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Dennis Hastert, the Illinois Republican who served as Speaker of the US House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007, has died at the age of 84. Hastert was the longest-serving Republican Speaker in US history. His later years were overshadowed by a 2016 federal case in which he admitted structuring hush-money payments and acknowledged past sexual abuse of former students. Reactions online reflect both his political record and his criminal conviction.

Netlify announced it has moved its Edge Functions from V8 isolates to Firecracker MicroVMs, claiming functions now run up to five times faster. The company published a blog post detailing the migration. Developers online are discussing the performance gains and the trade-offs of swapping lightweight isolates for full microVMs.

Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican speaker of the House, has died at 84. Once one of the most powerful figures in American politics, his legacy collapsed in 2016 when he admitted to sexually abusing teenage boys decades earlier while working as a high school teacher and wrestling coach. Obituaries are weighing his political record against the scandal that made him the highest-ranking US official imprisoned in a sexual abuse case.

PBS has released official details for the second season of The Gold, the Masterpiece drama about the 1983 Brink's-Mat robbery and the laundering of the stolen bullion. The new information covers the plot, returning and new cast members, and viewing options for audiences. Viewers of the British crime drama are checking the guide ahead of the new season's release.

Carlos Alcaraz and Denis Shapovalov produced a dramatic, up-and-down match at the Tokyo tournament, with highlights of the contest drawing huge attention from tennis fans. The encounter swung back and forth, living up to its billing as a rollercoaster, and has become one of the most-watched tennis moments of the day as viewers react to Shapovalov's challenge against the world's top player.

Novak Djokovic has been taken through a dramatic, seesawing match against Bu at the 2026 tournament in Beijing, with highlights of the contest drawing heavy attention online. The match reportedly swung back and forth before the Serb prevailed, and fans are sharing the best moments from a contest described as a genuine rollercoaster.

An interview with Buckmaster discussing the Navier-Stokes equations, one of mathematics' great unsolved Millennium Prize problems, is drawing attention. Viewers are sharing the conversation, which covers the famed partial differential equations central to fluid dynamics and the ongoing efforts to resolve whether smooth solutions always exist.

The Shanghai Masters 2026 gets under way with Carlos Alcaraz topping the bill and Alexander Zverev chasing the world No. 1 ranking. Fans are following the draw, the daily schedule and where to watch matches live as the season's elite ATP event unfolds in Shanghai.

The National Weather Service office in Omaha reports that September 2026 was an anomalous month in eastern Nebraska, with Lincoln standing out. The city recorded its fourth warmest September in its history of records and its warmest since 2019. The month was also unusually wet, with figures notable in the roughly 140 years of records kept for the area.

Ukrainian special forces have stormed Russian trench positions on the eastern front, with combat footage recorded on helmet cameras showing close-quarters fighting. The footage has drawn wide attention, highlighting the intensity of trench warfare in eastern Ukraine, where both sides continue to trade ground in grinding, difficult conditions.

National Hurricane Center forecasters are monitoring a disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico that has a 70% chance of developing into a tropical system. South Florida news outlets are tracking the system closely as conditions appear favorable for organization. Residents along the Gulf Coast and Florida are being advised to stay alert to updated forecasts and any watches or warnings issued in the coming days.

A science explainer is drawing attention to the question of whether dark points in light, such as shadows or dark regions, can travel faster than light. The piece is tagged with physics and cosmos topics and is circulating among science readers. Such apparent faster-than-light motion typically involves shadow edges or phase effects rather than actual matter breaking the speed limit, and interest centres on how this counterintuitive physics works.

Men's Health has published a comprehensive nutrition guide for Hyrox, the fast-growing fitness race combining running with functional workout stations. The guide covers how athletes should fuel before, during and after competition to improve race times, addressing carbohydrate intake, hydration and race-day timing as more recreational gym-goers take up the sport.

Tropical Depression One is strengthening and organizing more quickly than observers would like, according to early-season tracking discussions. The system is moving north and is expected to shift toward the north-northeast within 24 to 48 hours, with strengthening winds potentially pushing it further east-northeast after that. No official advisory has been issued yet, but people in potentially affected areas are being urged to keep watch on the storm's development.

Dr. Joseph Colaco has been announced as a speaker in the Natural Disaster Expo 2026 speaker series, where he will address strategies for reducing hurricane damage in Houston's high-rise buildings. The event is expected to draw engineers, planners and emergency management professionals focused on protecting dense urban environments from severe storms.

The United Arab Emirates has announced plans to launch a spacecraft in 2028 that will explore seven asteroids. The mission, first reported by Scientific American, represents an ambitious expansion of the country's space programme following its successful Mars orbiter. It would mark one of the most far-reaching deep space endeavours undertaken by any Middle Eastern nation.

A growing number of US states are giving students the option to earn a formal 'climate literacy' credential alongside their diploma, reflecting how climate change is moving into mainstream education. The push comes as extreme weather events intensify, prompting schools to certify that graduates understand climate science and its consequences. Education outlets report the trend is expanding, though requirements vary by state and critics debate how much curriculum space climate topics should occupy.

French President Emmanuel Macron is calling for Europe to move faster and act more aggressively in moderating online content. The appeal has drawn attention amid ongoing debate over the EU's approach to internet governance, with critics warning the push could amount to censorship while supporters see it as overdue protection against harmful content online.

Chip companies MIPS and Xcelsa announced a partnership aimed at speeding up the optimization of workload-specific custom chips. The collaboration targets the growing market for tailored processors designed for AI and other specialized workloads, where design cycles are often slow and costly. Details of how the two firms' technologies will be combined have not been fully disclosed.

European payments companies are forming a joint network intended to reduce Europe's dependence on US-operated card schemes Visa and Mastercard. The initiative, reported by Reuters, would give EU merchants and consumers a home-grown alternative for card payments, echoing earlier attempts such as the EPI project. Commentators are debating whether Europe can finally build a payments champion capable of competing at scale with the American duopoly.

Dennis Hastert, the Illinois Republican who served as Speaker of the US House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007, has died at the age of 84. His later years were defined by disgrace: in 2015 he admitted to sexually abusing boys while a high school wrestling coach decades earlier and served prison time in a related federal case.

A new interactive tool forecasting diesel prices has been launched, letting users model where diesel costs may head. The release comes amid ongoing concern over high fuel prices, with the material pointing to potential further increases into 2026. Early reaction is modest but engaged, with users discussing the price outlook and the factors driving it.

GamesIndustry.biz reports on veteran AAA developers leaving major studios to found independent teams, with one saying 'It's less risky to be the masters of our own fate.' The piece reflects a growing trend of experienced developers opting for independence amid layoffs and studio closures across the games industry, arguing self-direction now carries less risk than staying in big-budget development.

The Garden Route Badgers took on Eastern Cape Linyathi in a YesPlay Pro20 Cup cricket match, with Cricket South Africa sharing coverage of the fixture. The domestic T20 clash drew strong attention from South African cricket fans following the two provincial sides.

A men's tennis team is taking part in the Metro Masters tournament, according to an announcement from the school's athletics program. Details on results, opponents, and standings have not yet been released, and it is not clear how the team performed at the event.