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World News

Fresh news brought to you daily from around the world. Hot news, breaking stories as they happen.

Trump Threatens To Bomb US Ally Oman Over Iran Deal

President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman, a US ally, if it “gets in the way” of American negotiations with Iran, according to Fox News.

The United States and Oman have been holding separate discussions with Tehran about reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for global oil and liquefied natural gas. The strait has been largely closed for nearly six months amid conflict between the US and Iran.
Threat Made During a Phone Interview
Fox News reported that Trump made the threat during a phone interview. A Fox correspondent said the US president also used an expletive during the call when responding to questions about Oman’s role.
In the same period, Iranian officials said they were close to finalising a deal with Oman for shipping to pass through the strait. At the same time, the future of US-Iran talks remained uncertain as a 60-day Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Washington and Tehran is due to expire.
Trump was asked by BBC News in the Oval Office on Monday whether he was seeking an extension to the MoU. He replied: “No.”
Strait Of Hormuz Reopening Talks Continue
The Strait of Hormuz borders Iran and Oman and carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas under normal conditions. Iranian actions that followed earlier attacks between the two sides have largely halted transit, with reopening described by both Washington and Tehran as a central issue.
Oman has described itself as neutral in the conflict, while it has also suffered strikes from Iran. The sultanate is nevertheless seeking to mediate between Iran and others in efforts to restart shipping through the waterway.
Earlier in the week, the Iranian foreign ministry said it had reached an understanding with Oman on a transit route. Esmaeil Baghaei, a foreign ministry spokesman, told reporters that both sides would finalise details before issuing a joint statement. Oman has previously described its talks with Iran as positive.
For Washington, Reuters reported earlier, citing an Iranian official, that Tehran was seeking fees from vessels transiting the strait, at between 5% and 7% of cargo prices. Separately, earlier this month, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said a full reopening would depend on Iran receiving compensation from the US for what Tehran described as violations of the MoU.
IRGC Backchannel Claim Denied
Fox reported that Trump also said he had a direct backchannel with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which plays a major military, economic and political role in Iran. An IRGC spokesman denied the claim.
The spokesman told semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim that there were no talks between IRGC officials and Americans. He said Trump’s allegation was a product of “fantasies” driven by defeat and desperation, according to the report.
MoU Expires As Trump Says He’s Not Rushed
The MoU between the US and Iran, signed on 18 June, was intended to bring about a ceasefire and at least partially reopen the Strait of Hormuz. It broke down soon after, when both sides resumed strikes.
On 8 July, Trump said the ceasefire was over and criticised Iran’s leadership after further exchanges of fire. As the MoU approached formal expiry on Monday, he posted on his Truth Social platform that the “number one goal” was to ensure Iran could not obtain a nuclear weapon.
During the Fox interview, Trump also suggested he was not planning an immediate push for an end to the conflict, saying of Iranian leaders: “They’re good poker players, but they’re dying,” and adding that he had “no time schedule” and was “not in a hurry”.


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18 August 2026
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Dementia-hit British man faces deportation from Sweden

George Mason, a 74-year-old man who has lived in Sweden for more than 20 years and receives round-the-clock care, has been given days to leave the country or face deportation, his family said.

Mason, who was born in Hinckley in Leicestershire, has vascular dementia and vascular parkinsonism and lives in a specialist care facility. His daughter, Michelle Torossian, said the British Embassy told the family on 7 August that Swedish authorities had set a deadline of Thursday for him to leave Sweden, or be deported.
The Migration Court of Appeal rejected the family’s appeal, according to court documents, after considering the state’s interest in regulated immigration alongside Mason’s private life. The court found that expulsion was “proportionate”.
Days to Depart
Torossian said the decision has left the family in distress. She said she was concerned about the impact on Mason if police were sent to take him from the care setting.
“We just want him to have some dignity,” Torossian said. She also described the situation as “awful” and “traumatic” for the family, adding that she believed Mason was being treated “ruthlessly and harshly” given his vulnerability.
Residency Applications Rejected
The case follows a withdrawal from the UK’s previous EU status. When the UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020, British citizens no longer held EU citizen rights, which removed their right to remain in Sweden under residence rules.
During the transitional period, British citizens could apply for residence status under a UK-EU withdrawal agreement. That process ended on 31 December 2021. Torossian said that because of Mason’s health conditions, a “god man” had been given legal authority to manage his affairs.
Swedish Migration Agency documents seen by the BBC state that Mason applied for permanent residency on 21 December 2021. The application was refused because the agency said supporting documents showing that he met the grounds for residency had not been submitted.
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A further application was made in February 2024, citing Mason’s connection to his son, Carl Mason, who has Swedish residency. That application was rejected in November 2025, with the agency concluding there was no “special relationship of dependence” between them.
Torossian said another appeal was lodged after the agency’s latest decision. The Migration Court of Appeal rejected an appeal in June 2026, before a further legal challenge was filed with “extensive medical evidence”.
Medical Risks Cited
The latest appeal argued that Mason was not capable of international travel. It also said moving him from his current care environment would likely lead to a significant deterioration in his physical and mental health.
The court documents reported that medical assessments described the move as “not medically justifiable” and said it would pose “significant risks”.
However, the court rejected the appeal in July, finding Mason’s medical condition was not “life-threatening”. The documents also stated that he would be able to access care in the UK.
Torossian said doctors had advised the Swedish authorities that moving Mason to the UK would pose a “danger to his life”. She said the family’s concern was the journey itself, describing it as potentially harmful.
The family has launched a fundraiser to help pay for a legal challenge and said its initial aim is to halt proceedings.
UK Government Support
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are supporting Mr Mason and his family and are in contact with the Swedish authorities about his case.”

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17 August 2026
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Navy Considers Carrier Revamp to Suit Trump’s Aesthetic

The US Navy is considering a significant redesign of its new Ford-class aircraft carriers, including the possible relocation of the command tower, as it seeks to align the ships more closely with concerns about their appearance raised by President Donald Trump.

The service is conducting an internal review on whether the multi-storey control structure, known as the “island”, should be moved closer to the middle of the vessel. A former senior US official familiar with the deliberations said the change would be intended to better match the look of older warships. The official, speaking to The Hill on condition of anonymity, said the review was due to be completed in “several” weeks.
The Hill said it had contacted the Pentagon and Navy for comment.
Review Under Way On Ford-Class Layout
The island typically sits above the rest of the carrier and is most often positioned on the starboard side. On an aircraft carrier, it serves as the nerve centre for running flight-deck operations, directing tactical command and managing navigation.
According to the internal review, any move would involve shifting the island from its current position towards the mid-point of the ship. The official said the effort was prompted, in part, by Trump’s concerns about the aesthetics of Ford-class carriers.
Island Role And Rationale
Hunter Stires, a former Maritime Strategist to the Navy Secretary, said warships are designed to perform in combat rather than to meet aesthetic preferences. In comments to The Hill, he argued that the placement of the island on Ford-class carriers was selected to support the carrier’s design goal of maximising the number of aircraft sorties, which he said translates into combat capability.
Stires also said that redesigning the Navy’s “premier capital ship” to accommodate the president’s preferences would involve substantial engineering effort and taxpayer spending, and he criticised the process in strongly worded terms, describing it as wasteful.
The Navy’s approach to the island’s position has previously been defended by senior officers. In 2022, Capt. Paul Lanzilotta, then captain of the USS Gerald R. Ford, said the extra space forward of the island on the ship gives aircraft on the deck more room to line up before launch. He also said that, compared with older carriers, the Ford-class arrangement avoids the need for interruptions during rapid operations on take-off and recovery.
Trump Catapult Order Adds Pressure
The potential island move would be the second major Ford-class design change directed by Trump. On Thursday, he ordered the Navy to remove the electromagnetic catapult system used to launch aircraft and return to steam catapults, according to officials and experts cited in the article.
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Trump’s national security memo instructed the service to ensure Ford-class carriers, including the USS Doris Miller, currently being built, use steam-powered catapult and hydraulic systems rather than the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Weapons Elevators.
Officials and experts said the shift would cost billions of dollars and reduce operational efficiency.
The internal Navy review was first reported by The Washington Post on Saturday.
Carrier Programme And Costs
Apart from the USS Doris Miller, two other Ford-class aircraft carriers are under construction. The Navy also operates 11 Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.
The USS Enterprise, a third Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is under construction by Huntington Ingalls Industries at Newport News Shipbuilding.
The construction cost for the Ford-class carriers is expected to be around $22 billion per ship, based on an August estimate by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

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17 August 2026
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Ukrainian Missile Strikes Kill 6 in Russia

Ukrainian missile strikes killed six people and wounded four others, including a child, in Russia’s Belgorod region, the acting governor said on Monday.

