives) announced at a press conference on Thursday.

    • Latvia ☛ Sārts: Russia's 'Zapad' drills may have started earlier than expected

      Although it has been announced that the Russian-Belarusian military exercises "Zapad" will begin on Friday, September 12, it is not ruled out that they have already begun and that the entry of Russian drones into Polish airspace is part of them, suggested Jānis Sārts, Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence (STRATCOMCOE), on the Latvian Radio program "Labrīt" on September 11th.

    • France24 ☛ France deploys three jets to shield Poland after Russian drone incursion

      French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday France will send three Rafale fighter jets to help protect Polish airspace after Warsaw accused Russia of launching a drone raid. Macron said the deployment aimed to defend “Europe’s eastern flank” alongside NATO allies following the Russian drone incursions.

    • LRT ☛ Russia, Belarus launch Zapad 2025 drills, Lithuania braces for provocations

      Russia and Belarus on Friday began their joint Zapad 2025 military exercises, a move closely watched by NATO allies concerned about potential provocations along the alliance’s eastern flank.

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-10 [Older] How North Korea frames its soldiers' deaths in Ukraine

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-10 [Older] Explainer-NATO Articles 4 and 5: Could Ukraine War Trigger Alliance Defence Obligations?

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-09 [Older] How Bulgaria supplies Ukraine with weapons and ammunition

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-08 [Older] Charlotte Leaders Criticized Over Killing of Ukrainian Woman as Cheeto Mussolini, MAGA Target Another Dem City

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-08 [Older] Cheeto Mussolini Cites Ukrainian Woman's Murder in Push for Broad Crime Crackdown

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-06 [Older] Poland Buries Wartime Remains in Western Ukraine as Part of Reconciliation

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-06 [Older] Zelenskiy Says Nearly 60% of Ukrainian Arms Home-Produced

    • Counter Punch ☛ 2025-09-05 [Older] Cheeto Mussolini Can Bring Peace to Ukraine, But…It’ll Require More Than Transactional Dealmaking

    • The Age AU ☛ 2025-09-05 [Older] Australia news LIVE: Albanese speaks to Cheeto Mussolini in ‘warm’ phone call; World leaders pledge Ukraine military safeguards

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-05 [Older] Putin Says Foreign Troops in Ukraine Would Be Legitimate Targets

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-04 [Older] Are Ukrainian politicians at risk in their own country?

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-04 [Older] Ukraine: Germany stops short of pledging military commitment

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-04 [Older] What's behind Putin's remarks on Ukraine's EU membership?

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-04 [Older] Ukraine Commander Seeks Improved Use of Interceptor Drones

    • NL Times ☛ 2025-09-10 [Older] Dutch leaders angered by Russian drone incident amid debate on show of force

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-10 [Older] Poland calls NATO meeting after downing Russian drones

    • The Age AU ☛ 2025-09-10 [Older] Poland at its closest to open conflict since WWII, says PM after Russian drone incursion

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-10 [Older] Analysis-Suspected Russian Incursion in Poland Raises Drone Defence Questions for NATO

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-10 [Older] Canada Says Russian Drone Incursion Was Reckless, Escalatory

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-10 [Older] Drones in Poland, What Drones? Russian State TV Focuses on Other News

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-10 [Older] UK's Starmer: Russia's Violation of Polish Airspace 'Extremely Reckless'

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-09 [Older] Ukraine updates: Russia kills 24 in attack on pension queue

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-09 [Older] US and European Officials Meet to Discuss New Sanctions on Russia

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-09 [Older] China, Russia, Mongolia Step up Security Ties With Border Exercise

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-09 [Older] Heroes and Villains: Russia Braces for Eventual Return of Its Enormous Army

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-08 [Older] India rebalances China, Russia ties amid US tariff friction

    • International Business Times ☛ 2025-09-08 [Older] Could Russian Cancer Vaccine Enteromix Help President Vladimir Putin? Russia Leader's Health Update and What the Breakthrough Medicine Is All About

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-08 [Older] Ukraine Shows Diplomats Damage After Russia's Largest Aerial Attack Since Invasion

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-08 [Older] EU Envoy in Washington for Talks on Russia Sanctions, Commission Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-08 [Older] Kremlin Says Sanctions Will Never Force Russia to Change Course

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-08 [Older] Putin Awards General Gerasimov, Russia's Top Soldier, Medal for 'Courage'

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-08 [Older] Russian Forces Attack Power Station in Kyiv Region, Ukraine's Energy Ministry Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-08 [Older] Russian-Installed Official Reports Ukrainian Attacks on Russian-Held Parts of Donetsk Region

    • Off Guardian ☛ 2025-09-07 [Older] Cheeto Mussolini’s Contronymal “Peace” with Russia

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-07 [Older] Ukraine: Russia hits government building amid record assault

    • The Age AU ☛ 2025-09-07 [Older] Two dead in Russian drone and missile strike on Kyiv

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-07 [Older] Ukraine Government Building Damaged in Kyiv in the Largest Russian Attack Since the War Began

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-07 [Older] Russian Attack Sparks Fire at Ukraine's Government Building in Kyiv

