Leftovers

• Science / Mathematics / Computer Science

  • New York Times ☛ How Ancient Farmers Used Floral Designs to Track Goods

    A Mesopotamian culture’s decorated ceramics show some early roots of math, researchers argued.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Identify a Nose-to-Brain Circuit That Links Anxiety And Breathing

    A new mechanism discovered in mice.

  • Science Alert ☛ Blocking a Single Immune Signal Made Old Mice Act Young Again

    "We've been trying to figure out why."

  • The Strategist ☛ Reading sci-fi could help us plan for futures stranger than fiction

    Analysts and policymakers increasingly need to consider unprecedented events. Science fiction offers an underutilised but accessible method for exploring and planning for possible futures.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Mold Living in Your Gut May Help Protect Against Radiation Damage

    It already lives inside you.

  • Science Alert ☛ A Shared Biology Underlies 5 Major Fatigue-Causing Illnesses, Scientists Suggest

    “A biological unifying theory of fatigue.”

  • Science Alert ☛ Quantum Computers Just Passed a Test That Classical Computers Fundamentally Can't

    Here we go!

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Accidentally Caused a Methane Leak Beneath The South China Sea. Ocean Life Sealed It Almost Instantly.

    Thank you, nature.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Uncover Shared Genetic Roots of OCD, Tourette Syndrome, And Autism

    Important insights into the roots of these disorders.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Find How Long You Can Sit Before Cancer Risk Climbs – And We're in Trouble

    Not all time sitting down is equal.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Warn 'Drylands' Could Spread to Over 40% of Earth by 2100

    The world is changing.

• Hardware

  • The Straits Times ☛ China hits Japan with anti-dumping measures on chip chemical

    Companies importing Japanese dichlorosilane are required to provide cash deposits of up to 99.2 per cent from Sept 8.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Should you buy a ThinkPad?

    The short answer is: probably not.

    The longer answer starts with: maybe, if you have the same specific requirements as me. That’s right, we’re entered into it’s complicated territory. Allow me to explain.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Latvia ☛ Good apple harvest this year in Latvia

    This year’s harvest in Latvia’s apple orchards is good, but the bulk of the work – the harvesting of late autumn and winter varieties – is still to come, growers told Latvian Television on September 6.

  • New York Times ☛ After 9/11, Documents Suggest New Yorkers Were Misled About Air Quality

    The Mamdani administration is releasing more than 170,000 pages of documents related to the air quality around the World Trade Center site in the months after the Sept. 11 attacks.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Malaysia lifts emergency declaration in Sarawak district as haze eases, but health risks remain

    An emergency was declared on Sept 4 after thick haze pushed air pollution up to hazardous levels.

  • New York Times ☛ There’s Something Better Than Happiness

    We ought to make it a point not to stay in our happy place for too long.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Indian health activists lodge concerns about food warning proposal in court

    Indian activists spearheading calls for food labelling said a government proposal to have red warnings only when two concerning nutrients are high created an "industry-friendly loophole" disregarding public health, marking the first formal court objection to the plan.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ ‘Covered in bites’: Pests and extreme heat worsen health risks for Hong Kong’s homeless – NGO

    Hong Kong’s homeless population faces escalating health risks as rising temperatures lead to worsening pest infestations and leave individuals on the street more vulnerable to heatstroke, a local NGO has said.

  • Cloudbooklet ☛ AI Chatbots Mislead Sleep Apnea Patients, Study Finds

    Would you trust a chatbot with sleep apnea questions? Research shows Chatbots Mislead Sleep Apnea Patients, revealing a big problem with Hey Hi (AI) health advice.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Locals praying for rain as fires, haze plague Indonesia’s Kalimantan

    Wildfires ravaging Indonesian Borneo are choking communities as far away as Malaysia.

  • Latvia ☛ Latvian obesity rate second-highest in European Union

    Heavyweight statistics released by Eurostat on September 4th may leave many Latvians gasping for breath. It turns out that we are the second most obese people in the European Union.

  • France24 ☛ Nearly 1.7 million deaths linked to second-hand smoke in 2023, study finds

    More than 2.7 billion people worldwide, including 767 million children, were exposed to second-hand smoke in 2023, contributing to nearly 1.7 million deaths, a Lancet study said on Tuesday. Researchers found second-hand smoke remained a major global health risk, with no safe level of exposure.

• Proprietary / Vendor Lock-in / Malware

  • So-Called 'Artificial Intelligence' ('AI') / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • Security Week ☛ OpenAI Agents Hijack Another Victim Website

      OpenAI agents made 15,000–18,000 autonomous edits to a German wiki over three months, evading moderation and echoing tactics seen in the Hugging Face breach.