The attack occurred as fighting along the front line remained close to a standstill and peace talks were frozen. Both sides have stepped up missile assaults, with the civilian death toll reaching its highest levels since the early months of the war in 2022.
Attack On Koloskovo Village
Acting Belgorod governor Alexander Shuvaev said that Ukrainian forces attacked the village of Koloskovo in the Valuysky district with missiles. Koloskovo is about 15 kilometres from the Ukraine border.
Shuvaev said the strike burned a structure and damaged a vehicle. He made the comments on the state-backed MAX platform.
Strikes Follow Prior Cross-Border Attacks
The Belgorod attack came a day after Russia and Ukraine carried out missile and drone strikes deep inside each other’s territory, which killed 19 people on both sides.
Moscow has conducted near-daily missile and drone strikes across Ukraine since launching its full-scale invasion in early 2022.
Ballistic Missiles And Air-Defence Pressure
Russia has recently increased its use of ballistic missiles that are difficult to intercept. The Kremlin’s move is linked to what the article describes as Ukraine’s air-defence shortages, following the diversion of supplies after a US-Israeli war against Iran.
Ukraine, for its part, has repeatedly targeted facilities tied to Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries, according to its claims that the company supplies components for Russian drones.
July Death Toll Reaches New Highs
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said such strikes, along with attacks on oil refineries, are intended to undermine Russia’s war economy.
In July, 437 civilians were killed in Ukraine, according to a United Nations tally. The UN figure was the highest monthly toll since May 2022.
Russian authorities reported 79 civilians killed on their side in July, which was higher than in the previous month.

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17 August 2026
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UK PM Duped by Imposter Posing as Trump's Chief of Staff

Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with a person posing as Susie Wiles, the chief of staff to US President Donald Trump, Downing Street said it would not comment on the security breach.

The incident was first reported by Politico. The report said officials were told Burnham had contacted an account claiming to be Wiles before he became suspicious that the contact was not legitimate. Politico said only “a few messages” were sent.
A government spokesperson said: “We do not comment on national security matters.”
Messages Sent, later Flagged as Suspicious
It is understood the communication between Burnham and the person pretending to be Wiles took place via text messages, with no call between the two.
Sources said the messages did not include information of significance. They added that once the contact was believed to be suspicious, the texts were quickly passed to the appropriate authorities.
Downing Street declined to comment further on the breach.
FBI Probe and Wiles Phone Hacking Claim
The development comes after the BBC previously reported that the FBI was investigating an alleged hack of Wiles’ phone, following an incident in May last year.
Wiles said her phone had been hacked after an impersonator, or impersonators, used her contacts file to send messages to other senior US figures. She said the targeting focused on her personal phone rather than a government device.
The BBC report noted that recipients of the messages included US senators, governors and top business executives.
In addition, Wiles—described as a close ally of Trump—had been among those targeted by a cyber espionage unit linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 2024, according to earlier reporting.
UK Impersonation Incidents Including Cameron
A similar pattern has appeared in the UK’s own diplomatic communications. In 2024, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed that then-foreign secretary David Cameron had been the subject of a hoax call involving a person pretending to be former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
At the time, the FCDO said Cameron also exchanged some text messages with the impersonator. Poroshenko was president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019.
The FCDO said it released details of the exchange publicly because it feared the information could be “manipulated” if it were not addressed directly. It also noted that, during Cameron’s period as prime minister, he had held multiple dealings with Poroshenko, including meetings at international summits.
The latest report about Burnham follows those earlier cases of impersonation involving senior political and diplomatic figures.

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17 August 2026
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Singapore probes assault on man who patted child's head

Singapore police are investigating an assault on a 73-year-old man after he patted a young girl on the head at a food court in a shopping centre.

Police said a video of the incident, which took place on Saturday, circulated widely over the weekend. They identified a 40-year-old man involved in the case in a statement on Sunday night, and urged the public not to speculate while investigations are carried out.
Incident Captured On CCTV
The footage shows the elderly man walking past the child’s table and patting her head. A woman seated at the table, believed to be the girl’s mother, immediately intervened.
The elderly man continued a short distance before a second man, believed to be the girl’s father, returned to the table and confronted him. After what appeared to be a heated exchange, the younger man was seen grabbing the elderly man’s arm and throwing him to the ground.
The clip was shared after it was posted on the social media pages of Bei-Ing Wanton Noodle, a stall at the food court.
Police Urge No Speculation
In their statement, police said they had identified the 40-year-old man and were investigating the incident. They also asked members of the public “not to speculate on the incident or its circumstances” and to allow investigators to establish the facts.
The assault drew criticism online, with many commenters condemning the physical reaction. Some responses also debated whether the elderly man should have touched the child without the parents’ consent, but the majority centred on the altercation as an overreaction to the head pat.
Son Says Father Suffered Back Pain
A post on the stall’s social media pages was made by someone who identified himself as the elderly man’s son. He asked for help identifying the alleged assailant.
The post said the elderly man, who is in his 70s, has previous leg and hip injuries, and that he did not want to pursue the matter further. It added that after the incident, the younger man later sat with the family, apologised, and offered him a drink.
The son said, however, that the elderly man is now suffering severe back pain following the fall. He wrote that an apology and a drink could not remove the physical injuries.
The elderly man told Channel News Asia that he patted the girl because she “was very adorable”. He said he believes older people often pat young children’s heads. He added that he began feeling pain hours after the incident and was taking Panadol.
In a separate post, the son thanked police for responding quickly and said they “sincerely hope that justice will be served” for his father.

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17 August 2026
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Meta Faces $1tn Suit That Could Reshape Facebook, Instagram

Meta faces a jury trial starting on Tuesday after a fresh wave of court defeats tied to claims that its platforms have harmed and targeted young users, with the dispute now threatening major changes to how Instagram and Facebook operate for children and teenagers.

The case follows a lawsuit filed in 2023 by 30 US states, including California and New York. The states argue Meta violated federal and state privacy laws involving children, and they are seeking more than $1tn in damages.
Beyond financial penalties, the states are asking the court to order Meta to alter key features on Instagram and Facebook. If the claims succeed, the remedies sought could significantly reshape what young people see and how they interact with the platforms.
Requested Changes For Instagram And Facebook Users
In its filing, the group of states asks Meta to make several adjustments aimed at teen and child users, including introducing a parental verification process for teenage accounts.
The states also want Meta to change elements they describe as manipulation of users’ incentives, including recommendation systems designed to influence engagement. They are seeking the removal of many image filters that alter a person’s appearance, and an end to the autoplay of video content.
The remedies sought also include restrictions on account behaviour, such as prohibiting the creation of multiple accounts. The states further want Meta to stop disappearing, or “ephemeral”, posts—such as Instagram Stories—from being available in their current form.
These features are central to the platforms’ current design, the states say, and they are intended to keep users—including teenagers and children—on the services for longer periods.
They add that Meta uses frequent notifications that they say are meant to bring young users back to the apps. In the states’ view, those tactics make it harder for minors to reduce or stop using the platforms.
Court Action In A Wider Legal Push
The states argue that by targeting child users, Meta “chose to exploit” young people in order to build its user base and expand its business. Meta’s market value is about $1.5tn, according to figures cited in the case.
Meta denies the allegations. A company spokeswoman said it strongly disagreed with the claims and was confident the evidence would show its commitment to supporting young people.
The trial will be heard by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, a federal judge in California. She previously presided over the high-profile court case involving Elon Musk and Sam Altman and has developed a reputation for being direct from the bench over nearly 20 years.
The current trial comes after a prior ruling in New Mexico in which a federal judge fined Meta a combined $942m and ordered changes on similar themes.
Earlier Ruling Points To A Potential Model
In that case, Judge Bryan Biedscheid ordered Meta to eliminate like counts on Instagram and Facebook for users under 18. He also required a ban on teenagers sending or receiving nudity through the platforms, and limited push notifications to certain hours of the day.
Biedscheid also declared Meta a “public nuisance”, comparing the harm to that caused by a factory polluting air people breathe, with effects that extend beyond individuals.
While the New Mexico order applies only there, the 30-state lawsuit would likely have broader impact if it results in comparable findings. The states involved represent nearly two-thirds of the US population.
Supporters and critics have focused particular attention on engagement tools such as “like” counts. Likes have been part of Meta’s platforms since the early days of Facebook and remain a common way users react to posts.
However, researchers and some claim-making in court has linked like-based engagement to negative outcomes for young people, including feelings of rejection and depression.
In testimony earlier this year, Kaley, who won a separate lawsuit against Meta, described creating dozens of accounts on YouTube and Instagram to generate likes on her own posts. She said she was nine at the time and later remembered feeling depressed, which she was diagnosed with at 10.
The states’ case points to Meta’s own internal research. It cites findings that like counts can drive “social comparison”—measuring one’s self-worth against others’ images—linked to increased loneliness, worse body image and negative mood, according to the company’s documents.
If Judge Gonzalez Rogers rules for the plaintiffs, the court could reinforce a growing legal argument that the platforms’ design choices contribute to a youth mental health crisis.

