Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ This Week in Science: Blue Dogs, Gray Hair, a Mushroom Computer, And More!

    Our weekly science news roundup.

  • Science Alert ☛ Time Itself Could Be a Crucial Element in Preventing Dementia, Study Finds

    Got a minute?

  • Science Alert ☛ Trillionth-of-a-Second Camera Captures Chaos in Motion

    Blink and you'll miss it.

  • Science Alert ☛ Tardigrades Have a Genetic Secret, And It Could Boost Human Resilience

    "A gene with a sequence unlike any other known to exist in nature."

  • Science Alert ☛ Secret Atomic Patterns Have Been Discovered Hidden Inside Metals

    "People didn't see that coming."

  • Science Alert ☛ Cannabis Use Is Linked to Epigenetic Changes, Scientists Discovered

    Here's what we know.

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ 2025 Component Abuse Challenge: A Transistor As A Voltage Reference

    For our 2025 Component Abuse Challenge there have been a set of entries which merely use a component for a purpose it wasn’t quite intended, and another which push misuse of a part into definite abuse territory, which damages or fundamentally changes it. [Ken Yap]’s use of a transistor base-emitter junction as a voltage reference certainly fits into the latter category.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Microwave repurposed into slick custom All-in-One PC — door serves as display, motherboard rotates on the turntable, and Stream Deck used for keypad

    This awesome custom gaming PC built into a microwave might be our favorite-ever kitchen gadget.

  • Hackaday ☛ Building A Xenon Lamp For Spectroscopy

    Before a spectrometer can do any useful work, it needs to be calibrated to identify wavelengths correctly. This is usually done by detecting several characteristic peaks or dips in a well-known light source and using these as a reference to identify other wavelengths. The most common reference for hobbyists is the pair of peaks produced by a mercury-vapor fluorescent light, but a more versatile option is a xenon-bulb light source, such as [Markus Bindhammer] made in his latest video.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Nexperia allowed to resume exports from China following Convicted Felon-Xi talks — companies may seek exemptions from the Ministry of Commerce to restart international deliveries

    International automakers can now apply for licenses to resume chip deliveries from Nexperia China.

  • Hackaday ☛ An Audio Brick For Your Smart Home

    If you’ve ever wanted to pump sound to all the rooms of your house, you might use any one of a number of commercial solutions. Or, you could go the more DIY route and whip up something like the Esparagus Audio Brick built by [Andriy]. 

  • Hackaday ☛ Multitasking On The Humble Z80 CPU

    Multitasking is something we take for granted these days. Just about every computer we use, from our desktops to our phones, is capable of multitasking. It might sound silly to implement multitasking on lower-spec machines from many decades ago, given their limited resources, but it can be done, as [bchiha] demonstrates on a Z80-based machine.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ Death becomes a growing business in ageing, lonely South Korea

    Growing numbers are finding work in the business of death.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Second drug package washes ashore on South Korea in October

    1kg of ketamine was found washed up on a beach on Jeju Island.

• Proprietary

  • The New Stack ☛ Linux: Microsoft WSL’s Decade-Long Journey to Open Source [Ed: SJVN is openwashing Windows for Microsoft]

    Craig Loewen, Microsoft’s senior product manager in charge of Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), and Clint Rutkas, principal product manager lead who oversees WSL, at Canonical‘s Ubuntu 25.10 Summit told the tale for the first time of how WSL was finally open sourced. It was a long, strange trip.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Futurism ☛ This AI-Generated Sitcom Is Actually Unsettling to Watch

      "Yeah man, this is great stuff if you have the brain of a lobotomized golden retriever."

    • Futurism ☛ Mom Says Tesla’s New Built-In Hey Hi (AI) Asked Her 12-Year-Old Something Deeply Inappropriate

      "I was at a loss for words."

    • Futurism ☛ Character.AI, Accused of Driving Teens to Suicide, Says It Will Ban Minors From Using Its Chatbots

      "A classic move in the tech industry's playbook: move fast, launch a product globally, break minds, and then make minimal product changes after harming scores of young people."

