While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 17, 2026

US forces board ship, carry out fresh Iran strikes

American forces boarded a ship in the Gulf of Oman on July 16 as part of the renewed blockade of Iran’s ports that began earlier this week, the US military said.

US Marines boarded the M/T Wen Yao “to ensure full compliance with the ongoing US naval blockade,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X.

Earlier, CENTCOM said on X that US forces had begun conducting a new wave of strikes against Iran for a sixth consecutive night, “to further degrade Iranian military capabilities”.

An airport, a railway station in the port city of Bandar Abbas and two bridges in southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz were hit, according to Iranian state media.

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ABC, NBC will not air Trump’s election security speech

Two of the three major US television networks have decided not to broadcast a planned prime-time address on July 16 by President Donald Trump on their primary platforms, risking the ire of an administration that has placed unprecedented pressure on American media.

The speech is expected to focus on election security, four months before the critical midterm elections.

Networks have broad First Amendment rights to decide what they choose to broadcast, experts noted.

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Devastating Asian beetle detected in EU for first time

A tiny Asia-origin beetle that has devastated ash forests in North America has been detected in the European Union for the first time in Hungary and Slovakia, the authorities said.

Slovakia’s Agricultural Central Control and Testing Institute (UKSUP), based in Bratislava, said that 18 feared emerald ash borers were found in July in the Streda nad Bodrogom district in the east of the country.

Two adult emerald ash borers were found in June in a trap in the Beregsurany forest, near Hungary’s frontier with Ukraine, Hungary’s NEBIH food safety office said in a statement.

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Ban on sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s

The British government said on July 16 it would ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s in England beginning in April 2027, saying the move would protect children’s health and wellbeing.

The government said drinks containing more than 150 milligrams of caffeine per litre would be covered by the ban, which is subject to parliamentary approval and would apply to sales in shops, vending machines and online.

Ministers said around 100,000 children in England consume such drinks every day and cited evidence linking them to sleep disruption, anxiety and poor concentration.

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Trump to attend World Cup final on July 19

US President Donald Trump will attend the World Cup final on July 19 between Spain and Argentina, the White House said, saving his first appearance at the tournament for its grand finale.

“His attendance will cap what has been the most watched, most secure, and most successful World Cup in American history,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing on July 16.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had announced in June that Trump would attend the final in New Jersey and present the trophy to the winners, but it had not been confirmed by the White House.

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