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17 August 2026
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Trump to Scale Back US Military Drills With South Korea

President Donald Trump said the United States will “substantially reduce” joint military exercises with South Korea, arguing the drills are costly and send an “inappropriate and hostile” signal.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the decision reflected his “very good relationship” with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un. He also pointed to South Korea’s recent decision not to join the United States in the denuclearisation of Iran.
Trump said the exercises are expensive, with much of the cost paid by the United States, and added that the planned training is “too late to cancel” as the two countries are due to begin their annual manoeuvres on Monday.
Neither Seoul nor Pyongyang issued a response to the comments.
Cost, Costliness And A Different Signal
Trump said the exercises were not only costly but also that they would communicate hostility. He said South Korea had declined an invitation for involvement in US-led denuclearisation efforts regarding Iran, adding that he had asked South Korean President if Seoul would like to join and that South Korea replied “No thanks”.
The announcement comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula following North Korea’s recent ballistic missile tests, which are banned under United Nations resolutions.
Ulchi Freedom Shield Planned Next Week
The reduction is taking place around the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which was announced last week at a joint press conference by US and South Korean military leaders.
They said the 11-day drills would be similar in scale to previous years and would involve about 18,000 South Korean soldiers. US and South Korean officials also referenced North Korea’s deployment of troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine.
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US military spokesperson Ryan Donald said the exercises are intended to account for that threat, referring to North Korean soldiers returning from the battlefield. He said about 28,500 American military personnel are stationed in South Korea.
On Friday, North Korea’s foreign ministry condemned the joint drills as “a rehearsal for an aggressive war”.
Triggered By Recent Missile Tests
The joint exercises are scheduled only days after South Korea, the United States and Japan detected a second North Korean missile test within a short period.
Pyongyang has expanded its nuclear and missile programmes since the collapse in 2019 of Kim’s high-profile diplomacy with Trump during the president’s first term in office. Kim became the first sitting US president to visit North Korea, when Trump travelled there seven years ago.
Trump’s remarks about South Korea also appeared to reflect frustration that Seoul has not made direct military or logistical contributions to US efforts related to the conflict in Iran. He has previously expressed dissatisfaction with other allies, including Japan, France and the United Kingdom, over what he described as reluctance to become involved.
Previous Changes To Exercises
Trump’s decision to cut back training is not unprecedented. The United States suspended the exercises entirely in 2018 during denuclearisation negotiations with Kim. The drills were scaled back again in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last week, South Korea’s president proposed talks with the northern neighbour on formally ending the war between the two countries, which remains technically active since an armistice signed in 1953.

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17 August 2026
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Lincoln Fiasco Shows Trump Admin's 'True Lack of Leadership'

Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego on Sunday criticised the leadership of the Trump administration after fresh reports raised concerns about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, arguing that the extended deployment left sailors dealing with ongoing problems.

Speaking to ABC News’s “This Week”, Gallego said he had discussed the situation with a service member’s spouse days earlier and described the issues as part of a wider failure to prepare for the operational tempo and length of the Middle East mission.
Extended Middle East Deployment
The USS Lincoln, a US Navy aircraft carrier deployed to the Middle East, has been at sea for nearly nine months. It has gone more than 200 days without a port call, a fact Democrats cited as part of their growing concern about morale aboard the ship.
Gallego, a former Marine, said the administration did not plan effectively for the conflict’s trajectory. He argued that officials had “did not plan for this war” and had not anticipated how it would escalate or how the US would withdraw from it.
His remarks were made as calls for action increased, with Democrats pressing for an investigation into reported conditions and their impact on the crew.
Democrats Demand Probe
The concerns surfaced amid reports of low morale among sailors during the ship’s continued time away from port. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the reports as “completely misrepresented”, according to ABC News. President Donald Trump, when asked about the length of the deployment, said it was “not nearly long enough”.
Gallego said the public exchange between the White House and the Pentagon could discourage service members from staying in the military. He warned that when personnel return home and discuss the experience with their families, they may conclude that the leadership they faced was not worth the commitment to rejoin.
He said that the criticism of the deployment length and the reported handling of conditions amounted to “a true lack of leadership” from both the defence secretary and the president, as described by Gallego.
Mullen Says Crew Morale Has Lifted
Retired Admiral Mike Mullen, a former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told “This Week” that long carrier deployments are not unusual and may run beyond the time originally stated. However, he said deployments of the length now experienced by the Lincoln still take a toll on sailors and their families.
“These ships, these people, these families need to basically come back,” Mullen said, pointing to lessons learned during the Vietnam era when carriers were deployed for about a year at a time and crews “wear yourself out”.
Mullen also said he had spoken with the commander of US Central Command, Brad Cooper, on Saturday evening. He reported that Cooper told him that any poor conditions on the Lincoln had already been addressed and that morale had improved after the crew learned it would be returning home.
“One of the positives of Cooper's visit yesterday is he announced to the crew that they're going home … and so the morale is up significantly from where it was just a few days ago,” Mullen said.
Carrier Replacement Under Way
A US official told ABC News that the USS George Washington departed its station in the Pacific Ocean last week and is expected to replace the Lincoln once the transition is complete.

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17 August 2026
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Trump Envoy Kushner Meets Hamas Leader Over Gaza Plan

US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Jared Kushner met Hamas officials in Egypt to discuss the next steps in the US-backed plan for peace in Gaza, according to a Palestinian source.

A Palestinian official told the BBC that Kushner met a delegation led by Hamas’s new leader Khalil al-Hayya on Sunday in Egypt.
Talks in Egypt
Trump’s son-in-law travelled to Egypt as part of efforts to advance the proposal backed by the US administration. The discussions were held with a Hamas delegation led by al-Hayya, and included envoys from Trump’s Board of Peace.
Reports said the meeting also involved Nickolai Mladenov and former UK prime minister Tony Blair, alongside representatives from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, which have played roles in mediation around the conflict.
No official statement has been issued describing the talks. Media reports said the focus included practical steps to decommission Hamas weapons. They also referred to issues including the withdrawal of Israeli forces and humanitarian measures.
Kushner’s meeting with Hayya was described as the first of this level since a ceasefire agreement for the Gaza Strip was reached last year.
Disarmament And Wider Plan Disputed
Trump’s Board of Peace said last month it had agreed with what it described as the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza.
Israel has not accepted the plan. Last week, it rejected a 15-point proposal that also calls for Israeli troops to withdraw and for Gaza to be rebuilt under a new civilian Palestinian administration.
Eight Muslim countries issued a statement on Sunday condemning Israel’s rejection.
Trump chairs the Board of Peace, an international organisation that was originally intended to help bring peace to Gaza before being broadened to cover other conflicts worldwide.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that Israel would not withdraw troops until Hamas is genuinely disarmed, adding that it rejected the Board of Peace’s 15-point document. He spoke despite the US administration’s backing of the plan.
Netanyahu Meeting Planned
While in Egypt, Kushner also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, according to Israeli media reports. Those reports also said Kushner, Mladenov and Blair would meet Netanyahu on Monday to try to advance the proposal.
In a joint statement on Sunday, Egypt, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia said Israel’s rejection of the US plan could undermine Trump’s efforts to secure peace.
The ceasefire that came into effect on 10 October last year remains in place. However, Israel’s military has carried out strikes in Gaza since then, including attacks in the Khan Yunis and Nuseirat areas. Israel said the strikes targeted “terrorists” and accused Hamas of breaking the truce.
War Background
The war began after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response.
More than 73,000 people have died in Gaza since the war began, according to the territory’s health ministry. The UN considers the ministry’s figures reliable.
The UN estimates that about 1.9 million people, or 90% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced since the conflict started.

