Leftovers

• Science

  • New York Times ☛ The ‘Lost Sisters’ of the Pleiades Fill the Entire Night Sky

    Astronomers identified more than 3,000 stars associated with the cluster, and there might be even more.

  • New York Times ☛ Northern Lights Are Beautiful, but for Satellites They’re Risky

    At least one space launch has been put on hold, as satellite operators and rocket companies manage the effects of the current geomagnetic storm hitting Earth.

  • France24 ☛ The Bright Side: Scientists witness supernova's early stages for the first time

    Scientists have observed the early stages of a star's violent death – a supernova – for the first time. The shape of these cosmic explosions has been hard to specify until now because of how rapidly they take place.

  • New York Times ☛ At the Cybathlon, May the Best Brain-Computer Interface Win

    Every four years at the Cybathlon, teams of researchers and technology “pilots” compete to see whose brain-computer interface holds the most promise.

• Hardware

  • Devices/Embedded

    • The Atlantic ☛ Enjoy Apple CarPlay While You Still Can

      Whatever the case, car companies are moving beyond making money only when they sell you a car. For GM, eliminating Apple as a middleman provides more opportunities to charge for things. “It’s a turf war, and the car is real estate,” Craig Daitch, an auto-industry analyst and a former GM marketing manager, told me. Tech-first car start-ups such as Tesla and Rivian have never offered CarPlay; the latter argues its own systems are better without the software. (Even so, plenty of owners have hacked work-arounds to add it over the years.)

    • Nick Heer ☛ The Slow Fight for Control Over In-Car Technology

      I cannot imagine going back to a pre-CarPlay era. I like bringing my music collection seamlessly into my car, having Maps and Messages at my disposal, and not needing to sync anything with a different system. I wish I could replace Siri with something even borderline functional, though.

    • Greg Morris ☛ Car Makers Can’t Make Software

      The pattern is familiar. Big company decides they can do something better themselves. Announces it with confidence. Then delivers something worse than what already existed. I've seen this enough times with tech companies to know how it usually ends.

      GM's reasoning is that they can create a "better experience" by controlling the whole thing themselves. Maybe. But when was the last time an in-car system from a traditional manufacturer was genuinely good? The track record isn't encouraging. Not to mention they have a history of selling your data and making drivers experiences worse.

    • James Belchamber ☛ I didn't reverse-engineer the protocol for my blood pressure monitor in 24 hours

      After dodging around Microsoft's idea of UX, and then forwarding the USB device to the VM (I used Gnome Boxes for this, works nicely), I finally got to see WatchBP Analyzer with the data downloaded from the device.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • France24 ☛ Climate crisis is a health crisis, WHO chief says

    The WHO said Wednesday that it was time for formal negotiations on health at the COP climate summits, saying the climate crisis was also a health crisis. Speaking from the COP30 in Bélem, Brazil, Estelle Willie, Director of Health Policy at the Rockefeller Foundation, says that adaptation, not just mitigation, is at the forefront of the Brazil conference this year.

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Michigan stopped collecting abortion data in 2023. GOP wants to resume it

    Supporters say the Michigan House bills are a ‘no-nonsense step’ to protect women and limit abortion. Opponents say the legislation singles out the procedure in a hostile political landscape.

  • Latvia ☛ Don't burn trash, Latvian environment authority urges

    Some people are tempted to dispose of household waste by burning it in the stove. However, this can have serious consequences - both for the environment and for human health. Experts emphasise that a stove is not a dustbin and the heat generated by burning waste can be much more costly than it first appears, Latvian Television reports on 12 November.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Cafe owner in South Korea uses sign language to greet deaf customers, warms hearts online

    The owner said she learnt sign language so that she can sincerely say "Enjoy your drinks".

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia’s Zus Coffee makes police report, gives employee paid leave after clash with customer

    The customer at the Zus store was seen throwing a cup of coffee at the barista.

  • The Straits Times ☛ In Malaysia, dubious health supplements thrive on social control media despite repeated warnings

    Viral posts about the alleged death of a woman who took such supplements have renewed concern.

