Leftovers

• Latvia ☛ Over 2,000 drunk driver cars seized in Latvia in three years

  In Latvia, the law allows for the confiscation of drunk drivers' cars for three years. During this time, more than two thousand vehicles have been seized. Some of them end up at auctions, while others are sent to Ukraine, Zemgale Regional Television reported on 15th December.

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Boosting One Mitochondrial Protein Increases Lifespan And Slows Aging in Mice

    Power up.

  • Science Alert ☛ 'Little Foot' May Be a Whole New Member of Our Family Tree After All

    Welcome cousin!

• Hardware

  • Hackaday ☛ Virtual Pet Responds To WiFi

    When the Tamagotchi first launched all those decades ago, it took the world by storm. It was just a bunch of simple animations on a monochrome LCD, but it had heart, and people responded to that. Modern technology is capable of so much more, so [CiferTech] set out to build a virtual pet that can sniff out WiFi networks.

  • Hackaday ☛ Laser Cutter Plus CYMK Spraypaint Equals Full-Color Prints

    This is one of those fun hacks that come about from finding a product and going “I wonder if I could…” — in this case, artist/YouTuber [Wesley Treat] found out his favourite vendor makes spray cans in CYMK colours– that is the Cyan, Yellow, Magenta and blacK required for subtractive printing. Which got him wondering: can I make full-colour prints with this paint?

  • SaaS/Back End/Databases

    • Marc Brooker ☛ What Does a Database for SSDs Look Like?

      But first, the bigger picture. It’s not only SSDs that have come along since databases like Postgres were first designed. We also have the cloud, with deployments to excellent datacenter infrastructure, including multiple independent datacenters with great network connectivity between them, available to all. Datacenter networks offer 1000x (or more) increased throughput, along with latency in the microseconds. Servers with hundreds of cores and thousands of gigabytes of RAM are mainstream.

      Applications have changed too. Companies are global, businesses are 24/7. Down time is expensive, and that expense can be measured. The security and compliance environment is much more demanding. Builders want to deploy in seconds, not days.

  • Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

    • The Register UK ☛ Rising memory costs are about to test buyers' patience

      The analyst firm says higher DRAM and NAND prices risk undermining confidence across the market, particularly as smartphone vendors struggle to justify higher prices for devices that to many feel marginally different from the ones already in their pockets.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • The Straits Times ☛ Pharmacists in South Korea flag uncontrolled sales at popular warehouse-style pharmacies

    Such stores have been expanding across South Korea since the first one opened in June.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Foreign arrivals to Vietnam hit record high despite pollution, floods

    The previous record of 18 million foreign tourists was set before the pandemic in 2019.

• Proprietary

  • Qt ☛ Commercial LTS Qt 6.8.6 Released

    We have released Qt 6.8.6 LTS for commercial license holders today. As a patch release, Qt 6.8.6 does not add any new functionality but provides bug fixes and other improvements.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ LG TV users baffled by unremovable Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Copilot installation — surprise forced update shows app pinned to the home screen [Ed: It's dying, so Microsoft forces you to see/use it]

    LG smart TV owners are reporting that a recent webOS software update has added Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Copilot to their TVs, with no apparent way to remove it.

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Tom's Hardware ☛ Elizabeth Warren, other U.S. senators concerned about big tech pushing up electricity costs — demands explanation from Amazon, Google, Meta as Hey Hi (AI) data centers drive up residential energy bills

      Three Democratic Senators are investigating the impact of the massive Hey Hi (AI) data center build out on the electricity bill of the average American.

    • Futurism ☛ AI Industry Insiders Living in Fear of What They’re Creating

      Must be hard.

    • France24 ☛ AI-generated reconstructions of ancient Rome turn out to be full of errors

      A number of videos and images created by artificial intelligence that claim to accurately depict ancient Rome have been circulating online. However, these images are far from historically accurate, says one historian.

    • Press Gazette ☛ Google’s Hey Hi (AI) deals repeat Showcase playbook

      Deals could mean Surveillance Giant Google is preparing to be forced to give publishers more control over how their content is used.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • It's FOSS ☛ Is Denmark Really Banning VPNs? A Controversial Bill Has People Worried

      Proposed legislation would make it illegal to use VPNs for accessing geo-blocked content.

    • Jussi Pakkanen ☛ Jussi Pakkanen: An Appeal from the United Federation of Dictators, Despots, Evil Emperors and Tyrants

      Truly, we are living in a new Golden Age for all those sharing our passion in subjugating all of human race under a single iron fist.

