Pyongyang conducts second weapons test in less than a week as Seoul, Washington gear up for annual military exercises.
Published On 12 Aug 202612 Aug 2026
North Korea has launched a ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan, according to Seoul and Tokyo, marking the second such test from Pyongyang in less than a week.
The launch on Wednesday came as South Korea and the United States announced plans to hold their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military drills starting on August 17.
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“Our military detected at around 6:00 am [21:00 GMT Tuesday] a ballistic missile launched by North Korea from the Wonsan area towards the East Sea,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a message to reporters, referring to a body of water also known as the Sea of Japan.
South Korea’s military said the missile flew more than 700km (435 miles).
It said it has boosted its surveillance posture and that it was closely exchanging information on the launch with Washington and Tokyo.
Japan’s Defence Ministry said on social media that the suspected ballistic missile had “already fallen”, without providing further details.
“North Korea has never simply let a South Korea-US joint military exercise pass without a response,” Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at Kyungnam University, told the AFP news agency.
“This is a message that Pyongyang is closely watching the upcoming drills and could stage a provocation if it deems one necessary.”
The Ulchi Freedom Shield training is to start on Monday and run for 11 days. Its scale will be similar to previous years, with 18,000 South Korean soldiers taking part, according to South Korea’s military.
North Korea has in previous years denounced the exercises as a rehearsal for invasion, and responded to the drills with weapons tests and harsh rhetoric. Seoul and Washington, however, have repeatedly said their training is defensive in nature.
On August 6, South Korea, the US and Japan detected the launch of a short-range ballistic missile from North Korea in what was Pyongyang’s first ballistic weapons testing activity since late June.
North Korea did not confirm the reported launch.
Pyongyang has ratcheted up its criticism of Tokyo’s defence policy, issuing statements at least seven times since July.
On Tuesday, North Korean state media condemned Japan’s latest defence white paper as a “re-invasion-minded” document, saying it “groundlessly described” Pyongyang as the greatest strategic challenge to “justify its reckless arms buildup”.
North Korea has also been accused of playing a more active role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Moscow had used a North Korean ballistic missile during an attack that killed seven workers at a Ukrainian steel plant in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia.
Aug. 11 (UPI) — Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., launched an investigation Tuesday into the Trump administration’s prosecution of a former Olympian for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro brought the felony charges against David Hearn, who was accused of vandalizing the reflecting pool by “forcefully and violently” ripping up part of the pool floor, earlier this summer.
However, on Aug. 1, she requested the charges be dismissed, saying that new documents from the Department of the Interior showed the damage was instead caused by “hasty and botched work” by the contractor and that she was misled. On Thursday, a federal judge granted a dismissal.
Pirro initially said there was “tremendous evidence” that Hearn had caused more than $1,000 in damages to the pool. President Donald Trump has publicly criticized her for the decision to dismiss the charges, saying she “choked” and that she should “revisit her hastily made decision.” He maintains that vandals caused the damage.
Raskin sent letters to Pirro and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum requesting all communications between their offices and the White House, as well as all documents related to the case — including all evidence presented to the grand jury that indicted Hearn in early July.
In a statement, Raskin noted that court filings show that, despite Pirro’s blame of the Department of the Interior, the Department of Justice also had its own evidence of the botched installation before indicting Hearn.
“How did this debacle happen?” Raskin wrote in the letters to Pirro and Burgum. “… Did the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. in fact maliciously prosecute an American citizen it knew to be innocent with a felony charge carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison? Did the U.S. Department of the Interior deliberately mislead prosecutors to cover up a ‘botched’ renovation by a company awarded a dubious $15 million insider no-bid contract?
“The conclusion seems inescapable that at least one, if not both, of you have misled the American public about the evidence and used it to corrupt and weaponize our justice system against an innocent 67-year-old American citizen.”
Raskin also noted that, in what he called a “jaw-dropping admission,” Interior Department officials wrote to the contractor as early as June 11, more than a week before Hearn was arrested, saying that the reflecting pool liner was already peeling.
Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast’s agenda includes more than 30 bills aimed at strengthening efforts to combat criminal organizations. Photo by Adrian Thomasa/EPA
SANTIAGO, Chile, Aug. 10 (UPI) — Chilean President José Antonio Kast signed a constitutional reform bill Monday that lays the groundwork for his government’s new agenda to combat organized crime.
The initiative seeks to give the state stronger and more explicit tools to confront sophisticated criminal activity. Kast urged Congress to move quickly and approach the legislation with a willingness to reach agreements, with the goal of enacting the measures before the end of the year.
The government’s agenda includes more than 30 bills aimed at strengthening efforts to combat criminal organizations.
Key measures include creating a new state of emergency provision that would allow the deployment of the armed forces, establishing a registry of criminal organizations and creating separate high-security prisons for criminal leaders.