  • The Straits Times ☛ More sleep, less screen time as China aims to reduce student stress

    The initiatives include a classroom ban on mobile phones and a period of “screen-free” time.

• Proprietary

  • IT Pro ☛ 'This acquisition was the worst thing for us': Synopsys staff brace for layoffs following Ansys merger

    Synopsys plans to cut 10% of its global workforce as the company looks to “drive business efficiencies” in the wake of a recent merger.

    Regulatory filings show the company plans to cut roughly 2,000 jobs beginning immediately as part of a restructuring plan set to finish in fiscal year 2027.

    The layoffs follow its acquisition of engineering design company Ansys for $35 billion, with the deal announced in January last year and completed in July of this year after regulator scrutiny.

    Synopsys missed analyst predictions in its latest earnings results, announced in September, posting $1.74 billion in third quarter revenue – that was up 14% year-on-year, but below expectations, sending shares down.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • The Straits Times ☛ Thailand extradites gambling kingpin She Zhijiang to China

      The 43-year-old was arrested by Thai police in August 2022.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Thailand extradites alleged scam kingpin to China

      An alleged Chinese racketeer linked to a hugely lucrative scam hub in Myanmar was extradited from Thailand to China on Wednesday, a police official in Bangkok told AFP.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • The Straits Times ☛ Tajikistan launches state-backed messenger app

      Tajikistan's communications service said on Tuesday that it had launched a national messenger app, mimicking similar projects in Russia and Kazakhstan, which critics have warned could compromise user data.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea to maintain backing for UN resolution on North Korea human rights

    South Korea will co-sponsor an annual U.N. resolution that raises concerns over North Korea's human rights situation, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, defying some expectations that Seoul might withhold support to avoid irking Pyongyang.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Vietnam jails two former officials in $100 million gambling trial

    The pair were part of an illegal gambling ring run by South Koreans out of a swanky Hanoi hotel.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia’s ‘Inspector Sheila’ charged with obstructing police officer

    A video of the incident went viral after she alleged that officers had intimidated a Pakistani motorcyclist.

  • New York Times ☛ Xi’s Military Purges Show Unease About China’s Nuclear Forces

    The shake-up in China’s armed forces comes as both Beijing and Washington are pushing through major changes in their country’s militaries, in different ways.

  • New York Times ☛ Solvay of Belgium Creates Rare Earths Deals With U.S.

    The contracts are the latest sign of how Europe is lagging the United States in the race to break China’s chokehold on rare earths.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Not always a triangle, no need to be ‘overly worried’: Taiwan’s top diplomat on ties with US, China

    Some worry that US Hell Toupée may “sell out” Taiwan to broker a more favourable trade deal with China.

  • France24 ☛ Could Bamako fall? Mali's capital under threat from Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents

    A string of coups and the pushing out of former colonial power France in favor of Russian support haven’t stopped insurgents from going from strength throughout the so- called coup belt from Burkina Faso to Niger.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia scrambles to find anyone ‘still alive’ after migrant shipwreck

    The vessel was carrying some 70 undocumented migrants, mostly from Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya community.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian rapper Namewee to be offered bail, no lead linking him to influencer Iris Hsieh’s death

    The Attorney-General said police investigations have not yielded any leads linking Namewee to the death.

  • The Strategist ☛ Indonesia unlikely to follow the Philippines’ transparency against China

    The Philippines’ transparency initiative is crucial for addressing and countering disinformation and misinformation, as well as exposing China’s unlawful activities in the South China Sea. Even though Indonesia often faces similar threats from China in ...

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Futurism ☛ Russia’s Humanoid Robot Falls on Face During Big Reveal on Stage

      This is just embarrassing.

    • Security Week ☛ China’s Cyber Silence is More Worrying Than Russia’s Noise, Chief Cybersecurity Strategist Says

      NTT’s chief cybersecurity strategist Mihoko Matsubara on the new geopolitics of hacking, the "chicken and egg" problem of 5G, and the AGI threat to society.

    • Security Week ☛ Google Sues Chinese Cybercriminals Behind ‘Lighthouse’ Phishing Kit

      Google is targeting the threat group known as Smishing Triad, which used over 194,000 malicious domains in a campaign. 

