The Eastern Herald: US and World News, Politics, Business, Sports

Conflicts

Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesman at briefing on Iran war pilots and Al Udeid investigation

Iran War: Qatar Denies Holding Three Pilots from Al Udeid Strike as Tehran Demands Investigation

August 17, 2026

Three Iranian military pilots have not spoken to their families since March, when Tehran says their Su-24s were shot down over Qatar during an Al Udeid strike. Qatar categorically denies holding them and says Iran never responded to its offer for an investigation in April.

Firefighters work at a Kyiv book market hit by a Russian missile strike on August 16, 2026

Ukraine War: NATO F-18 Shoots Down Russian Drone Over Romania, Fourth Alliance Airspace Intercept of 2026

August 17, 2026

A Spanish Air Force F-18 on NATO's Enhanced Air Policing mission shot

Displaced Palestinians gather along the beachfront in Gaza City as talks on the next phase of the ceasefire continue

Kushner Meets Hamas in Egypt to Turn a Disarmament Pledge Into Steps

August 17, 2026

Jared Kushner met Hamas leaders at El Alamein on Sunday to press

Anti-US billboard in Tehran as Iran-US ceasefire MoU expires Monday

Iran-US Ceasefire Expires Monday: Trump Claims Hormuz, Tehran Refuses Talks

August 17, 2026

The US-Iran memorandum of understanding, signed in June to end three months

Epstein Files

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham in London on July 20, 2026, who Epstein survivors will press for a public inquiry into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

Epstein Survivors to Press Burnham for Public Inquiry Into Andrew

Members of the UK Epstein Survivors Campaign will meet Prime Minister Andy Burnham within the month to press for a public inquiry into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Six months after his arrest, he has

by Europe Desk

August 16, 2026

Jeffrey Epstein file photo from the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services sex offender registry

Judge Orders Epstein Victim Files Unsealed, Overriding Maxwell’s Last Legal Defense

Judge Loretta Preska ordered the unsealing of Epstein victim records from Giuffre's civil suit, ruling the 2025 transparency law overrides Maxwell's secrecy claims. Thousands of pages identifying roughly 200 people in Epstein's

by Olivia Taylor

Undated photographs released by the US Department of Justice on January 30 2026 as part of the Jeffrey Epstein files release

What Are the Epstein Files

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche who oversaw the Epstein files release and faces Senate confirmation vote

State AG Files Federal Suit to Pry Epstein Files from DOJ

Jeffrey Epstein files as the DOJ faces scrutiny over blocking a 2015 DEA drug probe memo

Epstein Files Shadow Massachusetts Senate Race as DOJ Blocks Key Drug Probe Memo

Opinion

Sheikh Hasina and the US role in Bangladesh's August 2024 political crisis

America’s Regime Change Machine: From Tehran to Dhaka, the Paper Trail Does Not Lie

Drawing on declassified CIA operational histories, FARA filings at the Department of Justice, an 87-page Senate committee report, and a diplomatic cipher confirmed by a foreign Supreme Court, this opinion traces America's

by Muzaffar Ahmad Bajwaa

August 16, 2026

Government & Politics

President Donald Trump orders Pentagon to substantially reduce US-South Korea joint military drills

Trump Orders Pentagon to Reduce South Korea Military Drills After Seoul Refused to Join Iran War

President Trump directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea after Seoul refused to join the Iran war — a decision that arrives days before Ulchi

August 17, 2026

by Jennifer Hicks

Brazil Election 2026: Lula on Femicide, Bolsonaro Son Courts Milei at Copacabana

Brazil's 2026 presidential election formally launched on Sunday, with Lula opening in

by Jennifer Hicks

France’s Top Court Blocks Social Media Ban for Under-15s, Orders Macron Government to Start Over

France's Constitutional Council struck down legislation that would have barred under-15s from

by Miranda Novell

Trump Says He Will Declare the Strait of Hormuz US Territory. Iran Says the Answer Is No.

