While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 15, 2026
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US President Donald Trump delivering remarks in Garden City, New York, on Aug 14.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Trump says will ‘soon’ declare Hormuz strait US territory
President Donald Trump on Aug 14 said he would “soon” declare the Strait of Hormuz waterway part of US territory after defeating Iran.
“After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated – pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” he said with a chuckle, during a political rally at a police academy in New York state.
“It’s true,” he added.
The United States remains locked in a stalemate with Iran over the strait, with Iran denying access to much of the civilian shipping and the US Navy mounting a blockade of Iranian ports in an attempt to cripple its economy.
Luigi Mangione admits shooting health care CEO
PHOTO: JEFFERSON SIEGEL/NYTIMES
Luigi Mangione admitted on Aug 14 to gunning down a top US health insurance boss in a Manhattan street as he pleaded guilty to stalking charges before a federal judge.
In a crime that shook corporate America and gripped the country, 28-year-old Mangione is alleged to have murdered chief executive of UnitedHealthcare Brian Thompson, 50, in December 2024 to protest the US insurance system.
“On the morning of December 4, I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione told a federal judge as he pleaded guilty to stalking his victim. He will be sentenced on Dec 18.
Ex-Cambridge professor found dead: UK media
PHOTO: EPA
Black British academic Jason Arday, who resigned from the University of Cambridge last week amid a high-profile plagiarism storm that featured racism claims, was found dead on Aug 14, UK media outlets reported.
Arday, 41, died after being found unresponsive at an address in south London on the afternoon of Aug 14, Sky News and other media said, citing a statement from the capital’s Metropolitan Police Service.
The scandal erupted after some academics and media reports accused Arday, who became Cambridge’s youngest black professor in 2023, of plagiarising parts of his doctoral thesis.
France’s Macron in hot water over jet ski picture
PHOTO: AFP
President Emmanuel Macron found himself in hot water on Aug 14 after he was pictured riding a jet ski on the Riviera, fuelling opposition claims that he is disconnected from ordinary people grappling with heatwaves and wildfires.
The 48-year-old president drew criticism after Paris Match magazine splashed a photo of Macron speeding across the Riviera on a jet ski across its cover.
Wearing a life vest that showcased his toned arms, Macron cut a sporty figure as he vacationed at the Bregancon Fort, the presidential retreat, during France’s August summer break.
Liverpool sell minority stake to Jeff Bezos consortium
PHOTOS: REUTERS, @LFC/X
Liverpool’s owners have agreed to sell a minority stake in the Premier League club to a consortium including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
US-based Fenway Sports Group, owners of the 20-time English champions, said they had agreed the deal with 1892 Holdings, a consortium led by British-Indian millionaire Amit Bhatia and also featuring Bezos and Eduardo Saverin, who co-founded Facebook.
According to reports, the stake acquired by the consortium is around one-third of the club.
