Latest Episode
October 30: Binance Breach and Oil Companies’ Wartime Profits
Silicone recycling
Researchers at Technische Universität Berlin say a new catalytic process recovered up to 99 percent of a reusable chemical building block from individual silicone items, and 86 percent from mixed silicone waste. Tests ran at 176 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 24 hours. Commercial scaling still involves developing contaminant-removal steps and finding nontoxic alternatives to phosgene.
In U.S. news
Three people were killed when two helicopters collided Thursday near a small airport southwest of Portland, Oregon. Authorities said the collision also forced a partial highway closure.
In Auburn, Washington, a police officer is on administrative leave after video showed him straddling a man and repeatedly punching him in a road. The October 28 confrontation prompted a use-of-force investigation. The officer has not been publicly identified.
Seven congressional Democrats are demanding answers from Homeland Security and ICE leaders about hunger strikers at a Texas immigration detention facility. Detained immigrants protesting what they describe as harsh conditions say officials are retaliating and threatening force-feeding.
Seoul disaster footage
Footage of the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush is set to be removed from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 following a backlash. Bereaved families objected to real rescue footage appearing in the game’s opening montage. Almost 160 people died in the disaster.
In cybersecurity
Binance estimates the financial impact of a security breach at $6.3 billion. The company says its initial investigation suggests an attacker may have gained access through a compromised laptop belonging to a DevOps engineer.
Separately, Archive of Our Own says it took its fanfiction site offline as a precaution after finding evidence of a security incident. Its operator says the outage could last up to four weeks.
Oil profits during the Iran war
The New York Times estimates that more than 50 large U.S. oil and gas companies earned over $130 billion from April through September during the Iran war, while consumers paid much higher fuel prices. That compares with less than $47 billion in the same period in 2025. The estimate excludes March, the war’s first month, and October.
Britain’s online safety rules
Meta, TikTok and X have lost a High Court challenge over Ofcom’s information-gathering powers under the Online Safety Act. The regulator had ordered detailed content-moderation data, including counts of removed posts.
Independent journalism in Russia
Russia has reportedly forced investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta to close. Moscow has classified the newspaper, a prominent voice of independent journalism, as a foreign agent.
Beijing film festival canceled
Beijing’s independent queer film festival has been canceled following reported sustained harassment by authorities. The festival, one of China’s oldest independent film festivals, had been scheduled to begin Friday.
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