The measures would also streamline the seizure of illicit assets, extend the period in which authorities can make arrests in cases of flagrante delicto — caught in the act — to 24 hours and increase penalties for serious crimes.
Luis Toledo, a former prosecutor and director of the Center for Studies on Security and Organized Crime at San Sebastián University, said expectations about what the agenda can accomplish should be conservative.
“In the short and medium term, it is entirely possible to reduce homicides, regain control of certain territories, improve prison control and dismantle specific organizations, but structurally reversing the penetration of organized crime is another matter,” Toledo told UPI.
He said Chile is confronting not only criminal gangs, but also illicit markets with demand, sources of financing, money laundering mechanisms, recruitment capabilities and international connections.
“And those markets have an extraordinary capacity to adapt: When one structure is dismantled, smaller cells emerge, changing their leadership, communications, routes or financial mechanisms,” he said.
Toledo said Kast’s agenda contains significant proposals, but also has shortcomings, including combining measures targeting organized crime with broader public security and immigration enforcement policies.
“That distinction is important because not everything that increases the state’s coercive capacity necessarily dismantles a criminal organization,” he said.
He said the initiatives with the greatest potential are those aimed at targeting the assets of criminal organizations, seizing their property and preventing them from reinvesting illicit profits.
With organized crime expanding across Latin America, Toledo said tighter controls on illegal entry into the country and other measures proposed by Kast are necessary, but insufficient to address the problem on the scale required.
A transnational criminal organization cannot be fought exclusively through a national response, he said, adding that “international cooperation is one of the essential operational capabilities of a policy against organized crime.”
“We have to see whether Chile will be able to build a state policy that, on a sustained basis, creates a coordinated public security system capable of stripping organized crime of its money, command capabilities, territory, impunity and ability to recruit,” Toledo said. “That is where the possibility of truly reversing the phenomenon lies.”
Alfonso Kaiser, a risk management expert and professor in the Master of Engineering Management program at the University of the Andes, questioned the agenda’s lack of concrete objectives for measuring its results.
“A plan is being presented that does not have clear objectives. We don’t know how we are going to measure them or how much we want to achieve,” Kaiser told UPI.
“We need to take a more measured approach and conduct a somewhat more technical analysis of what goals we want to achieve and when we expect to achieve them.”
Kaiser agreed that border control should be a priority and said the government should strengthen the authority of Carabineros, Chile’s national uniformed police force, and the Maritime Police to deter illegal entry into the country. However, he said the main challenge lies within Chile itself.
“The main failure is internal. It is not that we are facing an extraordinarily intelligent enemy,” Kaiser said. “Our own mistakes are what have led to this situation.”
THE identity of Safiyya Vorajee’s boyfriend has been unmasked.
The ex of Ashley Cain revealed she was in a new relationship earlier today on Instagram but did not give away the identity of the mystery man.
But now, he has been uncovered to be a popular Dutch social media influencer..
Virgil Sint Jago appears to have won the heart of Safiyya who has publicly remained single since her split from Ashley and the tragic passing of their daughter, Azaliya.
Safiyya is understood to have met Virgil in Bali on holiday and is now in the throes of a new romance with him.
As well as being an influencer and online creator, Virgil is also a personal trainer and specialises in helping older women lose weight.
His social media is littered with plenty of shirtless pics as well as being packed full of his impressive fitness content.
Glam Safiyya first began to hint at the romance a few weeks ago before sharing a cosy selfie with Virgil earlier today.
The 38-year-old took to social media to share a sweet tribute to her new romance alongside a snap of them together.
Safiyya wrote: “Happy the universe changed my direction from Thailand to Bali.
“In a world that’s so big we met exactly where we were meant to feel so happy.
“God always gets the timing right. Trust in him always. The most magical connection when you feel it in your soul.”
Safiyya also opened up about her trip to Bali and told followers she’s entering a new chapter of her life.
She said: “There’s something so magical here that has healed parts of my soul I didn’t even realise were still hurting.
“I’ve grown so much. My nervous system has finally experienced what real calm feels like. I’ve let my guard down, allowed myself to be vulnerable, and in doing that, I’ve found friendships and connections that have changed me forever.”
Safiyya and ex-boyfriend Ashley Cain were left devastated in 2021 when Azaylia died at eight-months-old following a battle with leukaemia.
It comes weeks after Ashley, who is also dad so sons Alyias, two, and Atlas, one, from different relationships, was dropped by the BBC over historic social media posts which allegedly showed him making degrading comments about women.
The Ex on the Beach star’s Twitter posts made in 2011 and 2013 are said to have referenced extreme sex acts and appeared to make light of consent.
He reportedly used offensive, sexualised and aggressive language about women.
A NEW low-cost, no-frills travel brand has just launched offering budget breaks to Europe and beyond.
Sundeals, which is owned by the TUI Group, is aimed at holidaymakers who ‘who want great value without the faff’ with clear prices and honest opinions on holidays and hotels.
