Sports betting increasingly the norm for Gen Z; why financial and mental health risks

 

• Since the rise of online sportsbooks and now the introduction of prediction markets, Gen Z is increasingly wagering on sports outcomes.
• But surveys show some members of the generation view the bets as investments, despite the fact that users on average lose money on these platforms.
• Those who bet and lose the most are at greater risk for developing gambling problems, which clinicians anecdotally report are increasing among young people.
• https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/04/gen-z-sports-betting-financial-and-mental-health-risks.html

Black Smoke Reported Over Critical Aramco Refinery As Saudis Weigh Major Assault On Houthi Rebels

 Unverified reports and footage circulating on X early Saturday morning appear to show smoke rising from Saudi Aramco's Riyadh refinery. The cause and any impact on operations remain unclear. Separately, Axios reports that Saudi Arabia is preparing a major offensive against Iran-backed Houthis in the coming days. President Trump's comments last week that a bombing campaign against Tehran could resume after the midterm elections add to signs that the Gulf conflict remains far from any near-term resolution.

Turkish news outlet Türkiye Today cites NASA's FIRMS satellite monitoring system, which shows higher-intensity VIIRS thermal hits across Aramco's Riyadh refinery, one of Saudi Arabia's most important refining assets, with a capacity of about 130,000 barrels a day.

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) accounts on X are sharing footage of what may be Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the refinery. No official word yet on why thick black plumes of smoke are rising from multiple locations at the refinery.

A separate report by Axios overnight states that the Saudis are preparing for a major operation against the Houthis in the coming days, targeting coastal areas that give the rebels leverage over the critical maritime chokepoint of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The report cites two US officials.

More color from Axios:

Behind the scenes: A U.S. official said the Saudis have been planning the operation for weeks and that plans were approved by Saudi leadership several days ago.

• The operation will include ground forces loyal to the internationally recognized government in Yemen with Saudi air cover.
• On Thursday, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid Bin Salman called Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to brief him on the planned operation and ask again for U.S. airstrikes against Houthi targets, the U.S. official said.
• A U.S. official said that the U.S. "is not going to take kinetic action for now."

President Trump reiterated to TIME last week that he may escalate attacks on Iran after the November midterms if an acceptable deal can't be reached.

Separately, University of Chicago political scientist Robert Pape has warned that Oct. 1 could mark a new phase in the conflict. He writes that "Iran's 45-day deadline to the United States expired today."

"On August 16, Iran's Supreme National Security Council decided that if Washington did not lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports within 45 days, Tehran would retain the option of launching renewed attacks against U.S. forces," Pape underscores. "That clock has now run out."

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/black-smoke-reported-over-critical-aramco-refinery-saudis-weigh-major-assault-houthi-rebels

'Iraq arrests people over US flag incident'

 Iraqi authorities arrested people involved in the desecration of the United States flag during a parade in Baghdad held as part of Sovereignty Day events, Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi's office said on Sunday.

Spokesperson Sabah Al-Numan said the arrests were ordered by Al-Zaidi and that anyone found involved would face legal measures.

"The government affirms that respecting the symbols of friendly countries and their accredited diplomatic missions in Iraq constitutes a legal and diplomatic obligation, and that any violation or offense in this regard will be subject to legal accountability,"

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Iraq-arrests-people-over-US-flag-incident/67229351

Trump forms Super Intelligence Force

 United States President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he decided to form the Super Intelligence Force (SIF), which will be led by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering and Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael, and Director of the Office of Personnel Management Scott Kupor. They will respond to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

"The Super Intelligence Force will coordinate the Federal Government's engagement with Consumers, Public Interest Groups, Religious Organizations, Critical Infrastructure Providers, and Super Intelligence Companies," Trump said in a Truth Social post.

The US president claimed that the US leads in super intelligence, "which many say is bigger than the Industrial Revolution, and the Internet, and will protect the interests, and improve the lives, of all Americans."

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Trump-forms-Super-Intelligence-Force/67229125

Novo Nordisk Plans Denecimib U.S. Launch In H1 2027 Amid FDA Review Extension

 

Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO), a pharmaceutical company, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) informed the company that its Biologics License Application (BLA) review of denecimig for haemophilia A treatment remains ongoing, with no new regulatory timeline communicated.

The FDA cited ongoing facility remediation activities are the cause for the extended review period. However, the agency has not identified any deficiencies related to the clinical efficacy or safety data submitted with the denecimig BLA.

Novo Nordisk submitted the denecimig BLA in September 2025 with an anticipated regulatory decision in the third quarter of 2026. Following the submission, the FDA conducted a pre-license inspection of the manufacturing site and provided feedback.

Novo Nordisk is actively implementing facility remediation activities in response to FDA feedback and working closely with the agency on outstanding requirements. The manufacturing site feedback does not impact other marketed Novo Nordisk products

The company specified that the extended FDA review time does not affect its financial outlook for 2026. Pending regulatory decision, Novo Nordisk aims to launch denecimig in the U.S. in the first half of 2027.

Denecimig is a FVIIIa mimetic bispecific antibody designed to deliver once-monthly, every-two-weeks, and weekly prophylaxis for people living with haemophilia A, with or without inhibitors.

https://www.rttnews.com/3696255/novo-nordisk-plans-denecimib-u-s-launch-in-h1-2027-amid-fda-review-extension.aspx

Japan PM protests to U.S. after Marine arrested over Okinawa murder

 

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi lodged a protest with the United States on Sunday after a U.S. Marine was arrested on suspicion of robbing and murdering a Japanese woman in Okinawa.

Devin Jacob Ballard, 20, is suspected of killing 39-year-old Anna Yagi at a hotel in Naha, the capital of Okinawa prefecture, on Saturday and taking her wallet and backpack, Japanese police said. Ballard has denied the allegations.

Takaichi described the incident as "extremely brutal and vicious" and said the Japanese government had strongly protested to the U.S.

Tokyo is seeking maximum U.S. cooperation with the investigation, tighter discipline among American military personnel and measures aimed at preventing similar incidents.

The U.S. embassy and Marine Corps expressed condolences and said they were cooperating with Japanese authorities.

The Marine Corps confirmed that Ballard, who is assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force and based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, remained in Japanese custody. It said it takes the allegations seriously and expects Marines to maintain high standards of conduct.

Okinawa hosts most of the roughly 18,000 U.S. Marines stationed in Japan. The American military presence has repeatedly generated opposition among some residents over aircraft noise, crashes and the conduct of personnel.

The arrest could add pressure to longstanding tensions surrounding U.S. bases in Okinawa. A 1995 rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by three U.S. servicemen triggered widespread protests.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/japan-pm-protests-u-marine-083410262.html

Iran says Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until conditions are met, Nournews reports

 The Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until seven Iranian conditions set out in a June interim agreement with the US are met, Nournews reported Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf as saying on Sunday, a few days after Tehran received Washington's reply to its diplomatic proposal.

“The Americans, who say something different in the media, have recently put forward proposals through a mediator. But they must understand that the period of dragging out the process and dictating one-sided demands is over," Qalibaf was quoted as saying.

"The position of the Islamic Republic of Iran is completely clear and firm, and the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until our seven conditions, based on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, are met."

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/world/20261004/iran-not-to-reopen-strait-of-hormuz-until-conditions-are-met-nournews-reports