• Security

  • Security Week ☛ In Other News: WhatsApp Passkey-Encrypted Backups, Russia Targets Meduza Malware, New Mastercard Solution

    Other noteworthy stories that might have slipped under the radar: several interesting Android malware families, UN cybercrime treaty, criminal complaint against Clearview Hey Hi (AI) in Europe.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • LRT ☛ Interview with Waze co-founder Uri Levine: the moment that sparked billion-dollar business

      “The sale of Waze was a life-changing moment for me. But more importantly, it was life-changing for everyone in the company,” says Uri Levine, one of the creators of the navigation app. In 2013, the start-up was sold to Surveillance Giant Google for over $1 billion, making around 100 of its employees millionaires.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Manufacturer issues remote kill command to disable smart vacuum after engineer blocks it from collecting data — user revives it with custom hardware and Python scripts to run offline

      An engineer discovered that the manufacturer can remotely brick his smart vacuum for not collecting data.

    • New Yorker ☛ ICE and the Smartphone Panopticon

      A new wave of digital tools has emerged to help citizens monitor Convicted Felon’s crackdown. But internet surveillance can also be used against you.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Mexico’s week in review: US boat strikes escalate tensions as economy stumbles

    Other headlines this week included an extended pause on U.S. tariff increases and actions to protect the monarch butterflies' migration.

  • New York Times ☛ War Powers Law Does Not Apply to Convicted Felon’s Boat Strikes, Administration Says

    The move deepened the idea that a Vietnam-era law, which says congressionally unauthorized deployments into “hostilities” must end after 60 days, does not apply to airstrike campaigns.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Man sentenced to 104 years’ jail in Malaysia for raping stepdaughters since 2020

    The accused pleaded guilty to nine charges.

  • JURIST ☛ Rights group raises concern over China targeting pro-independence Taiwan citizens

    Human Rights Watch said Friday that the Chinese government is investigating the Taiwanese legislator Puma Shen Pao-Yang (沈伯洋) for the crime of “separatism,” infringing upon his basic human rights.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China hits out at Japan’s Sanae Takaichi for meeting Taiwan’s officials

    Beijing expressed concern that Ms Takaichi had “deliberately met with” the Taiwan region and  “hyped it on social control media.”

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan’s new opposition leader takes over, warning against risk of China war

    She has already signalled a swing towards even closer ties with Beijing compared with her predecessor.

  • New York Times ☛ Spurned by Convicted Felon, Carney Begins Thawing Canada’s China Connection

    The meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Pooh-tin Jinping, China’s top leader, came after a long period of tension and estrangement.

  • New York Times ☛ Can South Korea Manage the Competing Needs of the U.S. and China?

    The country’s new president rolled out the red carpet for China’s leader, Pooh-tin Jinping, and Hell Toupée this week, but the superpower rivalry is making it harder to balance relations.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China’s military says it tracked Philippine patrol in South China Sea

    The patrol “seriously undermined regional peace and stability”, said a spokesman.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean President Lee seeks Chinese leader Xi’s help to ‘resume dialogue’ with North

    The talks came on the final day of Mr Xi’s first trip to South Korea in over a decade.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China’s Pooh-tin to meet South Korean leader, capping APEC summit

    Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping will sit down with South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung on Saturday, capping an Asian summit at which Beijing and Washington agreed to a truce in their trade war.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • New York Times ☛ Putin Brandishes Menacing Nuclear Weapons as Talks With U.S. Falter

      Touting new weapons tests, Moscow signals to Washington that it must contend with the Kremlin’s power and negotiate.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine sends special forces to Pokrovsk as Moscow tightens grip

      Ukraine on Saturday deployed special forces to the eastern city of Pokrovsk, which is under an intense Russian assault. The city has been in Moscow's sights for over a year and lies on a major supply route for the Ukrainian army. Russia's army fired 270 missiles over October, up 46 percent on the previous month, according to an AFP analysis.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine says army holding out in Pokrovsk amid intensifying Russian offensive

      Ukraine's top military commander said on Saturday his troops were still holding out in the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk, which Moscow said its forces were at last enclosing in a pincer movement after more than a year of fighting. Russia has been trying to capture Pokrovsk, dubbed "the gateway to Donetsk", since mid-2024 in its campaign to control the entirety of Donetsk, a Ukrainian province it claims to have annexed.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Strikes Pound Ukraine As Kyiv Says It's Deployed Special Forces To Pokrovsk

      Russian overnight deadly missile and drone strikes on Ukraine continue as Kyiv says it has deployed special forces to defend Pokrovsk, a key city in the east.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukrainian Forces Say Holding On In Pokrovsk Amid Fierce Fighting

      Ukrainian military authorities insist their forces are holding out in the frontline eastern city of Pokrovsk amid fierce fighting against an assembled for of some 170,000 Russian troops.

