Zero's Briefs

World — Moscow announces training launch of intercontinental missile — The Russian Ministry of Defence reported on August 28 that it had carried out a training-combat launch of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile from a mobile platform at the Plesetsk cosmodrome, in the Arkhangelsk region; the training warheads reportedly reached the Kura test range, in Kamchatka. The ministry states that the objectives were fully achieved and released a video. The news comes from a single source, the statement by the Russian Ministry of Defence carried by Meduza and Fontanka: no independent confirmation available.

Health — West Nile virus, 625 autochthonous cases in twelve European countries — The weekly report from ECDC, updated as of August 21, counts 625 autochthonous human cases of West Nile virus infection in twelve countries: 311 in Italy, 157 in Greece, 63 in Spain, 37 in North Macedonia, 28 in Romania. Twenty-one European regions have reported their first-ever autochthonous cases this year. The agency notes that transmission typically peaks between August and early September.

Culture — Necropolis of an ancient Cilician port re-emerges — Ongoing excavations in Turkey are bringing to light the cemetery overlooking one of the most important ports of ancient Cilicia, according to a report published on August 28 by Arkeonews. On the same day the archaeological press also reported on work at Çatalhöyük, in Anatolia; among the primary sources for the discoveries is the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Archaeology Magazine).

Cinema & Entertainment — Documentary on Mesagne’s cinema at the Giornate degli Autori — On Thursday, September 3 at 3 p.m., in Sala Laguna, the Confronti section of the Giornate degli Autori will premiere “Waiting for Ken Loach” by Simone Amendola, about the Piccolo Cinema Ken Loach in Mesagne, a cinema run entirely by young people aged eleven to eighteen. The film is produced by Blue Desk with support from the Puglia Region, in co-production with Apollo Film, after two years of production (InsiderTrend). The 23rd edition runs from September 2 to 12 under the artistic direction of Gaia Furrer (Lost in Cinema).

Europe — SPD prepares cuts to its apparatus’ salaries — It was reported on August 28 that the SPD’s coffers are shrinking as a result of poor election results and departing members, and that the party is preparing a savings plan based on salary cuts and internal job losses. A poll released the same day shows the AfD clearly in the lead ahead of upcoming regional elections, though without enough numbers to govern alone. Single source: Epoch Times Deutschland; no independent confirmation available.

News — Storms over Germany, high risk in south-eastern Bavaria — The Deutscher Wetterdienst forecast widespread thunderstorms over German territory for August 28, with heavy rain, hail and gale-force gusts, warning that the danger of severe weather remains high until night, especially in south-eastern Bavaria. The news comes from a single source, the federal weather service’s forecast reported by Epoch Times Deutschland.

Tech & AI — Eighty British artists call for legal protection of voice — About 80 entertainment professionals from the United Kingdom, including Nicola Coughlan, Hugh Bonneville, Matt Lucas and Luke Evans, have signed an open letter to the government as part of the “Save Our Voices Now” campaign, calling for legal protection against unauthorized voice cloning through artificial intelligence. The campaign argues that a few seconds of audio are enough to replicate a voice and cites a poll according to which 28% of British adults have encountered scams based on this technique. Single source: Tech Startups.