Austrian elections

Austria’s snap election results were finalized Sunday, with ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and the People’s Party winning the parliamentary majority. The snap elections were called after Kurz’s previous coalition was dissolved following a leaked video showing Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache offering government contracts in return for political support.

Hong Kong protests

Pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong this weekend resulted in widespread violence between protestors and police. More protests are planned ahead of China’s National Day on Tuesday - which commemorates the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic - as the demonstrations stretch into their 17th consecutive week.

Protests galore

More than 20,000 Russians showed up at a rally in Moscow yesterday demanding the release of protestors arrested this summer by the authorities. In Egypt, more than 2,000 protestors have been arrested since Sept. 20 after widespread demonstrations occurred following corruption allegations leveled against President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and the country’s military.

To Mars & Beyond

SpaceX unveiled its first assembled Starship rocket Saturday, the aerospace manufacturer’s next-generation rocket that aims to carry people into space. Founder & CEO Elon Musk said the Starship will undergo a test flight in the next month or two, and the company hopes to send people into space next year.

Swingin’ to their senses

Sony and Marvel have reached a deal to produce a third standalone Spider-Man movie - part of the deal also stipulates the character will appear in future Marvel films. This comes after the two studios announced earlier this summer that Spider-Man would be leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the result of a financial disagreement.

Coming to a theater near you

In a bid to draw big-name directors and producers, Apple will show its feature-length films in theaters for an extended period before making them available on Apple TV+. This is contrary to streaming giant Netflix’s typical release model, which makes new blockbuster content available on its streaming platform and in theaters simultaneously, that has ruffled feathers in the industry.

Congratulations, you played yourself

A new study from University College London, NYU, and the University of Auckland suggests Xbox and Playstation manipulate their marketplaces to promote certain video games over others - similar to Amazon (promoting its own goods in its marketplace), Google (manipulating search results) and Apple (promoting its own products in the App Store).

A friendship for the ages

Morris Sana and Simon Mairowitz were 6 and 8 years old, respectively, when their Romanian hometown was invaded by Nazi Germany. Cousins and best friends, the two young boys were whisked away by their families to find safety – but in opposite directions.

While Morris ended up in Israel, Simon made his home in the United Kingdom. Without any way of tracking the other down, each cousin assumed that his childhood best friend had died during the war. Thankfully, communication has changed completely over the past 75 years, allowing Morris’ daughter to make a life-changing discovery: Simon was alive and well and living in the U.K.

Morris and Simon, now octogenarians, arranged to meet in Tel Aviv last week. As they embraced, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Seventy-five years you waited, Simon told his cousin, but we have each other now.

Taking charge

You probably haven’t heard of lithium-carbon dioxide batteries, but they can store energy at a rate seven times higher than any other battery, far outstripping commonly used lithium-ion batteries (mobile phones, laptops, electric vehicles, medical equipment, etc.) - but there’s one major problem: the batteries can’t be recharged… until now.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a way to make lithium-carbon batteries fully rechargeable, meaning energy can now be created using reclaimed carbon - plus, the method of building the batteries allows for more efficient and complete recycling (currently a problem for lithium-ion batteries).

According to Amin Salehi-Khojin, associate professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at UIC, “Our unique combination of materials helps make the first carbon-neutral lithium carbon dioxide battery with much more efficiency and long-lasting cycle life, which will enable it to be used in advanced energy storage systems.”