“A Sydney woman who survived a shark attack has described the moment she came face-to-face with a 4m great white before repeatedly punching it. Leah Stewart, 34, was dragged under the water at Coogee Beach in June as the shark bit into her thigh and arms, leaving her with extreme blood loss and injuries so severe that doctors had to amputate her left arm. In an interview which aired on Sunday, the mother-of-one said she was determined to live for the sake of her baby daughter. ‘In my head, I was like, … ‘You are not taking me away from my daughter’, and I twisted myself around and I just started punching it over and over and over again – it was like fighting a dinosaur’. Moments earlier, Stewart had just finished her regular Saturday morning swim and was heading back to shore when she was alerted to danger.” (08/31/26)
“The House returns Monday from its five-week recess, with approving a short-term funding bill to head off a government shutdown topping its to-do list. Funding is set to lapse Sept. 30 without a deal, and lawmakers are planning to take another weeklong break for Labor Day. In July, the House passed a GOP-led bill to punt government funding past the November midterm elections. But the House measure, which would have extended funding at current levels until Dec. 4, met resistance in the Senate.” (08/31/26)
“The online prediction market platform Kalshi said Monday that it has permanently banned former U.S. Rep. George Santos after concluding the former Republican congressman likely engaged in insider trading when he bet against his attendance at the State of the Union address. The company announced the ban after saying its compliance department had established reasonable cause to believe Santos engaged in insider trading over his attendance at the address, when he turned a $17,839 profit on his trading activity. The convicted ex-congressman had repeatedly discussed his intention to attend the State of the Union …. On the eve of Trump’s speech, Kalshi put the odds of Santos attending at close to 75%. Then, minutes into the speech, Santos posted on X that he had been waylaid at the airport. Immediately, several social media users accused him of running another scheme.” (08/31/26)
“Niger’s army, backed by Russian paramilitary forces, regained control of a key military airbase on Sunday after it was attacked by mutinous soldiers a day earlier, the latest challenge to military ruler Abdourahamane Tiani as his government struggles to contain a jihadist insurgency. The attack highlighted tensions within Niger’s armed forces, which have suffered repeated battlefield losses while fighting West Africa’s al Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates. Tiani took power in a coup in 2023 vowing to turn the tide against the jihadists, but both affiliates have staged high-profile attacks in the capital earlier this year. … Residents said the capital appeared calm on Sunday and Monday, while aircraft circled overhead on Sunday and authorities dismantled roadblocks erected during the unrest.” (08/31/26)
“Iran and the United States traded attacks for the first time in over a month overnight into Monday, in an exchange that risks reigniting the damaging conflict after weeks of relative military calm. Iran fired missiles toward US military targets in Jordan in retaliation for a strike on Iranian rocket launchers that the US said were trying to launch sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz –– the key shipping route that’s become the center of regional tensions and diplomatic efforts. Later Monday morning, the United Arab Emirates said it had intercepted a drone approaching from Iran over its territorial waters.” (08/31/26)
“Russia’s defence ministry has announced it is preparing ‘massive strikes’ on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in retaliation for a drone campaign by Kyiv attacking warehouses and oil and gas facilities. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the move would be an ‘appropriate response’ to Ukraine’s ‘path of escalation’ and said that Moscow had been ‘fairly systematic’ in attacking Kyiv’s military infrastructure. … a missile attack killed two people and injured 16 in the city of Belgorod close to the Russian border with Ukraine, acting governor Alexander Shuvayev said. Sunday’s deaths followed Ukraine’s hit on a commercial facility, which also set ablaze seven warehouses in the city, he added.” (08/31/26)
“One person has died and around 15 people remain missing after flash flooding swept through parts of Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park, park officials said. The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered on Sunday evening from the Colorado River near Crystal Rapids, the National Park Service (NPS) said on social media. No further details were immediately released. … The flooding caused significant damage in parts of Grand Canyon National Park, including destroying footbridges and hiking trails, and damaging campsites, according to US media reports.” (08/31/26)
“A South Korean court on Monday sentenced Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja to a combined two years in prison over political funding and bribery offences linked to efforts to gain influence with former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration. The Seoul Central District Court found that Han, 83, was involved in providing money to politicians and luxury goods, including Chanel bags and a diamond necklace, to former first lady Kim Keon Hee, according to the ruling. Han, head of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, was indicted in October 2025 by a special prosecutor team investigating allegations involving Yoon and Kim. The case was one of several probes launched after Yoon was removed from office following his December 2024 declaration of martial law.” (08/31/26)
“The largest infrared digital camera ever built and its scientific companion, a massive mirror originally designed for a spy satellite, are now safely in orbit, after the flawless launch of NASA’s newest flagship telescope. The US$4.3-billion Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope lifted off atop a SpaceX rocket at 7:35 a.m. local time today from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and it will soon be on its way to its final location. The observatory is expected to yield a wealth of discoveries, from insight into the nature of ‘dark energy’, the force causing the Universe’s expansion, to millions of stars in the Milky Way and the planets that orbit them. It is named after Nancy Grace Roman (1925–2018), NASA’s first chief astronomer and a leading figure in many of the agency’s most impactful scientific programmes, including the Hubble Space Telescope.” (08/30/26)
“MyPillow founder Mike Lindell has long denied Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election. Now, he’s refusing to accept his own election loss in the GOP primary for governor of Minnesota. The Minnesota Supreme Court on Saturday rejected Lindell’s bid for a full recount of his Aug. 11 loss to state House Speaker Lisa Demuth after she won the Republican primary by 45,000 votes. … Lindell told NBC News in a phone call Saturday evening that he plans to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. … Lindell previously pledged to pay an estimated $825,000 to cover a full hand recount and audit of the race but refused to pay the money on Monday, the state’s deadline, after finding out that the recount only included counting the ballots cast for either Lindell or Demuth.” (08/29/26)