On Sundeals, there is everything from last-minute trips to all-inclusive holidays, winter sun breaks and adult-only vacations across 100 destinations.
There will be 20,000 hotels alongside a range of airline options from Ryanair to easyJet and TUI.
Looking at its ‘top cheap holiday deals’ – there are breaks to Tunisia from as little as £106pp and trips to Tenerife start from £185pp.
One cheap deal that Sun Travel found is a seven-night holiday to Marrakesh from September 2 to September 9 from £199pp.
This is for bed and breakfast at the Riad Quodwa Marrakesh in a double room with return flights to Liverpool Airport.
This is for bed and breakfast at the Riad Lalla Khadija Moulaty & SPA in a double standard room with return flights to Newcastle Airport.
For winter sun, another break is to the Jardins de Toumana in Djerba, Tunisia from November 24 to December 1.
Staying in a Junior Suite, two adults can stay with bed and breakfast board from £277pp – including return flights to Manchester.
For short breaks, there a three-night stay at Pierre & Vacances Resort Terrazas Costa del Sol in Spain starting from £139pp.
It has an outdoor swimming pool, sun terrace, bar, restaurant, pretty courtyards gardens and return flights to London Luton.
For short-haul, it provides breaks to mainland Europe including Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Malta.
There are far-flung holidays on the cards too with options to Thailand, Mexico, Cape Verde, Barbados, Iceland and the USA.
When it comes to sorting your holiday, you can arrange it by price ‘low to high’.
Or select to rank holidays by TripAdvisor rating to see which holidays were highly-rated by other travellers.
Kevin Nelson, Managing Director for Sundeals said: “We know there is a large group of travellers who genuinely enjoy researching and planning their holidays. They’re confident, digitally savvy and like the feeling of finding a holiday, and deal, that’s right for them.
“But these travellers told us that they’re tired of spending hours going round in circles trying to compare options and work out whether they’ve truly found the right trip – a feeling that we’re calling Bookers Burnout.
“Sundeals has been designed specifically for these savvy deal hunters, helping them cut through the holiday clutter and make decisions with greater confidence.
The Sun’s Head of Travel Lisa Minot weighs in…
TUI launching its own online travel agent is an interesting move from the tour operating giant.
It puts it into direct competition with other online agencies like LoveHolidays and OnTheBeach.
Right now, TUI’s traditional tour operating model means flights, luggage, seat reservations and all the extras are included in the headline price.
But the UK’s second largest tour operator’s prices therefore appeared more expensive than those offered by the online travel agencies.
Online agents show a headline figure but you are then expected to decide if you want to add luggage or seat reservations and that can make a HUGE difference to the final price you pay.
With Sundeals, TUI is able to truly compete – offering the same model and lower headline prices.
With the conflict in the Middle East knocking consumer confidence as fears grew over fuel shortages, this summer has turned into a very late market and travel companies are having to offer cheaper, more attractive prices to tempt holidaymakers to book.
It makes total sense for TUI to want to compete on a level playing field and this should help boost bookings.
The timing of the launch – right in the middle of the school summer holidays – is unconventional but could help them generate more interest among those looking for a Mediterranean bargain.
Whether they have the ability to take on the likes of OnTheBeach and LoveHolidays at their own game will be interesting to watch.
“We’ve launched with a simple user experience focused on the core features customers told us they need most, and over time we’ll continue to introduce smart tools and innovations that make finding and evaluating holiday options even easier.”
Earnings Call Insights: Arcutis Biotherapeutics (ARQT) Q2 2026
“I’m happy to report that once again, we made substantial progress across all 3 pillars during the second quarter” (President, CEO & Director Todd Watanabe), describing the company’s “grow, expand, build” strategy for ZORYVE and the broader pipeline.
Seeking Alpha’s Disclaimer: This article was automatically generated by an AI tool based on content available on the Seeking Alpha website, and has not been curated or reviewed by humans. Due to inherent limitations in using AI-based tools, the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of such articles cannot be guaranteed. This article is intended for informational purposes only. Seeking Alpha does not take account of your objectives or your financial situation and does not offer any personalized investment advice. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank.
A SUMMER of free bus travel for under 16s has started in the UK and one major airport is now offering free trips too.
To encourage passengers to leave their cars behind, bus travel will be completely free to and from the terminal for all holidaymakers throughout August.
London Luton Airport in Bedfordshire will operate buses throughout the day dropping passengers right outside without having to pay a fare.
This falls under the ‘Fly and Ride’ scheme where passengers can travel free on a range of Arriva and Stagecoach services.
All travellers have to do is show a valid printed or digital boarding pass for a flight departing from London Luton Airport during August.
The offer is valid on Arriva routes 101, X1, X2, X3, X4, A and Z.
It’s also valid on Stagecoach’s MK1, which covers the nearby towns of Stevenage, Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, Bedford and Dunstable.
The free journey will count from any stop between August 1-31.
