articles 18 aug.

WORLD  - NATIONAL 1

Hormuz Strait not to be reopened before oil sanctions lifted
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/247067/Hormuz-not-to-be-reopened-before-oil-sanctions-lifted

Pentagon admits no military plan can secure Hormuz
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/247075/Pentagon-concedes-no-military-plan-can-secure-Hormuz

Disengagement: Trump Vows New Strategy To 'Strangle' Iran Over Time
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-posts-map-showing-hormuz-new-us-territory-just-after-latest-tanker-attack

UN watchdog excavates suspected Syrian nuclear site as Damascus pledges safeguards
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2655111/middle-east

UAE Says Iran Fired Two Missiles at Country as War Drags On
https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/uae-says-iran-fired-two-190338215.html

How did Iranian strikes damage Abraham Lincoln carrier?
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/247076/How-did-Iranian-strikes-damage-Abraham-Lincoln-carrier

Allies rethink US security umbrella after Iran war
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/247063/Allies-rethink-US-security-umbrella-after-Iran-war

Trump Says No Talks are Taking Place With Iran and None are Scheduled
https://gcaptain.com/trump-says-no-talks-are-taking-place-with-iran-and-none-are-scheduled/

Trump denies Iran talks, Tehran claims US ‘begging’
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/8/19/iran-war-live-trump-denies-iran-talks-tehran-claims-us-begging

Seafarer Killed in Latest Strait of Hormuz Attack on Commercial Shipping
https://gcaptain.com/seafarer-killed-in-latest-strait-of-hormuz-attack-on-commercial-shipping/

Saudi Arabia Resumes Oil Loadings, Sales From Inside Strait of Hormuz
https://gcaptain.com/saudi-arabia-resumes-oil-loadings-sales-from-inside-strait-of-hormuz/

Oil Supertanker Earnings on Mideast Route Near $510,000 a Day
https://gcaptain.com/oil-supertanker-earnings-on-mideast-route-near-510000-a-day/

Iran to continue nuclear tech. scientific progress with power
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/247065/Iran-to-continue-nuclear-scientific-development-paths

Trump posts map labeling Strait of Hormuz 'new' US territory
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/iran-live-updates-tehran-adopt-074458959.html

Iran Eliminates US Strategic Targets As Yemen’s Shock Offensive Dismantles Israeli Scheme 
https://scheerpost.com/2026/08/18/iran-eliminates-us-strategic-targets-as-yemens-shock-offensive-dismantles-israeli-scheme/



ISRAEL  - US - ME 1

Cargo Ship Destroyed in New Attack Off Yemen
https://gcaptain.com/cargo-ship-destroyed-in-new-attack-off-yemen/

Yemen reports drone attack on Saudi Aramco Refinery
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/247069/Yemen-reports-drone-attack-on-Saudi-Aramco-Refinery

Gaza municipalities call for urgent fuel entry
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/247066/Gaza-municipalities-call-for-urgent-fuel-entry

VIDEO: Demolishing a Palestinian home in al-Khalil
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/247060/VIDEO-Demolishing-a-Palestinian-home-in-al-Khalil

Gaza's Teachers Struggle to Fill the Void of a School System Decimated by Israel
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/gaza-community-educational-schools-trauma-remote

Israel defends strike on Syria as U.S. frustration with Bibi grows
https://www.axios.com/2026/08/18/israel-syria-turkey-strike-military-buildup

‘Destroying agriculture is the purpose’: How Israel is drying up the West Bank’s most fertile farmlands
https://israelpalestinenews.org/destroying-agriculture-is-the-purpose-how-israel-is-drying-up-the-west-banks-most-fertile-farmlands/

Life in a laboratory of Israeli ethnic cleansing
https://israelpalestinenews.org/life-in-a-laboratory-of-israeli-ethnic-cleansing/

The Torture Regime: How Israeli prisons went from centers of Palestinian resistance to machines of Palestinian death
https://israelpalestinenews.org/the-torture-regime-how-israeli-prisons-went-from-centers-of-palestinian-resistance-to-machines-of-palestinian-death/

Jared Kushner met with Hamas and Netanyahu – guess which he trusts, and which he wants to disarm? – Daily Update
https://israelpalestinenews.org/jared-kushner-met-with-hamas-and-netanyahu-guess-which-he-trusts-and-which-he-wants-to-disarm-daily-update/

102 Rights Groups Call on Rubio to Secure Release of US Citizen Sama Safi, Imprisoned in Israel Since June
https://israelpalestinenews.org/102-rights-groups-call-on-rubio-to-secure-release-of-us-citizen-sama-safi-imprisoned-in-israel-since-june/

