Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 1h

They traveled to Thailand. They wound up cyber scam slaves in Myanmar.

A multibillion-dollar fraud industry has taken root across Southeast Asia, fueled partly by trafficking victims. In lawless zones along the Myanmar-Thai border, Chinese-run compounds force thousands to scam strangers online under threat of violence. Thailand has become a key transit hub, Reuters found.

www.reuters.com

Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 4h

Flapping-wing robot achieves bird-style self-takeoff (see movie S5 in the supplementary materials)

Flapping-wing robot achieves bird-style self-takeoff by adopting reconfigurable mechanisms

A bird-inspired flapping-wing robot achieves bird-style takeoff locomotion by exploiting reconfigurable mechanisms.

www.science.org

Reposted by Andrew Ducker

Ballot Box Scotland @ballotbox.scot · 5d

Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, candidate for SNP leader in 2023 and subsequently Alba leader in 2025, has now quit Alba citing it's "direction". She becomes an Independent and is re-standing as one next year. Alba's - never earned, only defected - parliamentary representation is ended.

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Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 7h

Keir Starmer's 'Brexit Is Bad, Let's Make It a Bit Worse' Strategy

The Chancellor just admitted that Brexit has been an economic disaster. It's time the Government stopped making it even worse by imitating Nigel Farage's damaging anti-migration agenda, argues Adam Bienkov

bylinetimes.com

Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 10h

It's exactly because of that.

I hope that the new interconnectors are enough for now, and that they keep building them. Because we're going to need lots of them.

But it would also help to have pricing signals that told manufacturers to put factories where power is cheap to produce.

Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 10h

Trying to make sense of the nonsensical decision to drop the Chinese spying prosecutions

15th October 2025 How the positions of neither the CPS nor the government stand up to scrutiny * Usually when one reads up about a confusing-looking case the less confusing it becomes. The i…

davidallengreen.com

Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 11h

So far, in 2025, Britain has wasted more than £1Billion switching off wind turbines and paying gas plants to switch on.

Wasted Wind

Britain wastes millions a day switching off wind turbines. See how much has been wasted today, and in 2025.

wastedwind.energy

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Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 11h

Waymo's Robotaxis Are Coming to London in 2026

Waymo's Robotaxis Are Coming to London

Google's autonomous taxi subsidiary will hit the UK's capital next year, regulations permitting—but its first international service could be Waymo's biggest challenge yet.

www.wired.com

Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 11h

Interesting Links for 15-10-2025

1. The Commissioner for human rights for the Council of Europe warns that Britain's treatment of trans people could breach the ECHR(tags:rights europe uk transgender lgbt )2. Have you made the Ur-Ur error?(tags:language history )3. A human-faced stone from 12 thousand years ago was found in Karahan Tepe (Turkey)(tags:turkey archeology prehistory )4. Afghanistan commando who served with British Army is deported to Taliban (because the Home Office failed to get paperwork done)(tags:Afghanistan UK military migration OhForFucksSake )5. How UK recognising Palestine helped win Arab support for Trump's Gaza deal(tags:UK Gaza Israel diplomacy )6. Enzymes successfully converted a kidney to universal type O for transplant, marking a major step toward faster, more compatible organ donations.(tags:organdonor technology GoodNews )7. Waymo's Robotaxis Are Coming to London in 2026(tags:taxis automation Technology london uk )8. So far, in 2025, Britain has wasted more than £1Billion switching off wind turbines and paying gas plants to switch on.(tags:waste electricity uk OhForFucksSake ) comments

andrewducker.dreamwidth.org

Reposted by Andrew Ducker

Brianna Chesser @chessercat.bsky.social · 1d

Actual safety notice from my alma mater:

Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses being used exactly as everyone expected

The techbros are not okay (it’s a completely open campus…not all the buildings, obviously)

UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
Office of Public Safety

Crime Safety Advisory:
Suspicious Occurrence Reported

Dear USF Community,

We want to make you aware of recent reports of a suspicious occurrence on and around campus. Multiple community members have reported contact from an individual, described as male and wearing Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses, who has approached women with unwanted comments and inappropriate dating questions. Reports indicate that this individual may be attempting to post these interactions online under the account name "pickuplines.pov" on TikTok, Instagram, and possibly other social media platforms.

While no threats or acts of violence have been reported, we want our community to stay informed and take steps to support one another.
If you encounter this individual or any suspicious activity:

Take immediate action to report the incident at the time it occurs by calling Public Safety Dispatch.
.