    • LRT ☛ ‘Naive to think Minsk doesn’t see it’: Budrys on Belarusian smuggling balloons

      “To assume Belarusian authorities do not see this activity and need help to catch the smugglers is, at minimum, naive,” says Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys, speaking about the illegal contraband balloons that have entered Lithuanian airspace. He added that the acts constitute a crime for which Lithuania will seek accountability.

    • LRT ☛ Passengers in Lithuania face limited options as balloons ground flights

      Last week, Lithuania’s airspace was closed four times due to balloons entering from Belarus, causing widespread flight disruptions. Travel agencies stress that for package holidays, responsibility for tourists lies with the organiser. However, as airspace closures are classified as force majeure, customers are not entitled to compensation.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian military ‘ready to shoot down balloons’, says president

      Lithuanian Armed Forces are ready to shoot down smuggler balloons entering from Belarus, President Gitanas Nausėda told reporters on Tuesday, adding that border closures are hurting the Minsk regime.

    • LRT ☛ Lukashenko calls Lithuania’s border closure 'a mad affair', would apologise 'if guilty'

      Authoritarian Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has described Lithuania’s decision to close its border as "a mad affair". Lukashenko also said he would apologise if Belarus was proven to be responsible for the balloons crossing into the Baltic country.

    • LRT ☛ Vilnius mayor proposes Lithuanian language training for city employees

      Following a social control media incident in which a Belarusian trolleybus driver refused to speak Lithuanian with a Vilnius public transport (VVT) dispatcher, the city’s mayor, Valdas Benkunskas, has announced plans to propose a language training programme for employees of municipal companies.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian president, NATO secretary general discuss Belarus ‘hybrid attack’

      Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte discussed on Tuesday the situation in Lithuania caused by smugglers' balloons launched from Belarus, the president's office said.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania to close border with Belarus for one month, with exceptions

      Lithuania's government decided on Wednesday to close the country's border with Belarus for one month, while allowing certain exceptions.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian Airports to pursue legal action over smuggling balloons from Belarus

      Lithuanian Airports (LTOU), the state-owned operator of the country’s airports, has announced plans to take legal action over damage caused by smuggling balloons crossing from Belarus, in a bid to hold those responsible to account.

    • LRT ☛ Poland delays reopening of Belarus border following Lithuania’s closure, says PM

      Poland has decided to postpone plans to reopen its border crossings with Belarus after Lithuania moved to close its own, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said on Thursday.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian FM thanks Spain’s new ambassador for solidarity amid hybrid attacks

      Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys on Thursday thanked Spain for its support for NATO's eastern flank and its solidarity over Belarus' hybrid attacks, during a meeting with Spain’s new ambassador to Lithuania, José Fernando Fernández-Aguayo Muñoz.

    • LRT ☛ Vilnius Airport temporarily closes again over threat from smuggler balloons

      Vilnius Airport temporarily halted operations Thursday evening due to a reported threat from weather balloons launched from neighbouring Belarus, officials said.

    • LRT ☛ LRT English Newsletter: Closing off from Belarus

      LRT English Newsletter – October 31, 2025.

    • LRT ☛ Nausėda vows ‘all possible measures’ after another Belarusian balloon incident

      Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda on Thursday vowed to respond “with all possible measures” after operations at Vilnius Airport were again halted over security concerns linked to smuggler balloons launched from Belarus.

    • LRT ☛ Nearly 2,000 trucks stranded after Lithuania closes border with Belarus, industry says

      Nearly 2,000 trucks have been stranded at the Lithuanian-Belarusian border after the Lithuanian government decided to close the frontier for a month, the country’s road carriers association said Friday, warning that losses could reach millions of euros.