    • Security Week ☛ Google Paid Out $458,000 at Live Hacking Event

      Researchers submitted 107 bug reports during the bugSWAT hacking event at the ESCAL8 conference in New Mexico.

    • CS Monitor ☛ In the fields and in the streets, Ukrainians fight to stay motivated

      Ukraine has kept Russia at bay through more than 3 1/2 years of war. But stepped-up Russian strikes against cities and relentless advances in battle are proving a challenge for exhausted civilians and soldiers alike.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Tokyo protests against Russia’s wider entry ban over Ukraine sanctions

      Tokyo accused Moscow of shifting the blame for its invasion of Ukraine.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine justice, energy ministers resign over major corruption scandal

      Ukraine's energy and justice ministers resigned on Wednesday, the government said, over their alleged involvement in a sweeping corruption scandal in the country's energy sector. Investigators alleged a key ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky orchestrated a $100-million kickback scheme to siphon off funds, triggering public anger at a time of widespread power outages caused by Russian attacks.

    • France24 ☛ G7 ministers unite on Ukraine and Sudan, avoid US military and trade disputes

      Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized democracies wrapped up talks in Canada on Wednesday, reaffirming support for Ukraine and condemning violence in Sudan while steering clear of contentious issues such as recent US military strikes in the Caribbean and tensions over trade.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Says Ready To Resume Talks With Ukraine As It Battles For Pokrovsk

      Russia said its forces continue to make gains around Pokrovsk as Moscow intensifies efforts to penetrate the battered Ukrainian city with local officials calling the situation difficult.

    • LRT ☛ LRT Investigation. Lithuanian SIM cards used to track smuggling balloons from Belarus

      Despite Lithuania’s ongoing efforts, a weather balloon launched from Belarus last Saturday once again disrupted operations at Vilnius Airport. Meanwhile, smugglers were quicker than officials to recover a shipment of cigarettes dropped by another balloon near Alytus.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian FM rejects talks with Minsk over border closure

      Minsk does not dictate the terms for negotiations, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered his government to begin talks with Lithuanian officials on normalising the border situation.

    • LRT ☛ Minsk says it has sent Lithuania proposals on border reopening

      Belarus said Wednesday it has submitted proposals to Lithuania on reopening their shared border. Minsk previously refused to open an evacuation corridor for Lithuanian trucks stranded on the Belarusian side until Lithuania agreed to reopen the border.

    • Meduza ☛ Meduza asks NYT reporter Anatoly Kurmanaev about the limits of Russia’s alliance with Venezuela amid rising U.S. pressure — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Meet the volunteers bringing education to Russian political prisoners through letters — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ ‘It’s not called the Wheel. It’s called the Carousel.’ How Russia re-arrests dissidents to keep them behind bars indefinitely without criminal charges. — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ To force deserters back to war, Russia’s military is torturing their families — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Newly released Epstein emails resurrect Russiagate: ‘Lavrov can get insight on talking to me’ Meduza breaks down today’s biggest Russia-related news stories, November 12, 2025 — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ Russian Humanoid Robot Falls on Its Face in Hyped Debut

      The robot, known as AIDOL, staggered onstage during a technology showcase in Moscow. Organizers blamed the mishap on calibration and lighting issues.

    • CS Monitor ☛ In Russia’s weapons rollout, a challenge to the global nuclear balance

      Russia has been conspicuously bringing new types of missiles, torpedoes, and submarines online. Experts say the fanfare is all about The Insurrectionist’s “Golden Dome.”

    • The Straits Times ☛ Russia loses legal bid to build embassy next to Australian Parliament

      However, the Australian government is required to pay compensation to Russia for the site.

    • LRT ☛ How we strengthen the defence of European democracy – opinion

      The EPP Group expects the European Commission to be ambitious, bold, and forward-looking when presenting the European Democracy Shield this Wednesday. At a time when Russia and other malicious actors seek to illegitimately influence democratic processes in Europe, both the EU and its Member States must find more effective ways to counter these attempts, argues Rasa Juknevičienė, a Lithuanian member of the European Parliament.

