There is not much military activity diirectly related to the War with Iran today, but: Iran insists that the U.S. agrees to all concessions before opening the Strait of Hormuz. No serious peace talks are occurring. The Houthis continue to cause problems with Saudi Arabia. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally rejected the U.S. proposal for the Gaza Strip. In other news: Todd Blanche was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as U.S. attorney general. Typhoon Dolphin made landfall over Okinawa at 101 MPH, causing damage, but, at this time, no known deaths. Next, on to Zhejiang. While not threatening Hong Kong, this storm was deemed responsible for the record high temperature today of just about 98.5 F. As we are expecting to stop through Vancouver after our cruise ship docks in Montreal, I asked Google AI whether the latest British Columbia wild fire is also impacting this city: Yes, there are some active wildfires and smoke in British Columbia , including a small local fire in Metro V...
Never gets fully dark at night in Reykjavik in early August. 16-hours of daylight. Sun sets at 10:30PM or so Sung rises at 4:30AM or so. Daily highs around 55 F, with lows in the mid-40s. According to Google AI: Reykjavík is widely recognized as one of the safest capitals in the world . It frequently tops global safety rankings, such as the Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection report, which has named Reykjavík the world's safest city. Violent crime is exceedingly rare, and the city boasts a high level of social trust, low property crime, and a relaxed community atmosphere compared to most major global capitals. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ] However: Traditional outright taxi scams are not common in Reykjavík , but recent changes to Iceland's taxi laws have led to a rise in complaints regarding inflated fares, unmetered overcharging, and opportunistic drivers targeting tourists—especially for airport or late-night trips. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] Our tour guide warned us to be car...