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17 August 2026
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Overnight Strikes Kill 12 as Russia-Ukraine War Escalates

Overnight strikes killed 12 people across Russia and Ukraine, authorities said on Sunday, as waves of drones and missiles hit civilian areas and infrastructure on both sides.

Fighting along parts of the front has been largely at a standstill and peace talks have stalled, while both countries have stepped up long-range attacks deep behind enemy lines, pushing the civilian death toll to its highest level since the early months of the war in 2022.
Dead In Russia
In Russia’s southern Rostov region, Ukrainian drones killed five people in a residential area, regional governor Yuri Slusar said. Two other people were reported killed in strikes in the Belgorod and Moscow regions.
Moscow said it countered the assault with large-scale air defences. The Russian defence ministry stated that 822 drones were intercepted across the country overnight.
Russian officials also described the attacks as among the largest drone strikes in recent memory.
Strike Hits Kryvyi Rih
In Ukraine, a barrage of Russian drones and missiles struck ArcelorMittal’s steel plant in Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown, killing two people and wounding 14, according to Ukrainian officials.
The company said the strike forced it to partially halt operations after damage to core production facilities. Further attacks were reported elsewhere: two people were killed in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, and one person was reported dead in the border region of Sumy.
In Kyiv, an outdoor book market at Pochaina was hit. Bookseller Dmytro Semenukha said all four of his stalls burned down during the raid.
Kyiv Warns Of Civilian Infrastructure Attacks
In an overnight statement, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian ballistic missiles were used to target civilian infrastructure wherever they could be reached.
He renewed an appeal to allies for more air defences, saying that over the previous week Ukrainian cities were hit by more than 1,550 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided aerial bombs, and 62 missiles.
Zelensky also said European countries should not allow interceptors to remain unused in storage, arguing that Russia’s use of harder-to-intercept ballistic missiles risks further damage to civilian targets across Europe. Kyiv has recently renewed claims that Moscow is receiving missiles and troops from North Korea.
Ukraine’s attacks have increasingly focused on facilities it says support Russia’s war effort, including warehouses linked to Wildberries, Russia’s biggest online retailer. Zelensky said such strikes, along with attacks on oil refineries, aim to undermine Russia’s war economy.
Ukraine said another Wildberries warehouse near Moscow was set ablaze overnight. Since mid-July, it has claimed strikes on about 20 warehouses and related buildings connected to the company.
Spillover Into Europe
The drone war has also affected countries bordering the conflict. Romania’s defence ministry said a Spanish F-18 fighter jet shot down a drone that entered Romanian airspace near borders with Ukraine and Moldova after the overnight raid.
NATO said on Friday that fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace, the second such incident in a week, according to Latvia’s defence ministry.
Civilian Toll
The United Nations reported that 437 civilians were killed in Ukraine in July, the highest monthly toll since May 2022. Russian authorities separately reported that 79 civilians were killed on their side in July, an increase from the previous month.


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16 August 2026
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Trump Family Crypto Firm Gets Conditional Bank Approval

A Trump-appointed US banking regulator has granted conditional approval for World Liberty Trust, a unit linked to Donald Trump’s family crypto business, to apply for a bank charter—an unprecedented step that Democratic lawmakers say risks conflicts of interest.

In a letter published on Friday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) said it had authorised World Liberty Trust Co. to issue a stablecoin cryptocurrency linked to the US dollar, subject to conditions. The trust’s website says the organisation is 38% owned by “an entity affiliated with Donald J. Trump and certain of his family members”.
The OCC action is the first time in US history that a company owned by the sitting president’s family has been granted bank status, Democrats said.
OCC Grants Conditional Charter
Under the OCC letter, World Liberty Trust would be able to operate as a bank and provide stablecoin services to clients. The regulator said its staff reviewed the application under established policies and procedures, and that full approval would not be granted until further requirements are met, including increasing the company’s capital.
World Liberty Financial is listed as the sponsor of the trust and the stablecoin plan. The company previously relied on BitGo, a third-party crypto firm, to help provide a stable digital currency.
Stablecoin Would Enable Bank-Style Payments
The new approval would allow the Trump-linked business to supply the stablecoin service directly rather than using an intermediary. The stablecoin is designed to track the value of the US dollar, which regulators and other oversight bodies have said can make it more suitable for large transactions than cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, which are historically volatile.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has previously described digital assets tied to steadier values, such as the US dollar or gold, as potentially marketable for use in payments, transmitting money or storing value.
As set out in the OCC-related description of the plan, clients would exchange US dollars for the stablecoin for transactions, with profits expected to flow to the Trump family’s crypto business.
Trump family affiliates have previously profited from World Liberty Financial, with the token’s value cited at the time of its public launch showing about $5 billion earned in the first days, and the company continuing to attract major investment from individuals and foreign nations. Trump himself has reported more than $1.4 billion in business revenue from the family’s crypto ventures in published financial disclosures.
White House Rejects Conflict Claims
The White House has denied that the arrangement poses a conflict. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the president “only acts in the best interests of the American public”, and argued that no conflict exists because Trump’s assets are held in a blind trust managed by his children. Kelly said, “President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children. There are no conflicts of interest.”
In May 2025, an Abu Dhabi state-backed investment firm, MGX, invested $2 billion in the company. MGX said it would use the Trump family’s USD 1 stablecoin for large transactions with Binance. The MGX and Binance deal later drew scrutiny after the Trump administration agreed to supply the UAE with American-made AI chips, despite concerns previously raised that such technology could end up in China.
At a crypto convention in Dubai, World Liberty Financial co-founder Zach Witkoff said of the MGX and Binance agreement: “We thank MGX and Binance for their trust in us, and I think it’s only the beginning.” Witkoff is the son of Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy to the Middle East.
Lawmakers Warn Of Self-Dealing
Senator Elizabeth Warren, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, urged the OCC to halt the approval process in a January letter to the comptroller. Warren wrote that, because the president has ultimate authority over the OCC even though the office considers itself independent, the move could amount to the president overseeing his own financial company.
Warren said the decision after the OCC’s preliminary approval was the “most brazen act of self-dealing our financial system has ever seen” and she said she planned to introduce legislation to stop what she called unprecedented corruption.
The OCC said on Friday that the charter application would be completed only after specified conditions are met, including capital increases.

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16 August 2026
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Iranian Billboards Intensify Anti-U.S. War Propaganda

State-sponsored billboards across Tehran have become more overt and violent as Iran’s conflict with the United States and Israel has dragged on, with some of the images apparently produced using artificial intelligence.

The large roadside posters, alongside adverts for everyday products, have long carried anti-American messages. But images captured by Iranian photojournalists over almost six months show a marked shift in tone since the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war launched by the United States and Israel.
Violent Changes Around Tehran
One billboard was photographed last month near the capital’s Enghelab Square. It featured non-threatening imagery of Khamenei before being replaced with a graphic showing President Donald Trump lying in a casket, with his hands together over his belly.
In mock handwritten writing, the billboard referred to sailors killed in a torpedo attack on the Iranian warship Iris Dena by the USS Charlotte attack submarine. It also included a death threat directed at Trump.
Less than two weeks later, the same billboard location showed another graphic, depicting Trump being strangled by several pairs of hands. In English, the billboard carried the message: “Revenge is inevitable.”
Other billboards documented by the photojournalists included a parody of the American flag, with skulls replacing the stars and bombs dropping from the stripes. Another showed the White House engulfed in flames.
Anti-U.S. Messaging Builds On Old Themes
Anti-American rhetoric has been a feature of Iran’s messaging since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and imagery in Tehran has previously included a hand-painted mural that parodies the Stars and Stripes. In that mural, the stars are replaced with skulls and bombs are shown falling from the stripes, alongside text reading “Down With The U.S.A.” across the middle.


