Leftovers

• Career/Education

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ How can Michigan improve schools? Mississippi’s ex-superintendent has ideas

    Mississippi transformed from last to near-top in reading after unified political support, early-grade intervention and strict science-of-reading reforms. Former state superintendent Carey Wright, now in Maryland, says success required consistency, teamwork, and keeping politics out — lessons Michigan will face as education becomes a 2026 campaign issue.

  • Latvia ☛ Ministry of Defence signs agreements with Latvian universities, funds NGOs

    On Wednesday, November 12th, a ceremonial signing of cooperation agreements between the Ministry of Defence and four science universities – the University of Latvia, the Latvian University of Biosciences and Technology, Riga Technical University and Riga Stradins University – took place at the Ministry of Defence.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea halts flights for college entry exam

    The Suneung college entry exam is essential for admission to top universities.

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ AMD users flag heavy SSD write activity tied to chipset driver — incessant log file writes observed every time a window is moved or resized

    AMD chipset driver possibly shortens SSD life, behavior alarms users — incessant log file writes observed every time a window is moved or resized.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ Bird Flu Ravaged the World’s Largest Elephant Seal Population, Study Finds

    After the H5N1 virus hit the remote island of South Georgia in 2023, more than 50,000 breeding females may have disappeared.

  • New York Times ☛ Infant Formula Company Tied to Botulism Outbreak Had Known Problems

    A Pennsylvania plant run by the company, ByHeart, was shut down this year after inspectors found mold, a leaking roof and more than 2,500 dead insects in a food production area.

  • Stanford University ☛ When the neurologist works from home

    After her father’s stroke, medical student Nadia Kirmani was struck by the gaps in patient care she witnessed, prompting this testimony on how the healthcare system can do more.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Bangkok hit by severe PM2.5 pollution, with air quality exceeding safety limits

    Residents are urged to take precautions for health and safety.

  • The Straits Times ☛ ‘Gardening keeps me on my toes’: KL’s urban farmers grow vegetables to keep fit, share skills

    Urban farming has emerged as an essential safety net for Malaysian households facing rising living costs.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ China tightens exports of fentanyl precursor chemicals to Mexico

    Under pressure to curb fentanyl production, China has implemented new restrictions on "drug-making" chemicals heading to Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.

• Proprietary

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Banned Russian antivirus maker Kaspersky rolls out new products — basic plan for GNU/Linux starts at $59.99 a year

    Kaspersky launches antivirus software for Linux, starting at $59.99 per year for one device, with a special first-year price of $38.99 for the basic plan.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • New York Times ☛ Man Accused of Running Southeast Asia Scam Compound Is Extradited to China

      China and the United States say She Zhijiang, a Chinese-born businessman, ran a major scam compound in Myanmar. He was arrested in Bangkok in 2022.

    • Krebs On Security ☛ Google Sues to Disrupt Chinese SMS Phishing Triad

      Google is suing more than two dozen unnamed individuals allegedly involved in peddling a popular China-based mobile phishing service that helps scammers impersonate hundreds of trusted brands, blast out text message lures, and convert phished payment card data into mobile wallets from Apple and Google.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • ACLU ☛ Face Recognition and the ‘Dihydroxyacetone Man Terror’: A Marriage Made in Hell [Ed: Good NGOs speak out against bad policies and practices no matter who the dictator du jour happens to be; while privacy is a political issue, it must be bipartisan, just like human rights in general]

      Face recognition is a dragnet surveillance technology and its expansion within law enforcement over the last 20 years has been marred by systematic invasions of privacy, inaccuracies, unreliable results, and racial disparities. As some parts of law enforcement have rushed to deploy it, this technology has sparked deep opposition, and over 20 jurisdictions across the country have banned their local police from using it.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ Some South Korean workers return to Georgia factory after US reissues visas

    At least 30 of those workers have gone back to the battery plant.

  • New York Times ☛ Some South Korean Workers Return to Georgia Factory After U.S. Reissues Visas

    The State Department has reissued visas for many workers detained in a September raid, lawyers said, as the Convicted Felon administration tries to undo damage from the operation.