Warning of thirst, pollution disaster as Gaza water, sewage services near collapse
https://english.palinfo.com/news/2026/08/18/368557/

Six Palestinians massacred, others wounded in Israeli strike in Gaza
https://english.palinfo.com/news/2026/08/18/368549/

Israel issues tender for 1,234 settlement units in E1 area east of occupied Jerusalem
https://english-wafa-ps.translate.goog/Pages/Details/173869?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Colonists cut electricity poles supplying a home in Burin near Nablus
https://english-wafa-ps.translate.goog/Pages/Details/173814?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Occupation forces detain female doctor in Ramallah following raid on her house
https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/173800



UKRAINE  - US WAR ON RUSSIA

Zelensky names Khmara as new Defence Minister after weeks of political crisis
https://www.vespernews.com/en/news/c1fb3709-c28b-42ca-92aa-b128ac0ce361

Ukraine launches over 600 drones at Moscow region
https://www.vespernews.com/en/news/0ec277ea-ab0d-4359-8297-ba0ba85ab298

What ‘red lines?’ Ukraine launches massive drone attack against Moscow as drone strike intensity reaches record high
https://rmx.news/article/what-red-lines-ukraine-launches-massive-drone-attack-against-moscow-as-drone-strike-intensity-reaches-record-high/

Nearly 70 Russian residents killed in Ukraine attacks
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/247058/Nearly-70-Russian-residents-killed-in-Ukraine-attacks

Israeli artillery and air attacks hit southern Lebanese towns
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/247056/Israeli-artillery-and-air-attacks-hit-southern-Lebanese-towns

Four air strikes hit military airport in Syria’s Idlib
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/247055/Four-air-strikes-hit-military-airport-in-Syria-s-Idlib

Russia Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ Over British Drones Used by Ukraine in Strikes on Russian Territory 
https://www.thedefensenews.com/Russia-Warns-UK-of-Consequences-Over-British-Drones-Used-by-Ukraine-in-Strikes-on-Russian-Territory/

Kyiv didn't last even three weeks before it attacked a tanker carrying Kazakh oil again. 
https://en.topwar.ru/288242-kiev-ne-proderzhalsja-i-treh-nedel-snova-atakovav-tanker-s-kazahstanskoj-neftju.html

The number of drones shot down while approaching Moscow has risen to 103.
https://www-kommersant-ru.translate.goog/doc/8891713?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp



NATIONAL  2

US Sanctions ICC President as Campaign over Netanyahu Warrant Escalates
https://www.palestinechronicle.com/us-sanctions-icc-president-as-campaign-over-netanyahu-warrant-escalates/

US voters don’t want American and Israeli militaries to merge
https://israelpalestinenews.org/us-voters-dont-want-american-and-israeli-militaries-to-merge/

Mossad Officially Enters the US Military Supply Chain
https://israelpalestinenews.org/mossad-officially-enters-the-us-military-supply-chain/

One of Congress’s most pro-Israel members is facing strong opposition from an anti-Zionist in Florida
https://israelpalestinenews.org/one-of-congresss-most-pro-israel-members-is-facing-strong-opposition-from-an-anti-zionist-in-florida/

San Francisco school where 94% of students fail math has highest acceptance rate to UC Berkeley
https://thepostmillennial.com/san-francisco-school-where-94-of-students-fail-math-has-highest-acceptance-rate-to-uc-berkeley

Democratic socialist Angie Nixon clinches surprise primary win in Florida US Senate race
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/18/angie-nixon-alex-vindman-florida-results

US senator Jon Ossoff condemns Trump as ‘draft-dodging, crook president’
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/18/jon-ossoff-trump

Whistleblowers claim Trump officials played politics with university antisemitism probes
https://courthousenews.com/whistleblowers-claim-trump-officials-played-politics-with-university-antisemitism-probes/

Minority Leader Jeffries Drops The Mask, Signals Democrats Are Coming For The Court
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/jeffries-drops-mask-signals-democrats-are-coming-court

Illegal Immigrant Killer Found Not Guilty By Insanity, Flees US During Hospital Leave
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/illegal-immigrant-killer-found-not-guilty-insanity-flees-us-during-hospital-leave

Why Is This Scumbag Still In America?
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/why-scumbag-still-america

Neoliberal Policy Hollowed Out Universities. Now They Are Collapsing 
https://scheerpost.com/2026/08/18/neoliberal-policy-hollowed-out-universities-now-they-are-collapsing/

Maine breastfeeding coalition celebrates 'trans lactation, chestfeeding, and Two-Spirit families' 
https://thepostmillennial.com/maine-breastfeeding-coalition-celebrates-trans-lactation-chestfeeding-and-two-spirit-families



