Leftovers

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Exploring The Performance Gains Of Four-Pin MOSFETs

    Over on YouTube [DENKI OTAKU] runs us through how a 4-pin MOSFET works and what the extra Kelvin source pin does.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • New York Times ☛ Ballet Dancers Are Starting to Prioritize Their Mental Health

    Dancers are famous for buckling down and getting through it. But a new openness about mental health has companies and schools focusing on their well-being, both physical and emotional.

  • Science Alert ☛ Strange Structures Found Lurking in The Blood of People With Long COVID

    This could change things.

  • New York Times ☛ Women Toiling in India’s Insufferable Heat Face Mounting Toll on Health

    Prolonged exposure to hot weather can hinder people’s ability to lead safe and productive lives, experts say.

  • Science Alert ☛ We May Now Know Why Alzheimer's Erases Memories of Our Loved Ones

    Could this be treated?

  • New York Times ☛ Dozens of Australian Schools Close Over Asbestos Fears

    Three-quarters of the schools in the area around the capital will be closed, although officials say the health risk from asbestos found in colored sand is low.

  • New York Times ☛ C.D.C. Links Measles Outbreaks in Multiple States for First Time

    If the outbreaks cannot be extinguished by January, the anniversary of the first cases in Texas, the United States will lose what is known as “elimination status” as determined by the World Health Organization.

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Cannabis workers developing asthma that can turn deadly, MSU researcher finds

    New research says workers picking, grinding and packaging cannabis are developing workplace-related asthma, and two deaths have occurred so far. Michigan is the nation's fifth largest cannabis producer.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s president, injured as a child labourer, cracks down on ‘workplaces of death’

    He has visited firms to press for improved safety and set up a special team to investigate industrial accidents.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • The Straits Times ☛ Cheap Hey Hi (AI) tools fuel teen-driven rise in deepfake sex crimes in South Korea

      In one case, a 15-year-old produced and distributed 590 deepfake porn videos of female celebrities.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Teens make up half of South Korea’s cybersex crime suspects

      Deepfake crimes accounted for the largest share of cybersex offences reported, at 35.2 per cent of the total.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Cambodia-based scam group Prince running 3 firms in Japan

      The group’s local subsidiaries in S. Korea and Taiwan have been linked to real estate purchases.

    • Security Week ☛ 5 Plead Guilty in US to Helping North Korean IT Workers

      Audricus Phagnasay, Jason Salazar, Alexander Paul Travis, Erick Ntekereze, and Oleksandr Didenko have pleaded guilty.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Hackaday ☛ Building A Smart Speaker Outside The Corporate Cloud

      If you’re not worried about corporate surveillance bots scraping your shopping list and manipulating you through marketing, you can buy any number of off-the-shelf smart speakers for your home. Alternatively, you can roll your own like [arpy8] did, and keep your life a little more private.

  • Confidentiality

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Dozens of groups call for governments to protect encryption

      The letter comes as countries in Europe have moved over the past year to regulate or mandate legalized access for criminal and national security investigations.

• Defence/Aggression

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh cremated in Malaysia

    Her ashes are likely to be sent to Taiwan this week.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Migrant shipwreck leaves 36 dead as Malaysia ends search

    Officials said the vessel was carrying about 70 undocumented migrants, mostly from the Rohingya community.

  • New York Times ☛ Aiming to Shock Japan, China Pushes a Wave of Reprisals

    Beijing is flexing its military and economic might to show its displeasure with the Japanese leader’s comments about defending Taiwan. But its aggressive approach risks backfiring.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Why Japan’s new warning on Taiwan has Beijing outraged

    Japan and China are facing off in an angry spat over the status of Taiwan – part of China for Beijing, an independent and friendly state for Tokyo.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan seeks to calm escalating spat with China over Taiwan

    An envoy is expected to assure Beijing that there is no shift in Japan’s Taiwan policy.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean student in Cambodia was tortured to death, autopsy confirms

    The 22-year-old died from traumatic shock with injuries consistent with prolonged assault, the forensic report found.

  • Security Week ☛ Iranian Hackers Target Defense and Government Officials in Ongoing Campaign

    The state-sponsored APT has been targeting the victims’ family members to increase pressure on their targets.

  • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man open to talks with Venezuela's Maduro, says US strikes in Mexico 'ok'

    US President The Insurrectionist said Monday he is open to speaking with Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro and would not rule out deploying US troops, while also saying he'd be "OK" with launching anti-drug strikes inside Mexico – remarks that heighten tensions amid a major US military buildup in the region.