    • Latvia ☛ Lithuania closes border with Belarus

      Following an increase in the number of weather balloons from Belarus in Lithuania last week and disruption at Vilnius Airport, the Lithuanian government decided on Wednesday to close its border with Belarus until 30 November, with exceptions for certain groups of travellers.

    • Meduza ☛ Russia’s new reservist law looks like another ‘quiet mobilization’: It’s October 31, 2025. Here are two stories worth your attention. — Meduza

    • Hackaday ☛ Learn What A Gaussian Splat Is, Then Make One

      Gaussian Splats is a term you have likely come across, probably in relation to 3D scenery. But what are they, exactly? This blog post explains precisely that in no time at all, complete with great interactive examples and highlights of their strengths and relative weaknesses.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Singer, Jailed For Antiwar Songs, Gets More Jail Time For Explicit Lyric

      A St. Petersburg singer whose antiwar songs and impromptu street gigs have drawn an impassioned following had her jail detention extended, after a court ruled one of the lyrics to her music contained an expletive.

    • RFERL ☛ US Removes Pro-Russian Bosnian Serb Politician Milorad Dodik And Allies From Sanctions List

      Pro-Russian Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik and dozens of his family members and allies have been removed from the US sanctions list.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania could stop Russia's Kaliningrad transit scheme ‘to ensure security’ – FM

      Lithuania reserves the right to close transit to and from Russia’s Kaliningrad after closing the Belarusian border in response to dozens of smuggler balloons grounding flights, Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys told LRT RADIO on Tuesday.

    • LRT ☛ No evidence Russian jets violated Lithuanian airspace intentionally – official

      Lithuanian authorities have no clear evidence that Russian fighter jets intentionally violated the country's airspace last week, President Gitanas Nausėda's chief national security advisor Deividas Matulionis said on Tuesday.

    • LRT ☛ Start-ups, Rheinmetall to supply kamikaze drones for German brigade in Lithuania

      Germany plans to award a contract for kamikaze drones to defence start-ups Helsing and Stark as it seeks to boost defences against Russia by supplying the German brigade in Lithuania as well as fuel competition in the defence sector, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian Railways to halt transit of Lukoil products to Kaliningrad under US sanctions

      Lithuanian Railways (LTG) said it will stop transporting oil products from Russian energy giant Lukoil to the Kaliningrad region in compliance with new US and UK sanctions targeting Russia’s largest oil companies.

    • France24 ☛ Alleged Russian-linked hate attacks in France "are a double blow to those targeted"

      Three Bulgarian men are on trial in Paris for alleged involvement in spray-painting blood-red hands on the city's Holocaust Memorial, with courts expected to give their verdict. French intelligence services link the act of vandalism to a campaign by Russia to destabilise France and other Western societies. FRANCE 24's Shirli Sitbon went to the trial and tells us more about the importance of this case.

    • Ugandan military benefits from Russian equipment largesse

      The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Force (UPDF) is $53 million better off in defence and engineering equipment compliments of a Russian [...]

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Ex-L3Harris exec pleads guilty to selling zero-day exploits to Russian broker

      Peter Williams entered into several contracts with the Russian broker, exchanging the trade secrets for millions of dollars in cryptocurrency.

    • The Strategist ☛ The West needs to draw the line on Russian, Chinese grey-zone provocations

      The West must draw clear red lines for responding to grey-zone aggression by China and Russia.

    • Latvia ☛ Former Rīga councilor gets two years for supporting Russian army

      The Rīga Regional Court of Appeal has sentenced Igors Kuzmuks, a former Rīga City Council member from the Harmony party, to two years in prison and one year of probation for organising financial support for the Russian army in the war against Ukraine, Latvian Television reports.

    • Security Week ☛ Ukrainian Man Extradited From Ireland to US Over Conti Ransomware Charges

      Oleksii Oleksiyovych Lytvynenko is now in the US after being held in custody in Ireland since 2023.