Donald Trump announced at a police graduation ceremony Friday that he would

by Dilnaz Shaikh

Iran Parliament Criminalizes Journalist Interviews With US and Israeli Media

August 16, 2026

Morocco Arrests 294 as Navy and Drones Block Organized Mass Crossing Into Spain’s Ceuta

August 16, 2026

Rural America Pushes Back on AI Data Centers as 500 Jurisdictions Pass Restrictions

August 16, 2026

Iran Accuses Qatar of Holding Three Pilots Prisoner Six Months After Su-24 Shootdown

August 16, 2026

Horoscope

The full disc of the Sun imaged by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory — The Sun captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory on 10 September 2025. In the traditional doctrine of the planetary joys, the Sun was said to rejoice in the ninth house. [Image Source: NASA/GSFC/Solar Dynamics Observatory]

The 9th House in Astrology: Travel, Belief, and Where the Sun Rejoices

By the oldest rules of placement the ninth house is a weak position. By the oldest rules of meaning it is the House of

by Internet Desk

August 16, 2026

Horoscope today 16 August 2026 as the crescent Moon meets Venus at greatest elongation in Libra over India

Horoscope Today, 16 August 2026: Moon Meets Venus at Her Farthest Reach Before Saturn Sends the Bill at Night

by Kiranpreet Kaur

August 15, 2026

Horoscope today 15 August 2026 with the void Moon in Virgo, Venus at greatest elongation and Mercury meeting Jupiter in Leo

Horoscope Today, 15 August 2026: A 43 Hour Void Moon Shadows Independence Day Until Libra Breaks It at 7.50pm

by Kiranpreet Kaur

August 15, 2026

Horoscope today 14 August 2026 with Mercury closing on Jupiter in Leo and the waxing crescent Moon in Virgo

Horoscope Today, 14 August 2026: The First Friday After the Leo Eclipse Brings a Virgo Moon Reckoning for All 12 Zodiac Signs

by Kiranpreet Kaur

August 14, 2026

Sports

Dana White speaking at the UFC 330 post-fight press conference

Dana White Blasts Ian Machado Garry After UFC 330: ‘Drives Me F–king Crazy’

Dana White publicly blasted Ian Machado Garry for failing to finish Islam Makhachev despite out-striking him at UFC 330 on Saturday. White said Garry's

17 Aug

by Sports Desk

Tommy John pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1970s

Tommy John, Namesake of Baseball’s Most-Performed Surgery, Dead at 83

Tommy John, the left-hander whose 1974 ulnar collateral ligament surgery gave baseball its most-performed procedure and launched fourteen more seasons, died Saturday night in

17 Aug

by Sports Desk

Islam Makhachev vs Ian Machado Garry UFC 330 welterweight title fight in Philadelphia

Islam Makhachev Breaks Anderson Silva’s UFC Record at UFC 330 in Philadelphia

Islam Makhachev retained his UFC welterweight title at UFC 330 in Philadelphia by unanimous decision, extending his winning streak to 17 and breaking Anderson

16 Aug

by Sports Desk

Tua Tagovailoa throwing at Atlanta Falcons preseason camp 2026

Tua Tagovailoa Fumbles in Falcons Preseason Loss as Penix Sits Out Rehab

Tua Tagovailoa went 3-for-5 for 22 yards and fumbled a snap in Atlanta's 27-7 preseason loss to Denver. Penix Jr. remains in 7-on-7 drills

15 Aug

by Sports Desk

Action from the Australia vs Bangladesh first Test match at Marrara Stadium in Darwin, August 2026

Bangladesh Six Wickets From Historic First Test Win in Australia as Smith Falls to Miraz

Bangladesh ended Day 3 at Darwin's Marrara Stadium with Australia at 161 for four, trailing by 67 runs. Mehidy Hasan Miraz scored 65 in

15 Aug

by Sports Desk

Finlay Tarling of NSN Development Team British cyclist who died in Tour of Portugal crash 2026

British Cyclist Finlay Tarling, 19, Dies in Tour of Portugal Stage Crash

British cyclist Finlay Tarling, 19, has died after a civilian vehicle struck him head-on during Stage 8 of the Tour of Portugal. NSN Development

15 Aug

by Sports Desk

Cricket batsman in Test match action during the 2026 season

Zimbabwe National Cricket Team vs Australia National Cricket Team Match Scorecard