  • New York Times ☛ Top U.N. Official Pushing to Get Aid Into Stricken Sudanese City

    Paramilitaries accused of atrocities pledged to allow international aid and investigators into El Fasher, days after an airstrike hit a United Nations vehicle.

  • New York Times ☛ Serbian Woman Ends Hunger Strike Against Government

    Dijana Hrka became the face of protest after her son and 15 other people died in a railway station collapse in Serbia. Her hunger strike lasted 16 days.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Australia spy boss warns of foreign assassination plots by agents of at least 3 nations

    India, Russia and Iran are most frequently cited by analysts speculating on the nations.

  • New York Times ☛ U.N. Security Council Adopts Convicted Felon’s Peace Plan for Gaza

    Russia and China abstained in the vote, which provides a legal mandate for the Convicted Felon administration’s vision of how to move past the cease-fire to rebuild the war-ravaged enclave after two years of war.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Accused in Delhi car bomb attack appears in court; another suspect held

    Amir Rashid Ali is accused of having “conspired with the alleged suicide bomber”, said India’s agency.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea proposes talks with North Korea military to avoid clashes on border

    Seoul said there has been an uptick in N. Korean activity around the Military Demarcation Line.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines eyes completion of South China Sea code as next Asean chair

    Tensions between China and US ally the Philippines have soared in recent years.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Japan-China spat sinks tourism, retail stocks

    By Hiroshi Hiyama with Sam Davies in Beijing Japanese tourism and retail shares dived on Monday after China warned its citizens to avoid the tourist hotspot in a spat over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan.

  • France24 ☛ China warns citizens against Japan travel as Taiwan spat escalates

    Relations between Japan and China remain tense after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on Taiwan. The conflict is taking an economic toll , after Beijing issued a warning against travelling to its eastern neighbour, a message they have doubled down on. Gabrielle Nadler has the story.

  • The Strategist ☛ Taiwan’s lessons from China’s lawfare and hybrid operations

    I’ve spent nearly two decades on the frontlines across the Taiwan Strait, and one thing is painfully clear: foreign interference doesn’t knock; it walks straight in, wearing a suit, quoting international law and demanding compliance.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Japan-China row over Taiwan highlights fragile ties

    The relationship between the two countries is still dogged by historical issues.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Chinese Premier has no plans to meet Japan PM on sidelines of G-20: China

    Move signals increasingly sour ties over new Japanese leader’s remarks on Taiwan.

  • The Strategist ☛ South Korea–Australia cooperation can fill defence technology gaps

    For South Korea and Australia, collaboration in advanced defence technologies offers strategic complementarity that enhances shared capability development.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • European Commission ☛ Opening Speech by Commissioner Kubilius at the Conference "Defending Baltics: War Lessons From Ukraine"

    • Meduza ☛ A fringe filmmaker’s antisemitic ‘family film’ blends kitsch, nationalism, and Russia’s favorite conspiracy theories — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ What Russian Activists Do When They Can’t Criticize Putin

      Opposition-minded Russians who remain in the country are trying to keep politically active in whatever causes they can, whether that’s recycling, clean air or parking.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Putin’s less afraid of war than of peace’: What independent military analysts have to say about the risk of Russia invading the Baltic states — Meduza

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Zelenskyy faces the biggest corruption scandal of his presidency

      Amid Russia’s ongoing invasion, Ukraine in now facing the largest corruption scandal of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s presidency over alleged kickbacks in the graft-prone energy sector, writes Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ Building the digital front line: Understanding big tech decision-making in Ukraine

      In this report, author Emma Schroeder examines which factors most shaped tech companies’ decisions as to whether and how to lend their support to Ukraine throughout the war.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky-Macron agreements: 'Very clearly a successful visit' after leaving the US empty-handed

      French President Emmanuel Macron’s promise of 100 Rafales to Ukraine isn’t just about weapons deals and fighter jets, there's a "dual purpose": it's about reclaiming agency and moral momentum in a fractured geopolitical landscape. All the while, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is grappling with deepening corruption scandals, as Russia intensifies its ruthless attacks, any diplomatic wins provide lifelines. Peter Zalmayev, Director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative, says that this was 'clearly a successful visit'. Mr. Zalmayev offers deep insight into how Europe’s shifting alliances and Ukraine’s internal reckonings are shaping a broader narrative: one of resilience under pressure, as the future of European unity hangs in the balance.

    • France24 ☛ As US engagement wanes, is Western military support for Ukraine now primarily a European effort?