      And to think that mere few decades ago we thought that our way of life was heading to the dung heap of humanity. Education, international cooperation and other such scourges of democracy and civilization seemed to have taken an unescapable stranglehold on our core values and, by extension, our future. But then, our savior appeared from nowhere in the form of His Holiness Steve Jobs. The vision and tireless unpaid overworking of his minions gave birth to the Squircle of Self-Subjugation and the world has never been the same since. May the glory of your achievements, oh Steve the Seer, shine forevermore throughout the four rounded corners of our planet!

      Now, to be sure, many among our ranks were very sceptical of the product at first glance.

• Defence/Aggression

  • Atlantic Council ☛ Beijing pressures Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic partners. Here’s what the US should do in response

    Taiwan’s shrinking circle of diplomatic partners plays a crucial role in deterring Chinese coercion, and the United States needs a more targeted strategy to help preserve this support and maintain cross-strait stability.

  • The Strategist ☛ Taiwan’s democracy must stay liberal under rising pressure

    China’s pressure campaign aims to bend Taiwan toward eventual annexation. But sustained coercion could weaken the liberal nature of its democracy even without a loss of sovereignty.

  • FAIR ☛ Pundits Blame Sydney Slaughter on Protest Slogan

    Australian officials are still learning about the individuals who carried out the Bondi Beach attack, killing more than a dozen Jews celebrating Hanukkah in Sydney. But the pundits, with their magnifying glasses and meerschaum pipes, have cracked the case. The culprit is: pro-Palestine protesters.

  • New York Times ☛ Man Who Plowed Car Into Liverpool F.C. Parade Is Sentenced to 21 Years

    Paul Doyle struck more than 130 people when he plowed his car through fans leaving a jubilant victory parade for Liverpool F.C.

  • New York Times ☛ Wrong Turns and Long Nights: Inside the Search for the Brown University Attacker

    After determining that a man they had detained was not the killer, Rhode Island officials have searched for more evidence and released photos of a possible gunman.

  • Arms sales and revenue surging worldwide – SIPRI research

    Fuelled by, among others, wars in Gaza and Ukraine as well as rising global and regional geopolitical tensions [...]

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Atlantic Council ☛ As the US, Ukraine, and Europe talk of peace, Russia still thinks only of surrender

      As US and European officials work with Kyiv to sort out security guarantees and other elements of a potential deal, Moscow continues its obstinance.

    • The Strategist ☛ Shadows of 1795: why Ukraine fears peace built on partition

      Proposals for a Ukraine peace deal that accept Russian territorial gains repeat the old pattern of great powers dividing weaker states.

    • Latvia ☛ Braže: Latvia will never recognise occupied Ukraine as part of Russia

      Latvia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, made an unequivocal statement on December 15th saying that Latvia would never recognise the areas of Ukraine currently under Russian occupation as Russian territory.

    • LRT ☛ EU foreign ministers back Lithuania's proposal to expand sanctions on Belarus

      EU foreign ministers have approved Lithuania’s proposal to broaden the bloc’s sanctions against Belarus, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday.

    • LRT ☛ US lifting sanctions on Belarusian fertilisers will not affect Lithuania – FM

      Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said on Monday that the US lifting sanctions on Belarusian fertilisers will not affect the Baltic country, which previously handled the bulk of the fertiliser exports.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania’s leaders welcome freed Belarusian dissidents, vow continued support

      Lithuanian leaders have pledged continued support for Belarus’s democratic opposition after the release of 123 political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, over the weekend.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania weighs de-escalation after Belarus frees prisoners, pressure shifts to sanctions

      Lithuania’s presidency signalled a de-escalation in tensions with Belarus after Minsk released more than 100 political prisoners and pledged to halt the launch of smuggling balloons into Lithuania, even as debate intensifies over US and European sanctions on Belarusian potash fertilisers.

    • LRT ☛ I was kept in appalling conditions, left Belarus blindfolded – Bialiatski

      Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights campaigner Ales Bialiatski, released from a Belarusian prison on Saturday, has described being held in “appalling conditions” and blindfolded during his transfer from Belarus.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania expects Belarus to honour US-backed pledge to halt smuggling balloons – FM

      Lithuania expects Minsk to implement a pledge made to the United States to prevent weather balloons from entering Lithuanian airspace, Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said on Monday.

    • LRT ☛ Two Lithuanian citizens illegally detained in Belarus released – FM

      Belarus released two Lithuanian citizens who had been illegally detained in Belarus since 2024, Lithuania's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

    • LRT ☛ Talks continue on return of Belarusian political prisoners

      Negotiations are underway with Poland and Lithuania over the safe return of political prisoners following Belarus’s release of 123 detainees on Saturday.