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-07 [Older] Russia Hits Ukraine With Biggest Air Attack of War, Sets Government Building Ablaze

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-07 [Older] Russia Says It Struck Ukrainian Military Targets With Drones, Missiles and Aircraft

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-07 [Older] Tanker Carrying Sanctioned Russian Arctic LNG Leaves Chinese Port

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-07 [Older] Cheeto Mussolini Says European Leaders Will Visit US This Week to Discuss Russia-Ukraine War

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-07 [Older] Ukraine Says It Attacked Druzhba Oil Pipeline in Russia's Bryansk

    • Scheerpost ☛ 2025-09-06 [Older] Cheeto Mussolini: Looks Like We Lost India and Russia to China

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-06 [Older] Putin Urges Russia's Aerospace Industry to Develop Rocket Engines

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-06 [Older] Second Known Tanker Carrying Sanctioned Russian Arctic LNG Berths in China

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-06 [Older] Ukraine Drones Hit Training Centre at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant, Russian Management Says

    • Deutsche Welle ☛ 2025-09-05 [Older] Russia stirs up hate against von der Leyen amid Ukraine war

    • The Age AU ☛ 2025-09-05 [Older] Russia’s richest man faces one of the most expensive divorces in history

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-05 [Older] European Countries Near Russia Puzzled by US Plans to Cut Defense Funding

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-05 [Older] US and EU Plan to Discuss New Russia Sanctions: What Could Be Next for Putin?

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-05 [Older] Russian Gas Sales to China Would Not Harm US, Energy Secretary Says

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-05 [Older] Russia Lists Local Apps That Will Survive Its Internet Blackouts

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-05 [Older] Ukraine's Allies Are Preparing Next Wave of Russia Sanctions, Says Carney

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-05 [Older] Zelenskiy Meets Slovakia's Fico, Says Ukraine Will Respond to Russia's Energy Attacks

    • International Business Times ☛ 2025-09-04 [Older] Burning Man Victim Identified As 'Kind' Russian, Vadim Kruglov: Friends Start Fundraiser To Send Him Home

    • The Local SE ☛ 2025-09-04 [Older] Sweden accuses Russia of jamming aircraft GPS over Baltic

    • US News And World Report ☛ 2025-09-04 [Older] US to Cut Some Security Funds for Countries Bordering Russia, Sources Say

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia to enforce mandatory use of seatbelts for all drivers and passengers in private vehicles

      Those who fail to wear seatbelts may face fines of up to RM300 (S$90).

    • H2 View ☛ Goldwind to build $2.7bn green hydrogen and derivatives project in China

      Set in Inner Mongolia, the project will reportedly pair 1.2GW of electrolysis with 3GW of wind to produce 600,000 tonnes of methanol and 400,000 tonnes of ammonia annually.

    • Hackaday ☛ Dragon Is The Latest, And Final, Craft To Reboost ISS

      The International Space Station has been in orbit around the Earth, at least in some form, since November of 1998 — but not without help. In the vacuum of space, an object in orbit can generally be counted on to remain zipping around more or less forever, but the Station is low enough to experience a bit of atmospheric drag. It isn’t much, but it saps enough velocity from the Station that without regular “reboosts” to speed it back up , the orbiting complex would eventually come crashing down.

    • Latvia ☛ Intercity buses will strike on September 16th in Latvia

      To draw attention to the situation in the public transport sector, where insufficient funding threatens the provision of quality services, passenger carriers across Latvia will hold a protest ‘One hour without public transport’ next Tuesday, 16 September, the carriers said.

    • Hackaday ☛ Multi-Use Roof Eliminates Roof

      One of the biggest downsides of installing solar panels on a rooftop is that maintenance of the actual roof structure becomes much more difficult with solar panels in the way. But for many people who don’t have huge tracts of land, a roof is wasted space where something useful could otherwise go. [Mihai] had the idea of simply eliminating traditional roofing materials altogether and made half of this roof out of solar panels directly, with the other half being put to use as a garden.

• Finance

  • LRT ☛ Lithuania’s imports from China jump 36% in first half of 2025

    Lithuania imported 36% more goods directly from China in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2024, with the value reaching 1.16 billion euros, according to the business daily Verslo žinios.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Myanmar election results expected at end of January, official says

    The details come as officials contend with opposition groups and prosecute election critics.

  • Misinformation/Disinformation/Propaganda

    • New York Times ☛ Small Businesses Face a New Threat: Pay Up or Be Flooded With Bad Reviews

      Movers, roofing companies and others are being bombarded with phony one-star reviews on Surveillance Giant Google Maps. Then they’re asked to pay up.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Patents

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Application of Fifth Circuit’s Heightened § 1404(a) Standard in Patent Cases

    In re VirtaMove, Corp., No. 2025-130 (Fed. Cir. Sept. 11, 2025) (Google case); In re VirtaMove, Corp., No. 2025-138 (Fed. Cir. Sept. 11, 2025) (Amazon case).

    Federal Circuit has denied this pair of related mandamus actions.  In both cases, the patentee VirtaMove challenged venue transfer orders moving its patent monopoly infringement suits from the Western District of Texas to the Northern District of California.