      The France-Ukraine deal around the Rafale jets is more than a mere arms deal, explains Michael Benhamou, Director at OPEWI, Europe’s War Institute. It’s a formal declaration of strategic alignment. This is a signal that France and Ukraine are charting a course together for the coming decade. The 100 Rafales deal will 'lock the relationship between France and Ukraine for at least a decade." And while the commitments were signed today, their full effect: the training, the battlefield integration, the operational readiness, will be years in the making. This will also be a prime opportunity for France to show all of Europe renewed life.

    • France24 ☛ Air cover for Zelensky: How much can stepped-up French support boost Ukraine?

      It's much-needed backing from a key ally of Ukraine… along with welcome photo op for a president who's under pressure at home.

    • France24 ☛ Macron and Zelensky sign a letter of intent for Ukraine to purchase up to 100 Rafale fighter jets

      France's President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky signed on Monday an accord for Kyiv to acquire up to 100 Rafale fighter jets and other hardware, a boost for Ukraine's war effort. Elitsa Gadeva gives us the details on what exactly the deal entails .

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine’s ex-president Poroshenko: ‘Corruption scandal is the biggest danger for Ukraine'

      In an interview with FRANCE 24, Ukraine's former president Petro Poroshenko described the ongoing corruption scandal as "the biggest danger for Ukraine". His comments come as President Volodymyr Zelensky visits Paris. The scandal, which involves an estimated $100 million allegedly laundered through the energy sector, is reported to implicate Timur Mindich, a close ally of Zelensky. "This is the big test for President Zelensky," Poroshenko said, warning that "our trust is at stake."

    • LRT ☛ EU Commissioner Kubilius proposes stationing Ukrainian battalion in Lithuania

      European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius on Monday proposed deploying a Ukrainian battalion in Lithuania alongside the permanently stationed German brigade and rotating US forces, calling it an additional and timely security guarantee for the region.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine Inks Fighter Jet Deal With France As Kremlin Eyes New Summit With US

      Ukraine has reached a 10-year deal with France for the supply of 100 Rafale fighter jets to bolster its defenses as the Kremlin said it hopes for a new summit with the United States to discuss a possible resolution to end the war in Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ Romanian Village Evacuated After Russian Drone Strikes LPG Ship In Danube

      Romanian authorities have ordered the evacuation of residents in the village of Plauru on the Danube River that forms the border with Ukraine after a drone reportedly struck an LPG-carrying ship on the Ukrainian side of the river.

    • RFERL ☛ Polish PM Tusk Says Railway Explosion 'Act Of Sabotage'

      Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said an explosion on a major railway line that is used to transport military goods and aid to Ukraine was caused by an "unprecedented act of sabotage."

    • RFERL ☛ Deadly Russian Strike Hits Ukraine's Kharkiv As Zelenskyy Heads To Paris In Plea For Weapons

      Russia continued its deadly air strikes on Ukrainian cities, killing at least three people in the Kharkiv region overnight, local officials said, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared for the next stop on his tour of European capitals to shore up support.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy Vows Energy Sector Overhaul, Signs Gas Deal With Greece

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to overhaul the country’s scandal-ridden energy sector as he looks to stem outrage following accusations of widespread corruption that have included an old friend and former business partner.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine’s Cash Is Running Low, and Europe Has No Good Plan B

      The European Union wants to finance Ukraine’s war efforts using a loan based on Russia’s frozen assets in Belgium. If that falls through, there’s no easy alternative.

    • New York Times ☛ Polish Railway Explosion Was Sabotage, Prime Minister Says

      Donald Tusk said unidentified saboteurs had tried to “blow up a train” on a route crucial for getting aid into Ukraine.

    • New York Times ☛ France Agrees to Sell Up to 100 Rafale Fighter Jets to Ukraine

      Some in Ukraine criticized the 10-year timeline for the warplanes and other defense equipment, but France called it a long-term commitment to the country.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania may reopen Belarus border crossings before November 30, foreign minister says

      Lithuania could reopen its two recently closed border crossings with Belarus earlier than planned, Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said Monday, signalling a potential shift in the government’s response to what it has called hybrid attacks from Minsk.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian authorities conduct major crackdown on smuggling balloons from Belarus

      Lithuanian authorities carried out a large, coordinated operation Monday targeting criminal groups that allegedly fly contraband into the country from Belarus using weather balloons, the Interior Ministry said.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Working parents in South Korea challenge ban on dawn delivery

      Dawn delivery allows orders placed at night to arrive before sunrise.

