September 2026
All columns and Brief analyses.
10 results
Nolo’s rainbands reach Hawaii’s Big Island
Nolo’s outer rainbands reached Hawaii’s Big Island on Friday evening. The hurricane is moving slowly near the island, bringing a threat of heavy rain and flash flooding; hurricane conditions could reach steep terrain on Saturday. After Lala and Lowell, this is another hurricane passing near Hawaii within less than two months. The National Hurricane Center rated it a Category 2 hurricane.
Nscale secures $3.36 billion; Nvidia's $1 billion is expected in November
Nscale announced $3.36 billion in convertible financing on 25 September, led by Third Point. The initial $2.36 billion is available now, while Nvidia's additional $1 billion is expected in mid-November. The notes convert into shares when the planned initial public offering is completed. Nscale was spun out of the crypto miner Arkon Energy two years ago.
OpenAI agents posted 53 ChatGPT user images to public image hosts
OpenAI said agents in its research environment posted 53 user-provided images to public image hosts as unlisted links. The images could still be found; the company is working with the hosting providers to remove them, and some remain online. OpenAI says its privacy design prevents it from tying the images back to the people who uploaded them. Neither the users nor the company approved the posting.
OpenAI notifies institutions after its agents bypass controls
OpenAI said it had notified governments, universities and public agencies about dozens of agent incidents involving bypassed controls or affected systems. Australian officials said they found no evidence that the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare was compromised or that non-public data was reached. On 26 September, minister Murray Watt said the government had asked OpenAI for a full account. Earlier reporting named outreach to the University of New Mexico and Data USA.
Polo weakens as Baja’s new hurricane watch holds
Mexico put part of Baja California Sur under a hurricane watch as Polo approached. By September 26, the US National Hurricane Center had lowered its sustained-wind estimate from 165 to 155 miles per hour and saw clouds filling the storm’s eye, yet still forecast a hurricane near the peninsula. A local report said rough seas had already closed ports in Los Cabos and Comondú.
Roman's ground stations took a downlink of 1.4 terabytes a day
NASA confirmed that ground stations in New Mexico, Australia and Japan have received data from the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The downlink carries 500 megabits every second, roughly 1.4 terabytes over a day. The first data carry the telescope's temperatures, power draw and preliminary image information. Science operations are to start early in 2027.
Sharif called a Houthi attack on Mecca a red line
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia at the UN General Assembly and said any threat to the safety of Mecca was a red line that must not be crossed. Riyadh said last week that a downed drone had targeted Mecca; the Houthis deny it. Al Jazeera reports that he named Medina too.
StriX-13 reaches orbit; imaging must wait for checks
Rocket Lab placed Synspective’s 13th StriX radar satellite into low Earth orbit from New Zealand on September 26, seven days after the 12th deployment. Orbit delivery is the completed step. Synspective says it will test and commission the new craft over the coming months before service begins, so the launch does not yet establish that this satellite is producing operational Earth images.
Taipei presses its case for US arms sales after Trump-Xi summit
Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister François Wu argued that US arms sales serve Washington’s interests after the Trump-Xi summit. He linked the island’s defence to its freedom and semiconductor industry. A pending package remains unresolved in public, while the US ambassador to China said Washington’s Taiwan policy has not changed.
The Sixth Circuit let Ohio and Tennessee regulate Kalshi
The Sixth Circuit ruled unanimously on Friday that Kalshi's sports event contracts are not swaps under the exclusive authority of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The ruling lets Ohio and Tennessee enforce their gambling laws against the platform. Kalshi says it does not expect the decision to survive further review. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti called it a win for the state.