Monday, October 20, 2025

BIG Wrap

Russia says U.S. ‘adding fuel to fire’ by sending longer-range rockets

Russia has accused the U.S. of seeking to prolong the war in Ukraine after President Biden said he would supply Kyiv with new long-range missiles. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the U.S. was "intentionally adding fuel to the fire" with the deliveries. "Such supplies do not contribute to the Ukrainian leadership's willingness to resume peace negotiations," he added. Separately, the German government has promised to send an air defence system to Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz told MPs that...

U.S. Supreme Court blocks Texas’s ‘de-platforming’ law

A Texas law forbidding social media giants from regulating certain forms of online speech has been blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court. The legislation would have prevented larger tech companies from banning or censoring Texas users for their views. Republicans in the state said it was necessary to combat what they claimed was social media's liberal bias. But tech groups argued that the law was a violation of the private companies' freedom of speech rights. In a rare...

Radioactive waste still a problem with small nuclear reactors

The world needs abundant, low-emission power, and advanced nuclear reactors for years have promised an attractive source of that, as well as a supplement to intermittent renewable energy from the Sun and wind. So-called small modular reactors (SMRs), which can generate up to a third of the power of existing gigawatt-scale plants, are promoted as less expensive and cumbersome than conventional light-water reactors. Regulatory and other barriers preventing their construction are substantial – and have eclipsed scrutiny...

Former Russian leader Medvedev warns U.S. about missiles

After President Joe Biden said the U.S. will not send to Ukraine rocket systems that can reach into Russia, a former Russian president has called that view "sensible". Dmitry Medvedev, who led Russia from 2008 to 2012, warned if the country's cities were "attacked," Moscow would have to follow through on its "threat to strike the centres taking these criminal decisions." "Some of them are not in Kyiv at all," he added, signalling the message was intended...

Most physicians would prescribe unnecessary antibiotics to treat asymptomatic infection, study indicates

An estimated 70% of primary care physicians reported in a survey that they would still prescribe antibiotics to treat asymptomatic infections based solely on a positive urine specimen. This is despite long-held medical guidelines recommending against this practice, according to a new study published Friday in JAMA Network Open, which was led by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers. Since 2005, medical organizations have been advocating against the routine use of antibiotics to treat...

Female bystander kills man who opened fire on party in West Virginia

A U.S. woman has fatally shot a man who opened fire on a crowd of people with a semi-automatic rifle in Charleston, West Virginia, the BBC reports. Dennis Butler, a 37-year-old with an extensive criminal history, was killed after he targeted a group of around 40 people attending a birthday party. Police spokesman Tony Hazelett said the woman's quick reaction saved lives. It comes amid a national debate over guns after a school shooting in Texas. Butler had...

Palestinian report says Israeli soldier deliberately killed Al Jazeera correspondent

A Palestinian investigation has concluded that Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Aqla was intentionally shot dead by an Israeli soldier. Announcing the findings, the Palestinian attorney general said "the only shooting was by the occupation forces, with the aim of killing." The Israeli defence minister rejected the report, calling it "a blatant lie." Israel's army is carrying out its own investigation, and has said Palestinian militants might have shot Abu Aqla. There was widespread outrage when the 51-year-old...

Twitter fined $150 million for selling users’ data

Twitter in the U.S. must pay a $150-million fine after law enforcement officials accused it of illegally using users' data to help sell targeted ads. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice say Twitter violated an agreement it had with regulators, court documents showed. Twitter had vowed to not give personal information like phone numbers and email addresses to advertisers. Federal investigators say the social media company broke those rules. Twitter was fined £400,000 in...

Bill to criminalize ransom payments proposed in Nigeria

Having paid a ransom three times to secure the freedom of his loved ones, Nigerian businessman Lawal Ado is not impressed by moves to outlaw payments to kidnappers. A controversial bill to criminalize ransom payments is the latest attempt to curb the country's spiralling and lucrative kidnapping industry. It proposes a jail sentence of up to 15 years for anyone who pays a ransom. Ado said his two daughters were travelling in a police convoy along the...

Cardiff scientists shine light on role of Earth’s orbit in fate of ancient ice sheets

In a study published today in the journal Science, a team from Cardiff University has been able to pinpoint how the tilting and wobbling of the Earth as it orbits the Sun has influenced the melting of ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere over the past 2 million years or so. Scientists have long been aware that the waxing and waning of massive Northern Hemisphere ice sheets result from changes in the geometry of Earth's orbit...