Author: thaobh.leo@gmail.com

On Aug. 25, at the People’s Palace in Damascus, Mazloum Abdi announced the dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces, which he had commanded for a decade. Speaking first in Arabic and then in Kurdish, he said the force had joined the Syrian army and would no longer operate independently. 15 days earlier, Turkey’s parliament had passed a framework law for the disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. The group has long been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Turkey, which have waged a brutal campaign against it for decades. Two…

In a world of great-power standoffs, climatic tipping points, and technological arms races, global hunger may not seem like a particularly significant problem. Yet last year, a total of 2.1 billion people, or more than a quarter of the planet’s population, experienced food insecurity—meaning they either ran out of food over the course of a year or were forced to reduce the quality or quantity of their diet. Over 260 million faced acute food insecurity, meaning their lives or livelihoods were in immediate danger because they could not get enough to eat. Almost a quarter of all children under the…

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will once again venture away from the familiarity of its APEX facility and ship its cast and crew across the world for the upcoming UFC Paris fight card, locked and loaded for tomorrow afternoon (Sat., Sept. 5, 2026) from inside Accor Arena in Paris, France, featuring a 155-pound headliner between No. 12-ranked lightweight veteran, Dan Hooker, and international MMA sensation, Salahdine Parnasse, who makes his Octagon debut in front of a hometown crowd.Like all UFC events, you’ll need a subscription to Paramount+ to stream this weekend’s card (sign up here).Before we dive into the main and…

Revenant XSpark will represent India and Southeast Asia at the Brawl Stars Challengers Finals in Istanbul.The team will face SK Gaming and Good Game in Group B.Winning Istanbul means securing the final spot in the Brawl Stars Championship LCQ in Guangzhou. Revenant XSpark has announced that the team is heading to Istanbul, Türkiye, for the Brawl Stars Challengers Finals, taking place from September 5 to 6 at the ESA Esports Arena. Representing Southeast Asia, the team will compete alongside 11 other regional Challengers champions, with the winner securing the final spot in Brawl Stars Championship One Last Chance Qualifier in…

The 5th K9 User Club takes place in Estonia from Sept. 2–4, bringing together K9 user nations to strengthen collaboration and explore the future of artillery capabilities.Hanwha unveils a next-generation K9 operating concept integrating fire-guidance drones to accelerate the sensor-to-shooter cycle from target acquisition to battle damage assessment.New wheeled artillery concepts showcase the K9 platform’s scalability and adaptability to meet evolving operational requirements.Hanwha’s TOMMS digital sustainment solution enhances fleet readiness through predictive maintenance and data-driven logistics.TARTU, Sept. 2, 2026 – Hanwha Aerospace unveiled its vision for the next evolution of the K9 Self-Propelled Howitzer at this year’s K9 User Club…

WASHINGTON (AP) — A plan by the Environmental Protection Agency could make it harder for the public to learn about and comment on proposed AI data centers that have sparked backlash in communities across the United States and transformed the midterm election landscape. The EPA proposal would eliminate a federal requirement that states notify the public and seek comment before issuing air pollution permits for data centers and other industrial facilities. States could still offer opportunities for public comment, but the EPA would no longer mandate them as a condition for states to grant permits. Critics say the move could…

If you are trying to lose body fat but only have a few hours each week to train, spending most of that time running may not be the most efficient approach. BUILTSIMPLE argues that the better option is to choose workouts that improve fitness while also helping you maintain muscle. In a recent YouTube video, the channel explains why circuit-based calisthenics can combine strength and cardiovascular training in shorter sessions, making them particularly useful for busy men. Fat Loss Starts With Nutrition The video begins by challenging the idea that cardio should be the main tool for losing body fat.…

LYNN, Mass.—Three decades ago, GE Aerospace tested a technology that could’ve made the F-16 more agile. It worked, but was never fielded. Instead, it sat in a box in a warehouse—until defense tech startup Shield AI called. “They reached out to us and said…‘Do you still have that capability? And the truth is, we hadn’t fielded it. After we did the demonstration, it basically went into storage,” said Steve “Doogie” Russell, VP and general manager of GE’s Edison Works. “And the solution that we’ve offered to Shield on that is an F110 engine with a nozzle in the back that we…

Telle is currently the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works. The Associated Press September 3, 2026 9:02 pm 2 min read WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday named Adam Telle as the acting Army secretary following the departure of Dan Driscoll amid widespread reports of tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Telle is currently the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works. “He is a Great Patriot, who is respected by all,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. Driscoll gave no explanation for his decision to quit this week as the Army’s top civilian…

Artificial intelligence model distillation (that is, the process of training a new model on the outputs of a more capable one) poses a growing challenge to efforts to preserve the U.S. frontier model advantage. In this paper, the authors examine whether technical counter-distillation measures are likely to be sufficient to deter distillation. They argue that technical measures alone (such as by materially raising the cost of distillation or substantially reducing the quality of the resulting models) are unlikely to change the underlying incentives that make distillation attractive and that broader policy tools might be needed. This publication is part of…