Blessing Muzarabani's bowling restricted Australia to 146 as Zimbabwe won by 23 runs in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2025-26 Group B match

14 Aug

by Sports Desk

Cricket Test match action from the 2026 season

Australia Cricket Scorecards 2026: SA Tests and Women’s T20 World Cup

Australia vs South Africa Test series 2026 scorecard and the Australia Women vs India Women T20 World Cup scorecard at Lord's: Perry 56, Gardner

14 Aug

by Sports Desk

Economy

Iran conflict and Strait of Hormuz oil standoff as Bessent threatens unprecedented sanctions

Bessent Warns Iran of Economic Measures ‘Never Seen in History’ as Hormuz Standoff Tightens

by Synthia Rozario

US and China flags over shipping containers at a port

Tyson Foods Closes Eagle Mountain Beef Plant, Cutting 723 Utah Jobs in Industry-Wide Restructuring

Tyson Foods is eliminating 723 positions at its Eagle Mountain, Utah beef plant as part of a restructuring that will concentrate North American beef

by Sam Bowman

August 16, 2026

Ships in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas Iran, the waterway whose closure is holding oil prices today near 90 dollars a barrel

Oil Prices Today, August 16, 2026: Brent at $88.52 as the US Blockade Holds Hormuz Shut

Oil prices today, August 16, 2026: Brent settled Friday at $88.52 a barrel and WTI at $82.40, both more than five percent higher on

by Economy Desk

August 16, 2026

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella speaks about earthquake reconstruction and US tariff suspension request

Colombia Asks Trump to Suspend Tariffs as Earthquake Death Toll Reaches 294

Colombia's President de la Espriella asked Trump to suspend tariffs as a 7.4-magnitude earthquake killed 294, wounded 3,935, and left a $6.4 billion reconstruction

by News Room

August 16, 2026

PayPal Rejects Stripe’s $53B Bid, Pushes for Higher Price in Acquisition Talks

PayPal's board rejected Stripe and Advent International's opening bid of $60.50 per share, roughly $53 billion, and is pushing for a higher price as

by Economy Desk

August 15, 2026

Iran crisis Strait of Hormuz US negotiations ceasefire

US Retail Sales Fall Most in Over a Year; Iran Ceasefire Expires Sunday

American consumers pulled back on spending in July for the first time in nine months, retail sales falling 0.6 percent in the sharpest monthly

by Amanda Graham

August 14, 2026

Daily Games

NYT Mini Crossword Answers Today (May 3, 2026) – Full Solutions

May 3, 2026

NYT Spelling Bee Answers Today: Full Solution May 3, 2026

May 3, 2026

Contexto game answer today showing SPONGE solution with hints and word puzzle breakdown

Contexto Answer Today SPONGE Hints and Solution Explained for May 3 2026

May 3, 2026

NYT Strands Answers Today – May 3, 2026 (Puzzle #791) Full Solution, Spangram & Hints

May 3, 2026

Quordle Today May 3, 2026: Answers, Hints & Full Solution for Game #1560

May 3, 2026

Climate

Firefighters battling the High Fens wildfire in the Hautes Fagnes nature reserve near Eupen, Belgium

August 16, 2026

Belgium Wildfire Burns 3,000 Hectares in High Fens as EU Deploys Emergency Water Bombers

Belgium's High Fens nature reserve has been devastated by a 3,000-hectare wildfire — the largest in

GOES-17 GeoColor satellite image of Hurricane Lala approaching Hawaii's Big Island in August 2026

Hurricane Lala Kills One and Knocks Out Power Across 124,000 Hawaiian Homes

August 16, 2026

A driver died near South Point on Hawaii's Big Island as Hurricane Lala, downgraded to a tropical storm Sunday morning, left 124,000 homes without power, swept two houses away in flash floods,

The half-sunken oil tanker Caroline Bezengi, a sanctioned Russian shadow fleet vessel, adrift off the coast of Oman after a June 2026 explosion

Shadow Fleet Tanker Caroline Bezengi Spills Oil Into Oman’s Protected Marine Reserve

by Dmitri Agafonov

Firefighters battle a wildfire that destroyed 19 homes in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England

