Geopolitics

The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow corridor between Iran and Oman through which roughly one-fifth of the world's seaborne oil trade ordinarily passes, has gone almost quiet.

Jared Kushner arrived in Israel this week carrying something concrete: confirmation from the Board of Peace that Hamas had agreed to the roadmap's next phases, following rare direct talks. The government he flew to meet had still not formally endorsed the plan he was there to advance.

Ukraine unleashed hundreds of drones across Russian territory in what Ukrainian military officials described as the largest coordinated drone strike of 2026, killing at least six people. By nightfall, the exchange had claimed four more lives, civilians at a Kyiv market, struck by a Russian missile.

Novorossiysk, Russia's largest Black Sea grain export hub, went quiet on the morning of 13 August 2026.

Intelligence warnings that matter rarely arrive as screaming headlines. The one now circulating among European capitals came as a quiet advisory passed between allies: US intelligence, including the CIA, has told partner governments that Russian intelligence services may be planning sabotage and

Spain's mainland had not seen a total solar eclipse since 17 April 1912, a gap of 114 years.

Colombian authorities confirm at least 224 dead and more than 3,000 missing from Monday's magnitude 7.4 earthquake, as rescuers warn the window for finding survivors is closing.

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake, with its epicentre near the town of San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó, killed at least 111 people and left more than 1,000 buildings collapsed or severely damaged.