Strategy did not buy Bitcoin during the week of Aug. 17-23, leaving its holdings unchanged at 840,447 BTC. The company said the coins cost $63.36 billion including fees and expenses, or an average of $75,385 each. The pause follows years of purchases that have made Strategy one of the largest corporate holders of Bitcoin, with a position equal to roughly 4% of the cryptocurrency’s capped supply. Instead, Strategy expanded its cash resources and repurchased preferred stock. Its USD Reserve reached $5.10 billion, while a separate USD Cash account held $1.59 billion, bringing the combined total to $6.69 billion. The company raised about $2.01 billion net by selling 18.26 million MSTR shares, allocated $300 million to the reserve and spent $136.4 million buying back STRC preferred shares. Strategy said the flexible cash can fund future Bitcoin purchases, security repurchases, debt repayments or preferred dividends and interest. https://news.bitcoin.com/crypto-news/strategy-slams-brakes-on-bitcoin-buying-stockpiles-6-69b-cash/

A Chinese-speaking cybercrime group tracked as UAT-10147 is targeting Windows and Linux web servers worldwide. Cisco Talos said most observed targets were in Brazil, Bolivia, China, Canada and Vietnam. An exposed file listed roughly 170,000 URLs. The attackers use AI-assisted tools for reconnaissance, exploit development and post-compromise troubleshooting. They exploit known vulnerabilities for remote code execution, then deploy web shells, data-stealing malware and persistent backdoors. Windows infections have involved Quasar RAT and BadIIS, while Linux intrusions escalate to root before installing the cross-platform SPECTRE implant. SPECTRE supports file transfers, screenshots, keylogging and shell commands. Its Windows version abuses vulnerable drivers to disable endpoint detection protections, while its Linux tooling includes rootkit capabilities. The campaign shows how AI is accelerating intrusions and raises the stakes for patching and monitoring exposed servers.

The Hacker News

UAT-10147 Uses AI to Scale Server Attacks, Deploys SPECTRE With EDR Bypass and Linux Rootkit

UAT-10147 targets Windows and Linux servers with known flaws and AI tools, deploying malware for SEO fraud and data theft.

Ray Dalio is urging investors to hold a small amount of Bitcoin as concerns over rising U.S. debt and renewed stress in Treasury markets intensify. The Bridgewater Associates founder said the latest market pressures fit the debt-crisis framework he has outlined for years, putting fiscal risk back at the center of the investment debate. Dalio still considers gold the larger hedge against monetary and debt-related instability, but his comments give Bitcoin a place in a diversified defense. His position reflects a measured shift: he is not presenting the cryptocurrency as a replacement for traditional safe-haven assets, but as a limited allocation that could offer exposure if confidence in government finances or fiat currencies weakens. The remarks come as investors weigh how persistent borrowing needs may affect bonds, interest rates and portfolios. https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/08/24/ray-dalio-says-investors-should-own-a-bit-of-bitcoin-as-u-s-debt-risks-rise

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is entering the final stretch before its planned Aug. 30 launch, with teams completing integration work and rehearsals that prepare observatory and its ground systems for flight. The mission is designed to survey huge areas of the universe in infrared light, giving astronomers a wide-field view of dark energy, exoplanets and galaxies across cosmic time. The latest milestones mark a transition from assembly to launch readiness. Engineers are checking interfaces, practicing countdown and response procedures, and confirming that the spacecraft can be handed safely to the launch campaign. Roman’s wide field will complement the James Webb Space Telescope’s detailed observations: instead of focusing on a small patch, it will repeatedly map broad regions, building a statistical picture of how the universe expands and how planetary systems form. If the schedule holds, the Aug. 30 launch will begin a mission expected to reshape surveys of the cosmos.

NASASpaceFlight.com

NASA's Roman telescope nears launch, reaches final integration and rehearsal milestones - NASASpaceFlight.com

With a scheduled launch date of Aug. 30, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is…

A humanoid robot from Beijing-based X-Humanoid ran 100 metres in 9.39 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games, surpassing Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second record from 2009. The Beijing event includes more than 2,000 robots from 16 countries across 51 events. X-Humanoid’s machine also cleared 2.88 metres in the high jump, above Javier Sotomayor’s 2.45-metre record. Honor reportedly posted a 9.32-second trial time. The results show rapid advances in robot engineering, but specialists say they do not yet demonstrate broad robotic intelligence. The machines run on prepared courses, and earlier competitions relied heavily on remote control: only 38% of entries in an April half-marathon were autonomous. Researchers say navigating unfamiliar environments and doing everyday tasks such as folding laundry remain harder tests than optimizing a sprinter. The games mark mechanical progress while leaving autonomy, safety and practical usefulness unresolved.