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Ukrainian allegedly involved in Conti ransomware attacks faces up to 25 years in jail

      Oleksii Lytvynenko, 43, was arrested in Ireland in 2023 and extradited to the U.S. earlier this month. He pleaded not guilty in federal court Thursday.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Europe finally moves to ban Russian gas but potential loopholes remain

      The EU has recently moved to impose a full ban on Russian gas imports by 2028. After years of using energy exports to blackmail Europe and fund the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow is finally facing the loss of its last European costumers, writes Aura Sabadus.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Russia’s advance on Pokrovsk exposes Ukraine’s growing manpower crisis

      As Russian troops close in on the strategically crucial city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s growing manpower shortages are becoming increasingly apparent, writes Peter Dickinson.

    • RFERL ☛ Russian Strikes Kill Civilians Across Ukraine As Fighting Intensifies In Pokrovsk

      Russian missile and drone strikes across Ukraine have killed at least five people and injured tens of others, including children, as Russian troops step up assaults around the country’s strategic eastern city of Pokrovsk.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ UN report: Russia targets civilians in systematic bid to depopulate Ukraine

      Russia is deliberately targeting Ukrainian civilians in a deadly drone strike campaign that aims to depopulate large parts of the country and constitutes a crime against humanity, according to a new United Nations report, writes Peter Dickinson.

    • LRT ☛ Ukraine hands over Russian soldier accused of war crimes against Lithuanian citizen

      Ukraine has handed over a Russian soldier accused of committing war crimes against a Lithuanian citizen in occupied Ukraine – the first such transfer since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Lithuanian and Ukrainian officials said Friday.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania to set up Ukraine-like air defence ‘mobile groups’

      Lithuania will set up mobile air defence teams based on Ukraine’s experience amid Russia’s attacks, Public Security Service (VST) commander Viktoras Grabauskas told reporters on Tuesday.

    • RFERL ☛ Kyiv Accuses Russia Of 'Nuclear Terrorism' With Strikes On Power Substations

      Kyiv and international authorities condemned Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s civilian energy sector, with Ukraine accusing Moscow of "nuclear terrorism" for strikes on substations critical to supplying power to nuclear facilities.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Strikes Ukraine's Rail Network, Hits Sumy High-Rise, Injuring Civilians

      A series of Russian air strikes on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy has damaged residential areas, injuring at least 11 people, including four children, as Ukrainian forces targeted energy infrastructure inside Russia.

    • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man, Pooh-tin Agree To Ease Trade Tensions And 'Work Together' On Ukraine

      Amid escalating global tensions, US President The Insurrectionist and Chinese leader Pooh-tin Jinping have concluded high-stakes talks in South Korea.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Urges Convicted Felon to Pressure Pooh-tin Over China's Support For Russia In Ukraine War

      President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged The Insurrectionist to press China to end its support for Russia in its war against Ukraine when the US President meets his Chinese counterpart, Pooh-tin Jinping, during a tour of Asia this week.

    • RFERL ☛ US Cuts Troops In Romania Amid Military Posture ‘Adjustments’

      The United States is significantly reducing its military presence in Romania, in what a NATO official called “adjustments to US force posture,” amid Moscow’s war against neighboring Ukraine and heightened European concern about Russian incursions into NATO airspace.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Gamifies the War: 40 Points to Destroy a Tank, 12 to Kill a Soldier

      Drone teams compete to ascend a scoreboard that rewards units for successful attacks. Ukrainian officials say the contest helps keep soldiers motivated.

    • Meduza ☛ Could Russia occupy all of Donbas in a year? And what if Ukraine’s ‘fortress belt’ falls? Meduza’s military analysts answer readers’ biggest questions about the war — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ He Survived the Invasion. What He Really Wanted Was a Friend.

      During the war, a Ukrainian boy lost his home, his father and his friends. Could he find new buddies at a camp in the mountains?

