A strong earthquake hit Colombia on August 10, 2026, causing significant damage and casualties. The government responded quickly by setting up emergency teams and using heavy equipment for rescue, unlike Venezuela’s slower and less coordinated response to earthquakes in June 2026.
Key Facts
Colombia experienced a 7.4-magnitude earthquake on August 10, 2026.
At least 111 people died from the earthquake in Colombia.
Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella declared an emergency and started rescue efforts within an hour.
In contrast, Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez waited almost four hours to address her nation after earthquakes in June 2026.
Venezuelan civilians had to dig through rubble by hand for weeks due to slow government help.
Colombia used cranes and excavators to search for survivors shortly after the quake.
Venezuela called for international rescue teams to help; Colombia allowed only U.S. personnel and mainly requested supplies.
The different responses highlight the contrast between Venezuela’s authoritarian government and Colombia’s democratic system.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Zambia has started voting in its presidential election, where current President Hakainde Hichilema seeks a second term. The election focuses on economic challenges, including high living costs and job creation, with results expected by August 17.
Key Facts
Voting began at 6 am local time and will last 12 hours.
About 8.7 million people are registered to vote in Zambia’s 22 million population.
President Hichilema’s government has worked on economic reforms to lower inflation and strengthen the currency.
Over 70% of Zambians live on less than $3 a day, with high food and energy costs remaining a worry.
Unemployment in Zambia is around 10 percent.
Hichilema won the presidency in 2021 after several attempts and focuses on job creation and infrastructure projects.
His main opponent is Brian Mundubile, a former minister representing a new opposition party linked to the previous ruling party.
Voters will also choose representatives for an expanded parliament with 226 seats, up from 156.
Results need a candidate to win over 50% of the vote to avoid a second round.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Russian forces attacked the area near Ukraine's Izmail port on the Danube River, causing damage and a fire. At the same time, Russia reported shooting down 362 Ukrainian drones overnight and a drone strike caused a fire in an industrial area in Russia's Salavat region.
Key Facts
Russia attacked Ukraine’s Izmail port area, causing damage and a fire.
Izmail is Ukraine’s largest port on the Danube River.
Russia said it intercepted and destroyed 362 Ukrainian drones overnight.
A drone attack caused a fire near a large oil refinery in Salavat, Russia.
Ukraine’s President Zelensky requested 5% of the U.S. Patriot missile stock to defend through winter.
Zelensky said Ukraine currently has fewer interceptors while Russia is using more ballistic missiles.
Military aid to Ukraine increased in June, mainly due to new EU funding.
The EU introduced a 90-billion-euro loan to support Ukraine’s budget and defense in 2026-2027.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
A new report from Save the Children shows that 3.7 million children in Afghanistan are suffering from acute malnutrition, a severe and sudden loss of weight and health. This rise in malnutrition is linked to the closure of many healthcare clinics due to a sharp drop in humanitarian aid after the Taliban took control in 2021.
Key Facts
Nearly 1 in 10 children under five in Afghanistan is acutely malnourished.
Acute malnutrition means children are dangerously underweight for their height, often from lack of food or illness.
Malnutrition rates worsened in two-thirds of Afghan provinces between early 2025 and early 2026.
Around 600 health clinics have closed due to a loss of funding, affecting about 4 million people.
Humanitarian aid fell nearly 70% from $3.27 billion in 2022 to $1 billion in 2025.
Only $438 million in aid had been secured by mid-2026, leaving a 74% funding gap.
Afghanistan’s population grew by 12% since late 2023, partly due to the return of over six million Afghans from Pakistan and Iran.
The Taliban’s ban on female aid workers has limited aid delivery, especially for women and children.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Polls have opened in the Clacton byelection where Nigel Farage is running against many fringe candidates, including a comedian’s space-themed character. Farage resigned his seat to prompt this election amid a scandal over a £5 million gift he received, which is under official investigation.
Key Facts
Nigel Farage resigned as MP for Clacton and called a byelection to address complaints about a large gift he received.
The gift was £5 million from Christopher Harborne, a crypto billionaire, and is being investigated by a parliamentary watchdog.
Farage says the gift was personal, not a bribe to run for office, and gave various reasons for it, such as security and a Brexit reward.
The inquiry into Farage’s finances was paused but could restart if he wins the byelection.
Main political parties chose not to compete, calling the election a “media circus” and played by Farage’s rules.
The election features a record 34 candidates, including independents, performance artists, and members of the Monster Raving Loony party.