TNW | Artificial-intelligence

A humanoid robot just beat Usain Bolt's 100m record, and roboticists are unimpressed for good reason

A humanoid robot ran 100m in 9.39 seconds in Beijing. The people who build robots for a living say sprinting is the easy part of the problem.

A proposed class-action lawsuit in Northern California accuses Oura Inc. and Finnish parent Oura Health Oy of overstating the accuracy of the Oura Ring’s sleep-stage tracking. The complaint challenges the company’s claim of 95% accuracy compared with a clinical sleep lab, arguing that a ring cannot measure the brain activity, eye movements and muscle tone recorded by polysomnography. The filing cites a study of 45 patients that found overall sleep-stage classification accuracy of 53.18% and says REM sleep was overestimated by an average of 31.56 minutes. Oura rejects the allegations, saying it stands behind its science and accuracy claims and that multiple studies have compared its staging favorably with polysomnography. The case seeks damages and corrective advertising, and includes claims under California’s false-advertising and unfair-competition laws.

TNW | Artificial-intelligence

Oura sued over its 95% sleep accuracy claim

A proposed class action says Oura's sleep stages are AI guesses. The Finnish parent is a named defendant, months before the company's pla...

EU carbon pricing may be influencing where Bitcoin mining activity runs, according to a study by three Vietnamese researchers. Their analysis examined daily power-sector emissions in the EU and Russia from 2019 through 2025, alongside Bitcoin prices. It found a statistical relationship between higher European carbon allowance prices and increased emissions in Russia, suggesting mining operations may shift jurisdictions when costs and Bitcoin prices rise. The researchers say this does not necessarily mean machines were physically moved. Companies with equipment in multiple countries could reduce output at EU sites and activate Russian capacity, where there is no comparable carbon-pricing system. The study notes limits, including the impact of China’s 2021 mining ban. Russia’s restrictions could weaken the strategy. Since 2025, Moscow has banned crypto mining in some regions, with restrictions expanded to the capital this year. Those measures may limit Russia’s ability to absorb mining activity displaced by Europe’s carbon costs. https://news.bitcoin.com/mining/eu-carbon-taxes-push-bitcoin-mining-to-russia-study-claims/

AI is reshaping pay before it reshapes headcount, according to an Apollo analysis of 321 occupations. Wages in roles with high observed exposure to AI grew 6.7% more slowly after 2023 than wages in low-exposure work, while employment changes were not statistically significant. The pressure is concentrated among lower-paid workers. The wage-growth gap reached 10.7% in the bottom quartile, compared with 5.4% in the second and 4.0% in the third; researchers found no significant effect in the highest-paid quartile. The study matched labour statistics from 2015–2025 with the Anthropic Economic Index, which measures actual model use. The findings do not prove that AI caused the slowdown. The index reflects one company’s usage, covers 321 of 800 occupations, and a 24.3% service-worker gap comes from a small sample. The results suggest employers may be adjusting wages and hiring patterns before layoffs appear, leaving lower-paid workers most exposed to the transition.

TNW | Artificial-intelligence

Apollo finds AI is hitting paychecks rather than payrolls

Apollo finds wages in high AI exposure jobs grew 6.7% more slowly after 2023, with no significant employment effect and the hit falling on the lowe...

Bitcoin climbed roughly $10,000 in a week, briefly reaching $79,500 and moving above $77,000 for the first time since May, according to market data cited in a new report. The advance followed the U.S. Treasury’s announcement that it would double the maximum size of its long-dated bond buyback operations from $2 billion to $4 billion per operation. The change takes effect September 9 and covers 10- to 30-year Treasury securities through the current refunding quarter. The move in bond yields strengthened a liquidity-driven rally in Bitcoin, which had spent about six weeks trading between $60,000 and $65,000. Momentum accelerated after the price cleared resistance near $70,000, forcing the closure of 172,108 short positions. Traders betting on a decline lost about $3 billion in a 24-hour period, the largest short-side liquidation wave since 2021, as forced buying added to the upward pressure. Markets are now watching whether Bitcoin can reclaim $80,000, a level it has not held since May. https://news.bitcoin.com/crypto-news/bitcoin-jumps-10000-week-shorts-lose-2-7-billion/

Outer Biosciences, an AI and biology startup founded by Michael Polansky, is using living human skin to test skincare ingredients. The company obtains de-identified tissue discarded after surgery through biobanks operating with documented donor consent and institutional review oversight. Its nutrient-and-waste removal system keeps samples viable for up to a month, compared with the few days typical for laboratory tests. That longer window lets researchers observe processes such as UV damage, inflammation, collagen remodeling and barrier repair in human tissue. An AI model predicts which chemicals may affect specific skin functions, then receives the experimental results—positive or negative—to improve its next predictions. The company says it is producing a new candidate about every six weeks, with six leads in its active pipeline. Outer Biosciences plans to license or sell cosmetic ingredients to beauty and pharmaceutical companies rather than launch its own consumer brand.

