IJR News

Blues Shut Out Stars 4-0 in Season Opener — 2dThe St. Louis Blues opened the 2026-27 NHL season with a 4-0 road win over the Dallas Stars, as goaltender Joel Hofer earned a shutout and Mason McTavish scored in his Blues debut. Dallas struggled to generate offense and will look to rebound against Nashville.

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Eiffel Tower chief to step down after row over female staff — 3dPatrick Branco Ruivo will leave as Eiffel Tower SETE chief at end-2026 after female staff were withdrawn during a BAPS visit and a strike shut the tower on 7 September.

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Maya Lindstrom Withdrawing female staff for that BAPS visit was a poor call that led to the strike. Stepping down makes sense after the fallout.

BioNTech to close three German plants after failing to find buyers — 4dBioNTech will close Idar-Oberstein, Marburg and Tübingen plants after finding no buyers, affecting about 1,800 staff; Singapore site also shuts.

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Chris Dalton Closing the sites in 2027 and 2028 gives some time to adjust, yet it still shows how quickly things changed once covid shots were no longer needed in big numbers.

SpaceX Starship Reaches Orbit Despite Engine Failure — 4dSpaceX Starship Flight 14 reached Earth orbit for the first time Monday despite a Raptor 3 engine shutting down mid-ascent after mission control gave the go-ahead.

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Tom Gallagher Even with one engine down, hitting orbit shows how far Starship has come in reliability.

Iran Shuts French Embassy-Affiliated Center in Tehran — Sep 20, 2026Iranian authorities shut down a French language center affiliated with the French embassy in Tehran, accusing it of operating without a license and engaging in activities deemed contrary to national security and Islamic culture, including identifying networks and facilitating the departure of skilled Iranians. The move occurs amid a broader crackdown on foreign-linked entities and efforts to tighten oversight of foreign influence in Iran.

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Jared Kim Shutting language centers won't stop skilled people from leaving if the real problems at home aren't fixed.

Most Influential Women in World HistoryYourlist — RankingFrom ancient queens who ruled empires to modern activists who changed laws, these women left indelible marks on politics, science, and culture. Vote for who you think shaped history most profoundly.

ExxonMobil Joliet Refinery Shut by Power Outage Amid Tight Fuel Supplies — Sep 14, 2026ExxonMobil's 264,000-bpd Joliet refinery shut Sunday after a 3:30 p.m. CT outage triggered its safety flare; De Haan says downtime will cost the plant millions.

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Rachel Meyers Analysts are right that even a few days of lost output from 264,000 barrels a day adds real pressure on fuel markets.

Saudi pipeline shut for weeks after drone attack, oil prices surge — Sep 14, 2026Saudi Arabia shut its East-West pipeline after a drone attack; AP sources say repairs could take 3–5 weeks as Brent topped $109 and U.S. diesel hit a record above $6.23.

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Chris Dalton Three weeks of repairs means we need to speed up domestic production and alternatives right now.

Gasser Leads Brewers Past Orioles 1-0 — Sep 19, 2026Gasser escaped a bases-loaded jam and threw seven scoreless innings on a career-high 107 pitches as the Brewers shut out the Orioles 1-0.

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Chris Dalton The Brewers keep finding ways to win close games like this one. That kind of depth should help them stay on top of the NL.

Nvidia CEO Calls AI Fears Distraction — Sep 24, 2026Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has dismissed sweeping AI-doom predictions as unscientific and, at times, a way to stoke demand, while arguing that labs should be shut down if they cannot contain unsafe experiments and that existing rules should be enforced. Critics say his push for rapid AI development and limited new regulation reflects a disconnect from the technology’s effects, including potential harms to learning and jobs.

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Restaurant, Retail Chains Close Stores Across US — Sep 23, 2026Rising costs and changing consumer habits are driving restaurant closures, with Tahoe Joe’s now down to two locations after shutting its Visalia restaurant and Sugar Factory closing at least five U.S. locations in 2026. The setbacks echo a longer retreat across the industry, as several once-familiar chains have closed their final restaurants altogether.

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Trump pins Saudi pipeline attack on Iran as oil routes narrow — Sep 14, 2026After drones shut a Saudi bypass line and a projectile hit a Hormuz vessel, President Trump said Iran was probably responsible, as Houthi gains and a Saudi plea for help pressed global energy supply.

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Dana Whitfield Trump is right that Iran likely backs these strikes on Saudi oil lines, but direct proof is still needed before any retaliation.

Madonna vs Lady GagaYourlist — VS BattleThe Queen of Pop versus the artist who studied at her throne.

Brewers Set Franchise Record With 98th Win — Sep 21, 2026The Milwaukee Brewers set a franchise-record with their 98th win by shutting out the Baltimore Orioles 3-0 to complete a sweep and secure the NL Central while holding the majors' best record. William Contreras homered, Cooper Pratt drove in two, Jackson Chourio joined the 20-20-20 club to start his career, and Trevor Megill earned the save as Jacob Misiorowski worked a brief, workload-managed start.

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Marcus Bell Chourio hitting the 20-20-20 mark so early is a big reason this team keeps breaking records.

Saudi Arabia Shuts East-West Pipeline After Drone Attacks Riyadh Blames on Iraq — Sep 11, 2026Saudi Arabia said its East-West pipeline was shut as a precaution after Thursday attacks that injured several people and prompted emergency measures, with authorities citing increasing Houthi aggression tied to Iran in the Yemen conflict. The broader security picture shows Houthis pressing toward Bab el-Mandeb, raising international concern over freedom of navigation as the Red Sea route for Saudi oil comes under pressure and the Houthis’ advances increasingly threaten critical sea lanes and pipeline infrastructure.

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Rachel Meyers Tying these attacks back to Iran through the Houthis shows why the Yemen war needs a stronger diplomatic push.

Volkswagen, Audi Recall 208,000 SUVs Over Steering Defect — Sep 18, 2026Volkswagen’s 2025 Tiguan recall centers on a body control module software fault that can reset while driving, potentially shutting off the ignition and disabling airbags; about 49,958 US units are affected. Separately, VW and Audi are recalling over 208,000 vehicles, including Atlas, Tiguan, and Q3 models, due to corroded steering-rack mounting bolts that can break and cause loss of steering, with a free bolt replacement offered as the remedy.

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Marcus Bell These recalls show VW still struggles with basic quality on their SUVs, and owners shouldn't have to worry about losing steering or airbags.