Headlines: 24-31 August 2026

Saturday, 29 August 2026

OpenAI to end agreement with SpaceX's AI coding tool Cursor, deepening Musk-Altman clash (LINK) — 29 August 2026

Trump-themed meme coin Trump Digital Gold (GOLD) tanks 95% in minutes as traders get rugged (LINK) — 29 August 2026

New York's Division of Consumer Protections warns of fake crypto and AI as scam losses hit $8 billion (LINK) — 29 August 2026

Friday, 28 August 2026

UNICEF warns of 17,000 children in urgent need of assistance as aid reaches some Nepal survivors: The International Red Cross estimates that at least 93,000 people have been affected and are in "great need" (ground news LINK) — 28 August 2026

King Harald V of Norway, 89, Europe's oldest monarch, dies after 35 years on the throne: Crown Prince Haakon immediately acceded to the throne. (ground news LINK) — 28 August 2026

— The monarch had been receiving treatment for haemolytic anaemia since August 17, but doctors diagnosed a secondary bacterial infection in his blood that led to deterioration despite aggressive antibiotic therapy.

Iran war: Tehran prepares conditions to open Strait of Hormuz (LINK) — 28 August 2026

— A US government source told Al Jazeera that Iran-Oman agreements do not concern the US, reiterating that the Strait of Hormuz is open, mines are cleared, no talks are scheduled and the naval blockade remains.

Trump says US reaches deal with Venezuela to control 65 billion barrels of country's oil reserves (LINK) — 28 August 2026

Thailand rolls out strict new deportation rules for foreigners (ground news LINK) — 28 August 2026

— Officials approved the measures to "safeguard Thailand's cultural values", aiming to address "problematic" tourists or workers who break the law, Tourism Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said late Thursday.

7 French presidential hopefuls clash over economy and EU in first debate (LINK) — 28 August 2026

U.S. National Park Service backs Trump's arch despite recognizing its impact on Washington's sightline (LINK) — 28 August 2026

At least 49 people killed in armed cattle raid in South Sudan (ground news LINK) — 27 August 2026

Royal Favorite Me+Em to Open Pop-up at the Bongénie department store in Geneva, its first store in Continental Europe (LINK) — 28 August 2026

Thursday, 27 August 2026

Congo begins Ebola vaccinations to fight country's worst outbreak on record, Health Minister says (ground news LINK) — 27 August 2026

UK government urges public to stockpile canned food (LINK) — 27 August 2026

Drone strikes kill 8 civilians in Sudan's North Kordofan, rights group says (ground news LINK) — 27 August 2026

Judge pauses US Postal Service plan to implement Trump's new mail voting restrictions (LINK) — 27 August 2026

Kennedy Center will briefly delay plan to add Trump's name to building (LINK) — 27 August 2026

UEFA prepares criminal complaint in Swiss courts against FIFA's Infantino over World Cup sell-off (ground news LINK) — 27 August 2026

U.S.: Texas has suspended more than 1 million voters (6%) ahead of Senate race (LINK) — 27 August 2026

USDA recalls 30,000 pounds (12.6K kg) of Argentine beef sold in Texas and Florida for missed import re-inspections (LINK) — 27 August 2026

— USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service classified the recalled beef as a Class I health hazard, the agency's highest risk category. The recall notice did not mention any specific contaminants.

Russia warns it could target UK in response to Kyiv firing British missiles (LINK) — 27 August 2026

White House construction contributed to radio problems that let Trump copter come close to jet (LINK) — 27 August 2026

Swiss army to create new drone battalion and recruit centre (LINK) — 27 August 2026

The AI 'ghosts' contaminating academic publishing (LINK) — 27 August 2026

— "Elena Vasquez and Marcus Chen have appeared as volcano experts, astronauts, thriller protagonists, podcast hosts, and academic co-authors across hundreds of independently produced AI-generated documents, never having lived," a new preprint research paper from Samsung and the University of Warsaw said. The paper identified a number of names that co-authored hundreds of AI-generated academic papers, articles, and books. The authors don't actually exist, but are instead names that large language models repeatedly produce when tasked with generating experts in certain fields.

AI-powered policing is endangering the public's trust in police; the public cannot trust that evidence used by police is not compromised by AI. (LINK) — 27 August 2026

Scientists just made a serious breakthrough on the universe's expansion. Now this Nobel Prize winner thinks we've mapped the universe all wrong (LINK) — 27 August 2026

— "It is becoming increasingly clear that the standard cosmological model struggles to describe the full expansion history of the Universe as revealed by the cosmic microwave background, baryon acoustic oscillation measurements, and locally calibrated type Ia supernovae," the paper reads. Dr. Alyssa Sokol declared: "We may very well be on the verge of throwing out the standard model of cosmology."