TechCrunch

Michael Polansky is training an AI model on skin that’s still alive | TechCrunch

Michael Polansky — better known publicly as Lady Gaga's partner and a former top deputy to Sean Parker — has quietly spent years building ...

AI accounting startup Rillet has raised $100 million in a Series C round at a $1 billion valuation, becoming a unicorn after a 48-hour deal. The company was not seeking funding, but investors responded to faster revenue growth and new customers, including public companies. ICONIQ led the round, with Sequoia and other existing backers participating. Rillet says it has raised $200 million since emerging from stealth two years ago and now serves 600 customers. Its software uses AI agents alongside human accountants for bookkeeping and finance workflows, competing with Oracle, NetSuite and Intuit. Half of its customers come from Intuit, while 30% come from NetSuite or Sage Intacct, according to the company. The platform includes customer-data isolation and governance tools that let accountants audit an agent's decisions and calculations. Rillet says human approval remains required for every AI-agent transaction at public companies, as regulators assess the technology's role in finance.

TechCrunch

How AI accounting startup Rillet raised $100M and became a unicorn in 48 hours | TechCrunch

Rillet CEO Nicolas Kopp shared growth numbers at a board meeting and set off a fundraising frenzy from Iconiq, Sequoia and others. Without even try...

Apple is cutting more than 200 jobs across teams working on the Vision Pro, Siri and AI-powered device experiences, according to Bloomberg. About 100 positions are reportedly being eliminated from the Vision Pro group, with the remaining cuts affecting Siri and Intelligent Systems Experience, which works on integrating artificial intelligence into Apple products. The reductions come as Apple reshuffles resources toward newer AI initiatives and devices. The company confirmed that the changes will affect a limited number of existing roles while creating new positions elsewhere, saying it is evolving its business to deliver better user experiences. The move adds to a difficult transition for Apple, which is trying to strengthen its AI capabilities while managing higher hardware costs linked to the global memory shortage.

TechCrunch

Apple is reportedly cutting hundreds of jobs from Siri, Vision Pro teams | TechCrunch

Apple has admitted that some roles are being impacted as it shifts its focus away from certain initiatives.

NASA has released new views and observations from the total solar eclipse that crossed Greenland, Iceland and Spain on Aug. 12. The Moon’s passage briefly exposed the Sun’s corona, while teams on the ground, in aircraft and aboard the International Space Station documented the event and studied its effects on Earth’s atmosphere. A NASA WB-57F research jet flew at 50,000 feet through the eclipse’s shadow, extending the observing time and recording high-resolution images of the corona and electrically charged prominences in multiple wavelengths. Researchers also launched scientific balloons in Iceland and Spain to measure how the sudden loss of sunlight and heat affected the lower atmosphere. Scientists will analyze the data in the coming months, building knowledge for future eclipse campaigns, including the longer total eclipse expected across southern Spain and northern Africa in 2027.

NASA Science

NASA Shares Views of August Solar Eclipse from Ground, Air, Space - NASA Science

On Aug. 12, a total solar eclipse darkened skies over Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. As the Moon covered the Sun, it briefly revealed the Sun’s w...

More than 6,500 Earth-observation satellites could be launched by 2035, according to a new forecast from space-sector consultancy Novaspace. The expansion is expected to generate $155.9 billion in satellite-manufacturing revenue as governments seek sovereign intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and commercial operators take on a larger role. The market is shifting beyond the traditional focus on image resolution. Defense and civil users increasingly value rapid revisit rates, persistent monitoring and wide-area coverage, prompting larger constellations and more varied sensor systems. Novaspace also expects greater use of fleets combining synthetic-aperture radar, optical and radio-frequency payloads. As these networks grow, interoperability, federation and fleet-management tools are becoming increasingly important, while standardized satellite buses could move more value toward advanced payload integration and layered intelligence services.

SpaceNews

New Novaspace forecast: 6,500+ EO satellites to launch by 2035

New Novaspace forecast: 6,500+ EO satellites to launch by 2035

Bitcoin steadied above $77,000 after rising nearly 6% on Friday, reaching its highest level against the US dollar since May 15 before giving back part of the advance. Gold rallied alongside it, climbing 2.2% to about $4,632 an ounce. Both assets approached three-month highs, with Bitcoin up about 13% and gold 16% over the month. Analysts linked the gains to inflation concerns, government deficit spending and US Treasury debt policy. Bitcoin held up better than longer-dated US Treasurys after an announcement on debt buybacks, underscoring its sensitivity to interest rates and the dollar. Higher Japanese government-bond yields added to the broader macro backdrop. Polymarket odds of Bitcoin reaching $90,000 before 2027 rose to 48% after the cryptocurrency gained more than 20% in two days. Technical analyst Rekt Capital said BTC still needs to reclaim its 50-week exponential moving average near $77,232. A rejection could preserve the sequence of lower highs and the broader downtrend.

