Aug 25, 2026 · 7 min listen · Last updated August 25, 2026
From storyflo. This is your daily audio brief. It's Jessica, August 25th. Ten stories from overnight — sourcing first, takes second. Let's get into it. First, from Bloomberg Top. Bloomberg Daybreak Europe: US-China Collision Course (Podcast). Next. Second, from RFI English.
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The Day's Top 10 Stories · August 25th
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French astronaut Sophie Adenot to make second spacewalk to finish repairs
French astronaut Sophie Adenot is to leave the International Space Station again on Tuesday for a second time, a week after she became the first French woman to perform a spacewalk. Along with US astronaut Anil Menon, Adenot will continue work on replacing the ISS’s faulty Space-to-Ground Antenna (SGANT), which they were unable to complete after spending more than six hours last week. "What a day," Adenot said when she returned to the ISS after being out in space for six hours and 23 minutes last Tuesday.
15 Years Later, Game Of Thrones' Ned Stark Officially Returns On September 23
Sean Bean is finally getting a chance to step back into the North, and it’s happening on September 23. After fifteen years of being the guy who died in the first episode, Ned Stark will show up again in a brand‑new HBO short that’s being billed as a “lost scene” from the original series. It’s not a full‑blown revival or a new season of the main show—just a ten‑minute vignette that stitches together some unused footage with fresh shots, giving fans a glimpse of what Ned might have been doing after the Red Wedding chaos.
The project is part of HBO’s “Game of Thrones: The Archive” initiative, which is pulling together behind‑the‑scenes material, deleted scenes, and a few brand‑new moments to flesh out the world for the die‑hard audience. In this case, the writers took a handful of unused takes from season one, re‑edited them, and added a short sequence where Ned is seen consulting with a mysterious advisor in Winterfell’s crypts. The tone feels very much like the original—quiet, grim, and a little hopeful—so it doesn’t feel like a cheap stunt, more like a respectful nod to the character’s lasting impact.
Fans have been buzzing on social media, mostly because the idea of seeing Sean Bean in the Stark armor again feels like a warm‑fuzzy time‑travel moment. The reaction is a mix of excitement and cautious optimism; people love the nostalgia but also want to make sure it doesn’t cheapen the original story. So far, the buzz leans positive, with many saying it’s a perfect way to honor a character who set the whole saga in motion.
If you’re planning to catch it, the short will drop on HBO Max the same day it airs on the network, and it’s designed to be a quick, 10‑minute watch—ideal for a coffee break or a quick binge between episodes of the newer spin‑offs. No big plot twists, just a quiet moment that lets us remember why Ned Stark mattered in the first place. It’s a nice reminder that even after all the dragons and wars, the simple, honorable Stark still has a place in the story.
Australia's music chart bars fully AI-generated music
August 25, 2026The ARIA chart is drawing a line between artists who use AI as a tool and songs created largely by machines. Australia's official music charts will no longer allow whollI-generated tracks to qualify, under new rules announced by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The changes take effect with the ARIA chart dated August 31 and distinguish between music generated primarily by artificial intelligence and recordings where AI is used only as a supporting creative tool.
Trump administration targets Chinese and Hong Kong businesses with Iran sanctions
The sanctions could strain US-China relations, disrupt global supply chains, and impact international oil markets and financial systems. The post Trump administration targets Chinese and Hong Kong businesses with Iran sanctions appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
Solana Validators Begin Vote On Fee Burn Governance Proposal
Solana validators have begun voting on SGP-0003, a governance proposal that would restructure parts of the network’s fee model and potentially increase daily SOL burns. The vote opened on August 23 and runs through Epoch 1023, which is expected to conclude on August 27. The proposal introduces a variable, resource-based transaction fee that would be burned in full, replacing the current flat-fee model for the affected resources. If approved, the change is projected to increase daily SOL burns from roughly 650 SOL to between 7,500 and 9,000 SOL.
Two terrorist associates arrested in Pulwama forest, arms recovered
Security forces arrested two suspected overground workers of terrorists in a forest area of Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, disrupting the terror network in the region, officials said on Tuesday (August 25, 2026). "In a significant success towards disrupting terror networks and preventing attempts to disturb peace and security, police, Army and CRPF apprehended two terrorist associates and recovered one pistol, 12 pistol rounds and one hand grenade from their possession in the Yarwan forest area of CB Nath, Rajpora," the officials said.
Iran Isolation Plan Puts US and China on Collision Course | Insight with Haslinda Amin 8/25/2026
Insight with Haslinda Amin, a daily news program featuring in-depth, high-profile interviews and analysis to give viewers the complete picture on the stories that matter. The show features prominent leaders spanning the worlds of business, finance, politics and culture. (Source: Bloomberg)
Chronic Inflammation: The Silent Process Behind Almost Every Chronic Disease
you wake up tired even though you technically slept. your body hurts for no particular reason. you feel anxious more often then before. maybe a little depressed. or perhaps just generally unwell for no discernable reason. you can’t think clearly as well as you used to. you feel exhausted by 2pm. your digestion isn’t what it used to be. and you catch colds more frequently then the people around you. and so you begin to rationalize away all these little annoyances stress, getting older, poor diet, poor sleep, etc… but maybe, just maybe, it’s something else.
“I cannot sit here, it’s too noisy.” “I cannot concentrate. There’s chaos everywhere.” .. is what we say whenever we go to crowded places while looking for serenity. Chaos + crowd = peace and serenity? No such thing. Except one place on this earth. Makkah. The busiest place in the world, a city that literally doesn’t sleep, you get pushed around, with hardly any sleep, but you’ll find people coming back home saying “Gosh I miss it so much, I was so at peace there.” Defies logic, doesn’t it? It’s something special, the holy land.