Daily News Summary – 2026-08-20 – en

Croatian police detained Volodymyr Zhuravlev under a German warrant, alleging he helped plant explosives on the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022. Germany seeks his extradition after Poland released him earlier.

President Trump says he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later in 2026, possibly at APEC in Shenzhen. Pyongyang dismissed his reduction of joint military drills as 'hostile' and denied any contact.

The former surgeon, already serving 20 years for abusing 299 victims, now faces 40 sexual assaults and 10 rapes involving 48 minors. The new Lorient inquiry covers alleged offences from 1987 to 2017.

A landslide at an artisanal mine in Zamboye buried hundreds of workers on August 18. Rescue teams search for survivors, but officials say finding anyone alive would be a miracle.

Five Americans and two Ecuadorians died when a sightseeing helicopter crashed on August 19. The Eurocopter was attempting a summit landing and caught fire after impact.

The February 2026 closure has removed nearly 20% of global oil supply, sending Brent crude up 65% to $126. The IMF warns growth could drop to 2% with inflation above 6%.

Hyperscalers are turning to on-site gas turbines and nuclear PPAs as grid queues exceed 2,600 GW. This parallel energy economy shifts costs onto other consumers.

Sending AI-generated photos through WhatsApp strips the invisible watermark, making them undetectable. The flaw raises concerns about EU AI Act transparency.

Regulator Coimisiún na Meán wants details after five teens died in a wrong-way crash. TikTok says it removes 99.1% of such content before reporting.

Cofnas, a self-described race realist, is suspended after his blog accused the late Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarism. The university opened a disciplinary investigation.

The Chinese court also confiscated all his personal assets and fined Evergrande 15.82 billion yuan. Hui was convicted of embezzlement, bribery, and fraud.

The mushroom murder convict is appealing her conviction while prosecutors argue her 33-year non-parole period is too lenient. Patterson, 51, was sentenced to life in 2025.

The LINK spacecraft could not restore attitude control after reaction wheel failures. Swift will reenter uncontrolled, ending 21 years of gamma-ray astronomy.

Treasury data shows the debt hit $40.05 trillion on Aug 18. The milestone comes just five months after $39 trillion, driven by spending and interest costs.

The record fire is Belgium's largest ever, fueled by dry peat. A storm delivered 150 million litres of rain, helping crews contain it.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex plan to settle outside London with their children, who will start British schools in September. They remain non-working royals.

The 6-3 ruling invalidated over $200 billion in tariff revenue, forcing the administration to pivot to Section 122. China and the EU are recalibrating.

The blockchain-based CBDC system settles trade without SWIFT, backed 40% by gold. The US dollar's reserve share fell to 56.92% in Q1 2026.