Picture courtesy of NBC

While that mural is clearly painted, the newer billboards appear more modern and, according to the reporting, have been generated with the help of artificial intelligence. The image of the White House on fire, for example, is accompanied by Persian wording stating “blood for blood” above the flames.
Photographs also show residents passing by or standing near the billboards as they go about their daily routines.
AI Used To Expand Propaganda Online
The use of artificial intelligence is not limited to outdoor displays. During the war, Iran has also relied on AI to support online propaganda efforts.
One company, Explosive Media, has published dozens of Lego-inspired videos ranging from short clips to three-minute music videos mocking Trump and his administration. Some people have described the output as “slopaganda”. Explosive Media told NBC News that it does not work for the Iranian government and that the government has no role in determining the content of the videos.
Separate developments have also featured AI-generated material shared by Trump himself, including images showing Iran’s ships and energy infrastructure being blown up and taken over by the U.S. military.
The escalation in messaging comes amid continued wartime casualty claims. U.S. Central Command said on July 18 that 17 U.S. service members have died since the start of the war with Iran. On April 20, Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency cited Abbas Masjedi, head of Iran’s Forensic Medicine Organization, as saying that 3,375 people had been killed.


Picture courtesy of NBC


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16 August 2026
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US Pacific Carrier Gap Raises China Concerns

The United States has withdrawn its final aircraft carrier presence in the western Pacific, as President Donald Trump’s focus on operations related to Iran stretches the Navy’s carrier fleet and leaves allies in Asia watching more closely for signals from China.

The USS George Washington is departing the Pacific and is expected to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East. The shift comes as concerns grow about mental health and supply conditions aboard the long-deployed Lincoln. The Lincoln’s time at sea has also been extended beyond its original return date in May to support operations tied to Iran.
A gap in the Pacific may be short if the Navy deploys another carrier within the next couple of months. Even so, analysts say the change highlights how open-ended deployments connected to Iran are wearing down crews and reducing flexibility, while the Trump administration appears to be pulling attention away from the Asia-Pacific.
Pacific Priorities Questioned
Greg Poling of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the administration’s messaging about the Pacific being the priority is not matching its actions. He argued that Washington is effectively doing the opposite of what it had previously said about reducing its exposure in the Middle East, while relying on extended carrier deployments for the Iran campaign.
Poling said American partners in the region are unsettled by what they see as the administration’s unpredictability. He added that China benefits from what he described as US distraction and the resulting frustration among allies and partners.
China views the US military presence in the region as a threat to its rise and as a barrier to its goal of taking Taiwan, which it claims as part of China. The United States has argued that the Pacific is too important economically to be left without a strong deterrent posture.
Although analysts do not expect Beijing to invade Taiwan in the near term solely because a carrier has left, the absence may still give China room to demonstrate capability, Bryan Clark, a former Navy submariner and defence analyst at the Hudson Institute, said. He argued the move can be used to signal to countries such as the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia that the US is not the dominant security provider in the western Pacific.
China Activity Spurs Regional Reassurance
Beijing’s recent moves include naval exercises with Indonesia this week and military activity that has drawn attention from Japan and the Philippines. This month, China conducted drills near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, an area where both China and the Philippines claim sovereignty. In the previous month, a Chinese guided-missile destroyer carried out live-fire training off Okinotori, Japan’s southernmost island.
To reassure partners, Adm. Frank Bradley, head of US Special Operations Command, visited Manila on Thursday. He told Filipino counterparts that US special operations forces are prepared to increase joint exercises to strengthen the alliance, and he is expected to travel to Japan.
Evan Sankey of the Cato Institute said aircraft carriers provide a form of assurance beyond their operational role. He said their absence contributes to a broader perception that the US is distracted by events in the Middle East.
Carrier Strain and Maintenance Pressure
Trump has relied heavily on aircraft carriers during his second term. In mid-May, the USS Gerald R. Ford returned home after an 11-month deployment, the longest since the Vietnam War. The carrier supported operations including strikes connected to Iran and the capture of Venezuela’s then-president, Nicolás Maduro.
The Ford’s return followed a fire in a laundry space that forced it to turn back to the Mediterranean for repairs, leaving hundreds of sailors without sleeping arrangements. Meanwhile, the Lincoln has spent a record uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days, prompting calls from Democratic lawmakers for investigations and greater visibility into conditions onboard.
Robert Farley of the University of Kentucky said the sustained tempo of carrier operations pushes crews beyond normal limits, with rest and rotation crucial to maintaining readiness and health. He said the strain reflects the practical constraints of running ships and crews at peak performance over long periods.
Clark said the squeeze on carrier availability stems from inadequate preparation and planning for how long the Iran conflict would last. He noted the Navy has 11 carriers and usually deploys two or three at a time, but could temporarily send four, depending on movements such as the USS Theodore Roosevelt leaving San Diego for the Middle East. That would allow the Washington to return to the Pacific.
He also warned that the larger warships will require maintenance, potentially creating a bottleneck at the Navy’s two carrier shipyards. That could lead to a backlog of work and a reduced carrier presence in coming years, with a “maintenance debt” that would need to be addressed later.
Michael Swaine of the Quincy Institute questioned whether carriers will remain central as warfare changes. He said carriers can be targeted more easily by drones and missiles, while smaller vessels and submarines may be able to strike effectively without relying on carrier-based fighter jets.
Top Navy officials have also indicated a desire to reduce dependence on carriers. In February, Adm. Daryl Caudle, the chief of naval operations, said he wants commanders to use smaller newer ships and other capabilities more often rather than defaulting to large aircraft carriers.

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16 August 2026
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Trump Says USS Lincoln Deployment 'Not Nearly Long Enough'

President Donald Trump on Friday responded to reports of poor conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln by saying the families of service members were “not” concerned and that the ship had not been deployed for “nearly long enough”.

Speaking briefly with reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, Trump said the vessel was already moving and would be replaced soon by another aircraft carrier.
Trump Rejects Claims Families Are Worried
When a reporter raised the USS Lincoln, Trump said: “That ship is moving.”
The president then disputed the suggestion that family members on shore were worried about conditions on the carrier. He interjected to say they were “not” actually concerned, adding that replacement plans were under way.
“No, they’re not. That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another very similar ship,” Trump said.
Pressed on whether the USS Abraham Lincoln’s deployment had gone on for too long, Trump said it had not. He said it had not endured for a period approaching an appropriate endpoint.
“No, no, not nearly long enough,” he said.
US Official Says USS George Washington Will Replace Lincoln
Trump’s remarks followed an account from a US official to ABC News on Thursday, which said the USS George Washington, homeported in Japan, would take over as part of a rotation of ships already planned in advance.
According to the official, the George Washington has begun heading toward the Middle East to replace the Lincoln.
The shift was described as part of a scheduled changeover rather than an immediate decision prompted by the latest reports.
Reported Issues Amid Long Middle East Deployment
The comments come while media reporting has raised concerns about mental health and supply issues aboard the USS Lincoln.
The carrier’s deployment to the Middle East has supported operations linked to the Iran war and has included a record-setting period under way, with time at sea of more than 200 days.
RELATED
USS Lincoln Sailors Reportedly Try to Jump Overboard
Navy leaders, including the Navy’s acting Secretary Hung Cao, held a town hall meeting for families of the USS Lincoln last week after relatives raised concerns about the conditions aboard the ship. The meeting was described as heated.
As those reports circulated, Trump said the issue was being addressed through the carrier replacement already in motion.
In his brief exchange with reporters at Andrews, the president indicated that the Lincoln’s next phase would be followed by the arrival of a comparable carrier as the rotation continued.