Clacton is a mainly older, economically inactive area with high support for Brexit.
Farage was first elected in 2024 with a solid majority but the byelection could affect his chances for future political leadership.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
The UK government announced it will close 13 more hotels used to house asylum seekers, continuing a plan to end the use of hotels for asylum accommodation by the end of the current parliament. This decision responds to concerns about poor living conditions in these hotels and aims to spread asylum seekers more evenly across the country.
Key Facts
The UK government is closing 13 additional hotels used for asylum seeker housing, totaling 44 closures this year.
Labour Party’s policy is to stop using hotels entirely for asylum accommodation by the end of this parliament.
Asylum seekers currently make up a higher percentage of the population in poorer areas compared to wealthier ones.
Hotels were first widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic due to public health concerns, replacing flats.
Living conditions in these hotels have been reported as poor, including cramped spaces, limited food and drink, and mental health challenges.
Private companies housing asylum seekers receive significant government funding, resulting in large profits.
Politicians from different parties, support groups, and far-right activists agree hotels should close, but for different reasons.
Moving away from hotel housing aims to reduce tensions in communities and improve the living standards of asylum seekers.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Russian forces attacked the Izmail port in Ukraine's Odesa region, causing a fire and damage to port facilities. Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy is asking the United States for more Patriot missile interceptors to defend against Russia’s frequent ballistic missile attacks.
Key Facts
Russian troops struck Izmail port, setting fire to port infrastructure near the Romanian border.
The Izmail port is Ukraine’s largest port on the Danube River, important for grain and other goods.
Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy asked the U.S. for 5-10% of its Patriot missile interceptors to protect Ukraine this winter and counter Russian ballistic missiles.
Russia is launching more ballistic missile attacks on Ukraine, including around Kyiv, killing civilians and damaging buildings.
Ballistic missiles are hard to stop because they travel fast and follow steep paths.
Ukraine has fewer interceptors now than it did in 2025, partly because some supplies are redirected to conflicts involving Iran.
Ukraine’s air force will stop sharing detailed information about missile interceptions for security reasons but will continue to provide general updates.
Last month, Russia launched over 450 missiles at Ukraine, with nearly 200 being ballistic missiles.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Phoebe Bridgers introduced her new album, Lost Weekend, at special planetarium events in the UK, including Armagh and Glasgow. The shows combined her music with night-sky visuals, providing fans an immersive experience ahead of the album’s official release.
Key Facts
Lost Weekend is Phoebe Bridgers’ first solo album in six years.
Bridgers is a Grammy-winning artist known for her previous album Punisher and work with the group boygenius.
The special planetarium events featured visuals by photographer Babak Tafreshi paired with the full 16-track album.
Attendees at the Armagh Planetarium had to put phones in magnet-locked pouches to keep the event phone-free.
Fans described the event as unique, immersive, and emotionally moving.
Some songs reference Bridgers’ past relationship and the album is dedicated to her late father.
The events sold out quickly, with eight showings split between two UK locations.
Local fans appreciated bringing a modern cultural event to a smaller historic city like Armagh.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
A ski resort in Adelboden-Lenk, Switzerland, plans to use its snowmaking equipment during summer to help fight forest fires. The resort’s water system and reservoirs, usually used to make snow in winter, could supply water to firefighters and helicopters during dry months.
Key Facts
The Adelboden-Lenk ski resort is located between 1,000 and 2,300 meters in altitude.
About 70% of the snow on its slopes is made using artificial snow machines.
The resort has 210 snow cannons, 50 snow lances, and a network of underground water pipes.
Water reservoirs collect rainfall and melting snow for snowmaking during winter.
The equipment and water system can help create wet areas to slow down forest fires.
Helicopters fighting fires can refill water tanks from the resort’s reservoirs.
Switzerland is experiencing drought, raising the risk of wildfires even in places like Adelboden.
The Bernese Oberland region is popular for summer activities like hiking and biking.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Taiwan reported it was targeted by a new kind of cyber-attack that used artificial intelligence (AI) to assist hackers. The attack started in July and affected multiple government agencies and key infrastructure companies. Taiwanese authorities and cybersecurity experts said the attacks likely came from overseas and involved AI tools working alongside human hackers.
Key Facts
Taiwan detected AI-assisted cyber-attacks on government agencies beginning July 20.
At least 85 government user accounts were compromised, with over 2,500 personnel records stolen.
The attack spread to Taiwan’s nuclear safety agency and at least seven energy companies.
An Israeli AI company, Dream, identified the hacking tool as autonomous and coordinated like a cyber team.