Unemployment rises among Swiss university graduates: among those with a Master's degree from a university, the unemployment rate rose from 3.9% to 6.4% one year after graduation (LINK) — 27 August 2026

Atlantic: turning point in AI writing: The Wall Street Journal is defending an op-ed written by a chatbot (LINK) — 27 August 2026

— This week, after the billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller published an editorial in The Wall Street Journal criticizing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, his onetime protégé, readers began to notice some familiar tics of AI writing. According to Pangram, the AI-detection tool, the op-ed was 100 percent AI-generated.

Haitian gangs kill 47, kidnap more than 50 in Kenscoff: gangs control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince, displacing 1.5 million people nationwide (ground news LINK) — 27 August 2026

— Police spokesperson Garry Desrosiers took only a handful of questions from journalists at a news conference Thursday, just days after gangs attacked Kenscoff, a once-peaceful farming community nestled in the hills near Port-au-Prince. Prior to Sunday's attack, security operations had reduced violence in Kenscoff by 66% between January and August, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.

U.S.: Justice Department charges more than 80 people in Puerto Rico drug gang takedown (ground news LINK) — 27 August 2026

Dolly Parton's sister Stella says singer offered to test experimental drugs to help battle cancer (LINK) — 27 August 2026

Japan: 1,800 people pull 360-tonne Hirosaki Castle Keep by hand (ground news LINK) — 27 August 2026

— Japanese officials estimate around 4,000 people have participated in moving the tower, with groups of about 80 taking turns. The municipality will deploy heavy machinery in September to complete the journey after the human-powered phase advances the structure by nearly five metres, with full reopening of this Edo period masterpiece scheduled for 2033. Known as "hikiya", the human-powered operation is a traditional technique for moving structures that has existed in Japan since ancient times, and officials say manually moving the castle honours the craftsmanship of its original builders.

U.S.: RFK Jr lied in Senate confirmation hearings that 2019 visit to Samoa had 'nothing to do with vaccines', newly revealed documents indicate (LINK) — 27 August 2026

— In one he wrote to the Samoan prime minister before the trip, Kennedy explicitly said he wanted to study the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in the Pacific island nation. In it, he used the words "vaccine" or "vaccination" eight times. He wrote that he believed the deaths of two children there after an MMR vaccine could have resulted from manufacturing issues.

Blake Lively awarded $400,000 of $8m she claimed for legal fees in Baldoni battle (LINK) — 27 August 2026

— Lively initially sued Baldoni, her co-star and director of the 2004 film It Ends With Us for sexual harassment and retaliation, before he countersued for defamation. A judge dismissed his defamation complaint in 2025, and she argued she was entitled to $7.5m to cover her lawyers' fees and $540,000 for other costs. But the judge said she should receive considerably less — a total of $407,451 — because she requested money for more people and time than were necessary to defend the defamation claim.

Ratko Mladic, ex-Bosnian Serb warlord whose forces rained shells and snipers' bullets on Sarajevo, dies in prison at 84 (LINK) — 27 August 2026

Wednesday, 26 August 2026

WHO says Ebola outbreak in Uganda is over, as cases rise in Congo (ground news LINK) — 26 August 2026

— Uganda declared the epidemic over on July 28, following an outbreak that caused 20 cases and two deaths in the country. Cases continue to rise in Congo, with more than 5,600 cases and more than 2,700 deaths; the outbreak is the second-deadliest in history and is outpacing containment efforts. Marie Roseline Belizaire, director of emergency preparedness for the WHO African region, flagged an immediate $30 million funding gap, warning, "Without this immediate investment, we risk stalling the momentum we have built."

Trump says 'something may come out of' CIA head's unannounced visit to Moscow (LINK) — 26 August 2026

— The US president did not disclose what was discussed during the unconventional talks, but described the meeting as "semi-routine", adding that Washington "would like to see the war in Ukraine end". The last comparable meeting took place in the months leading up to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin said Ratcliffe had not met Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Zelenskyy gives award to Elon Musk for Starlink's role in Ukraine (LINK) — 26 August 2026

— AP: Musk's decision to provide access to Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet network, was a lifeline for Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 and remains critically important. Starlink has become deeply embedded in Ukraine's military operations, with commanders and soldiers relying on satellite connectivity to communicate and coordinate operations. Starlink doesn't currently operate over Russian territory, but Zelenskyy wants Musk to reconsider the policy.

Iran War: Trump says U.S. "achieving a very big victory," war "will continue for as long as necessary" (LINK) — 26 August 2026

Iran and Oman outline plan for temporary Strait of Hormuz shipping lane and launchung a demining effort; US rolls out sanctions — targeting aviation, shipping, technology, gold and digital assets such as cryptocurrency (LINK) — 26 August 2026

— Iran's deputy foreign minister said the yet-to-be-finalized deal would see the closure of a U.N.-authorized shipping channel that follows the coast of Oman, and that Iran vehemently opposes.

