Aug 23, 2026, 10:30 PM UTC

US President Donald Trump has warned that Washington could take military action against Oman if the Gulf state obstructs American negotiations concerning Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking in a televised interview, Trump declared that US forces would strike Oman if it "gets in the way" of bilateral efforts, while asserting that Iranian leadership must "put up the white flag" of surrender. The statement came as Tehran announced it was finalising an agreement with Muscat regarding commercial passage through the vital maritime corridor.

Trump further asserted that Washington maintains direct dialogue with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, though the paramilitary force rejected the claim. The US administration also threatened economic measures against third nations providing assistance to Tehran, even as regional shipping data showed vessel transit through the strait remaining steady.

Sources: BBC News, Cyprus Mail, France24, Sweden Herald, The Guardian.

Global climate models and monitoring services indicate that the developing El Niño weather pattern could reach unprecedented intensity, amplifying human-driven global warming. The UK Met Office projected that tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures may climb more than three degrees Celsius above historical averages, creating conditions that could make 2027 the hottest year on record. Concurrently, the European Union's Copernicus climate service reported record-high July ocean temperatures, coinciding with intense European heatwaves and wildfires.

The escalating climate phenomena are intensifying extreme weather events worldwide. Forecasters warn of severe drought risks across the Amazon basin and South America, alongside torrential flooding across Asia. Economic and environmental analysts caution that these converging weather shocks threaten agricultural yields, critical infrastructure, power grids, and global supply chains.

Sources: BBC News, Bloomberg, France24, STV News, The Guardian.

Croatian lawmakers continued an extraordinary parliamentary session convened by President Zoran Milanović to address the illicit dumping of hazardous waste across the Lika region. The environmental controversy intensified political pressure on the coalition government of the Croatian Democratic Union and the Homeland Movement, prompting the opposition Social Democratic Party to pursue a vote of no confidence.

Meanwhile, the trial of businessman Yorgen Fenech proceeded in Malta, where jurors heard testimony linking the 2017 assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia to her investigations into high-level official corruption.

Separately, findings from the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026 revealed that 63 percent of adults in Croatia regularly or intermittently avoid current affairs coverage, placing the country alongside Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey among those with the highest global news avoidance rates.

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

Concerns regarding public safety and law enforcement capacity continue to mount across Scotland amid newly published crime figures and ongoing police inquiries.

Senior police figures have warned that reduced visibility in community policing risks turning prominent urban thoroughfares, including parts of central Glasgow, into spaces avoided by the public. Concurrently, data indicates that recorded sexual offences across Scotland have reached their highest point since 1971, with officers responding to approximately 200 reports involving violence against women and girls each day.

In a separate development, Police Scotland has launched an investigation in Glasgow's west end following the discovery of two deceased men, aged 50 and 54, on Chancellor Street in Partick, with officers cordoning off the area to establish the circumstances of the deaths.

Sources: The Herald, STV News, The Scotsman

Swedish authorities are responding to several fatal incidents across the country.

In Fagersta, police apprehended a suspect following a sword attack at Brinellskolan on Friday. The attack left one person dead and two others critically injured.

Separately, law enforcement in Mariestad opened a murder investigation after a person was discovered severely beaten and unconscious in the Karlsholme district during the early morning hours. Emergency responders administered resuscitation efforts, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. No arrests have been made in connection with the assault.

Additionally, a collision north of Mariestad on the E20 resulted in three fatalities, involving two adults and a child whose vehicle crashed into a truck in a construction zone. A second child remains hospitalized with injuries, while the truck driver was unhurt.

Sources: 8 Sidor, Svenska Dagbladet, SVT, Sweden Herald, Sydsvenskan