Return journeys must be completed by August 31 to qualify.
The offer does not include National Express and Greenline services.
August is the busiest month for most airports and last year 1.8million holidaymakers travelled through Luton Airport.
This was a five per cent increase from the year before, according to the CAA.
Alberto Martin, CEO of London Luton Airport, said: “This is a fantastic initiative and a great example of how we continually look to extend our simple and friendly passenger experience far beyond the terminal doors.
“As we prepare for our busiest summer on record, we’re delighted to offer passengers the opportunity to leave the car at home, take advantage of excellent local bus services and travel to the airport for free.”
This comes after part of the new government scheme where under 16s can get on bus for no cost as part of the government’s Great British Summer Saving scheme.
Child fares typically cost between £1 and £2 so families will be able to save on the cost of travel.
The scheme is running from now until August 31.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has officially launched his reelection campaign, warning against foreign interference and vowing to defend Brazil’s sovereignty as political tensions rise ahead of October’s election.
Published On 3 Aug 20263 Aug 2026
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FREE trackers for soft toys are being offered to easyJet customers to help kids avoid losing them on holiday.
The Teddy Trackers devices fasten to children’s companions, and can be located via safety app Life360.
EasyJet, the airline and package holiday provider, has teamed up with Teddy Trackers to give parents peace of mind while they travel.
It comes after research, conducted by Censuswide, found two thirds of parents say their child has lost their favourite soft toy or comforter on holiday.
Stuart Wright, customer director at easyJet holidays, said: “We know that it’s often the little things that make the biggest difference to a family holiday.
“For many children, a favourite teddy or comfort toy is an important part of the journey and losing it can be upsetting at what should be an exciting time.
“That’s why we’ve launched Teddy Trackers, giving families extra peace of mind while they’re away.”
The study also found 30 per cent of mums and dad’s of kids who lost toys while they were away, immediately bought an identical replacement online when they got home.
They would hope their little ones wouldn’t notice.
Nearly fourt in five parents say their child’s favourite toy travels with them on most, if not every, family holiday and more than half admit they would change their holiday plans to retrieve a lost toy.
Around 33 per cent of mums and dads say their child’s favourite toy is considered a member of the family.
Among the nation’s most-loved companions, stuffed bunnies take the number one spot as the most commonly lost toy at 26 per cent, followed by traditional teddy bears, and action figures or dolls.
The top toy names reported are Bunny, Teddy, Fluffy, and Billy.
Life360 claims more than 40,000 toys have been actively tracked around the world in the last 12 months through its trackers.
Tom Rizzo, GM International at Life360, said: “We are incredibly excited to be partnering with easyJet right in the middle of the busy summer holiday season, helping families to avoid teddy-related disasters.
“By slipping a Life360 Tile tracker onto a soft toy, the fear of losing it disappears.
“Whether a beloved bear is left behind at security or vanishes under a poolside sunbed, parents can pinpoint its location in seconds using the Life360 app.
“Best of all, the Tile is theirs to keep, meaning families will never have to worry about a lost furry companion on future adventures.”
The joint plan will evaluate recovery needs for nine socioeconomic sectors. (Presidential Press)
Caracas, August 1, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan government and the United Nations have launched a joint 60-day plan to assess the country’s recovery needs following the twin earthquakes that struck the country on June 24.
The initiative, announced in a press conference on Wednesday, is titled the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA). It will be led by Venezuelan authorities with technical support from UN agencies, the European Union, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), and other “strategic partners from various sectors.”
Under the proposal, a multidisciplinary team will work jointly to evaluate nine socioeconomic sectors in the hardest-hit regions and produce technical recommendations to guide reconstruction policies and investment decisions.
“The plan will provide a common and objective assessment of damages, losses, and recovery needs,” outgoing UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Venezuela Gianluca Rampolla told reporters in a televised broadcast with Acting President Delcy Rodríguez.
Rampolla stressed that “the success of this process will depend on the commitment, collaboration, and continuous exchange among all participating institutions.”
For her part, Rodríguez forecast “extraordinary results” from the initiative and expressed confidence in her government’s ability to establish “highly effective coordination mechanisms with international organizations and the United Nations system.”
The acting leader emphasized that the objective goes beyond simply restoring damaged infrastructure.
“It is not only about recovering what existed before; it is about going further. The double earthquake also affected sectors already living in poverty,” she affirmed. “We must move beyond the humanitarian phase and advance toward a recovery process that places the human being at the center in every dimension,” she said.
Education Minister Héctor Rodríguez, who also participated in the press conference, said that the working groups would begin immediately and produce a “detailed and realistic report” with general policy guidelines within the 60-day deadline.
The acting president had previously announced that both public and private banks would offer housing loans to affected families. Homes valued at up to US $70,000 will receive an 80 percent state subsidy for their purchase, with the remaining 20 percent provided via a bank loan to be paid over 25 years. For properties valued between $70,000 and $100,000, the state will subsidize 50 percent, while the remainder will also be granted 25-year financing plans.