    • ADF ☛ Russia Pushes CAR to Choose Africa Corps Over Wagner Mercenaries

      The Central African Republic is in the middle of a tug of war between two Russian mercenary groups. The Wagner Group has operated in the CAR since 2018 and remained active in the country after the 2023 death of its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.>

    • RFERL ☛ Moldova, Ukraine Crack Down On Wagner Affiliates In Cross-Border War Crimes Investigation

      Police raided dozens of homes in Moldova and Ukraine, officials said, as part of a cross-border investigation into hundreds of people who are linked to Russia mercenary groups and who allegedly committed war crimes in Ukraine.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Russia is a superpower of the past’: Meduza asks China expert Alexander Gabuev what Trump’s ‘12 out of 10’ meeting with Xi Jinping means for Putin — Meduza

    • RFERL ☛ Putin Says Russia Tests New, Nuclear-Capable Remote Torpedo Dubbed 'Doomsday Machine'

      Russia had tested a new nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered long-range remote torpedo, President Vladimir Putin said, a weapon that some experts have dubbed a "doomsday machine."

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Belarusian balloons pose new threat in Putin’s hybrid war against Europe

      Lithuanian officials have accused neighboring Belarus of using balloons to violate EU airspace and disrupt air traffic as part of the Kremlin's ongoing hybrid war against Europe, writes Hanna Liubakova.

• Environment

  • European Commission ☛ Opening remarks by Commissioner Hoekstra at the Ministerial on Climate Action

  • Latvia ☛ Latvia collects half as much e-waste as hits its market

    In 2023, 11.6 kg of electrical and electronic equipment waste (WEEE or e-waste), for example, household appliances, smartphones and computers, was officially collected per inhabitant in the EU compared with the 32.2 kg of new electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) per person put on the market, according to Eurostat data published October 30th.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China holds send-off ceremony for space station astronauts

      China held a send-off ceremony on Friday for a new crew of astronauts set to depart for its space station, including its youngest “taikonaut” and four lab mice.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Chinese and British authorities are determining how to return 61,000 stolen Bitcoins worth $6.7 billion — seizure from 'Bitcoin Queen' leaves loose ends

      U.K. and Chinese authorities must work out a system to return stolen funds converted to Bitcoin, but the process is expected to be complicated.

    • General Motors Fire 300 CAD Engineers Via Microsoft Teams

      Owing to its ongoing restructuring efforts to boost profitability, General Motors has recently laid off more than 200 salaried employees, primarily Computer-Aided Design (CAD) engineers.

      These cuts, which took place on Friday at the company’s global tech campus in Warren, Michigan, come just days after the Detroit automaker raised its 2025 financial guidance following strong third-quarter earnings.

      Moving ahead, the company has notified the affected employees via Microsoft Teams calls Friday morning that their positions were being eliminated due to “business conditions” rather than performance issues as informed by the sources.

      The layoffs were part of a broader reorganisation of its design engineering division according to General Motors.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New Yorker ☛ Chicago, ICE, and the Lie of the American Pastoral

    The city has often been spoken about as a war zone in need of saving from itself. But at home, as abroad, America’s enemies are so often of American invention.

  • New York Times ☛ Far Right Targets Similarities Between Zohran Mamdani and Sadiq Khan

    Zohran Mamdani, the leading contender in the Nov. 4 New York election, and Sadiq Khan, London’s mayor, are liberal and Muslim, but they’re navigating varied politics, communities and cities.

  • JURIST ☛ UN raises concern over human rights violations by Tanzania government

    The United Nations expressed serious concern on Friday after it was reported that at least 10 people were killed by security forces during protests in Tanzania following this week’s general election.

  • New York Times ☛ Saudi Prince Plans Ambitious U.S. Visit, but Opening Ties With Israel Is Unlikely

    The crown prince of Saudi Arabia is pushing for a security pact and a nuclear deal with the United States yet is not expected to recognize Israel soon, despite Hell Toupée’s wishes.

  • LRT ☛ Railroads, steamers, and Jewish migration from Lithuania

    When discussing Lithuanian emigration today, Norway or the United Kingdom often come to mind. But 150 years ago, Lithuanians – and particularly Lithuanian Jews – were looking much farther afield, to America, Palestine and even South Africa.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • The Straits Times ☛ Burnt out with 52-hour weeks: 1 in 3 Malaysian care workers intend to leave job within 5 years

    Three-fourths or 75.7% of care workers surveyed reported a decline in their overall wellbeing.

  • JURIST ☛ Latvia withdrawal from Istanbul Convention sparks international condemnation

    Amnesty International on Thursday condemned the Latvian government’s decision to leave the Council of Europe convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention.