“At least one person has been killed and three have been wounded in a Ukrainian drone barrage targeting Moscow, a local official says, as Russia has bombarded Kyiv with ballistic missiles. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said it destroyed 822 drones across the country overnight. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on social media early on Sunday that the city was targeted with 600 drones and ‘201 drones were destroyed in Moscow region’. … The drone assault came after Ukrainian authorities said late on Saturday that at least one person was killed and seven were wounded in Russian air attacks.” (08/16/26)
“Naval families with loved ones deployed for months on US warships amid the Iran war have reacted with fury to Donald Trump and the defense secretary Pete Hegseth’s dismissal of their concerns about the extreme pressures and dire conditions they are enduring. … The USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier with more than 5,000 sailors and marines onboard, has been at sea for nearly nine months, having begun its deployment in November. There have been reports of multiple suicide attempts including jumping overboard. When Trump was asked on Friday whether naval families were worried about conditions on board, he replied: ‘No, they’re not.’ He said that the Lincoln’s deployment, now in its ninth month, was ‘not nearly long enough’. Earlier, Hegseth also swatted away families’ concerns, saying that the reality onboard the Lincoln had been ‘completely misrepresented’.” (08/16/26)
“The Trump administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to bless the construction of President Trump’s White House ballroom to replace the demolished East Wing. The planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom has been mired in litigation ever since the president tore down the East Wing in October as part of his plan to dramatically remake the White House campus. But the courts have let Mr. Trump build even while questioning the project’s legality, allowing the ballroom to steadily rise in recent months. The administration’s request for intervention from the nation’s highest court comes after an appeals court said on Aug. 7 that the president had most likely exceeded his authority by moving ahead with the privately financed project without approval from Congress.” (08/14/26)
“With two weeks to go before the gates to Burning Man’s Black Rock City swing open, organizers of the famously dusty desert bacchanal have launched an unprecedented promotion: Buy a bus seat from San Francisco or Reno to the event, and it comes with access to the lowest-cost general admission ticket. ‘We know that the decision to participate in Black Rock City can happen at the last minute, so we’re making a limited number of $550 lower-priced ‘Get the Gift’ tickets available to participants traveling to BRC as part of a Burner Express Bus (BXB) bundle,’ a Burning Man spokesperson told SFGATE by email. ‘The BXB program makes it easier and more affordable to get to Black Rock City, while helping reduce the environmental impact of travel — easing traffic and decreasing the number of vehicles on the roads.'” (08/15/26)
“Amazon on Friday reinstated binding arbitration for its U.S. customers while also barring them from seeking class-action lawsuits, making it more difficult for users to address grievances in court. In emails on Friday, Amazon said the changes are effective immediately and customers agree to the terms by continuing to use the company’s services. Often, companies alert customers to upcoming changes to their terms of service weeks in advance. Previously, Amazon said customers should pursue legal claims in court in Washington state, where Amazon is based. Five years ago, Amazon revoked binding arbitration after facing tens of thousands of costly individual cases.” (08/15/26)
“Moroccan authorities have intercepted dozens of migrants seeking to cross into the Spanish North African exclave of Ceuta, reports say. More than 100 people were blocked trying to make their way to the border on the outskirts of the town of Fnideq, according to Moroccan security sources cited by Spanish media and the Reuters news agency. It comes a fortnight after roughly 78,000 migrants arrived in the exclave by sea in a matter of hours – 100 of whom died, according to the city’s mayor, who also said the vast majority of arrivals had returned to Morocco. Security had been stepped up in the area after the influx and amid suggestions on social media of a second mass crossing attempt this weekend. The security sources said 111 people had been detained in or around Fnideq – known in Spanish as Castillejos – about 3km (1.8 miles) from the border, the majority of whom were from sub-Saharan Africa.” (08/15/26)
“Jason Arday, a former University of Cambridge professor who was at the centre of a plagiarism scandal, has died aged 41. Arday had resigned earlier this month as a professor of sociology of education following the accusations, which caused a furore in the world of academia. He was the university’s youngest ever [b]lack professor. … A high-profile professor who appeared frequently in the media, Arday faced accusations this year that parts of his 2015 PhD thesis were plagiarised, which he denied. The allegations expanded to include apparent inconsistencies in Arday’s other academic work, and questions over his claims about his career, personal life and medical conditions.” (08/14/26)
“One person was killed in a storm-related car crash as Hurricane Lala brought fierce winds and pouring rain to Hawaii’s Big Island on Saturday. Footage on social media showed floodwaters rising, overtaking roadways and bridges as Lala dumped rain on Hawaii’s Big Island. Howling winds whipped the tops of palm trees and waterways swelled with fast-moving runoff from relentless rain that blew nearly sideways. According to the National Weather Service Honolulu, two homes were swept away due to intense rainfall over Naalehu, with flash flooding ongoing. More than 125,000 utility customers in the state, most on the Big Island, were without electricity, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us.” (08/16/26)
“Liechtenstein has announced that it has changed royal succession rules to allow women to ascend the throne. The declaration was made on the national day of the central European country, which has a population of just 44,000. Liechtenstein’s current ruler, Prince Hans-Adam II, has been the head of their royal family since 1989. The rule change will not affect his heir, Hereditary Prince Alois, who was his first-born. Alois has carried out most official royal duties for the last two decades. ‘The order of succession is being changed from male primogeniture to absolute primogeniture,’ the House of Liechtenstein said in a statement. ‘This means that in future the first-born child, regardless of sex, will become heir to the throne and later princess or prince of Liechtenstein.'” (08/15/26)
“Two Israeli strikes hit Lebanon and killed at least 11 people early Saturday, the Lebanese health ministry said, then struck another site killing four more. Health ministry officials said an overnight strike in Ansar, near the city of Nabatieh, killed seven people, including three children. A few hours later, Israeli planes attacked Deir al-Zahrani, killing at least four and injuring 17. Ansar is about 43 miles south of Beirut. The Israeli military said in a statement that the Ansar attacks targeted Hezbollah infrastructure. The Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement that Hezbollah first struck and seriously injured three Israeli soldiers.” (08/15/26)