  • New York Times ☛ Fake Bomb Threats Baffle the Police Across Asia

    The threatening emails and faxes bear the signature of a man who says he is being impersonated. The police in five nations have failed to stem them.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea’s foreign minister opposes G-7 push for denuclearisation: KCNA

    North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui called the statement by the G-7 countries a “disguised hostile act”.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian government to conduct in-depth study next year on abolishing death penalty

    The study is planned to run for four months but may be extended if necessary to ensure it is comprehensive.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Influencer Iris Hsieh’s death: Malaysian rapper Namewee freed pending post-mortem report

    He will be freed on police bail until Nov 26.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Rohingya deaths off Malaysia’s Langkawi raise fears of renewed perilous journeys across Andaman Sea

    The recent tragedy highlighted how humanitarian conditions have sharply worsened, said a Malaysian minister.

  • The Straits Times ☛ India inaugurates new military airbase close to China border, source says

    Mistrust persists between China and India despite a thaw in relations.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China issues wanted notice for two Taiwanese influencers for 'separatism'

    Chinese police on Thursday issued a wanted notice and offered a $35,000 reward for two Taiwanese social control media influencers they accused of "separatism", what Taipei says is an effort by China to bring fear to Taiwanese.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China urges Japan PM Sanae Takaichi to retract ‘egregious’ remarks on Taiwan

    The Japanese leader had said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could amount to a “survival-threatening situation”.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Taiwan to up defense spending and develop Iron Dome-inspired missile protection — expert warns one well-placed Chinese missile could make it 'impossible to get a new iPhone for three years'

    An expert from the Taiwan NSTC Hsinchu Science Park Bureau estimates that a single missile strike could disrupt iPhone production for three years, with another suggesting that such an event could result in a 6% to 10% contraction of the global GDP.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China says summons Japan ambassador over PM Takaichi’s Taiwan comments

    Beijing made "serious demarches" over Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi’s remarks regarding China.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan trying to revive wartime militarism with its Taiwan comments, China’s top paper says

    The People’s Daily in its commentary, said Ms Takaichi’s remarks were by no means an “isolated political rant”.

  • France24 ☛ Brussels court convicts Belgian jihadist presumed dead of Yazidi genocide

    A Brussels court on Thursday found Belgian jihadist Sammy Djedou — presumed killed in a 2016 airstrike — guilty of genocide against Iraq’s Yazidis. Djedou, an Islamic State fighter reported dead in Raqqa, was tried in absentia after Belgium received no formal confirmation of his death in its first Yazidi-related mass-crimes case.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Minsk in Moscow’s grip: How Russia subjugated Belarus without annexation

      The latest report in the Atlantic Council's Russia Tomorrow series examines how Belarus moved from close relations with Russia to full-scale integration under the Kremlin.

    • Futurism ☛ Russia’s First Humanoid Robot Just Failed So Spectacularly During It’s Debut That We’re Suspicious the Entire Thing Was an Elaborate Joke

      "He looks like he's been on the Vodka."

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania blacklists Russian rapper Morgenshtern

      Lithuania has barred Russian rapper Alisher Morgenshtern from entering the country, the Migration Department spokesman confirmed to BNS on Thursday.

    • LRT ☛ Russia enters Phase 0 of aggression against Europe – analyst

      Contraband balloons disrupting the work of Lithuanian airports, the increasing number of drone incursions, and intelligence activities in NATO airspace are part of a deliberate and well-coordinated Russian campaign against NATO, George Barros, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), told LRT.lt in an exclusive interview.

    • Meduza ☛ North Korea plans to sell its ‘cure-all’ drugs in Russia. There’s no evidence they work. — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Top buyers spooked and Lukoil in crisis: Russia feels the heat from Washington’s latest oil sanctions — Meduza

    • LRT ☛ Latvia, Estonia ready to ‘show solidarity’ in Lithuania’s border row with Belarus – PM

      Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė says she has been assured by Latvia and Estonia that they will support Lithuania if necessary in its dispute with Belarus over the border closure.

    • LRT ☛ Vilnius ‘not in talks’ with Minsk but ‘all diplomatic channels’ working – Lithuanian PM

      Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said Thursday that Lithuania will not negotiate with Belarus on reopening their shared border and will only do so after receiving asurances that smuggler balloons will stop.

    • Meduza ☛ Russia’s refineries are leveraging spare capacity to blunt Ukrainian drone damage — Reuters Meduza breaks down today’s biggest Russia-related news stories, November 13, 2025 — Meduza

    • France24 ☛ Explosions rock Kyiv as mayor reports ‘massive’ Russian strikes across the capital

      Almost every district of Ukraine’s capital came under a “massive” attack on Friday, its mayor said. Russia fired missiles and drones at energy, rail and other critical infrastructure, officials said, amid intensified strikes since its 2022 invasion.