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Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 14h

Enzymes successfully converted a kidney to universal type O for transplant, marking a major step toward faster, more compatible organ donations.

UBC enzyme technology clears first human test toward universal donor organs for transplantation - UBC News

UBC-developed enzymes successfully converted a kidney to universal type O for transplant, marking a major step toward faster, more compatible organ donations.

news.ubc.ca

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Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 14h

How UK recognising Palestine helped win Arab support for Trump's Gaza deal

The landmark decision helped pave the way for the Gaza ceasefire agreement secured last week - and win over President Trump, insiders said

inews.co.uk

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Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 14h

Afghanistan commando who served with British Army is deported to Taliban (because the Home Office failed to get paperwork done)

Afghanistan commando who served with British Army is deported to Taliban

A former 'Triple' who served in an elite Afghan special forces unit was sent from Pakistan back to Taliban-held Afghanistan with his family in August

inews.co.uk

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Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 1d

A human-faced stone from 12 thousand years ago was found in Karahan Tepe (Turkey)

Karahantepe'de 12 bin yıl öncesine ait insan yüzlü dikili taş bulundu

Kültür ve Turizm Bakanı Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Karahantepe’de gerçekleştirilen son kazılarda, ilk kez insan yüzü betimli bir T biçimli dikili taş gün yüzüne çıkarıldığını duyurdu.

www.trthaber.com

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Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 1d

In any case it's noticeable that even with all of the assumptions in there, it still only comes out as "The vaccines cost the same as not having them." - it's not a massive win for the vaccines.

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Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 1d

That's certainly not how we usually cost deaths, is it?

(Not that I'm sure how we do)

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Reposted by Andrew Ducker

Jolyon Maugham KC @goodlawproject.org · 1d

Woah! So Labour's position really is, 'telling us off for breaching human rights undermines the case for human rights'? Proper Trumpian stuff from Labour's answer to Suella Braverman.

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Reposted by Andrew Ducker

Jolyon Maugham KC @goodlawproject.org · 1d

Amazing to remember Mahmood once boasted: "We lay down in the street and we lay down inside Sainsbury's to say we object to them stocking goods from illegal settlements – and that they must stop. We managed to close down that store at peak time on a Saturday.This is how we can make a difference."

Jolyon Maugham KC @goodlawproject.org · 1d

Woah! So Labour's position really is, 'telling us off for breaching human rights undermines the case for human rights'? Proper Trumpian stuff from Labour's answer to Suella Braverman.

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Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 1d

www.openaccessgovernment.org/covid-19-cou...

If my simple maths is right, the economics is basically a wash.

COVID-19 could cost UK £7 billion a year without autumn vaccinations

A new OHE model shows that stopping annual autumn COVID-19 vaccinations could cost the UK economy £7 billion each year

www.openaccessgovernment.org

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Reposted by Andrew Ducker

Sexy Henry Kissinger Costume @mightygodking.com · 2d

reading how foxes are self-selecting now, on an evolutionary basis, for "sociable with humans" and then seeing a flood of "this fox decided to be fwiends with me" videos and it's like foxes finally decided that that one particular group of wolves had the right idea when they decided to become dogs

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Reposted by Andrew Ducker

pickwick @pickwick.bsky.social · 1d

This is racist bollocks in so many ways

There's no such thing as A Level-standard English

Other UK languages exist

You don't have to be fluent in a language to integrate

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Migrants will need A-level standard English to work in UK

The tougher rules will come in force in January as part of wider plans to cut immigration.

www.bbc.com

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Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 1d

Have you made the Ur-Ur error?

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Ur

www.smbc-comics.com

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Reposted by Andrew Ducker

David Roberts @volts.wtf · 1d

I've said this before, but one of the more striking things about the current generation of righties is that they really show no sign of understanding that there's a world *beyond* their screens, beyond owning & being owned on social media. A real world, with real people & real problems.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Eric Trump: "We're saving Christianity. We've saving God. We've saving the family unit. We're saving this nation. I mean, DEI is out of the window, Benny. You no longer have Colin Kaepernick kneeling for the national anthem. You no longer have Budweiser going woke as hell. All of this is dead."

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Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 1d

I'm just wondering what percentage of workers will be taking a week off.

I assume it's pretty low, but both Jane and I have already spent a fortnight unable to do very much, and if that affects hospital staff in an already overworked NHS...

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Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 1d

Today I spent £108 on getting myself vaccinated against Flu and Covid.

Which led me to wonder what the cost of days off is to the economy. And how far off we are from it being worth the government vaccinating everyone.

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