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16 August 2026
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UK PM Calls for Reflection After Jason Arday’s Death

Andy Burnham has said the death of former Cambridge sociology of education professor Jason Arday was “a tragedy on so many levels”, urging people to take a moment to reflect rather than rush to judgement.

Arday, 41, was found dead at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday afternoon.
Speaking to broadcasters during a visit to Cornwall, the prime minister said it should not be a time for speculation. “It’s not a moment for any rushing to judgement. It’s a moment for reflection,” Burnham said, adding that people should consider how matters had reached this point.
Family Say They Are “In Shock”
In a statement released by his publisher, Simon & Schuster UK, Arday’s family said they were “in shock” at his death and described him as an “amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son”. They said a “campaign of misinformation” had been too much for him.
Arday resigned from his role at the University of Cambridge last week following allegations of plagiarism and questions about aspects of his work and achievements. He denied plagiarism.
A friend, who spoke to the BBC, said Arday had told him he felt “destroyed”. The friend added that Arday said his travel authorisation to the United States had been revoked. Another friend who met him at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, said Arday had described being very upset after resigning, and that he felt there was “no way out”.
Cambridge Leads Tributes
Cambridge vice-chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said the university was “desperately saddened” by the news and offered condolences to Arday’s family and friends.
Education Secretary Lucy Powell said she was “deeply shocked and saddened”, and urged the public to remember “there are real people with loved ones involved”.
London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said Arday had faced intense scrutiny and posted on X that his death was a tragedy and “a wake up call for all of us”. He said Arday had been subjected to “an unacceptable public hounding and campaign of abuse” and described what he called a “pernicious public shaming”.
Union leaders and politicians also commented on the circumstances surrounding the controversy. University and College Union general secretary Jo Grady said the “level of harassment” and racism Arday faced was “sickening” and “must be investigated”. National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede said Arday had been subjected to “a public and brutal takedown” that unleashed “a tirade of racism”, adding the impact had been “chilling”.
Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy said the idea of an academic being subjected to that level of media attention was “unheard of”. Shadow communities secretary Sir James Cleverly said he was angered by Arday’s “tragic” death and said academic institutions had “serious questions to answer”.
Plagiarism Row And Questions Over Claims
Peers and academics speaking on BBC programmes said Arday had been targeted for an extended period. Director of the University of Cambridge’s Autism Research Centre Professor Simon Baron-Cohen said Arday felt unable to leave his house and described him as “incredibly” kind and caring.
Baron-Cohen said he had spoken to Arday the morning of his death and that Arday believed a campaign against him had been running for three years. He said the personal attacks had been “so immense”.
Professor of Black Studies Kehinde Andrews, a friend of Arday, said Arday was “very down” after resigning from Cambridge, adding Arday felt “no way out” and had lost weight.
According to Arday, he denied plagiarism but said there were errors in parts of his earlier work. He attributed some mistakes to autism, saying he used mimicry to make sense of information and that similar scrutiny would find similar errors elsewhere. He also said the controversy led to “an unrelenting level of public scrutiny and personal attack”.
The row began after former Cambridge associate Nathan Cofnas, a self-described “race realist” who was sacked from his role in 2024, said he found multiple instances of plagiarism in Arday’s work. Arday later addressed questions about parts of his life story, including a claim that he ran 600 miles in six days and raised £5.5m for charity; he said the run had been completed over 12 days with rest days and that the money had been raised with help from others.
Cambridge had announced an independent investigation earlier this week into the circumstances of Arday’s appointment. Liverpool John Moores University, where Arday completed his PhD in 2015, said in a separate statement on Saturday that it was “saddened to hear of the tragic loss” of Arday and had concluded he had not plagiarised work.


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15 August 2026


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15 August 2026
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Israel Strike in Lebanon Kills Nine, Including 3 Children

Israel carried out retaliatory strikes against an Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon, but Lebanon’s prime minister said seven people killed in one of the attacks were not military targets and urged Israel to stop what he called an “extremely dangerous” escalation.
Saturday Airstrikes Reported In The South
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said Israeli warplanes struck a home on the outskirts of the village of Ansar early on Saturday, August 15. It also reported a “series of airstrikes” targeting the Ali al-Taher ridge, a strategic hill overlooking the Nabatieh area, and later said there was another strike on the southern town of Deir Zahrani.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said the raids left nine people dead in the south, including three children. It said the death toll in Deir Zahrani was provisional, with additional casualties reported there after the strikes.
Casualties And Israeli Rationale
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said seven people were killed in Ansar, including three children and two women. It added that in Deir Zahrani, two people were killed and nine others were wounded.
An Agence France-Presse correspondent reported seeing a destroyed building in Ansar as rescuers removed human remains from the rubble, describing dust and debris blanketing the area around a damaged swimming pool.
An Israeli army statement said it targeted Hezbollah “terror infrastructure” in the areas of Nabatieh and Ansar. It said the strikes were carried out “in response to an action” by Hezbollah against Israeli soldiers in the Ali al-Taher ridge area.
Prime Minister Denounces “Non-Military” Deaths
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the seven people killed in Ansar were not linked to military infrastructure and that women and children killed in the strike were not military targets. He urged Israel to halt the escalation, saying it was extremely dangerous and could undermine efforts to stabilise the south.
Salam’s remarks came as Lebanon said the raids were among the deadliest since Israel and Hezbollah agreed terms in June that had reduced hostilities.
Ongoing Tensions After June Deals
Lebanon said Hezbollah’s rocket attacks at Israel in March drew the country into a wider Middle East war, after which Israel launched heavy airstrikes and a ground invasion, according to Lebanese authorities, that have killed more than 4,300 people.
Violence has decreased since a US-Iran memorandum of understanding was signed in June, covering the broader war, and after a US-sponsored framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel later that month. That framework includes disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region, starting in “pilot zones”.
Despite the reduction in overall hostilities, Lebanon continues to report intermittent Israeli strikes and broad demolitions of civilian buildings in southern villages and towns. The National News Agency said the valley between Ansar and Zarariyeh was struck as well, describing it as the first attack at that geographical depth since the ceasefire about two months earlier.
Ansar is around 20 kilometres from the Israeli border and lies beyond a so-called “yellow line” declared by the Israeli army, which runs along the frontier where Israeli troops are operating.
On Friday, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem accused Lebanese authorities of placing undue pressure on the country’s armed forces as they implement the framework deal.


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15 August 2026
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Powerful 7.7 Earthquake Strikes Indonesia, Killing 38

At least 38 people have died after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia on Saturday morning, the country’s disaster mitigation agency has said.

The death toll was expected to rise as search and rescue teams began operating, following reports of injuries and widespread damage in affected communities.
Quake Strikes Flores Early Saturday
The quake hit the island of Flores shortly before 05:00 local time, which was 22:00 GMT on Friday. Indonesia’s meteorology and geophysics agency said the earthquake had a depth of 15km.
Authorities said dozens of aftershocks followed the main event, with one tremor reaching magnitude 6.1 and being felt in the same area.
Port And Homes Hit As Shaking Continues
Reports from the region described damage to buildings and infrastructure as the shaking intensified and persisted. Video filmed at the port in Maumere showed sections of concrete breaking off the terminal building onto passengers waiting to board an inter-island ferry. Some people were seen in the water after the gangway to a ship collapsed.
East Nusa Tenggara provincial governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena said victims were killed during the night as rubble fell on them.
In Talibura, a coastal village in Sikka regency, residents reported being woken by strong shaking and fleeing outdoors. Some people reportedly moved towards higher ground, while others also reacted after sea levels fell temporarily, prompting panic and an immediate scramble to evacuate.
Tsunami Warning Lifted After No Surge Detected
A tsunami warning was issued after the quake, but it was lifted about three hours later after monitoring found no significant rise in sea level.
The BNPB said around 2,000 people had evacuated or relocated on their own. It also advised people to remain calm and to avoid coastal areas and any structures showing signs of damage.
Deaths By Province And Preliminary Damage
The disaster agency recorded three fatalities in Sikka province, six in Manggarai province, and five in East Manggarai province. It also said at least two others were seriously injured and 11 sustained minor injuries.
In initial assessments, BNPB said 54 houses had been severely damaged, along with five healthcare facilities, three places of worship, six government buildings, an educational institution and a warehouse. Manggarai province was listed among the most affected areas.
Officials said the full extent of the damage would take time to establish, citing the remote and mountainous terrain of the region.
Indonesia sits along major tectonic plate boundaries and is frequently affected by earthquakes and volcanic activity.