Britain Declares Wildfire Emergency as PM Burnham Warns Nation Is a ‘Tinderbox’

by Europe Desk

Satellite image of Tropical Storm Lala approaching Hawaii with hurricane warning issued for Big Island

Hurricane Warning Issued for Hawaii’s Big Island as Tropical Storm Lala Approaches

by Dilnaz Shaikh

Smoke from the Bald Range wildfire blanketing the outskirts of Penticton in British Columbia Okanagan region

British Columbia Declares Emergency as Bald Range Wildfire Forces 20,000 to Flee Okanagan

by Akihito Muranaka

Technology

A Waymo autonomous robotaxi operating in an American city after CPUC approved California expansion to Sacramento and San Diego

Waymo Wins California Approval to Expand Robotaxi Service to Sacramento and San Diego

California regulators approved Waymo's expansion into Sacramento and San Diego on Saturday, the largest single regulatory green light in U.S. autonomous vehicle history. The decision comes months after the company recalled 4,000

by Miranda Novell

August 17, 2026

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei speaking at the company Builder Summit in Bengaluru India

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei Says AI Backlash Is a ‘Crisis of Trust’ While Admitting Promises Undelivered

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei fired back at investor Gavin Baker's call to 'be more positive' about AI, but his own words delivered the harshest verdict: AI companies including Anthropic haven't yet delivered

by Miranda Novell

Anthropic Begins Watermarking All Claude AI Outputs to Comply With EU Transparency Law

Google Pixel 11 smartphone lineup with Tensor G6 chip on display

Google Unveils Pixel 11 With Agentic Gemini AI, Tensor G6 Chip, and New Pixel Tag

Waymo autonomous Jaguar I-PACE robotaxi operating on California roads

Waymo Wins California Approval to Expand Robotaxi Service Into Sacramento and San Diego

Entertainment

Star Wars Starfighter official poster featuring Ryan Gosling as Jedi pilot Kade Auberon, opening May 2027

Ryan Gosling to Star in Star Wars: Starfighter as Lucasfilm Bets on Original Story

Ryan Gosling will play Jedi pilot Kade Auberon in Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy with a screenplay by Jonathan Tropper — Lucasfilm's

August 16, 2026

by Internet Desk

Courtney Love photographed in 2026 by Stuart C. Wilson for Getty Images

Courtney Love Announces First Solo Album in 22 Years, Reveals 2019 Near-Death Crisis

August 15, 2026

X-Men cast announcement at D23 2026 Disney Entertainment Showcase in Anaheim California

Marvel’s X-Men Reboot Cast Revealed at D23: Sadie Sink, Adam Driver Lead 2028 MCU Debut

August 15, 2026

Duane Keffe D Davis in Las Vegas court at Tupac Shakur murder trial August 2026

Keefe D Murder Trial Opens: Jury Seated in Tupac Shakur Killing After 30 Years

by Olivia Taylor

Selena Gomez, who denied her 'lol' comment on a Taylor Swift post was an insult

Selena Gomez Named in $1.2M Fraud Lawsuit Over Mental Health Startup Wondermind

by Shivam Chopra

Apple TV+ app showing 19 classic Hollywood movies added free for subscribers in 2026

Apple TV+ Adds 19 Classic Films for Subscribers, Including Titanic and The Sixth Sense

by Synthia Rozario

Promotional image for A Great Book with Barack Obama podcast launching on Audible September 2026

Barack Obama Launches ‘A Great Book’ Literary Podcast Exclusively for Audible

by Dmitri Agafonov

Greta Lee as Ann looking shocked inside the sealed house in Netflix thriller The Last House

The Last House Hits Netflix No. 1 Despite 28 Percent on Rotten Tomatoes

by Synthia Rozario

Business

PayPal in $53 Billion Buyout Talks With Stripe and Advent as Initial Offer Is Rebuffed

Stripe and private equity firm Advent International have tabled a $60.50-per-share bid for PayPal, valuing the digital payments pioneer at $53 billion. PayPal rejected the initial offer but talks have not stopped,

by Sam Bowman

August 16, 2026