  • Social Control Media

    • Ruben Schade ☛ Ban infinite scrolling

      Australia’s Labor governments are a mixed bag when it comes to digital infrastructure and legislation. They introduced the teen “social control media” ban that experts warned them would be ineffective and easy to circumvent. They also introduced the National Broadband Network which was a net positive, and floated the idea of mandatory internet filtering by ISPs. It’s hard to keep track of, honestly.

    • New York Times ☛ Social Control Media in China Is Getting Really Dark

      The Chinese Communist Party has spent years trying to make “positive energy” the dominant mood of the country’s internet. It’s no longer working.

• Pseudo-Open Source

  • Openwashing

    • Nvidia transfers Open Secure AI Alliance to Linux Foundation

    • Open Secure AI Alliance moves to Linux Foundation as it proposes shared AI incident exchange

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • vixalien: Project Final Report: Adding Debug Adapter Protocol Support to GJS

      Hello again! A few weeks ago, I wrote about the work I've been doing this summer adding Debug Adapter Protocol (DAP) support to GJS as part of Surveillance Giant Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2026. If you haven't read that post, start there for the background on what GJS and DAP are and why this matters.

      As my GSoC is wrapping up, I wanted to share you an update on what I've done, what I've learnt, and what I'm planning for the future.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Bruce Schneier ☛ Automobile Camouflage to Hide from Flock Cameras [iophk: The ire directed at Flock (tm) must absolutely positively be directed at all such EFF ☛ ALPRs. Otherwise, the lawbreakers will simply sign a contract with a Flock(tm) competitor and continue as if nothing has happened. The ALPRs have little to do with license plates any more and now, despite the unchanged name, focus on facial recognition.]

      Not sure it’s practical, but it’s certainly striking.

    • Futurism ☛ Pervs Distraught as Meta Bricks Their Smart Glasses Remotely

      "There's always new ways to get around the safeguards that are in place."

• Defence/Aggression

  • France24 ☛ Only the beginning? German far-right's breakthrough shakes Europe to its core

    Not enough to win outright but enough to shake Germany and Europe to their core: the far-right Alterniv für Deutschland trouncing the ruling conservatives in the impoverished former East German region of Saxony-Anhalt. We’ll ask about the consequences of voting for an anti-immigrant, pro-Russian party that wants schools to teach less about the ills of Hitler and more the glory of Bismarck.

  • France24 ☛ What now for Germany's Merz after AfD win?

    The far-right AfD's triumph in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt marks a defeat for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and sends a warning to other European leaders battling the same mixture of slow growth and disillusion with mainstream politics. In an increasingly polarized political system, Merz, whose personal approval ratings have sunk ‌to record lows, was one of the main targets of voter ire over the cost of living, pensions and economic insecurity. France 24’s Philip Turle takes a look at what the AfD’s victory means for the German leader and for Europe.

  • The Strategist ☛ UN Resolution 2758: when interpretation becomes institutional power

    At the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau last week, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was asked whether it was appropriate for China to warn of ‘consequences’ over Taiwan’s presence.

  • The Strategist ☛ Japan and Australia can be a model for middle-power cooperation

    The Australia–Japan partnership stands out because the two countries bring complementary strengths across the economic, political and security spheres.

  • France24 ☛ Israel intensifies South Lebanon strikes, killing 13 after weeks-long lull

    Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon, killing 13 people, including women and children, Lebanon’s health ministry said on Monday, marking an escalation after weeks of relative calm. Israel said it would continue targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah over alleged ceasefire violations. Hezbollah has not commented on the strikes.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Launches Deadly Strikes in Lebanon as Military Campaign Intensifies

    The bombardment killed 11 people, Lebanese officials said, after days of attacks that have spurred worries that Israel is looking to push deeper into Lebanese territory.

  • France24 ☛ Two children among dead in Israeli strikes on Lebanon

    Israeli airstrikes overnight killed 11 people in a south Lebanon village, including two infants, Lebanese state media said Monday, a day after separate raids left seven dead. France 24's Renée Davis in Beirut has the latest.

  • CS Monitor ☛ Iran vows response to US strikes, says American facilities are ‘exposed’

    Vowing revenge, Iran says U.S. energy firms are at risk and that it is restricting Gulf shipping. The war has pressed oil-producing Gulf Arab states.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korean defence minister criticizes joint military drills by US, Japan and South Korea

    North Korea's newly appointed defence minister, Kim Song-gi, has called joint military drills by South Korea, Japan and the United States a provocation, state media KCNA reported on Monday.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines’ defence chief says China could exploit cuts in US-South Korea exercises

    He said Washington had assured Manila that its commitments to the Philippines remained unchanged.