    • New York Times ☛ What Our Photographer Saw as a Safe City Became a Blood Bath

      The Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk is on the verge of becoming another shattered trophy for the Russian Army.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine’s Dilemma as Pokrovsk Teeters: Save Lives or Keep Holding On

      Military analysts and some Ukrainian commanders worry that Kyiv may be repeating the mistake of staying in an embattled city longer than it should, aiming to inflict far more casualties than it suffers.

    • New York Times ☛ The Government Reopened

      Also, Ukraine is facing a dilemma in Pokrovsk. Here’s the latest at the end of Thursday.

    • LRT ☛ From army to Zelensky, Ukraine's corruption scandal rocks country

      Ukraine has been rocked by a corruption scandal in which suspects allegedly discussed millions of dollars worth of kickbacks on protection for energy plants, even as Russian bombs raining down on them plunged citizens into cold and darkness.

    • LRT ☛ Nordic, Baltic nations to fund €430m military aid package for Ukraine

      Nordic and Baltic countries will jointly finance a 430-million-euro package of military equipment and munitions for Ukraine, sourced from the United States under NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, Lithuania’s Defence Ministry said Thursday.

    • France24 ☛ Merz asks Zelensky to 'ensure' fewer young Ukrainian men come to Germany

      German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he neededto ensure that young Ukrainian men do not come to Germany in large numbers. Since Ukraine relaxed the rules prohibiting working aged men from leaving the country in August, the number of Ukrainian refugees enerting Germany has swelled.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ New study: Ukrainian-American businesses generate billions for US economy

      Ukrainians in the United States are making a significant contribution to the US economy and are creating thousands of jobs according to a new study, writes Melinda Haring.

• Environment

  • CS Monitor ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man sees a ‘con’ in climate change. Pooh-tin sees cash.

    While Hell Toupée decries climate change as a “con,” China’s Pooh-tin Jinping is going all-in on green tech. The latter approach is providing some hope as the COP30 climate conference gathers in Brazil.

• Finance

  • The Straits Times ☛ As South Korean youth exit restaurant jobs, foreign students step in

    There is a notable rise in foreign workers in South Korea's food and hospitality sectors.

  • Open Data

    • CBC ☛ A post-shutdown fog will hang over the U.S. economy for months

      Key economic data may never be released, making it difficult for policy-makers

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • Marcy Wheeler ☛ House Dems’ Problem Children Who Ended the Shutdown

    Six Democrats crossed over and joined the House GOP to end the government shutdown, forfeiting their only leverage to negotiate recovery of healthcare subsididies. Five of them are running for re-election — primary them.

  • France24 ☛ US federal employees go back to work after longest shutdown in history

    Federal agencies have started reopening after the longest-ever US government shutdown... but it's likely the lingering effects of it will be felt for months. Scotland says it plans to issue its own government bonds, nicknaming them "kilts". And a Russian humanoid robot falls flat on its face.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ Youtube dominance is mirroring what Surveillance Giant Google and Facebook (Farcebook) did to publishers

    Youtube running Netflix's playbook and content companies are falling for it again.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China court rejects appeal by journalist jailed for espionage, family says

    A Chinese court on Thursday rejected an appeal by veteran Chinese state media journalist Dong Yuyu, who had been sentenced to seven years in prison on espionage charges, his family said in a statement.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Legal

    • Omicron Limited ☛ When space junk comes home

      Nobody was hurt, but the incident raised an uncomfortable question: who pays when a private company's space hardware crashes into your property?

      The answer, surprisingly, isn't straightforward. A new analysis by Elisa Leoni examines how the 1972 Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects struggles to handle today's commercial space industry. The treaty was written when only governments launched rockets, and it shows.

    • New York Times ☛ Who Pays When A.I. Is Wrong?

      Theirs is one of at least six defamation cases filed in the United States in the past two years over content produced by A.I. tools that generate text and images. They argue that the cutting-edge technology not only created and published false, damaging information about individuals or groups but, in many cases, continued putting it out even after the companies that built and profit from the A.I. models were made aware of the problem.

      Unlike other libel or slander suits, these cases seek to define content that was not created by human beings as defamatory — a novel concept that has captivated some legal experts.