COVID BIOWEAPONS  - HEALTH

Study Finds That COVID-19 Changed the Course of Life Expectancy Across Wealthy Nations - Thailand Medical News
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/study-finds-that-covid-19-changed-the-course-of-life-expectancy-across-wealthy-nations

Quantum Analysis Spots Abnormal Balance Patterns After COVID-19 - Thailand Medical News
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/quantum-analysis-spots-abnormal-balance-patterns-after-covid-19

COVID-19 Surges Across America as Infections Rise in All 50 States - Thailand Medical News
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/covid-19-surges-across-america-as-infections-rise-in-all-50-states

Fauci Aide Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy That Shielded EcoHealth Records, Countered Lab-Leak Narrative
https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/fauci-aide-pleads-guilty-conspiracy-shielded-ecohealth-records-countered-lab-leak

MPORTANT UPDATE & PSA: Dementia & Alzheimer's Disease Cure Protocol
https://www.2ndsmartestguyintheworld.com/p/important-update-and-psa-dementia

Flight attendants and pilots have highest risk of dying from radiation-linked cancers, study says
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/flight-crews-cancer-risk-9.7311245

Manila reports 156 leptospirosis cases this year, City offers free doxycycline
https://outbreaknewstoday.substack.com/p/manila-reports-156-leptospirosis



AI - BIG TECH - INTERNET - MEDIA

Amazon Destroys Rare Books for AI Training Despite Prior Denial, AirTag Confirms
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/324871/20260818/amazon-destroys-rare-books-ai-training-despite-prior-denial-airtag-confirms.htm

AI Wiped Out Two Decades of Falling RAM Prices: Full DDR5 Table for Builders
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/324825/20260818/ai-wiped-out-two-decades-falling-ram-prices-full-ddr5-table-builders.htm

All these wrongful arrests based on faulty Flock camera evidence is another illustration of the way people are making themselves dumber by outsourcing their thinking to machines. Police let AI tech do their job for them instead of using their own brains to rule out the suspect.
https://x.com/caitoz/status/2089882455633494085

Flock allegedly spotted this Colorado woman's truck around the time and location of a package theft.
What ensued was a Kafkaesque scene in which she insisted it wasn't her, while an officer who came to her door said he had indisputable proof—but refused to show her unless she admitted she stole the package.
https://x.com/reason/status/2089533066670665858

Google buys 600 million Spirit Airlines emails and messages for AI training
https://www.airdatanews.com/google-buys-600-million-spirit-airlines-emails-and-messages-for-ai-training/

Meta hides data center info as it pushes more risks to Entergy’s customers
https://thelensnola.org/2026/08/18/meta-louisiana-data-center-ratepayer-costs/

Boston explores sea- and river-source heat pumps for big buildings
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/geothermal/boston-sea-river-source-heat-pumps

Comcast Turns Millions Of Routers Into Motion Sensors - The Same WiFi Signals Can ID You With 99.5% Accuracy
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/comcast-turns-millions-routers-motion-sensors-same-wifi-signals-can-id-you-995-accuracy



SPACE - UFOs - SCIENCE - PARANORMAL - HISTORY

There’s an Entire Ecosystem Living Deep Underground That Shouldn’t Exist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASfmjwciNDI

Wham, Bang! Falcon 9 Rocket Stage Imagery from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
https://www.leonarddavid.com/wham-bang-falcon-9-rocket-stage-imagery-from-nasas-lunar-reconnaissance-orbiter/

Laser stability method advances precision control of electrons with light
https://phys.org/news/2026-08-laser-stability-method-advances-precision.html

Five new wasp species discovered in Cyprus, including one named after Aphrodite
https://phys.org/news/2026-08-wasp-species-cyprus-aphrodite.html



MILITARY - AVIATION

Engineers Left A Lamp In A Qantas Airbus A380's Wing: Then It Flew to Texas & Back
https://simpleflying.com/maintenance-light-left-in-qantas-airbus-a380-wing/

From Dozens to Thousands: The US is ramping up production of Tomahawk missiles. 
https://en.topwar.ru/288231-ot-neskolkih-desjatkov-k-tysjache-ssha-razvertyvajut-proizvodstvo-raket-tomahawk.html

Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15 Fighter Jet Skids on Runway at Naha Airport After Landing Gear Failure 
https://www.thedefensenews.com/Japan-Air-Self-Defense-Force-F-15-Fighter-Jet-Skids-on-Runway-at-Naha-Airport-After-Landing-Gear-Failure/