Cointelegraph

Bitcoin Consolidates Near $77K as $90K Odds Hit 48%

Bitcoin fields nearly 50% odds of hitting $90,000 in 2026 as the week’s snap BTC price gains cool during Friday’s Wall Street trading session.

Aptera has signed a manufacturing programme worth up to $44 million with Shanghai Launch Automotive Technology, a design-for-manufacturing company that has worked on more than 400 vehicle models. The agreement covers tooling, assembly fixtures, vehicle testing, supplier coordination and pilot production for Aptera’s solar-electric vehicle. Aptera will fund two-thirds of approved programme costs, while Launch’s contribution—up to about $15 million—will come through warrants to buy Aptera stock rather than cash. The arrangement comes as Aptera reports $10.1 million in cash, monthly spending of $2 million to $2.2 million and substantial doubt about its ability to continue operating. The company says it aims to build its first 40 production vehicles in the fourth quarter, with final assembly planned in California. It estimates that low-volume production will require $40 million to $45 million, while reaching about 20,000 vehicles annually could require another $140 million to $160 million. Aptera reported roughly 49,300 reservations at the end of June but has not yet delivered a customer vehicle.

TNW | China

Aptera has found someone to build its solar car, and it is in Shanghai

Aptera has signed a manufacturing programme worth up to $44mn with Shanghai's Launch Design, while its filings warn it may not survive the year.

NASA’s Artemis II crew will receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor during a ceremony at Johnson Space Center in Houston on Aug. 28. President Donald J. Trump is scheduled to present the awards to NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is also expected to attend. The honors follow the crew’s 10-day mission around the Moon, which ended April 10. Artemis II was the first crewed flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft and sent astronauts beyond the Moon for the first time in more than five decades. The mission also carried humans farther from Earth than any previous spaceflight, serving as a major test of the systems NASA plans to use for future lunar missions. The ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. EDT and will be streamed online by NASA.

NASA

NASA’s Artemis II Crew Set to Receive Congressional Space Medal of Honor - NASA

President Donald J. Trump will award each of NASA’s Artemis II crew members the Congressional Space Medal of Honor at 11 a.m. EDT on Friday, Aug....

Bitcoin rose about 24% in one week to roughly $76,844, prompting Standard Chartered digital-asset research head Geoff Kendrick to warn that the bank's $100,000 year-end forecast may be too low. Kendrick said Bitcoin could revisit its $126,000 all-time high before the end of 2026, with the recovery potentially accelerating after Oct. 6. The bank has not formally replaced its existing forecast with a new target. Kendrick attributed the latest advance mainly to short liquidations, which force bearish traders to buy back positions, while recovering inflows into U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds could add sustained demand. He also pointed to low open interest, suggesting traders have room to rebuild positions without immediately recreating crowded leverage. Bitcoin has recovered more than $17,000 from its June low near the upper-$50,000 range, but the analyst's projection remains conditional on the rally holding beyond former resistance levels and ETF demand continuing to improve.

Standard Chartered says Bitcoin could retest $126K before year-end

A supply-chain attack compromised the Rust ecosystem on August 20, after attackers published malicious versions of the popular arrayref crate from its legitimate maintainer’s account. Arrayref has more than 245 million downloads and appears in about 75% of Rust environments. Within roughly 20 minutes, poisoned releases of two other crates from the same owner were also published, alongside attacker-controlled packages pointing to a malicious dependency that impersonated proc-macro2. The dependency contained a build.rs script that downloaded a platform-specific second-stage binary over TLS while disabling certificate validation. Rust’s security team removed the affected packages 86 minutes later and restored clean versions, reporting no evidence that the malicious crates had been used. Wiz linked the campaign to Sapphire Sleet, a North Korean group previously tied to Axios and Mastra supply-chain attacks, citing overlapping infrastructure and command-and-control indicators.

SecurityWeek

Rust Supply Chain Attack Linked to North Korean Hackers

North Korean hackers compromised the popular arrayref package in a supply chain attack targeting the Rust ecosystem.

Bitcoin has moved above the $75,000 mark as its latest rally extends, putting the cryptocurrency at a fresh milestone in the current advance. The move signals continued buying pressure in the Bitcoin market, although the available report does not provide a precise price, trading volume or percentage gain for the session. The advance is also increasing pressure on traders positioned for a decline. Bitcoin analyst James Check described the situation succinctly, writing that “Bears in pain, right now.” His comment captures the immediate shift in market positioning as Bitcoin pushes higher, while leaving open the question of whether the rally can hold above $75,000. Investors will be watching follow-through, liquidity and volatility closely as the market tests this level. https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/08/20/bitcoin-pushes-past-usd75-000-as-rally-continues