  • New York Times ☛ In Peru, the Convicted Felon Administration Sees the Limits of Its Anti-China Push

    As Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels this week to Peru, its growing economic ties to China have raised tensions with the U.S., but show no signs of reversing course.

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Mexico’s foreign affairs head seeks common ground with China in Beijing

    SRE Minister Roberto Velasco's meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi takes place in the context of trade tensions between the two countries over tariffs that Mexico imposed this year.

  • The Straits Times ☛ From dance floor to war: China readies humanoid robots for combat

    China’s robot defence research underscores how rapidly military technologies are evolving globally.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • France24 ☛ Live: Russia renews Kyiv strikes after three-day pause

      Russia resumed strikes on Kyiv late Monday after a three-day pause ordered by President Vladimir Putin expired, Ukraine’s emergency service said. The halt coincided with visits to Moscow and Kyiv by US President The Insurrectionist’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who were holding talks aimed at ending the war. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

    • France24 ☛ 'What we see right now is that Putin has zero interest in ending the war', Ukrainian MP Yasko says

      US envoy Steve Witkoff on Monday touted progress in weekend discussions with Ukraine and Russia, raising the prospect of reviving three-way peace talks to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II. Ukrainian MP Lisa Yasko says that "we don't trust these talks", describing the US envoys' flattery towards Russian President Vladimir Putin as "disgraceful".

    • The Straits Times ☛ Putin’s pen spinning briefly sparks buzz over Japanese Pentel brand

      Astrum Corp., the Tokyo-based company that operates the Pentel brand, said it was not their product.

    • New York Times ☛ They Went to Ukraine on the ‘Peace Express.’ Detours Are Likely Ahead.

      The Forrest Dump administration had let the peace process enter such a freeze that a trip to Kyiv was just an initial step. Any new talks will happen alongside escalating fighting.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania orders checks on all grain from Russia and Belarus

      Lithuania’s agriculture minister has ordered checks on the origin of all grain transported from Russia and Belarus through the country to prevent the possible transit of grain stolen from Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, the Agriculture Ministry said.

    • Latvia ☛ Attempt from Belarus to bog Latvia down in burden of bureaucracy

      Latvian Television's De Facto investigative show reports on a situation in involving vast amounts of unnecessary bureaucracy, reams of paperwork, sudden inspections and shady plaintiffs in absurd legal actions that is worthy of the great Ukrainian writer Nikolai Gogol.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian public media campaign for Ukrainian soldiers continues

      To mark Ukraine’s Independence Day, Latvian Public Media, in collaboration with the charity organisation “Ziedot.lv”, is organising a fundraising campaign entitled “In thoughts and deeds together with Ukraine”.

    • New York Times ☛ Ukraine’s Defenses Are Dwindling. Putin Will Make the Most of It.

      After more than 50 months of this war, the next few could be decisive.

    • France24 ☛ Live: At least two killed in Kyiv as Russia renews strikes after three-day pause

      Russia resumed strikes on Kyiv late Monday after a three-day pause ordered by President Vladimir Putin expired, Ukraine’s emergency service said. Kyiv's city military administration said at least two people were killed and seven wounded. The halt coincided with visits to Moscow and Kyiv by US President The Insurrectionist’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who were holding talks aimed at ending the war. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

    • LRT ☛ On Lithuania’s border, Europe is chipping away at refugee rights

      People began entering the EU from Belarus in the summer of 2021. They were soon routinely subjected to pushbacks – and that has continued ever since. Swedish journalist Thord Eriksson travelled to Lithuania, where the interior minister wants border guards to be allowed to open fire on people crossing the border.

    • LRT ☛ Lithuania declares 22 Belarusian tech workers a national security threat

      Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD) said Monday that 22 Belarusian citizens who worked for a technology company in the country had been declared threats to national security and expelled.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia plans to ban bus routes to Russia, Belarus next year

      From 2027, it is planned to ban regular and occasional international passenger transport by coach to Russia and Belarus, as well as transit through Latvian territory to these countries. This is provided for in proposals for amendments to the Road Transport Law, prepared by the Ministry of Transport and submitted to the government for consideration.

    • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea and Russia open their first road bridge, a symbol of expanding ties

      Up to 300 vehicles would be able to cross every day.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Mongolians wait hours for fuel as reliance on Russia bites

      Landlocked Mongolia has historically imported more than 95 per cent of its petrol from Russia.