American Airlines reverses course on seatback screens for narrowbody fleet
https://www.airdatanews.com/american-airlines-reverses-course-on-seatback-screens-for-narrowbody-fleet/

US Navy destroyer with 300 sailors aboard broke down for four days in the Pacific
...the crew went without drinking water, meals, functioning toilets and air conditioning for days aboard the ship, Comer said. 
https://apnews.com/article/navy-destroyer-breakdown-uss-benfold-lincoln-87c0ee18a1641e9a993590368363e148

U.S. Army Awards Elroy Air $46M for Autonomous Hybrid-Electric Cargo Aircraft. 
https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2026/u-s-army-awards-elroy-air-46m-for-autonomous-hybrid-electric-cargo-aircraft

Australia Tests Boobook High-Energy Laser Developed with Japan for Threat Detection.
https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2026/australia-tests-boobook-high-energy-laser-developed-with-japan-for-threat-detection

Su-57D's Combat AI Program Shows How Russia Envisions Warfare Beyond Fifth-Generation Fighters.
https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2026/su-57ds-combat-ai-program-shows-how-russia-envisions-warfare-beyond-fifth-generation-fighters

Russia's secret Poseidon nuclear submarine Khabarovsk begins sea trials in White Sea.
https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/navy-news/2026/khabarovsk-nuclear-submarine-poseidon-sea-trials

Russia Develops 'Martian' Camera-Based Navigation Independent of GPS and Radio Signals for Drones 
https://www.thedefensenews.com/Russia-Develops-Martian-Camera-Based-Navigation-Independent-of-GPS-and-Radio-Signals-for-Drones/

U.S. Air Force Seeks Cheaper, Modular Successor to MQ-9A Reaper After Iran Operations 
https://www.thedefensenews.com/US-Air-Force-Seeks-Cheaper-Modular-Successor-to-MQ-9A-Reaper-After-Iran-Operations/



ENVIRONMENT - WEATHER - FOOD

Over 2,000 emergency personnel tackle wildfires still raging in Portugal
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/18/over-2000-emergency-personnel-tackle-wildfires-still-raging-in-portugal

Extreme Drought Expands to Nearly One-Fifth of Puerto Rico
https://www.telesurenglish.net/extreme-drought-expands-to-nearly-one-fifth-of-puerto-rico/

Trump administration advances plan to rescind 'Roadless Rule' protecting national forests
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-administration-advances-plan-rescind-210557777.html

Trump administration moves to rescind rule that protects millions of forest acres
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-administration-moves-rescind-rule-170815768.html

America’s second largest reservoir is at a record low, putting electricity supply at risk for millions
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/lake-powell-reservoir-record-low-water-b3034540.html

Fifteen years of data link plastic pollution to seabird population losses
https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fifteen-years-link-plastic-pollution.html

Tapirs, bats and nests: How plastic infiltrates Amazonian wildlife
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/08/tapirs-bats-and-nests-how-plastic-infiltrates-amazonian-wildlife/

Judge rejects Alaska land swap that would allow road through wildlife refuge
https://www.eenews.net/articles/judge-rejects-alaska-land-swap-that-would-allow-road-through-wildlife-refuge/

Volcanoes 19 Aug 2026: Semeru volcano, Dukono, Sakurajima, Lewotobi, Puracé
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/volcanoes/today.html



ECONOMY

Magnificent: Dutch & Belgian farmers chase the police away in Brussels! They fight on until the tyrannical EU regime FALLS! 
https://x.com/KAFKA_Dev/status/2089426353074417967

Drought exposes remains of ancient Roman bridge in the Tiber river in Rome
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/18/drought-exposes-remains-of-ancient-roman-bridge-in-the-tiber-river-in-rome
 
Financial crimes watchdog uncovers 'coordinated mortgage fraud' in Australia
https://www.vespernews.com/en/news/8e7247c9-441f-4f96-a74c-f2f3f9f05dbc

US strategic oil reserve drops to lowest level since 1982
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/247064/US-strategic-oil-reserve-drops-to-lowest-level-since-1982

U.S. strategic reserves are getting so low the drawdown threatens to damage the 60 underground salt caverns storing American oil
https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/u-strategic-reserves-getting-low-182205543.html

China Added 200,000 Bpd To Crude Reserves In July Despite Hormuz Crisis
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/china-added-200000-bpd-crude-reserves-july-despite-hormuz-crisis

New 50% tariffs on Canadian goods are scheduled to take effect at midnight
https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/article/new-50-tariffs-on-canadian-goods-are-scheduled-to-take-effect-at-midnight-150239060.html

