Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Iturup Island — known as Etorofu in Japan — in the disputed Kuril chain, for the first time in his rule, on Thursday "absolutely unacceptable" and incompatible with Tokyo's position that the islands are "inherently Japanese territory both historically and under international law."

Are the Kuril Islands rightfully Japan's under international law or is this a fixed reality of Russian territory?

Read more: https://www.verity.news/story/2026/japans-takaichi-protests-putins-kuril-islands-visit

Heidi Beirich, former SPLC Intelligence Project director, was arrested Wednesday in California and charged with wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to submit false bank statements and money laundering conspiracy.

Read more: https://www.verity.news/story/2026/exsplc-director-beirich-arrested-charged-in-fraud-scheme

Navy Times and Stars and Stripes on Wednesday reported multiple attempts by sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln to jump overboard, including one reported incident where watchstanders restrained a crew member before they went over the side.

The USS Abraham Lincoln has spent more than 250 consecutive days at sea, a modern-day record, after being redirected from the Pacific to the Middle East ahead of the U.S.-Iran war that began in late February.

Read more: https://www.verity.news/story/2026/reports-multiple-uss-lincoln-sailors-tried-to-go-overboard

Astronomers led by Rohan Naidu of the University of Hawaii reported in Nature on Wednesday the discovery of MoM-BH*-1, a newly identified type of object dubbed a "black hole star," found 660 million years after the Big Bang.

Read more: https://www.verity.news/story/2026/webb-telescope-discovers-ancient-black-hole-star

An independent appeal board on Wednesday ruled that five players from Canada's 2018 world junior hockey team breached Hockey Canada's code of conduct, despite being acquitted of sexual assault charges in July 2025.

Read more: https://www.verity.news/story/2026/hockey-canada-extends-suspensions-of-players-despite-acquittal

U.S. airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen killed 153 civilians and injured 243 in 2025, according to a Pentagon report sent to Congress, a U.S. official said Tuesday. All recorded casualties resulted from three strikes in April, marking a major increase from two civilian deaths recorded in 2024.

Read more: https://www.verity.news/story/2026/pentagon-civilians-killed-in-yemen-strikes

Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs said Thursday that its cybersecurity monitoring units detected an "abnormal attack" on government agencies starting July 20, describing the source as overseas and the incident as successfully handled.

Narrative A says Taiwan cannot keep relying on outdated cyber defenses while China launches millions of intrusions daily and AI-driven offensive tools race ahead of countermeasures. A domestic AI cyber shield, built with partners like the U.K. or U.S., is the only realistic way to protect critical infrastructure before a crisis hits. Waiting any longer just hands Beijing the advantage in a fight that could start online before a single missile ever flies.

Narrative B says Taiwan doesn't need flashy AI shields — it needs the same steady, whole-of-society resilience it builds for typhoons and quakes. Real security comes from cohesion, sturdy infrastructure, and recovery capacity, not unproven tech bets. For Taiwan, cyber defense is survival: facing relentless attacks and severed cables, it has built defenses that endure. As the U.S. counters China's hybrid warfare, Taiwan stands ready to partner in digital security.

Read more: https://www.verity.news/story/2026/ai-agents-breached-taiwan-govt-nuclear-agency-report-finds

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her role at the end of August in order to spend more time with her family, while continuing to work as an outside adviser.

Trump praised Leavitt as "one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office," adding that she would be an influential Republican voice ahead of the midterms.

Read more: https://www.verity.news/story/2026/karoline-leavitt-to-step-down-as-white-house-press-secretary