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15 August 2026
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Burnham Sends Troops to Fight Wildfires as PM Bans BBQs

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has imposed a temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecues and deployed military personnel to help tackle wildfires across the country.

Announcing the measures on Friday from the hard-hit West Midlands, Burnham said they were brought in because of continuing waves of hot weather and severe drought conditions. He said the scale of the blazes had left homes destroyed, people forced to evacuate and firefighters injured while trying to protect others.
“We cannot accept this as the new normal,” Burnham said in a video address. He described the fires in the region as having “destroyed homes, forced people to evacuate and left firefighters injured while protecting others”.
Temporary Barbecue Ban
Burnham said the ban on disposable barbecues was among the emergency steps agreed to reduce the risk of new fires during the current period of extreme weather. He said the situation was being worsened by prolonged dry conditions affecting large parts of England and Wales.
He added that farmers were seeing crops fail and that firefighters had dealt with hundreds of wildfires in recent weeks. Burnham said the conditions reflected “what climate change looks like here and now”, during his remarks.
Military Support And Funding
The prime minister said the government decided on the barbecue ban, emergency funding for fire and rescue services and the deployment of military support during a meeting of COBRA, the government’s emergency response committee, earlier in the week.
Burnham said the response was needed both to manage the fires and to address the underlying causes of climate change, adding that Britain should improve its resilience to extreme weather rather than treat it as inevitable.
Heat Records Amid Drought
Burnham’s announcement came a day after the Met Office reported that temperatures in London had reached 100.6 degrees, described as the fifth-hottest day on record in the UK’s history.
He said Thursday’s extreme temperatures meant Britain had already recorded the highest number of days at or above 97 degrees this year, with four such days, and at least 98 degrees on three days. The number of days reaching 100 degrees had also matched the total seen in 2022, with two days.
The prime minister said much of England and Wales remained in drought, with another spell of extreme heat expected.
Forecast Points To Limited Rain
As the weekend began, forecasters predicted cooling from north to south, but little rain was expected to ease conditions. Steven Keates of the Met Office said a front moving south eastwards across the UK on Monday and Tuesday could bring some rain to northern areas, but that totals for the south would be small.
Keates said the majority of precipitation would fall over Northern Ireland and Scotland, and that the next meaningful rainfall for the very dry areas was not expected until towards the end of next week, when low pressure influences weather from the southwest.
The government has already announced plans to support the development of nine new water reservoirs and improve resilience to future droughts, floods and other extreme weather. It has also said it will invest nearly $135 million to strengthen the country’s response to wildfires and extreme weather.


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15 August 2026
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South Korea Urges Peace Talks to Finally End Korean War

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called on Saturday for talks with North Korea aimed at achieving peaceful coexistence, as he urged efforts to end the Korean war that ended in a ceasefire rather than a peace treaty.

Speaking in a speech marking the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, Lee said the two Koreas should hold a meeting focused on coexistence. He said Seoul would seek safeguards to prevent conflict and argued that the peninsula’s armistice should be replaced with a “peace regime”.
Call For Coexistence
Lee urged dialogue between North Korea and “concerned parties” to bring an end to the 1950-53 Korean war. He said the conflict stopped with a ceasefire and that a formal peace agreement has not been reached.
His remarks also pointed to the need for discussions that could address security concerns on the peninsula. Lee said talks could include steps to curb North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.
Seeking Safeguards And Nuclear Curbs
Lee said South Korea would take pre-emptive and sustained measures to ease tensions. He added that Seoul plans to build layered safeguards designed to contain any escalation.
The call echoed a pledge Lee made last year to respect North Korea’s system and to pursue peaceful coexistence with Pyongyang.
Frozen Ties And Prior Rejections
Relations between the two Koreas remain frozen. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has dropped a reunification policy, described the South as its most hostile state, and ordered stronger defences along the frontline.
North Korea has rejected Lee’s engagement proposals, criticised Seoul’s plan for nuclear-powered submarines, and denounced joint US-South Korean military exercises as provocations.
Approach To Japan
Lee also addressed relations with Japan, saying South Korea should confront the past while leaving open the future. He said he hoped to begin a new 60 years of peace and prosperity with Japan, characterising it as a close neighbour.


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15 August 2026
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BBC Seeks Subpoenas For Trump Family In Defamation Suit

The BBC has asked a US court to issue subpoenas to Donald Trump’s family members, seeking documents and testimony as it fights the former president’s $10bn (£7.4bn) defamation claim.

In court filings, the broadcaster’s legal team said it attempted in May to serve subpoenas on Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr and his daughter Ivanka Trump, as well as their spouses, including Jared Kushner. The BBC is trying to obtain evidence it says could be relevant to Trump’s case over a Panorama segment.
Panorama Edit Spurs defamation Claim
Trump is suing the BBC over a Panorama episode that rearranged two separate sections of a speech he delivered before the 2021 Capitol riots.
The BBC previously apologised for the editing error and said it gave “the mistaken impression” that Trump had directly called for violent action. It has denied that the mistake amounted to defamation.
The latest application argues that Trump’s family members “have personal knowledge” of his intentions when he revised and delivered the speech. The BBC’s filing says their evidence and documents could therefore be relevant to Trump’s defamation allegations.
Family Members Were Present, BBC Says
The filing draws on evidence previously gathered by a US congressional committee. It states that Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump were present when their father modified and delivered the speech.
It adds that Kushner drafted a proposed statement that would have condemned the use of violence. The filing argues that testimony from the family could help establish what Trump intended in his public remarks.
The BBC is also asking the court to authorise service of the subpoenas by email and by certified mail. It said previous attempts to serve papers in person were unsuccessful.
Attempts To Serve Subpoenas Blocked
According to the filing, a representative for the BBC attempted to deliver a subpoena for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at their home in Florida, but was refused entry at a police checkpoint. The representative was later told by the Secret Service that the agency could not accept the subpoenas.
In New York, the filing says a representative tried to serve a subpoena for Donald Trump Jr at Trump Tower but was told by a concierge that the person who usually takes such documents may have been at lunch. A further attempt two days later resulted in a response that the “legal department” was not available on that day, the BBC said.
Trump’s legal team has been approached for comment. A BBC press office declined to comment.
Wider Case Timeline And Financial Records
Trump filed the lawsuit in Florida last December, naming the BBC, BBC Studios Productions and BBC Studios Distribution. His complaint accuses the BBC of “intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring” the speech.
The BBC has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit. It argues that Panorama does not satisfy the legal test for defamation and that the programme was not made available on its US platforms.
In a recent filing, Trump’s lawyers admitted they had no evidence that the documentary was available in the US on BBC’s BritBox subscription service, or on BBC.com, BBC Select, or through US broadcasters, after initially making those claims.
Trump has also agreed to drop the involvement of BBC Studios from the action following the BBC’s argument that the company had “no role” in creating or producing the documentary.
Earlier this month, the judge granted Trump’s request for a delay in him handing over financial documents requested by the broadcaster. The BBC said it is seeking some of Trump’s records in connection with his argument that the documentary damaged his business interests. Trump’s legal team said disclosure would cause him “irreparable harm”.
A trial date of February 2027 has been set if the case proceeds.
BBC News is editorially independent from the wider corporation.


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15 August 2026
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Trump Says Hormuz Will Become US Territory 'Very Soon'

Donald Trump said he plans to declare the Strait of Hormuz a United States territory “pretty soon”, pointing to American control of the waterway through naval action as disruptions continue to unsettle global oil and gas markets.