Trump’s rosy Hormuz claims collide with tanker data
https://www.eenews.net/articles/trumps-rosy-hormuz-claims-collide-with-tanker-data/

Tesla pays Musk 2.5 million times more than average worker, even as profits drop
https://electrek.co/2026/08/13/musk-paid-2-5m-times-more-than-average-tesla-worker-despite-dropping-profits/

America's debt is getting more expensive
https://www.axios.com/2026/08/18/debt-revenue-interest-defense-spending



EU - UK - CANADA

Germany divided over proposals to outlaw the far right
https://www.vespernews.com/en/news/a88a559f-d6a1-4330-9116-3ae8c733327e

Italy demands compensation from Germany over migrant arrivals
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/18/italy-demands-compensation-from-germany-over-migrant-arrivals

Police decry conditions in Ceuta: One bathroom for 70 officers and eight officers to a room
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/18/police-decry-conditions-in-ceuta-one-bathroom-for-70-officers-and-eight-officers-to-a-room

France: drones are becoming a new way to smuggle goods into prisons
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/08/18/france-drones-become-new-way-to-smuggle-goods-into-prisons

‘I have trouble behaving around girls’ – Palestinian migrant convicted for sexually assaulting 15-year-old French girl on a bus
https://rmx.news/article/i-have-trouble-behaving-around-girls-palestinian-migrant-convicted-for-sexually-assaulting-15-year-old-french-girl-on-a-bus/

France: Body of young TikTok influencer found burned and naked in a vineyard near Nimes
https://rmx.news/article/france-body-of-young-tiktok-influencer-found-burned-and-naked-in-a-vineyard-near-nimes/

Spain: Women flee Ceuta after 15 rapes recorded since end of July, 10-year-old sexually assaulted by 3 Moroccans
https://rmx.news/article/spain-women-flee-ceuta-after-15-rapes-recorded-since-end-of-july-10-year-old-sexually-assaulted-by-3-moroccans/

Germany: AfD’s Weidel alleges campaign law violations over left-wing NGO spending in critical election
https://rmx.news/germany/germany-afds-weidel-alleges-campaign-law-violations-over-left-wing-ngo-spending-in-critical-election/

Sanctions Bite Back and Bankrupt EU Nation
https://michaelwalshwriter.com/2026/08/18/sanctions-bite-back-and-bankrupt-eu-nation/



CHINA - ASIA

The US and its allies may be preparing for an invasion of North Korea. 
https://en.topcor.ru/73532-ssha-i-sojuzniki-mogut-gotovitsja-k-vtorzheniju-v-kndr.html

Trump Orders Major Cut to US-South Korea Military Drills 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv3183Azd-Q

Trump Demands $10 Billion Annually for Troop Presence in South Korea 
https://www.thedefensenews.com/US-President-Donald-Trump-Demands-10-Billion-Annually-for-Troop-Presence-in-South-Korea/

Japan is no longer Asia’s defensive power 
https://asiatimes.com/2026/08/japan-is-no-longer-asias-defensive-power/



MEXICO - LATIN AMERICA

Argentina's government leans on deep spending cuts to hold fiscal surplus
https://www.vespernews.com/en/news/0302df46-b4e8-41f2-9296-66a785649c65

Brazil Donates Ten Tons of Food to Colombia After Earthquake-hit
https://www.telesurenglish.net/brazil-donates-10-tons-food-aid-colombia/

Russia Delivers Humanitarian Aid to Cuba Amid Energy Crisis
https://www.telesurenglish.net/russia-delivers-humanitarian-aid-to-cuba/



AFRICA - HAITI - DR

Ebola outbreak surpasses 5,000 confirmed cases
https://outbreaknewstoday.substack.com/p/ebola-outbreak-surpasses-5000-confirmed

U.S. Lifts Decade-Old Security Restrictions on Ships Arriving From Nigeria
https://gcaptain.com/u-s-lifts-decade-old-security-restrictions-on-ships-arriving-from-nigeria/

Morocco detains dozens of migrants trying to enter Ceuta
https://www.dw.com/en/morocco-detains-dozens-of-migrants-trying-to-enter-spains-north-african-exclave-of-ceuta/a-78385761

Why young Moroccans risked everything to reach Ceuta
https://www.dw.com/en/why-thousands-tried-to-reach-ceuta/video-78284831

Nigeria: Dozens killed in Plateau state attack
https://www.dw.com/en/nigeria-dozens-killed-in-plateau-state-attack/a-78419529

Zambia election marred by irregularities, 'militia' arrests
https://www.dw.com/en/zambia-election-marred-by-irregularities-militia-arrests/a-78400154