Venezuela’s present minimum income stands at $240 a month for public sector workers.
Rodríguez added that residents who lost their apartments will retain their property rights to the land and receive support for reconstruction.
“I have requested that the Supreme Court establish a special jurisdiction to address civil matters related to property ownership and personal identity,” she explained during a meeting with government officials on Tuesday.
The Venezuelan acting president likewise met with a delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday to discuss the possible use of international reserves to finance the Venezuela Rises Plan, through which the government aims to deliver 4,000 homes before the end of the year and build at least 10,000 additional ones in 2027.
According to reports, the talks additionally focused on the Caribbean nation’s macroeconomic outlook and economic policy priorities.
On July 17, the acting president announced access to$346 million from Venezuela’s IMF reserve tranche, funds that are immediately available to address urgent humanitarian needs arising from the disaster. However, the fund has yet to release around $4.5 billion in Special Drawing Rights that have been frozen since being issued in 2021.
The World Bank has estimated the immediate earthquake damages at $19.6 billion and warned that a slow reconstruction process could hinder Venezuela’s economic recovery for the next decade.
According to the latest official figures, the twin earthquakes left at least 5,546 people dead, 16,740 injured, and over 20,000 people homeless.
Edited by Ricardo Vaz in Caracas.
The photo shows the Prime Minister’s Office (Kantei) in Japan. The Japanese government launched the National Intelligence Bureau on Friday as an organization reporting directly to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Photo by Asia Today
July 31 (Asia Today) — Japan launched its National Intelligence Bureau on Friday, creating a central command to collect government intelligence, coordinate analysis and determine national intelligence priorities.
The bureau reports directly to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and was created by upgrading the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office.
It has about 730 personnel and is headed by Kazuya Hara, a former National Police Agency official who served as director of Cabinet intelligence.
Hara’s career has included assignments at Japanese embassies in Russia and the United States as well as positions in the Defense Intelligence Headquarters and the National Police Agency’s foreign affairs division.
Japan also launched a National Intelligence Council chaired by Takaichi. Its members include Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, the foreign and defense ministers, the chair of the National Public Safety Commission and other relevant Cabinet members.
The National Intelligence Bureau will serve as the council’s secretariat.
The government is expected to begin drafting Japan’s first national intelligence strategy, setting basic principles and priorities for intelligence activities. It is also considering legislation intended to counter foreign espionage.
The council will deliberate on foreign intelligence operations and information considered important to national security.
A coordinator, not an overseas spy agency
Despite its name, the National Intelligence Bureau is not designed to operate like the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.
Its central function is to ensure that ministries and agencies provide information in a timely manner and to integrate that material into assessments for policymakers.
The bureau will coordinate the government’s intelligence activities and provide analysis to the prime minister. It has not been granted new authority to establish independent overseas stations, recruit and manage foreign agents or conduct covert operations.
Japan already possesses extensive intelligence capabilities, but they remain divided among several government organizations.
The Foreign Ministry gathers diplomatic intelligence through Japanese missions overseas. The Defense Intelligence Headquarters handles signals, satellite and imagery intelligence.
The Public Security Intelligence Agency and the National Police Agency monitor international terrorism, foreign intelligence services and counterintelligence threats.
The new bureau will bring information collected by those organizations together, but it will not operate its own overseas human intelligence network.
Its role is therefore closer to that of the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence than the CIA.
The U.S. intelligence director’s office coordinates multiple intelligence agencies and provides national intelligence assessments to the president. The CIA collects foreign human intelligence, conducts analysis and may carry out covert operations under presidential authorization.
Separate foreign intelligence service planned
The governing Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party have proposed establishing a separate foreign intelligence agency by the end of fiscal 2027.
That proposal underscores the operational limitations of the National Intelligence Bureau.
A second agency would not be necessary if the new bureau already possessed capabilities comparable to those of the CIA or Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6.
What Japan established Friday was essentially an intelligence command center.
Combining diplomatic reports, satellite and signals intelligence, information supplied by allies and publicly available material could improve the speed and accuracy of government assessments.
However, detecting changes in the intentions of foreign leaders before they become visible often requires human sources inside foreign governments and institutions.
Japan’s existing ministries and agencies will continue to supply most of the information analyzed by the bureau until the government creates an organization capable of independently collecting intelligence overseas.
Oversight remains a concern
The bureau’s expanded authority has also raised questions about oversight.
During legislative deliberations, lawmakers raised concerns about privacy, political neutrality and mechanisms allowing the Diet or independent institutions to review intelligence activities after they occur.
Those questions will become more significant if Japan adopts anti-espionage legislation or establishes a foreign intelligence service.
The government would need to define who may be monitored, what information may be collected and how citizens’ rights will be protected.
The launch of the National Intelligence Bureau strengthens the central leadership of Japan’s intelligence system.
