“A massive influx of jellyfish has led to the partial shutdown of a nuclear reactor in northern France. Two of Gravelines nuclear power station’s six units were shut down on Wednesday and Thursday because of the presence of jellyfish in the seawater filtration system, which is used for cooling, Électricité de France (EDF) said. A third unit has been shut down since 10 August due to the same issue, while a fourth has been closed for an inspection. Gravelines, one of the country’s biggest nuclear power stations located between Dunkirk and Calais in the Hauts-de-France region, was also closed last August because of jellyfish in its filters.” (08/27/26)
“Former Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has been charged with failing to declare tens of millions of dollars worth of assets, becoming the country’s third former prime minister to face criminal charges after leaving office. The 66-year-old pleaded not guilty at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Thursday to a charge that alleges he failed to provide a complete declaration of assets to Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency. He is accused of concealing holdings worth about $40m, spread across nine currencies, as well as bars of gold and silver. His lawyer, Amer Hamzah Arshad, said at a media conference that the charge was essentially a failure to comply with a notice to declare certain assets.” (08/27/26)
“Defense lawyers for social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate argued Thursday if Romania is OK with them being out of jail as they challenge sex charges, then the U.S. should free them too as they fight extradition to the United Kingdom. The brothers have remained in a federal detention center in Miami since they were arrested July 18 on rape and sex trafficking charges from the U.K. Their attorneys have argued that their high profile and active social media presence make it nearly impossible for them to flee. The Tates have become among the world’s most polarizing internet personalities by promoting wealth, male dominance and misogyny through their social media empire.” (08/27/26)
“A military judge ruled Wednesday that the man accused of being the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks will stand trial starting in June 2028. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be prosecuted alongside others suspected of conspiring in the attacks: Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi. Mohammed is accused of orchestrating the plot to crash hijacked planes into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. A fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania during the attacks. He has been held at the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, since 2006.” [editor’s note: He was entitled to a speedy, REAL, legal trial 20 years ago; the US regime has spent 20 years fighting to just hold a fake, illegal “trial” instead. The delay kind of eliminated the publicity value of the show – TLK] (08/26/26)
“EU countries including Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain and Poland are urging Brussels to renew efforts to leverage immobilised Russian sovereign assets to fund Ukraine, in response to fears that Kyiv faces a renewed funding crisis. Plans to fund Ukraine using more than €200bn in Russian central bank assets held in the EU under sanctions collapsed last winter as Belgium, where the majority are held, blocked the initiative. But a letter from a coalition of states to the European Commission will call on the EU’s executive to restart work on the concept, according to four people briefed on the document, and seek clarity on any progress in alternative legal and technical frameworks that could provide a solution to Belgium’s veto.” (08/27/26)
“Researchers at Blockstream, a bitcoin infrastructure firm whose engineers have contributed to the Bitcoin blockchain’s core software for more than a decade, published a proposal on Thursday for SHRINCS, a way of signing bitcoin transactions that could withstand quantum computers without sharply reducing the number of transactions that fit in a block. Bitcoin proves ownership using digital signatures built on a branch of mathematics known as elliptic-curve cryptography. Those signatures allow someone to prove they hold the private key controlling their bitcoin without revealing the key itself. But it is theorized that a sufficiently powerful quantum computer … could eventually break that protection. … The proposal comes as Ethereum researchers moved in the same direction earlier this week, proposing changes to the system validators use to deposit funds so it can eventually accept new types of cryptographic keys.” (08/27/26)
“Meta has reached a tentative $17 billion settlement with nearly all U.S. states that would also see the social media giant make sweeping changes to dramatically restrict minors’ access to Instagram and Facebook, the California Department of Justice announced Wednesday. The pending agreement is a monumental concession without precedent by one of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful tech companies. It would end a pivotal trial over claims brought by California and more than two dozen other states that Meta intentionally hooked kids on its platforms, while misleading users about their potential harms. The deal would also resolve claims brought by other states and some U.S. territories in different proceedings.” (08/26/26)
“A United States judge has denied a request to compel the extradition of a federal immigration agent charged with shooting a man during an immigration raid in the state of Minnesota and lying about it. Wednesday’s decision concerns the case of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Christian Castro, who has been detained in a county jail in Texas since May. Under Texas law, the state cannot hold the subject of an extradition order for more than 90 days. At that point, the suspect must either be transferred or released. The deadline for Castro is set to expire on Thursday. Minnesota argued in a lawsuit this month that Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, has refused to authorise the extradition for political reasons. But in Wednesday’s ruling, Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr wrote that he could not intervene because Abbott has not yet acted – and has therefore not yet violated any law.” (08/26/26)
‘Tim Curry, the versatile performer of screen and stage, who made his name as the flamboyant Dr Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, has died aged 80. Reports say Curry died at his home in Los Angeles. The actor’s manager confirmed to Variety that he died peacefully. No cause of death is known as yet. … Born in 1946, he earned a degree in drama and English from the University of Birmingham in 1968 and embarked on a stage career. His first significant role was in the original cast for the first West End production of the controversial musical Hair, in 1968 …. Curry worked regularly in film …. Curry was also a regular presence on TV for more than four decades …. In 2012, Curry had a stroke while receiving a massage and received brain surgery. He was left with mobility issues and his short-term memory was also affected.” (08/26/26)
“The Trump administration has temporarily paused immigrant visa appointments worldwide, saying it needs time to train all consular staff on screening applicants who might become dependent on public benefits. Appointments for visa services at U.S. embassies were being ‘adjusted’ because of the ‘global training initiative’ launched this month, the State Department said in a statement. It did not say when the appointments would resume. … A former State Department official said immigrant visa appointments worldwide had been paused Monday through the end of the month. The training materials were being rolled out after a federal judge struck down the administration’s 75-country visa ban, which was framed as a way to prevent immigrants from entering who might use public benefits, on Friday.” (08/26/26)