    • RFERL ☛ No Regrets: Freed Belarusian Prisoners Say Challenging Lukashenko Right Decision

      A day after being released in a US-brokered deal with Minsk, several Belarusian political prisoners who spent more than four years behind bars said they had no regrets for standing up to authoritarian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko.

    • New York Times ☛ U.K. Spy Chief Warns of Growing Russia Threat in Europe

      In her first public speech as head of MI6, Blaise Metreweli said Russia was attempting to export chaos to Europe through hybrid attacks and disinformation.

    • European Commission ☛ Commission signs Convention to establish the International Claims Commission for Ukraine on behalf of the EU

      Today, the Commission, represented by Vice-President Kaja Kallas and Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, Michael McGrath, signed the Convention establishing the International Claims Commission for Ukraine on behalf of the EU.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine and Allies Agree on Security Guarantee for Peace Proposal

      Crucial details on the future security of Ukraine remain unsettled as negotiators seek a deal that Russia will approve.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine Says It Hit a Submarine With Underwater Drones

      As it tried to demonstrate its continuing ability to fight, Ukraine said it had used drones to inflict serious damage on a Russian Kilo-class submarine at a Black Sea port.

    • New York Times ☛ This Week Is Pivotal for Ukraine, and for Europe’s Voice in Its Future

      Often left out by the United States in peace negotiations, European countries are working to assert their leadership and bolster Ukraine with an ambitious funding plan. But can they agree?

    • New York Times ☛ Zelensky Expresses Wary Optimism About Russia-Ukraine Peace Plan

      Two days of talks between President Volodymyr Zelensky and allies have brought some progress on security guarantees, but Russia remains opposed to any foreign forces in Ukraine.

    • RFERL ☛ US-Ukraine Negotiators To Return For Second Day After 5 Hours Of Talks

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US envoys completed more than five hours of negotiations in Berlin on December 14 with no indication of potential results revealed, only that talks would continue the following day.

    • RFERL ☛ US, Ukraine Report Progress Toward Ending Russia's War, Donbas Still A Sticking Point

      US and Ukrainian officials are expected to meet for a second day of talks in Berlin on December 15 as Washington pushes for an agreement to end Russia's war on Ukraine and Kyiv struggles to avoid a deal that would favor Moscow.

    • RFERL ☛ EU Holds Talks On China’s Support For Russia, Including Possible Weapons Transfers

      European Union sources told RFE/RL that the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss China-Russia ties, including potential evidence that Beijing is sending weapons to Russia.

    • RFERL ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man Says Ukraine Deal 'Closer Than Ever' Amid Reports Of 'Article 5 Like' Security Guarantees

      US and Ukrainian officials said they made substantial progress in two days of talks aimed to bring an end to Russia's invasion closer, with Washington reportedly offering Kyiv security guarantees modeled on NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense pledge.

    • RFERL ☛ Zelenskyy: Ukraine Won't Recognize Donbas As Russian, Seeks NATO-Style Guarantees

      Russian officials reacted coolly to reports of progress in US-European negotiations to end Moscow's all-out war on Ukraine, as the United States reportedly offered NATO-style security guarantees for Kyiv.

    • LRT ☛ EU leaders should set Ukraine accession date before 2030, says Lithuanian FM

      Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys has urged EU leaders to set a date for Ukraine to join the bloc, stressing that it should happen before 2030.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian, European leaders call for multinational force in Ukraine

      Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and the leaders of 10 European countries, along with the European Union, have called for the creation of a European-led multinational force to help secure a potential peace agreement in Ukraine.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuanian companies sold Russian gas to Ukraine under false certificates – media

      Lithuanian fuel network Jozita and Russian-backed company Gazimpeks allegedly exported thousands of tons of Russian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to Ukraine using inaccurate or falsified certificates from Lithuania’s Orlen Lietuva refinery, according to an investigation by the journalistic research centre Siena.

    • France24 ☛ "There is reason to be optimistic, but also to be extremely cautious" over US-Ukraine peace talks

      The U.S. has agreed to provide unspecified security guarantees to Ukraine as part of a peace deal to end Russia's nearly four-year war, U.S. officials said December 15 following the latest discussions with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin. But although there is reason to be optimist about talks between the two nations, there is also reason to be extremely cautious, says FRANCE 2'4's Philip Turle.

