“President Trump on Saturday posted photos of alleged vandalism to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool amid a push for U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro to revisit a recent decision to drop charges related to the pool. Late Saturday, the president posted two photos of what appeared to be graffiti and some peeling of the coating of the pool. Both photos were labeled with the word ‘Vandalism.’ Trump is pushing for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to backtrack on its move to drop criminal charges against people accused of damaging the site. The president pressed for Pirro to ‘re-visit her hastily made decision’ on Friday. Pirro’s office has stated contractors who undertook renovation efforts on the pool were behind the damage.” (08/09/26)
“The Irish government jet carrying suspected crime boss Daniel Kinahan has departed Dubai for Dublin. The 49-year-old was arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in April and is being extradited to the Republic of Ireland to face a charge of directing a criminal organisation. Kinahan will be immediately charged upon his arrival in Dublin and then brought by Gardaí (Irish police) to appear before the the non-jury, three judge Special Criminal Court on Sunday evening. A large-scale security operation is in place. Ahead of the extradition the Irish Prison Service bought a bulletproof and bombproof van which can be used to escort prisoners who are considered high-risk. … Daniel Kinahan’s lawyer previously told BBC Panorama that he has no criminal record or convictions and allegations about him being a crime boss are false and have no evidential basis.” (08/09/26)
Typhoon Dolphin, the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit China this year, made landfall on the country’s eastern coast on Sunday, bringing torrential rain and strong winds and triggering warnings of flooding and landslides. The typhoon has already swept through Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture, injuring six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings. … Transport was widely disrupted across the east of the country and more than 1 million people were evacuated from their homes.” (08/09/26)
“A new, minority chain created when BIP-110 supporters split from Bitcoin on Saturday has produced just two blocks roughly eight hours after going live, with no sign that any miner intends to keep it moving. … BIP-110, short for Bitcoin Improvement Proposal-110, is a move to stop people storing pictures, text and other non-financial data inside bitcoin transactions for a year. Supporters say the practice can clog the network with material that has nothing to do with payments and pushes up costs for people actually sending money. Opponents argue that anyone paying the transaction fee has bought the right to use the space however they like, and that miners and node operators should not be deciding which transactions count as legitimate. … Only 2.53% of blocks signaled for BIP-110 over the past two weeks, against the 55% needed to activate it without a split.” (08/09/26)
“Yemen’s Tehran-aligned Houthis have claimed responsibility for an attack on a refinery in Saudi Arabia, two days after the kingdom signed a defence pact with Turkey and Pakistan in response to growing regional instability caused by the US-Israel war on Iran. The attack early on Sunday came after Iran issued tough new demands to reopen the strait of Hormuz, and the United Arab Emirates said one of its ships had been targeted by an Iranian missile, as a deal to open the strategic waterway remained out of reach. … With Iran and the US still arguing over the parameters for peace, the Houthis last month declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, citing what they said was a Saudi siege on them, an allegation Riyadh denies.” (08/09/26)
“Burger King has overtaken Wendy’s as the second-largest burger chain in the U.S. by systemwide sales, retaking its crown six years after losing it to the rival chain. The change in positions follows the two companies’ diverging results over the past two years. Wendy’s has reported shrinking U.S. same-store sales for six straight quarters. Its domestic same-store sales slipped 7% in its latest quarter, the company reported on Friday. Meanwhile, Burger King has been embarking on a turnaround and has seen its domestic same-store sales rise over the past five quarters; the Restaurant Brands International chain on Thursday reported U.S. same-store sales growth of 8.5% for its second quarter. McDonald’s holds onto its spot as the number one burger chain, with a significant lead.” (08/07/26)
“A proposal to limit ‘vertical drinking,’ a bureaucratic euphemism for having a pint while standing, has turned into a political headache for one local government council in London. Politicians from Prime Minister Andy Burnham to London Mayor Sadiq Khan have piled in to decry the idea from Westminster City Council, which is responsible for licensing pubs and restaurants in the West End, a nightlife hub popular with tourists and locals. A feature of many of those pubs is the crowd of drinkers who mill around sharing drinks with friends, often spilling out into the street on warm spring and summer evenings. … Council leader Paul Swaddle issued a press release stressing that the proposal was part of a draft policy that is still open for public comment.” (08/07/26)
“The captain of the boat that capsized in New York Harbor late Saturday — killing a baby and a 27-year-old woman — was hit with more than a dozen charges for driving it while dangerously overloaded, according to sources. The operator, who has not been publicly identified, faces 13 charges of reckless endangerment after the motorboat he was steering flipped over off the coast of Liberty Island just before 10:30 p.m. Saturday. The vessel, a 22-foot bowrider motorboat, was overloaded with 14 people on board, NYPD sources told The Post. Two passengers are confirmed to have died, including a 5-month-old baby and a 27-year-old woman. Neither has been identified pending family notification, the NYPD said.” (08/09/26)
“Myanmar’s military-backed government has rejected the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ renewed call for the unconditional release of detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi and dismissed the need for the organisation’s special envoy on Myanmar, according to the foreign affairs ministry. … In an apparent effort to placate critics, the government allowed a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit 81-year-old Suu Kyi last week, the first known contact with an outside international independent humanitarian organisation since her detention five years ago. Suu Kyi is serving her sentence under house arrest at an undisclosed location in the capital Naypyidaw, on charges that her supporters and rights groups have said are politically motivated.” (08/09/26)
“Italian divers have discovered an ancient Roman shipwreck off the coast of Sicily, believed to be more than 2,000 years old. The vessel was found piled high with hundreds of well-preserved containers, which were used to transport goods such as wine and olive oil. Italy’s Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli hailed the wreck as ‘one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years’. Specialist police divers found the ship around 46m (150ft) deep, after a tip-off from fishermen. The wreckage is 21m (69ft) long and 6m (20ft) wide, according to reports in local media. The culture ministry says it dates from the second or 1st Century BC. … Officials say safety measures will be taken to safeguard it while it undergoes investigation, as experts work to determine the nature of the wreck and learn more about its cargo.” (08/09/26)