The US president made the comments on Friday during a visit to a police academy in Garden City, New York. He linked his proposal to the continuing impact on shipping through the strait, a key route for oil, natural gas and other commodities, amid the war in the Middle East and elevated energy prices.
Control Tied To U.S. Naval Action
Trump said US forces have the ability to manage access to the strait, adding that vessels would not pass unless Washington allowed it. He did not provide further detail about how the declaration would be carried out.
His remarks came as the conflict continues and as Iran seeks to preserve influence over the strait. Tehran views the waterway as a major bargaining tool in negotiations with Washington, particularly with the US midterm elections scheduled for November.
Iran War And Nuclear Concern
In the same exchange, Trump said the United States could not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. He also said the US had used its military more than he would have preferred in pursuing its objectives.
Trump repeated his assessment that Washington is making major progress against Iran, claiming that critics and parts of the media are not acknowledging the scale of what he described as US success. He said Iran’s leadership was no longer in a position to negotiate, describing the situation as a problem.
His comments echoed a broader theme of his campaign messaging, in which he has argued that the stance taken by the United States is bearing fruit despite uncertainty around developments in the region.
Tehran’s Position And Regional Dependence
Trump’s statement also followed a social media post on Wednesday in which he said the US had “total” control of the Strait of Hormuz and would keep it.
According to reported Iranian positions, the strait would remain closed until Washington accepted Tehran’s demands. Those demands include war reparations, the lifting of a US naval blockade and the withdrawal of US forces from locations around Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz is heavily used for energy imports by multiple countries. Korea, among others, has said it hopes for the full reopening of the route as its supply depends on shipments passing through the narrow passage.


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15 August 2026
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Washington WWII Memorial Vandalised With Paint and Soap

The World War Two memorial on the National Mall in Washington was vandalised on Thursday using bubbly soap and paint, prompting the US Interior Department to pledge to identify the person responsible.

The fountain at the memorial overflowed with suds and someone painted the words “Clean hands Dirty $” on a surface, leaving red and green paint splashed around the area. Uniformed police and National Guard troops moved in to secure the site, which was cordoned off with yellow crime-scene tape to keep visitors away.
Police secure the site
Reuters photographs showed an investigator in plain clothes inspecting the graffiti and measuring the damage with a tape measure. Workers then arrived to remove the paint, the Washington Post reported, citing Park Police officers at the location.
Memorial dedicated in 2004
Dedicated in 2004, the memorial includes 56 granite pillars around the edge of an elliptical plaza on the National Mall. It stands as a monument to the 400,000 Americans who died and the 16 million who served in the armed forces during the conflict, according to the National Park Service.
Interior Department vows investigation
In a statement, the Interior Department, which oversees the National Park Service, said the vandalism would not be tolerated. “The vandalism that occurred is an utter disgrace and will not be tolerated,” it said, adding that US Park Police were on the scene and that the investigation was ongoing. The department said the public would be informed once the person responsible was found.
The Friends of the National WWII Memorial, a nonprofit group focused on preserving the site, condemned the act as “unacceptable”. In its statement, the group described the memorial as a “sacred place of remembrance”, adding that while there are many places in the country for expression and debate, a national memorial honouring those who served and those who never returned home should not be used as a canvas for vandalism.
The episode comes against a backdrop in which the US role in World War II remains a subject of debate for some Americans, including discussions about whether the United States should have used atomic bombs on Japan to end the war.
It also follows President Donald Trump’s efforts to change memorials and monuments in Washington, a campaign described in the report as personal and sometimes politically divisive.


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15 August 2026
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France’s Top Court Blocks Under-15 Social Media Ban

France’s Constitutional Council has struck down a bill that would have banned children under 15 from using social media, saying it was drafted too broadly and would have infringed freedom of expression and communication.

In its ruling on Friday, the court said the proposed law could not prevent minors from accessing social media “without infringing upon freedom of expression and communication”. It also found that the bill was not tailored enough to the individual circumstances of each child and to the specific risks posed by different platforms.
The council further cited concerns about privacy. It said the legislation effectively required people of all ages, including adults, to prove their age in order to access social media services, which would raise issues for personal data and privacy.
Lawmakers back proposal, court overturns it
The decision came after French lawmakers voted overwhelmingly last month in favour of the measure. If it had passed in its original form, France would have been the first European Union country to introduce an age limit for social media.
Under France’s constitutional system, bills are examined by the Constitutional Council to ensure they comply with the French constitution. The court’s scrutiny includes assessing whether restrictions are proportionate and whether they interfere appropriately with rights protected under the constitution.
Court cites proportionality and privacy
While the council said the aim of protecting children was legitimate, it concluded that the draft text infringed rights “in a manner that is not appropriate, necessary or proportionate” to that goal.
The ruling also pointed to the blanket nature of the ban. It said the draft did not allow for consideration of each minor’s situation or of the risks that can differ between platforms, rather than applying a uniform restriction.
On privacy, the council argued that the wording of the law would have required proof of age for access to social media “before accessing (social media platforms)”, and that this was problematic even for adults.
Macron orders bill rewritten
After the ruling, French President Emmanuel Macron instructed Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to revise the bill “as quickly as possible”, according to a statement from the president’s office. Macron reiterated his intention to implement the ban by spring 2027.
The government had previously moved to accelerate the legislation through parliament, with the goal of having it in place for the beginning of the school year in September. Lecornu’s task now includes reshaping the proposal so that it can pass constitutional review.
European and global focus on child age limits
The decision arrives as countries worldwide continue to debate whether minimum age rules should be imposed on social media use for younger children.
Australia introduced such restrictions in December. In Britain, the government announced similar measures in June, and the country’s parliament is expected to vote on the proposals by Christmas. Spain, Greece and Denmark are also planning to introduce minimum age limits for social media.
France’s Constitutional Council has now ruled that the version before it did not meet constitutional requirements, particularly on freedom of expression and the necessity of a proportionate approach, as well as the privacy implications of the proposed age checks.

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15 August 2026
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Trump Asks Supreme Court to Keep Ballroom Work Going

US President Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to allow him to continue building a $400m (£295m) ballroom at the White House without congressional permission, despite a court order that construction should stop until lawmakers approve.

Trump’s emergency application was submitted one week after a federal appeals court ruled that work must pause until Congress grants approval. The decision upheld a ruling won by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued the administration last year.
Stop-Work Order Challenged
In the latest filing, US Solicitor General D John Sauer asked the Supreme Court to permit construction to continue while the government appeals the stop-work order. He described the order as “dangerous”.
Sauer said the project is about 65% complete and argued that halting the work would be unfair. He said refusing emergency relief would amount to “construction-by-injunction”, with restrictions effectively preventing the administration from completing work that had already begun.
He warned that the effects of the injunction would be especially inequitable after 21 August, when the appeals court ruling is due to take effect. The Supreme Court would need to grant the emergency request before then to prevent work from being stopped.
Sauer also argued that requiring the president to seek congressional approval would give the legislature “dangerous leverage”, and that insisting on such steps would risk undermining the purpose of the court intervention.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts ordered the National Trust for Historic Preservation to file a response by noon on Tuesday.
Security and Event Space Claims
Trump has previously said the White House does not have a suitable large event space and that creating one is vital for national security. The filing renews the administration’s position that the ballroom is needed for official purposes.
The appeals court decision is not currently in force, but under the timetable described in the dispute, construction will have to stop on 21 August unless the Supreme Court grants the emergency application.
The government’s argument extends beyond events, with the administration maintaining that the ballroom project also includes military facilities, including bomb shelters and centres for medical treatment.
Dispute Over Reviews and Funding
The legal battle dates to October, when the administration began demolishing the White House’s East Wing to start construction without congressional permission.
Soon after, the National Trust filed a lawsuit arguing that the project was unlawful because it started without a review process that includes public comment and approval by bodies such as the National Capital Planning Commission.
After Trump’s emergency application was filed on Friday, the National Trust accused the administration of “refusing to listen” and of accelerating construction in an attempt to move past the courts. It said the administration was actively seeking to evade judicial review and to limit the availability of meaningful relief.
The administration and its lawyers have argued that the ballroom work is not funded by taxpayer money and is instead paid for through private corporate donations, which they say removes the need for congressional approval. The president’s legal team also denies that it sidestepped required processes and says it has followed the law.
The White House ballroom project is part of a wider effort by Trump to change the look of parts of Washington, including the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and a planned “Arc de Trump” modelled on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The administration has faced allegations in relation to those projects as well, with critics saying required review and public-comment procedures were avoided.

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15 August 2026
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