U.S. FDA gives expedited approval to daraxonrasib, new groundbreaking pancreatic cancer drug: blocks a mutated protein which fuels tumor growth in more than 90% of pancreatic cancer cases (LINK) — 26 August 2026

— The daily pills will be sold by Revolution Medicines under the brand name Rasonque. Patients taking the drug nearly doubled their survival time, with fewer severe side effects, in a study that randomly assigned them to receive the experimental treatment or more chemotherapy.

Meta reaches $16.68 billion settlement with 47 states over to resolve claims that Instagram and Facebook were designed to be addictive and harmful to children (ground news LINK) — 26 August 2026

— New safety measures include default two-hour daily time limits, 'Nighttime blocks' between midnight and 6 a.m., and restricted beauty filters, with parents gaining tools to monitor teen interactions and set stricter usage rules. Independent auditors and settling states will regularly assess the implementation and efficacy of these features over 10 years, aiming to reduce social media use among users 17 and younger.

U.S.: Grand jury finds DeSantis administration "misappropriated" $10 million in taxpayer money from Medicaid to Hope Florida Republican action committees (LINK) — 26 August 2026

Judge sets June 2028 trial for alleged 9/11 attacks planner Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and 3 co-defendants at Guantanamo Bay (ground news LINK) — 26 August 2026

Canada: Fired for vaccine refusal, Kelowna woman's civil claims against union dismissed (ground news LINK) — 26 August 2026

Official leading Trump's Gaza ceasefire effort criticizes Israel for its attacks (ground news LINK) — 26 August 2026

Dubai airport reports 31.3% decrease in second quarter passenger traffic due to Iran war's effects (ground news LINK) — 26 August 2026

RFK Jr. says Pennsylvania governor Shapiro's office may have fabricated measles deaths (LINK) — 26 August 2026

UK man from Devon becomes first person to swim Switzerland's 10 largest lakes: Neil Gilson. 40, completes 370-km challenge after a 'tough' 22-hour crossing of Lac Geneva (LINK) — 26 August 2026

Ranked: countries holding the most U.S. debt: Japan, U.K., China. Switzerland 11th (LINK) — 26 August 2026

Visual Capitalist: minimum monthly wages around the world (wages adjusted for local purchasing power): Highest Switzerland $3.8K, Lowest Gambia $67. U.S. $1.3K, Canada $2.4K, U.K./Germany $2.9K, France $2.5K (LINK) — 26 August 2026

Tuesday, 25 August 2026

UN and Red Cross call for urgent rules on autonomous weapon (ground news LINK) — 25 August 2026

— Ahead of the CCW Review Conference in November in Geneva, the UN and Red Cross called for "political courage", urging countries to decide whether to launch negotiations after three years of discussions

US halts all immigrant visa applications amid tightening restrictions (LINK) — 25 August 2026

Canada announces new tariffs on US goods: from September 8, tariffs ranging from 15% to 50% on over 700 American goods: doubling its duties on US steel and aluminum to 50%, in line with the 50% tariffs the US had already imposed on Canadian steel and aluminum (LINK) — 25 August 2026

Newsweek: Map shows Senate battlegrounds hit hardest by Canada tariffs — (LINK)

Ukraine war latest: Zelensky confirms UK, France approve producing SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles in Ukraine (LINK) — 25 August 2026

UNRWA condemns "unauthorized and deeply concerning incursion" into Kalandia Training Centre in occupied East Jerusalem (LINK) — 25 August 2026

— "The KTC is a United Nations facility protected by the privileges and immunities afforded to the Organisation under international law. Its inviolability must be fully respected. The Kalandia Training Centre is not merely a building. It is UNRWA's oldest vocational training centre and has served Palestine Refugees for more than seven decades."

Over 300 ill across 9 European countries in record salmonella outbreak tied to 2 million eggs (LINK) — 25 August 2026

— Regulators traced the bacterial strain to dust samples inside chicken coops linked to Belgian egg producer Laerco BV and closed the entire facility after finding the contamination had spread beyond its initial containment to a second poultry house. Recalls have been initiated across Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, and Czechia

As Ukraine hits Russia's refineries, Russia targets Ukraine's petrol pumps (LINK) — 25 August 2026

UNDP teaming up with Switzerland-based DFINITY Foundation to test alternative to U.S.-based cloud giants (LINK) — 25 August 2026

— UNDP plans to select five countries for the initial pilots within roughly a month, with each project built around a specific problem proposed by participating governments. The new pilot builds on DFINITY's ongoing work with Pakistan.

