Wed 19 August 2026: Israeli authorities are preparing a prison wing – replete with an execution chamber – designated specifically for Palestinian prisoners convicted of murder, Israel’s i24NEWS channel reported Tuesday. The move comes after the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) approved legislation in March that calls for the execution of Palestinian prisoners convicted – by military […]
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Thu 20 August 2026: Meta has adopted a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach to child safety on its social media platforms, according to whistleblower Arturo Bejar, who testified in a landmark trial against the company Tuesday. Bejar, a former Meta safety engineer, told jurors the company knew its products could harm children, including through recommendations […]
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Thu 20 August 2026: Portugal has banned face coverings in public spaces after President Antonio Jose Seguro signed a law originally proposed by the right-wing Chega party. Seguro approved the measure Tuesday, saying it addressed an issue of “great social and cultural sensitivity,” according to a note by the Belem Palace, the presidential seat in […]
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Thu 20 August 2026: Bitcoin posted its strongest daily gain since March on Wednesday, climbing 5.4% as cryptocurrency executives prepared to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House. The world’s largest cryptocurrency approached $68,300 as of 1830GMT, reaching its highest level since early June and breaking out of a months-long trading range. Its […]
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Thu 20 August 2026: The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Social media can be mentally draining. And when mentally drained, you are more likely to be influenced by a high number of likes on posts – even to the point of clicking on ads for products you don’t need […]
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Thu 20 August 2026: Egypt warned Wednesday against the construction of new Ethiopian dams on the Nile River, with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty saying Cairo has the right to defend its water security. “Egypt will not allow additional dams to be built on the Nile,” Abdelatty said in an interview with Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya. […]
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Thu 20 August 2026: US President Donald Trump has again threatened Iran with unprecedented economic action, accusing Tehran of failing to seize an opportunity to reach a deal as talks aimed at ending the more than five-month conflict between the two countries remain deadlocked. In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump announced what […]
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Thu 20 August 2026: Here’s what’s happening in South Africa today:👇🏼 ◼️ NIH reverses Trump-era ban on South African research funding: South African researchers, who are at the forefront of global research into HIV and tuberculosis, have historically been the biggest recipients of NIH grants awarded outside the US. But their world was thrown into […]
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Wed 19 August 2026: Spain’s government is working to transfer about 500 unaccompanied migrant girls from the North African enclave of Ceuta to mainland Spain following the mass arrival of migrants at the end of July, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported Wednesday. The Ministry of Youth and Children is considering several options, including distributing the […]
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Wed 19 August 2026: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday denied providing financial facilities to Iran, hours after announcing the suspension of trade and financial exchanges with Tehran until further notice, Anadolu reports. UAE presidential diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash rejected the reports as false, describing claims that Abu Dhabi was providing financial facilities to Iran […]
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