Its effectiveness, however, will still depend largely on information collected by existing ministries, agencies and allied countries.
Japan has created a larger brain for its intelligence system, but it has not yet given that system independent arms and legs capable of gathering secrets overseas.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260731010011670
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Truth Social, the social media firm owned by Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT), on Saturday launched Truth API, a licensed data feed that enables real-time access to posts from its high-profile users, including President Donald Trump.
With Trump Media & Technology
Israeli attacks across Gaza have killed at least two Palestinians and wounded at least 10 others, hours after Hamas agreed to a draft peace deal drawn up by US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace. The agreement would have Hamas disarm in phases, matched by Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Published On 1 Aug 20261 Aug 2026
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NAME a better spot to camp than right by the beach?
Well, at an award-winning holiday park, you can now pitch up your tent just a few metres from the sand, this summer.
Aber Bay Holiday Park near Aberystwyth in Wales will be launching beachside pitches from August 1, costing just £30 per night – which works out at £7.50 per person, per night.
You’d be right by Clarach Bay Beach, which is a sheltered, sand and shingle cove that stretches a mile long.
The beach is a great spot for kids with rock pools to explore and there is also a walking trail that heads over the cliffs.
One recent visitor said: “The beach is located right at the front of the park, it’s a sandy/stone beach with a stream running through the middle ideal for the younger children to explore/build dams etc! Beach is beautiful and always very clean.”
Read more on travel inspo
Another person added: “The bay itself has a beautiful gorgeous beach and facilities for children, the dogs loved it!”
A third person commented: “A lovely little beach front which is safe for children. The beach front also has a nice cafe which serves a good breakfast and tasty fish and chips.”
Guests also get to use all the facilities at the holiday park including an indoor heated pool, a games room, outdoor play area, restaurant, bar, shop and entertainment.
The park also recently opened a rooftop terrace which overlooks the coastline.
The holiday park was named the best in Wales last year by the Welsh Hospitality Awards, making it one of the best holiday parks in the UK.
If you didn’t fancy camping, you could stay in one of the park’s caravans, lodges or glamping pods with their own hot tubs, instead.
A four-night break in September costs as little as £215 in a caravan sleeping up to eight people – that’s £6.72 per person, per night.
One recent visitor said: “Absolutely lovely location,right on the beach and so peaceful, loved waking up to the noise of the sea and will definitely be coming back for another stay.”
WHAT’S better than a hotel stay? One that comes with a free meal of course.
During the summer holidays, Premier Inn is offering free kids meals throughout the day in over 370 locations across the country.
Premier Inn’s new Kids Eat Free deal is in place from now until September 1 at hundreds of its hotels – and you can check which ones here.
With the offer, up to two children aged 15 or under can eat for free with every paying adult.
So in the morning when an adult orders a Full Breakfast with all the trimmings from £10.99, kids can fuel up too.
Premier Inn offers unlimited cooked breakfast and continental with unlimited soft and hot drinks.
In the afternoon or evening, up to two kids can choose from the children’s menu and have one free main meal per each paying adult.
On the children’s menu are dishes like 10-veg tomato pasta, spaghetti bolognese, pizzas, burgers, fish bites and poppin’ chicken.
Adults can opt for one main dish or a Meal Deal from £27.99 – it’s a two‑course dinner with a selected drink in the evening.
Adults can choose from dishes like fish and chips, curry, steak, salmon, pizza and a variety of burgers – which Sun Travel gave their verdict on.
There are lighter options too like the house Caesar salad, sweet and sour kings prawns and nourish bowls.
Premier Inn has also reduced the VAT on children’s meals saving 20 per cent on any additional kids’ meals not included in the free deal.
Kids Eat Free Breakfast: Up to 2 children (aged 15 and under) can enjoy a free breakfast for every adult purchasing a Full Premier Inn Breakfast.
Kids Eat Free Lunch/Dinner: Up to 2 children (aged 15 and under) can have one free main from the kids’ menu (small or large, if available) per adult.
The adult must order a main course from the core evening menu and a drink priced at £1.99 or more. For guests who have purchased a meal deal, this will count as a ‘main’.
Drinks will be charged at full price. This offer is only valid until September 1, 2026 inclusive across selected Premier Inn Thyme restaurants.
For more details of which locations are included please visit the website.
July 30 (UPI) — A Falcon 9 rocket topped with a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office launched from Florida’s east coast early Thursday.
The rocket launched at 3:10 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Little information about the NROL-95 mission has been made public aside from the fact that the payload was designed, built and will be operated by the NRO. The broadcast of the launch was restricted at the request of the NRO, SpaceX said, with the second stage two and deployment of the payload not shown.
The first-stage booster, on its seventh flight, returned to Earth and successfully landed at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
It was the 88th Falcon launch of the year and the 12th this month, according to SpaceX.
There was a 30% chance of weather-related launch constraints, with a backup launch scheduled for Friday.