    • France24 ☛ Avalanche kills at least 11 climbers in southern Russia

      ⁠At least ​11 people were killed and six ​others injured after an avalanche struck a group of climbers in Russia's ​southern Kabardino-Balkaria ‌Republic, local emergency services said. The ‌avalanche swept down Mount Mizhirgi, ⁠one of the highest peaks in Russia's North Caucasus.

• Environment

  • New York Times ☛ Online Posts Show Families’ Grief for Flood Victims on Tibet’s Side of China-Nepal Border

    The authorities have not released an official list of those missing in the Tibet flood, creating an information void that people have tried to fill.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China deploys psychological aid to rescuers in flood disaster

    As of Sept 3, 726 personnel had been deployed to support rescue and relief operations.

  • China confirms 43 dead in mudslide, Tibetan resident says 26 dead in just one village

    Thousands remain missing in aftermath of Aug. 26 mudslide on Nepal-Tibet border.

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Latvia ☛ National bus strike threatened for next Wednesday in Latvia

      The Latvian Passenger Carriers Association (LPPA), in cooperation with passenger carriers, will organize a protest action on September 16th, during which regional passenger carriers will stop providing public transport bus services commissioned by the state for one day, reports LSM's Latvian-language service.

    • France24 ☛ Tunisians tell the story of their summer of shortages

      Frequent water and power cuts, long queues for bottled water, poultry farms destroyed by the heat: these have been the scenes across Tunisia this summer as millions of people were affected by shortages in electricity and water. Our Observers say this is the result of years of underinvestment in infrastructure while the Tunisian president, for his part, blames "deliberate and planned acts of sabotage”.

    • New York Times ☛ Officials Search for Answers After Fatal Miami Airport Cargo Plane Crash

      A cargo plane, operated for Amazon, plowed into two vehicles on Sunday, leaving five more injured and disrupting Labor Day weekend travel for thousands.

    • Futurism ☛ Data Center Caught Watering Its Lavish Lawn While Human Neighbors Are on Year-Long Water Restriction

      "You better believe that they are watering their entire green with so many sprinklers that it's literally making a giant pond."

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • [Repeat] France24 ☛ Eiffel Tower workers go on strike after female staff 'sidelined' for Hindu group's visit

    The Eiffel Tower was forced to close on Monday after staff went on strike to protest the "sidelining" and "replacement" of female employees during a recent visit by a Hindu delegation. The Paris landmark's operator said the group had requested that the private visit be organised in such a way as to limit "interactions with women".

  • France24 ☛ Eiffel Tower closed in row over women removed for Hindu group

    The Eiffel Tower was closed on Monday because of a strike by staff over the removal of female colleagues during a visit by a Hindu religious group, workers and management said. FRANCE 24's Monte Francis has more.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ WSIS Forum 2026: From commitments to measurable implementation

    WSIS Forum 2026 marked the start of a new phase for global digital development, shifting the focus from commitments to measurable implementation.

  • APNIC ☛ Welcome to APNIC 62

    APNIC welcomes you to Mumbai, India for APNIC 62. Here is what you can look forward to over the coming days.

• Monopolies/Monopsonies

  • Patents

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ A USPTO Docketing Change Behind the Terminal Disclaimer Collapse

      Terminal disclaimers hit a 2008 low. The cause was not Cellect or Allergan but a USPTO docketing change in which applications examiners took up.

    • JUVE ☛ Court of Appeal redefines the scope when preserving evidence in hygiene paper dispute

      The manufacturer of Tempo tissue paper, Essity Hygiene and Health, wanted to know how its Dutch competitor WEPA is infringing its patent. Essity therefore applied to the UPC for measures to preserve evidence and inspect the premises at WEPA Nederland’s tissue paper production facility in Swalmen, and the court granted the application.

  • Copyrights

    • Digital Music News ☛ Federal Judge Rejects MLC’s Interlocutory Appeal Push in Spotify Bundling Battle — While Striking One of the DSP’s Defenses

      Nearly 28 months after the bundling-focused Mechanical Licensing Collective v. Spotify legal battle kicked off, a federal judge has denied the MLC’s push for an interlocutory appeal. We broke down that straightforward push closer to the top of 2026, following a definitive win for Spotify in 2025.

    • New York Times ☛ The Film Industry Is Worried About Survival. France Wants to Save the Day.

      An A-list gathering in the French Riviera aimed to serve as a rallying cry for a sector threatened by YouTube, Fentanylware (CheeTok) and artificial intelligence.

    • France24 ☛ Macron hosts summit to urge support for cinema amid impact of AI, streaming

      French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for stronger international efforts to protect cinema from the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence and streaming platforms while hosting more than 200 industry figures at the Lumière Summit in southern France.