    • LRT ☛ Russian asylum seeker in Poland admits cooperating with FSB, faces espionage trial

      A Russian political refugee in Poland admitted cooperating with Russia’s FSB out of fear, according to testimony cited by WP.pl. He and his wife face espionage charges carrying at least eight years in prison.

    • LRT ☛ US scholars hand over Vladimir Prison archive to Lithuania’s Genocide Research Centre

      Two US scholars on Wednesday handed over to the Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania copies of inmate registry cards and a digital database from Russia’s Vladimir Prison, a notorious Soviet facility that held many prominent Lithuanian political prisoners.

• Environment

  • New York Times ☛ Newsom in the Spotlight at the Climate Conference That Convicted Felon Decided to Skip

    The California governor painted the president as a threat to American competitiveness by letting China dominate the renewable energy industry.

  • New York Times ☛ Greenhouse Gas Emissions Head for a Record in 2025, Global Carbon Project Reports

    But there are signs that greenhouse gas pollution in China might be slowing, according to a new analysis.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • WhichUK ☛ The most common energy problems - and how to fix them

      From direct debit hikes to not-so-smart meters, what can be done about annoying energy problems?

    • New York Times ☛ How a New Bridge Partly Collapsed in China’s Southwest

      A section of the tall bridge in mountainous Sichuan Province fell, apparently after a landslide. No casualties were reported.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Newly built Hongqi Bridge in China’s Sichuan partially collapses, months after opening

      Construction of the bridge finished earlier this year.

    • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Mountain’s problem’ or design flaw? Dramatic collapse of new bridge in China raises questions

      Netizens questioned how a major infrastructural project that had only been recently completed could have collapsed.

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ China accuses Washington of stealing $13 billion worth of Bitcoin in alleged hack — 127,272 tokens seized from Prince Group after owner Chen Zhi was indicted for wire fraud and money laundering, U.S. alleges

      China accuses the U.S. of being behind the largest cryptocurrency theft in history.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • The Straits Times ☛ New pair of giant pandas to arrive in Malaysia in mid-November

      The new pair of pandas will enable continued joint research on panda protection and breeding.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ Sticker shock no more: New rule requires S. Korean wedding vendors to disclose complete pricing info

    Wedding service providers in South Korea are now legally required to disclose complete pricing information.

  • New York Times ☛ What It Takes to Move a Factory From China to Vietnam

    Tariffs have forced Chinese companies to move their operations to Vietnam. Alexandra Stevenson, our Shanghai bureau chief, visits a factory in Ho Chi Minh City to see how one of the biggest challenges isn’t relocating machinery and tools, but overcoming language barriers.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • ACLU ☛ 2025 Elections: Voters Came Out in Record Numbers to Defend Key Civil Liberties Issues Across the Country

    Across the country, voters took to the ballot box to make their voices heard on Tuesday. The results overwhelmingly demonstrate that voters want leaders who will push against the Convicted Felon administration’s cruel policies and abuses of power and work to make life better for the American people.

  • France24 ☛ Winners, losers, and the lasting cost of the US shutdown

    The longest shutdown in US history has hit ordinary Americans hardest – millions of federal workers unpaid, flights disrupted, and food aid suspended for millions of low-income families. Politically, the picture is murkier. Democrats failed to secure healthcare subsidies in the final funding deal, while Republicans claimed victory, though analysts say both parties share the blame. As the next budget fight looms and midterms approach, healthcare and the economy remain voters’ top concerns, as FRANCE 24’s Solange Mougin reports.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Xi pitches closer ties to Spanish King as Madrid courts Chinese investment

    King Felipe is the first Spanish monarch in 18 years to make a state visit to China.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Thai king’s historic state visit to China signals closer ties

    King Maha Vajiralongkorn will become the first reigning Thai monarch to make a state visit to China.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • JURIST ☛ Kazakhstan approves amendments restricting discussion of LGBTQ+ issues

    The Parliament of Kazakhstan on Wednesday approved a proposal to ban propaganda of “non-traditional sexual orientation”, despite serious concerns raised by several human rights organizations over its implications for LGBTQ+ rights.

Monopolies/Monopsonies