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean police to probe e-scooter firms after unlicensed teen crash leaves mother in coma

      Probe on whether e-scooter operators made it possible for minors to unlock vehicles without a valid licence.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Growing calls in South Korea for tougher drink driving penalties after foreigners killed

      Lenient penalties are said to be one of the reasons for the country’s high number of drink driving accidents.

  • Wildlife/Nature

    • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian teacher shocked as 60kg python crashes through bathroom ceiling

      The python may have entered through a soursop tree behind the house, said the teacher.

    • France24 ☛ No, Amazon rainforest trees were not cut down for COP 30

      As COP 30 proceeds, The Insurrectionist and others continue to share the claim that 100,000 trees in the Amazon rainforest were chopped down to make way for a highway to the UN climate conference’s host city, Belem. But the claim is misleading, as we explain in this edition of Truth or Fake.

    • New York Times ☛ We Can Now Track Individual Monarch Butterflies. It’s a Revelation.

      Scientists used tiny new sensors to follow the insects on journeys that take thousands of miles to their winter colonies in Mexico.

  • Overpopulation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Cash vouchers for newlyweds as China tries to boost marriages

      The vouchers are worth 1,000 yuan, or about S$183.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ Key events in Bangladesh as ousted Hasina sentenced to death

    The country of 170 million people has grappled with instability since she fled to India in August 2024.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysian Indian Congress votes to leave BN, signals tie-up with rival coalition

    MIC’s soul-searching highlights the struggles of minority parties in the changing political landscape.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • New York Times ☛ Drawing Religion Minister’s Ire, Music Video is Pulled by Universal in Malaysia

    The minister criticized the girl band Dolla for wearing revealing outfits in a clip for their hit “Question.” He also threatened criminal action.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia girl group Dolla’s music video taken down after being criticised as too revealing

    The music video features the members in outfits showing their thighs and midriffs.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China suspends Japanese film releases as diplomatic crisis deepens

    China’s Premier Li Qiang has no plans to meet Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China escalates Japan spat with threats of economic reprisal

    Japan is dispatching a senior diplomat to China on Nov 17 in a bid to smooth tensions.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong court rejects jailed media tycoon’s bid to file new evidence in libel suit against Beijing-backed paper

    A Hong Kong judge has rejected jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s bid to submit 101 new pieces of evidence in a libel lawsuit against Beijing-backed newspaper Ta Kung Pao, calling them “confusing, embarrassing and defective.”

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean travel to South-east Asia takes a hit amid Cambodia human trafficking crisis

    The Philippines and Thailand also saw fewer visitors from South Korea in October.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ Network resilience in space: Solar storm impacts on LEO satellite networks

    Guest Post: Eunju Kang shares highlights from a deep dive into the impact of solar storms on LEO satellite networks measured using RIPE Atlas probes.

  • APNIC ☛ SIG Guidelines review — have your say

    Guest Post: The APNIC SIG Guidelines are being reviewed to ensure they remain relevant, transparent, and aligned with community expectations. This is your opportunity to propose updates, help shape how SIGs operate, and strengthen participation.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• New York Times ☛ Europe Begins Rethinking Its Crackdown on Big Tech

  European policymakers are crafting changes to scale back and simplify landmark rules for Hey Hi (AI) and data privacy, in a shift from an aggressive regulatory period.

• Tom's Hardware ☛ Google and Meta delay undersea cable projects over security concerns — Red Sea corridor carries a fifth of global internet traffic, but risk to crews and ships stalls plans

  Google and Meta have delayed segments of their subsea cable projects crossing the Red Sea, citing continuing security risks

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Is HOLY HABITS Merely Descriptive of Spiritual Growth Management Software?

    The USPTO refused to register the mark HOLY HABITS for "Downloadable computer application software for mobile phones, namely, software for spiritual growth management, including tools for habit-building, personal reflection, daily scripture engagement, confession tracking, and personalized recommendations for holiness," deeming the mark merely descriptive of the goods. Applicant Acutis, appearing pro se, argued that a consumer seeing the mark would not know what the goods are, and furthermore that the mark is a double entendre and/or a unitary mark. How do you think this appeal came out? In re Acutis Technology Inc., Serial No. 98669016 (November 13, 2025) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Elizabeth K. Brock).

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Anonymous Comment on Letters of Protest

    Set out below is an anonymous comment on the ALTAMURA DISTILLERIES case, recently TTABlogged here.

  • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ WALLSTREETBETS arrive at SCOTUS

    WALLSTREETBETS trademark fight heads to the Supreme Court as Rogozinski challenges Reddit’s TM claim over the subreddit’s name and community identity.

    Continue reading this post on Patently-O.