The US has bombed multiple cities across southern Iran, including Ahvaz and Abadan, in what Central Command described as a ‘heavy wave of strikes’. Earlier, US President Donald Trump said the US would hit Iran ‘very hard’ in retaliation for an attack on US forces in Jordan.
Published On 30 Jul 202630 Jul 2026
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SiriusXM is leaning into its sporty side.
The satellite radio company is launching a new subscription plan built specifically for sports fans, called the Sports Pass. For $5 a month, listeners will be able to follow live game broadcasts for every home and away game for nearly every major sporting event.
Launching Sept. 1, SiriusXM will offer one of sports media’s most comprehensive packages, including everything from the latest Formula One race to international soccer.
“SiriusXM Sports Pass brings that vision to life for sports fans by putting every game and event we carry, hometown voices, national personalities and the daily sports conversation into one simple, affordable subscription,” said Jennifer Witz, SiriusXM’s chief executive, in a statement. “No matter who you cheer for or where you listen, it brings you closer to the teams and voices that matter most to you.”
The subscription includes coverage of the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL; every NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula One race; the PGA Tour; WWE events among others. In addition to the live broadcasts, the Sports Pass will also include expert analysis, podcasts and 24 local sports stations, including ESPN LA 710.
The introduction of the subscription package emphasizes sports as an essential part of SiriusXM’s business. The company said in a statement that sports is one of its biggest engagement drivers and that more subscribers than ever are tuning in to sports. Other subscriptions include its All Music tier for $11.99 a month or its All Access tier for $25.99 monthly, which includes music, sports and news.
By having these sports available through a single subscription, SiriusXM is “creating a one-stop shop for any sports fan who’s listening to the radio,” said sports media analyst Lee Berke. This kind of convenience often increases the time listeners are willing to spend on a platform, he added.
“If all sports and all major coverage is available throughout one service, then there’s no reason to go anywhere else,” Berke said. “If you want to maintain subscribership 24/7, 365, you have to have all these things. You don’t want to just appeal to one type of sports fan.”
Outside of sports, SiriusXM is well known for its curated music channels, like Pitbull’s Globalization and The Kelly Clarkson Connection, and talk shows hosted by on-air personalities Howard Stern and Andy Cohen. The radio company, headquartered in New York, reaches roughly 255 million listeners and has 33 million subscribers, making it one of North America’s leading audio companies. SiriusXM also owns the streaming service Pandora, which it acquired for $3.5 billion in 2019.
“Every new channel, artist performance, live event, and creator collaboration advances our vision for the future of audio,” Witz said.
IF YOU love theme parks and often feel like you don’t get enough time in the day to see and do everything, then you might want to listen up.
Alton Towers is extending its opening hours from Friday, August 14 to Monday, August 31.
The park will stay open until 7pm each night, which gives guests an extra hour in the park.
Mina Fattahi at Alton Towers Resort said: “More time to experience thrills is always a good thing, but the classic mistake that people make is to head straight for the big rollercoaster they see from the entrance.
“Instead, head to the rides at the back of the park first.
“You’ll beat the crowds, spend less time queueing and fit in more rides throughout the day.”
Read more on travel inspo
This summer Alton Towers also has “one of its biggest summer line-ups yet” with a Minecraft experience from July 18 until August 28.
And currently day tickets to the park cost less due to the Government’s Great British Summer Savings scheme.
Tickets cost £34.13 per person, instead of £39 per person when bought online in advance.
Guests under 90cm still visit for free.
Sometimes visiting for a day is just not enough though, even with the additional hour.
If this applies to you, you can also book to stay at Alton Towers Resort for short breaks from £87 per person.
The offer is available for stays between July 20 and September 1 and includes a day’s access to the theme park and free kids entry to the waterpark.
You can choose between either the Alton Towers Hotel, Splash Landings Hotel, CBeebies Land Hotel, the Woodland Lodges at the Enchanted Village, Luxury Treehouses or the Stargazing Pods.
If staying at the Alton Towers Hotel, you can book into a themed room including ones with beds that look like a bathtub, a hot air balloon or even a princess carriage.
Alternatively, if you have toddlers the CBeebies Land Hotel is a great option, with live shows, games and meet and greets with CBeebies characters.
RYANAIR is known for budget-friendly flights – and they’re getting even cheaper in its flash sale.
From now until 23.59 tonight there are deals to be had on its 235 routes – some fares for travel in August are as little as £14.
The cheap Ryanair flights can be booked on the website or app for this summer up until the end of October.
Some of the cheapest flights still available in August include routes from Bournemouth Airport to Edinburgh from £14.09.
Other bargain flights include ones from Edinburgh to Belfast which start from £13.79.
Over 100 routes are on sale from London Stansted including one-way flights in August to Copenhagen from £15.99.
Also under £20 in August are flights to Fez, Carcassone, Pula, Limoges and Milan.