The attack used a hybrid approach mixing AI agents with manual hacking steps.
Use of Simplified Chinese in communications suggests a high probability the hackers had links to China.
Taiwan’s National Security Bureau said cyber-attacks on infrastructure increased by 6% in 2025, often coinciding with Chinese military drills.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs responded by creating protective rules and improving system monitoring to stop future attacks early.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Ministers in England and Wales are considering upgrading security at certain men’s category C and women’s prisons to reduce overcrowding. They are exploring moving some male prisoners from higher-security category B prisons to these sites, but changes will require significant security improvements.
Key Facts
Officials are looking at ways to ease overcrowding by moving male prisoners from category B prisons to category C or women’s prisons after upgrading security.
Category B prisons, called reception prisons, hold many remand and short-term prisoners and are often overcrowded.
Category C prisons hold about half of all prisoners and focus on preparing them for work and life after release. These prisons have lower security than category B.
Female prisoners might be moved out of women’s prisons to free up space for men, but this requires upgrading security at those locations.
Upgrading prison security involves adding features like razor wire, partitions, and surveillance, which takes a long time.
The number of remand prisoners (those waiting for trial) has increased due to court delays, worsening overcrowding.
Prison officers and reform experts warn that upgrading security and moving prisoners will take time and may not solve rehabilitation issues.
Andy Burnham has asked the justice secretary to plan how to free up space and is confident that the killers of PC Andrew Harper will not get early release.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Dmitry Muratov, Nobel Peace Prize winner and co-founder of the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, says Russia can no longer claim victory in the war in Ukraine. He also warns of the risk of nuclear weapons use and describes the harsh crackdown on free speech in Russia since the invasion began.
Key Facts
Dmitry Muratov co-founded Novaya Gazeta over 30 years ago, a paper known for independent journalism and exposing abuses in Russia.
Muratov won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for defending freedom of expression in Russia.
The Russian government took over Novaya Gazeta’s printing presses and blocked its website, limiting its ability to publish.
Since the start of Russia’s military action in Ukraine, about 1,500 people have been jailed for speaking against the government’s policies.
Muratov says the conflict has caused over a million casualties and that Russia cannot claim victory.
He warns that talks about nuclear weapon use have increased and are sometimes discussed openly on Russian state platforms.
Muratov says it is uncertain what President Putin truly plans regarding nuclear weapons.
Novaya Gazeta’s journalists face severe risks; six have been killed, including Anna Politkovskaya, a reporter on the Chechnya war.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Kuril islands, a group of islands claimed by both Russia and Japan, causing Japan to issue a strong protest. The islands were taken by the Soviet Union in 1945 and have been a source of tension between the two countries since then.
Key Facts
President Putin visited the Kuril islands for the first time on August 13, 2026.
Japan claims the same islands, calling them the Northern Territories, and protested Putin’s visit.
The Kuril islands were seized by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War II in 1945.
Russia maintains a military presence on the islands, which are strategically important.
The islands have a population of about 20,000 Russian residents living in harsh weather.
The islands have valuable resources like gold, silver, and rich fishing areas.
Japan’s population was deported from the islands after 1945.
Past talks between Russia and Japan have not resolved the territorial dispute.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Aid workers stopped visiting rural villages in Nepal after the United States cut foreign aid, which led to a fall in healthcare services for pregnant women and children. This reduction in aid has been linked to increased deaths of mothers and babies in several countries, including Nepal.
Key Facts
A U.S. decision to cut foreign aid reduced support for maternal and child health programs in Nepal and other countries.
The U.S. government ended funding for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which was a major global aid donor.
Many rural areas lost access to birth centers, medicine, and trained health staff.
Seventy percent of women’s organizations reduced their services due to aid cuts.
These aid cuts have reportedly caused the deaths of mothers and children in affected regions.
The Gates Foundation predicts child deaths might increase worldwide for the first time in 2025 due to aid reductions.
A study in The Lancet says U.S. aid cuts could cause over 14 million deaths by 2030, including 4.5 million children under five.
The U.S. government denies that anyone has died due to these funding cuts.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
The U.S. government cut funding for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2025, which caused major health programs in Nepal to shut down. This reduction in aid has led to more deaths among pregnant women and babies due to lack of nutrition support and medical care.
Key Facts
President Donald Trump’s administration ended USAID in 2025, reducing foreign aid worldwide.
USAID previously funded programs that helped pregnant women and children with nutrition and healthcare.
