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šŸŽˆ North Korea sends 150 poop-loaded balloons to South Korea, world's largest botnet busted, cancer patient receives pig's liver

Plus: Japanā€™s new robot sweeper to clean nuclear fuel from fallen Fukushima plant

In a bizarre turn of events, South Korea has warned its residents on the border with North Korea to be mindful of hot air balloons carrying unwanted items entering its territory.

A South Korean news agency reports that over 150 balloons, some still airborne, were spotted carrying objects, including what appeared to be trash and excrement.

The incident occurred just a day after a North Korean rocket carrying a military satellite exploded shortly after liftoff from the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground on the countryā€™s northwest coast. For more on this development, check out todayā€™s Must-Read.

šŸ”„Todayā€™s job of the day as featured on jobs.interestingengineering.com:

> Specialist Software Engineer - Kronos Timekeeping Systems
> Compute Windows Engineer

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MUST READ

šŸŽˆ North Korea sends 150 poop- and propaganda-loaded balloons to South Korea

A statement from the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported that the fallen balloons seemed to be carrying various types of rubbish, including plastic bottles, batteries, shoe parts, and what is believed to be manure.

ā€œThese acts by North Korea clearly violate international law and seriously threaten our peopleā€™s safety. (We) sternly warn North Korea to stop its inhumane and vulgar act immediately,ā€ said the JCS.

The South Korean military has asked people to refrain from touching the items and to report such sightings to the concerned officials.

šŸ•øļø ā€˜Worldā€™s largest botnetā€™: US nabs Chinese man who hacked 19 million PCs

In a significant blow to cybercrime, an international law enforcement team has arrested a Chinese national and dismantled what is likely to be the ā€œworldā€™s largestā€ botnet that he allegedly operated for nearly a decade, generating at least $99 million in profits.

This sophisticated botnet, known as ā€œ911 S5,ā€ was a crucial tool for facilitating various cybercrimes, including fraud, identity theft, and child exploitation. The arrest of Yunhe Wang, the alleged mastermind behind this network, marks a pivotal moment in the fight against cybercriminal activities.

Wang reportedly propagated his malware through Virtual Private Network (VPN) programs, such as MaskVPN and DewVPN, and pay-per-install services that bundled his malware with other program files, including pirated versions of licensed software.

šŸ· Worldā€™s first: Living cancer patient receives pigā€™s liver in China

Chinese researchers have announced the first successful transplantation of a genetically modified pig liver into a human patient suffering from severe liver cancer.

This is a breakthrough achievement, which marks a significant landmark in xenotransplantation involving humans and pigs.

The procedure was carried out at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University in Hefei on May 17. As per reports, the 71-year-old patientā€™s body has not rejected the liver and he is still doing fine.

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HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY

SCIENCE

> Astronauts completed an 8.5-hour spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station on Tuesday, May 28. This is said to be the longest spacewalking or extravehicular activity (EVA) record for China to date. (More)

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> Using ancient DNA extracted from the toe bone of a museum specimen, Harvard biologists have sequenced the genome of an extinct, flightless bird called the little bush moa, shedding light into an unknown corner of avian genetic history. (More)

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INNOVATION

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> The European Space Agency's latest scientific mission was successfully launched into space from the United States on Tuesday, bearing a satellite that may provide vital insight into one of the most pressing issues around climate change. (More)

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IE QUIZ: THE RESULTS

In yesterdayā€™s quiz, we asked, What is the perimeter of the given figure?

The answer is: 60cm

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FROM THE WEB

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> Very few people are regularly using "much hyped" artificial intelligence (AI) products like ChatGPT, a survey suggests

> 25-year-old man has been served an arrest warrant for allegedly creating a computer virus using generative artificial intelligence

> A porcupine fossil found in Florida may have solved a prickly dilemma 10 million years in the making

> AI has been enlisted to search for a female partner for the only known, male, plant from a species that is thought to be extinct in the wild

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