While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 26, 2026
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
CIA director John Ratcliffe (right) with US President Donald Trump. Ratcliffe’s reported Moscow visit comes as US-brokered talks aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have stalled.
PHOTO: REUTERS
CIA director Ratcliffe visits Russia: US media
US Central Intelligence Agency director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow on Aug 25 for meetings, in what would be his first known visit to Russia as CIA head, US media reported.
The purpose of the reported visit was not immediately clear, and there was no immediate comment from the CIA or the White House when contacted by AFP.
CBS News quoted sources familiar with the matter as confirming Ratcliffe’s trip, while Axios separately reported on the visit quoting two US officials.
Data from tracking site Flightradar24 had earlier shown a US military C-17 travelling from the United States to Latvia and then on to Moscow’s Vnukovo airport. The data showed the same plane leaving Moscow several hours later.
Charges for major who called for Trump impeachment
PHOTOS: AFP, @REALAMVOICE/X
A US military service member who called for President Donald Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance to be impeached is facing charges under the military justice system, his lawyer and the Air Force said on Aug 25.
The active-duty officer, Major Jason Watson, denounced Trump and Vance in July for actions including going to war with Iran without congressional authorisation, according to a video of the protest event posted online.
In the video, the US Capitol Police can be seen detaining Watson, who held a protest sign calling for their impeachment, conviction and removal.
SpaceX announces plans for $100 billion ‘spaceport’
PHOTO: REUTERS
Elon Musk’s SpaceX announced plans Aug 25 to build a US$100 billion (S$126 billion) facility in the southern US state of Louisiana to launch its highly anticipated Starship megarockets, currently being developed at the company’s Texas Starbase.
“A spaceport on the Louisiana Gulf Coast enabling a multiplanetary future,” declared the SpaceX website.
The new facility will be built in Vermillion Parish, about 180km west of New Orleans.
Williams, Alcaraz advance in US Open mixed doubles
PHOTO: REUTERS
Serena Williams made a triumphant return to the US Open on Aug 25 partnering with Carlos Alcaraz to beat Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3 4-1 in the opening round of the mixed doubles, while top seeds Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka crashed out.
The 23-times major winner had not competed at Arthur Ashe Stadium since her tearful farewell from the sport in 2022 and the crown jewel of American tennis erupted in deafening cheers as their queen took the court again.
The 44-year-old Williams had an easy rapport with Alcaraz, who is 21 years her junior, as the partners grinned and giggled their way into the quarter-finals, where they will meet Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli later on Aug 25.
US country music legend Dolly Parton dies aged 80
PHOTO: AFP
Dolly Parton, the American country music singer who rose from poverty in Tennessee to become a US cultural giant with hits like Jolene and 9 To 5, has died at 80, her family said on Aug 25.
“Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus,” her nephew Bryan Seaver said in a video on social media.
He said the multiple award-winning artist had “opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life.”