    • France24 ☛ Germany's youth opposed to return of military service

      The war in Ukraine has pushed defence issues to the top of the agenda in Germany, where the federal government has confirmed that a military call-up will return as early as next year. All young men born from 2008 onwards will have to register and undergo medical exams, starting in 2027. To begin with, service will be voluntary. But if the ranks of Germany's armed forces are not filled fast enough, authorities reserve the right to bring back compulsory conscription, which was suspended in 2011. This prospect is awakening old ghosts: war, the militarisation of youth and conscientious objection. Our correspondents report.

    • Latvia ☛ Help Christmas express from Latvia get to Ukrainian children

      While the war continues in Ukraine, Latvia continues to actively provide assistance – both by doing practical work and donating necessary items. The association "Tavi draugi" (Your Friends) is currently inviting people to get involved in a Christmas campaign to bring joy to more than 250 Ukrainian children, its representatives told Latvian Television.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian-speaking phone scammers arrested in Ukraine police raid

      On December 9th, Latvian State Police, working together with colleagues from other countries including Ukraine, swept into action against an organized crime network that operated scam call centers in Dnipro, Kyiv and Ivano-Frankivsk, the police reported on December 16th.

• Environment

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Tai Po fire timeline: Wang Fuk Court’s HK$330 million renovation, ignored warnings and aftermath

    The fire that broke out at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court on November 26 has become Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in almost eight decades – but it may have been long in the making.

• Finance

  • New York Times ☛ Cooling Labor Market and Elevated Inflation Stoke Fed Divisions on Rate Cuts

    Fed officials explained their opposition to the central bank’s decision this week to cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • BIA Net ☛ At a critical turning point: Reclaiming the EU–Turkey relationship through democratic restoration

    Turkey’s strategic location makes its participation in EU security and defence mechanisms both necessary and mutually beneficial. If the EU expects Turkey to align its foreign policy accordingly, then critical decisions affecting Turkey should not be taken in its absence.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ PA Media goes ‘video-first’ to meet demand for live and social-ready content

    News agency launches social control media ready vertical video feed.

  • Press Gazette ☛ DMGT ‘determined to proceed at pace’ in Telegraph deal

    Daily Mail owner has secured funding to facilitate purchase of The Telegraph.

  • Press Gazette ☛ TV producer Keaton Stone became ‘accidental journalist’ with Al Fayed investigation

    Stone and his BillBC team won Investigation of the Year for Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods.

  • Press Gazette ☛ Top 50 news websites in the US in November: Ten newsbrands down by over 40% in a year

  • Press Gazette ☛ Top 50 English-language news sites in the world: No traffic growth among ten biggest

  • Press Gazette ☛ AP launches verification dashboard for publishers to meet ‘demand for authenticity’

    AP Verify helped find eyewitness videos from Charlie Kirk assassination.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • Privacy International ☛ Election observers adopt Principles and Guidance for Observing Personal Data Use in Elections

  • LRT ☛ Swiss privacy tech company Proton expands software development in Vilnius

    Swiss privacy technology company Proton is expanding its software development operations in Vilnius, Invest Lithuania reported Tuesday. The financial terms of the expansion were not disclosed.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Quitting ‘on my own terms’: Why more women are exiting the workforce

    Shifts in workplace policies, like a pullback from remote and hybrid work launched during the pandemic, appear to be creating a tough year for women in the U.S. workforce.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Internet Society ☛ Learning to Build and Use the Internet in Rhino Refugee Camp

    We partnered with CETA to train Rhino Camp residents on bringing connectivity to their community and the skills necessary to build and use the Internet.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ Recent Supreme Court Developments in TTAB cases

    There has been a bit of action in the two petitions for writ of certiorari pending before the U.S. Supreme Court in cases arising out of the TTAB and CAFC.

    In the RAPUNZEL consumer standing case, the Court on December 4th requested (by January 5, 2026) the USPTO's response to Rebecca Curtin's petition for writ of certiorari. (Docket No. 25-435)

    On December 10th, the VETEMENTS genericness/doctrine-of-foreign-equivalents case was scheduled for consideration at the Court's January 9, 2026 conference. (Docket No. 25-215).

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ Tyla Gets a Brand Boost—Singer’s Management Partners with Hybe In Broader African Expansion

    Hybe partners with Tyla’s managers Brandon Hixon and Colin Gayle in a significant expansion into the African music market. South Korean music giant Hybe has announced a major expansion into the ever-growing African music market in a global management partnership with Brandon Hixon and Colin Gayle.