In Nepal, many nutrition and maternal health programs closed because of these funding cuts.
About 60% of women’s health organizations in Nepal had to cut their services after the aid reductions.
Programs that trained nurses and midwives and supported pregnant women directly were stopped.
These programs had helped around 100,000 women and girls in Nepal over three years.
The Gates Foundation warned that child deaths may rise globally in 2025 due to decreased aid.
Health workers in Nepal report more deaths during childbirth since these programs ended.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Japan strongly protested President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the Kuril Islands, which both Russia and Japan claim. The visit highlights a long-running dispute between the two countries over these islands, which stopped them from signing a peace treaty after World War Two.
Key Facts
President Putin visited the Kuril Islands, according to Russian state media.
The islands are claimed by both Russia and Japan.
Japan refers to the island Putin visited as Etorofu, while Russia calls it Iturup.
Japan’s foreign minister said the islands belong to Japan by history and international law.
Japan strongly opposes President Putin’s visit to these islands.
The dispute over the Kuril Islands has lasted for decades.
This disagreement prevented Russia and Japan from signing a peace treaty after World War Two.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Three Palestinian families in Qusra, located in the occupied West Bank, are trapped inside their homes because Israeli settlers have blocked roads and stopped water and electricity services. The Israeli army removed the settlers from a nearby area after two days, but the settlers came back within a few hours.
Key Facts
The incident is happening in Qusra, in the West Bank, an area under Israeli occupation.
Three Palestinian families are confined inside their homes.
Israeli settlers have blocked the roads around these homes.
The settlers also cut off the families’ water and electricity.
After two days, the Israeli military evacuated settlers from a nearby outpost.
Despite this, the settlers returned within hours.
The situation has lasted for at least two days.
The Israeli army is involved but has not prevented the settlers from coming back.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Rescue teams in Colombia are in the final stage of search efforts after a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake that has killed 265 people and injured over 3,500. Nearly 500 people are still missing, and thousands of homes and buildings have been destroyed, with ongoing efforts focused on finding survivors and providing emergency help.
Key Facts
A strong 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Colombia, the strongest this century in the country.
At least 265 people have died, and more than 3,500 have been wounded.
Around 500 people remain missing after the quake.
More than 9,550 homes have been destroyed.
Cities most affected include Pereira and Cali, with 83 and 74 deaths respectively.
Rescue teams are entering the "final phase" of searching for survivors, typically a 72-hour period after a disaster.
Colombian President Abelardo de La Espriella declared an economic emergency and plans to create a fund to rebuild damaged hospitals, schools, and infrastructure.
Local citizens have volunteered to help by bringing water, food, and donating blood to support rescue efforts.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
An oil spill from the tanker Caroline Bezengi has reached Oman's mainland, polluting beaches along the central coast. The spill, which started in June after the tanker ran aground, has affected up to 40 kilometers of coastline and is expected to impact more areas nearby.
Key Facts
The Caroline Bezengi tanker has been leaking oil since it ran aground off Oman's coast on June 8.
Oil has spread to beaches in Ras Madrakah, polluting about 40 kilometers (25 miles) of coastline.
Oil is expected to reach the southern coast of Masirah Island, affecting 10-20 kilometers (6-12 miles) of coastline.
The spill covers nearly 400 square kilometers (154 square miles), centered around the Hallaniyat archipelago.
The Hallaniyat islands are home to a marine reserve protecting sea turtles and other marine life.
The tanker is part of Russia’s shadow fleet and is under sanctions by the EU, UK, Switzerland, Canada, and Ukraine.
The ship is owned and operated by companies based in China.
Environmental groups like Greenpeace warn the spill could cause a severe environmental disaster without urgent action.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
Zambians voted in a presidential election to decide if President Hakainde Hichilema should serve a second term. The election also includes votes for Parliament and local councils, with results expected on Monday.
Key Facts
The election took place on a single day, with about 8 million registered voters in a country of 22 million people.
President Hakainde Hichilema is the candidate from the United Party for National Development (UPND).
He faces 13 other candidates, with Brian Mundubile from an opposition alliance seen as his main rival.
The election is seen as a test of Hichilema’s economic policies since he became president in 2021.
Hichilema inherited a troubled economy and worked on restructuring Zambia’s large foreign debt.
Under his leadership, Zambia has experienced some economic growth and attracted investors.
Many citizens remain frustrated due to high unemployment, rising food prices, and unstable electricity.
Election results are expected to be announced on Monday.
Read the Original
Want the full story? Tap a source to open the original
article.