Trump Administration starts building border wall project in Arizona over tribe's objections (ground news LINK) — 25 August 2026

Four out of five people in Switzerland use AI (LINK) — 25 August 2026

Musk's SpaceX to build $100bn launch facility in Louisiana (LINK) — 25 August 2026

Judge rejects Ghislaine Maxwell's bid to toss conviction and warns against further appeals (LINK) — 25 August 2026

Iran sanctions: TRM Labs tracks $16.8m across 30 Mabna Institute crypto wallets (LINK) — 25 August 2026

Trump-backed candidate narrowly wins primary for Oklahoma governor: a relief for the president after several of his chosen candidates fell in 5 other states (LINK) — 25 August 2026

Two unvaccinated people die of measles in Pennsylvania outbreak, health officials say: the first measles-related deaths in the U.S. this year (LINK) — 25 August 2026

Las Vegas man convicted of running a $24m crypto ponzi scheme, a decade after earlier $12 pump-and-dump. (LINK) — 25 August 2026

— Brent C. Kovar, who owned a Las Vegas company called Profit Connect, was found guilty on Aug. 25 following a nine-day trial. Kovar was convicted on 11 counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, and two counts of money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 30 and faces a statutory maximum of 280 years in prison. Profit Connect operated from late 2017 until July 2021. Kovar told investors the company ran AI software on a supercomputer that mined cryptocurrency and verified transactions on other blockchain networks. He promised fixed annual returns of 15% to 30%, a 100% money-back guarantee, and claimed the company held hundreds of millions of dollars in crypto reserves. He also told investors their funds were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The SEC noted that more than 90% of the company's income came from investors and that none of it was used to trade crypto. In 2009, the SEC had filed a civil injunction against him and his father Glenn over a pump-and-dump scheme run through a company called Skyway Global, which also cost investors $12 million.

Monday, 24 August 2026

US threatens sanctions on countries that don't cut economic ties to Tehran (LINK) — 24 August 2026

NYPost: Iran's rial currency plunges to record low as citizens try to cash out while US pushes new sanctions (LINK) — 24 August 2026

Shipping oil through Hormuz costs $20 million, Total CEO says (LINK) — 24 August 2026

— TotalEnergies Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne said the company is buying barrels at $50 to $60 inside the Persian Gulf as producers are desperate to get their supplies onto the market following six months of conflict.

Oil stocks in US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fall by 3.7 million barrels to lowest level since 1982 (LINK) — 24 August 2026

Venezuela quake death toll surpasses 6,500 (ground news LINK) — 24 August 2026

Amnesty says Indian police used excessive force in Delhi and Bihar protests (ground news LINK) — 24 August 2026

Murdoch's WSJ savages Trump for making his 'dumbest' plan even dumber by reigniting a trade war with Canada just weeks away from the midterms (LINK) — 24 August 2026

— "President Trump took exception last year when we called his tariffs against Canada and Mexico the dumbest trade war in history," the board wrote. "It got dumber this weekend as Mr. Trump escalated with another round of border taxes on Canadian imports, a mere 10 weeks before midterm elections."

Trump administration says it might demolish the Kennedy Center as unsafe if court blocks renovations (LINK) — 24 August 2026

Supreme Court sides with Trump administration on mail voting restrictions ahead of midterms (LINK) — 24 August 2026

— The Supreme Court's conservative majority didn't decide the legality of Trump's order, instead ruling that states who sued did not have the legal right to challenge it. "The Court's disposition of this application does not mean that any measure taken by the Government to implement the Order will necessarily be lawful. On that score, time will tell," the majority wrote in an unsigned order.

Trump's mail-in voting rules raise fears of federal overreach:could scramble the 2026 midterms by forcing local and state officials to adopt an untested federal system on short notice and potentially undermine confidence in U.S. elections. (LINK) — 24 August 2026

Washington Post ordered by independent arbitrator to reinstate opinion writer Karen Attiah fired over Charlie Kirk posts (LINK) — 24 August 2026

— Attiah was backed by the union that represents most Post employees, the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, and Democracy Defenders Fund, a legal advocacy group co-founded by Norm Eisen. The Post had argued that Attiah was fired for cause after violating the company's social media policy, which dictates that employees "must not harm the editorial integrity or journalistic reputation of The Post". Attiah wrote: "Part of what keeps America so violent is the insistence that people perform care, empty goodness and absolution for white men who espouse hatred and violence."

Moderna sinks 7% as traders book profits on a 392% year-to-date surge (LINK) — 24 August 2026

U.K.: Autistic boy, 5, died after jumping from 'compromised' window, which could tilt and turn, in 15th-floor London flat, coroner says (LINK) — 24 August 2026