Aug 12, 2026, 07:30 AM UTC

The death toll in Colombia has climbed to at least 164 following a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck near San José del Palmar on August 10. Over 500 people have been injured, and authorities caution that casualties may increase further as emergency crews reach heavily impacted zones. Tremors from the quake, recorded at a depth of roughly 107 kilometers, were also felt in neighboring Ecuador.

A nationwide state of emergency remains in effect while military personnel and first responders work to clear rubble and locate trapped survivors. Numerous buildings collapsed across several municipalities, leaving hundreds of residents without housing and prompting urgent relief operations. Initial casualty figures rose rapidly as rescue workers gained access to remote communities.

Sources: Adevărul, Digi24, HotNews, Moldova1, Ziarul de Gardă.

United States political dynamics are intensifying three months ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, where voters will decide all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, and 36 governorships amid low approval ratings for President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, former Vice President Kamala Harris is positioning for a political comeback, publicly questioning former President Joe Biden's historical willingness to compromise with Republicans.

Concurrently, the Trump administration is enacting significant administrative shifts. The State Department is closing five diplomatic facilities worldwide—spanning locations in Canada, Japan, Indonesia, Cameroon, and Grenada—as part of an internal reorganization. Additionally, new visa rules will require foreign journalists applying for US entry to submit their public social media accounts for official vetting.

Sources: Avaz, CDM (Cafe del Montenegro), HRT Vijesti, Index, Klix.

Firefighters in Greece continued battling a massive wildfire west of Athens near Megara and Mount Cithaeron on Sunday, deploying specialized aircraft, military vehicles, and hundreds of emergency personnel.

Meanwhile, in Malta, testimony continued in the trial of businessman Yorgen Fenech, who is accused of orchestrating the 2017 car bomb assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Her son testified before a jury, detailing how she was targeted while investigating corruption involving Fenech and government officials.

In Croatia, the opposition Social Democratic Party announced a no-confidence motion against the ruling coalition over a hazardous waste scandal in Gospić. The political challenge coincides with data from the Reuters Institute showing that 63 percent of Croatians actively avoid news coverage—among the highest rates globally.

Sources: HRT Vijesti, Index, Klix, Poslovni dnevnik

Parts of Europe are currently enduring their fifth heatwave of the summer, bringing record high temperatures, prolonged droughts, and severe wildfires, according to the United Nations meteorological agency. The agency noted that extreme heat events are becoming increasingly frequent, intense, and widespread as global warming accelerates.

The prolonged heat and dry conditions are causing severe economic and logistical disruptions. Dropping water levels along the Rhine and Danube rivers threaten to halt cargo navigation and impair power generation, particularly in Hungary. Experts warn that the current wildfire season is on track to become one of the worst on record in Europe, compounding risks to public health and critical regional infrastructure.

Sources: HRT Vijesti, Index, Klix, Poslovni dnevnik, Vijesti.

The Strait of Hormuz remains impassable despite claims by US President Donald Trump that naval mines have been cleared from the passage. Tehran continues to demand full implementation of the June memorandum, sanction relief, unfrozen assets, and war reparations, leveraging the maritime choke point to constrain the American military presence in the Gulf. Concurrently, Iranian officials rejected reports suggesting Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was in critical condition, confirming a recent meeting with President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Elsewhere in the region, Houthi rebels targeted Saudi assets in the Red Sea, while Israeli forces conducted strikes in southern Lebanon. In Israel, peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov defended the US-backed Gaza roadmap, reassuring that the plan ensures the enclave will not endanger Israeli security, shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected the proposal.

Sources: ANSA, Corriere della Sera, Il Messaggero, La Repubblica.