While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 6, 2026
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Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Aug 3.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Iran says close to Strait of Hormuz plan with Oman
Iran and Oman have agreed a route for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and are putting the final touches on arrangements for jointly managing the waterway, Tehran’s foreign ministry said on Aug 5.
But official sources briefing Iranian media stressed that any reopening of the strait would depend on the United States fulfilling what Tehran sees as its commitment to end its own naval blockade of Iran’s ports.
Iran has seized de facto control of the strait, a strategic waterway for global energy trade, since the United States and Israel launched their war against the country on Feb 28.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted Tehran is keen to do a deal to reopen the route to shipping, but Iran denies this and says it will instead make arrangements with its neighbour across the strait, Oman.
Marine One helicopter was briefly too close to passenger jet
PHOTO: AFP
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said a military helicopter carrying President Donald Trump on Aug 4 was briefly too close to a passenger jet departing Reagan Washington National Airport but said the US president was not in danger.
The incident raises serious questions about why the passenger plane was allowed to depart while Marine One was nearby, a time when commercial traffic is typically halted.
Following a January 2025 crash between a military helicopter and a commercial jet that killed 67 people, the FAA barred mixed helicopter and jet traffic around the airport.
Cambridge professor at centre of plagiarism furore quits
PHOTO: NYTIMES VIA SIMON & SCHUSTER
A University of Cambridge professor engulfed in a high-profile plagiarism storm resigned from his posts on Aug 5, shortly after the prestigious British institution announced a probe into the various accusations against him.
Jason Arday – who made headlines when the university appointed him as its youngest black professor in 2023 – has faced snowballing claims he plagiarised parts of his PhD thesis.
Questions also emerged about some of his stated achievements, with Arday and his defenders claiming racism has motivated parts of the scrutiny.
Embattled FIFA chief Gianni Infantino in emergency talks
PHOTO: REDHAT PRODUCTIONS VIA REUTERS
FIFA president Gianni Infantino held emergency talks with directors of world football’s governing body in Morocco on Aug 5, a source told AFP, amid a wave of criticism over his now shelved plan to open the World Cup to private investment.
Infantino has come under increasing pressure, even from within his organisation, over his handling of the proposal, and calls for him to step down have grown since he abandoned it on Aug 1.
The meeting began in the morning at FIFA’s Africa headquarters in the Mohammed VI complex in Sale, near Rabat, a source close to the talks told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Grace Chan files police report, says woman splashed son
PHOTO: GRACE CHAN/INSTAGRAM
Hong Kong-born Canadian actress Grace Chan has lodged a police report after a woman allegedly splashed her six-year-old son with “a cream-like substance” during a family outing.
The incident took place at a cinema in Admiralty, Hong Kong, on the afternoon of July 30 after the family watched Marvel’s latest film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
According to reports, Chan’s son accidentally kicked the back of a woman’s seat during the screening.