There are 22 routes on sale from London Luton – some of the cheapest include one-way flights to Alicante in August for as little as £19.99.
Other flights for £19.99 include routes to Majorca – the popular Balearic island with beautiful beaches.
From Manchester Airport there are 50 routes available with cheap flights through the summer into autumn.
In October, some of the cheapest flights are to Santander with one-way tickets from £15 – also you can head to Zagreb from £22 and Pisa from £18.
There are deals available from 22 airports including London Gatwick to Aberdeen, Teeside, Norwich and Leeds Bradford.
Ryanair’s Director of Comms, Jade Kirwan, said: “July Pay Day means one thing – it’s time to book your next summer getaway!”
“Whether you’re dreaming of a last-minute beach escape, a sun-soaked city break, or simply need a well-deserved getaway, Ryanair’s 24-hour July pay day flash sale has you covered with fares from as little as £19.99 for travel throughout August.
“Book before 23:59 tonight (Wed, 29 Jul) on the Ryanair App.”
BUDGET airline easyJet has just released its flights for next summer and you could grab a bargain.
EasyJet‘s Big Seat Release means travellers can now book flights up until September 26, 2027.
Travellers can choose from 140 destinations across Europe and North Africa and can fly from 22 airports.
And package holidays can be booked up to October 31, 2027.
Sun Travel looked at the current cheapest flights available and here are the best offers at the time of publication.
You could head from Newcastle to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, one-way on September 8, 2027, for £26.48.
Read more on travel inspo
Alternatively, from the same airport, you could head to Nice in France for £26.48 one-way.
From Birmingham Airport, you could travel to Paris, France, on June 29 for £29.48 one-way.
Or head to Amsterdam for the same price, on June 15.
If you don’t mind spending a few more quid, there are several flights for £32.48 from the airport, including to Bordeaux on August 26, Berlin on August 30, Prague on June 16 and Geneva on September 8.
There are several flights from Manchester Airport for £32.48 one-way.
These include to Paris on June 22, to Amsterdam on September 7, to Copenhagen on June 15 and to Rennes on June 30.
For a bit of Spanish sun, you can head to Barcelona from Leeds Bradford Airport for £34.98 one-way on June 16.
Or you could head to Porto in Portugal on August 6 from Glasgow for £32.48 one-way.
If you can’t wait for a holiday until then, you can get 15 per cent off selected flights if you book by Friday, for holidays between August 1 and September 30, 2026.
Kevin Doyle, easyJet’s UK Country Manager, said: “Whether customers are dreaming of a beach holiday in the Mediterranean, a city break with friends or a family getaway during the school holidays, our Big Seat Release for next summer gives them the chance to get ahead and start planning.”
The summer holidays have officially arrived
The school holidays have officially kicked off and if you’re tempted to book a last-minute holiday with the kids then you’re in luck, as there are plenty of late deals to be found.
Unity Holidays is already offering up to 25% off all summer breaks, but that’s not the only saving to be had with the holiday parks firm. For every summer break booked by September 28, 2026, Unity Holidays are offering a £100 food and drink voucher that can be used at any of the venues on site (excluding the grocery stores).
To claim the voucher, simply use the code UNITY100 when you book your staycation on unityholidays.co.uk.
There are three brilliant locations to choose from; Unity Beach in Somerset from £396, Skirlington in Yorkshire from £399, and Seven Lakes from £209. All three have undergone a major £10million transformation just in time for the summer too; we’re talking the likes of new lidos with cabanas, water parks with plenty of fun slides sure to be a hit with the kids, upgrades to bars and venues, and a host of new activities to book including archery and axe throwing.
The parks are dog-friendly too, and there are even new dog agility parks for those who want to let their fluffy friends run off plenty of energy too!
Unity Beach’s brand new lido has already been a hit since opening earlier this month, thanks to its new heated pools (including one specially designed for children), alongside its indoor pool, splash zones and slides.
Former Olympic swimmer Baroness Sharron Davies MBE was at the opening, and said at the time: “At a time when we are seeing the amount of swimming facilities in the country dwindle – we’ve lost 500 since 2010 – to have Unity Holidays investing millions in pools and lidos across the country, and creating jobs for local people, is tremendous.
“They are enabling children to gain water confidence and learn to swim, while giving families a stunning location to enjoy amazing spaces to play and relax. Our seaside towns need this injection of funds, and I was honoured to officially open the lido and water park in Brean while also seeing first-hand how impressive what a modern, 21st-century family holiday park has to offer can be.”
You can find out more about the new lido on the Unity Holidays website.
It’s not just Unity that’s got tempting food and drink offers this summer. Haven for example has a number of different deals ranging from ‘Kids eat for £1’ to ‘Two mains for £20’ at its onsite venues (you can see the full list on the Haven website), while Parkdean Resorts recently introduced all-inclusive packages at its holiday parks that include three meals a day, as well as unlimited soft drinks and Costa Coffee.
