WAO ART #176

Up to $300,000 worth of gaming cards were stolen at the Gen Con gaming conference in downtown Indianapolis. Thieves used a pallet jack to remove the cards, which included popular games like "Magic: The Gathering," the Pokemon Trading Card Game, and the Disney Lorcana trading card game.

PayPal's newly launched stablecoin, PYUSD, has raised concerns among experts due to its potential for a "centralization attack vector." The stablecoin's smart contract allows selected development team members to freeze accounts and wipe frozen account balances, posing a risk to users' funds.

Flaming debris seen in the night sky over Melbourne, Australia was likely remnants of a Russian Soyuz-2 rocket re-entering the Earth's atmosphere, according to the Australian Space Agency. The rocket had been used to launch a satellite earlier in the evening.

Portugal is battling wildfires as the country experiences its third heatwave of the year. Firefighters are struggling to contain the fires, which have already destroyed thousands of hectares of land. At least nine firefighters have been injured and over 1,400 people have been evacuated.

Asia experienced record-breaking temperatures this summer, with temperatures in Bangladesh hitting a record high of 40.6C. The extreme heat has had devastating effects across the continent, including heat-related deaths in South Korea, heatstroke alerts in Japan, and the hottest temperature ever recorded in China.

The Amazon Summit is taking place in Belém, Brazil, bringing together eight South American countries to address deforestation, crime, and climate change. President Lula da Silva has promised to reverse rising deforestation and achieve zero deforestation by 2030.

The leaders of Niger's junta have refused to host a diplomatic visit from delegates of the regional grouping Ecowas, the African Union, and the United Nations due to safety concerns. The coup leaders cited public anger caused by sanctions and the threat of invasion from Ecowas as the reason for their decision.