Passengers rescued as ferry catches fire

Brazil’s natural areas shrink: Study

Putin threatens seizures of European ships

New Zealand PM survives leadership challenge

Lebanon abolishes death penalty in Middle East first

UN warns West Bank at ‘breaking point’ amid rising violence

Azerbaijan signals broader scope for Zangezur Corridor

The scope of the strategically important Zangezur Corridor could be expanded to include electricity transmission lines as well as oil and natural gas pipelines, Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev has said.

US, Iran agree to extend ceasefire, Pakistani sources say

Tensions and uncertainty between Iran and the United States remained high on Aug. 12, amid mediation efforts despite a reported extension of the ceasefire.

Economic losses from natural disasters fall to $100 bln in first half of 2026

Economic losses from natural catastrophes worldwide are estimated to have reached $100 billion in the first half of this year, reinsurance group Swiss Re has said, a sharp decline from the period last year.

Woman pulled alive from Colombia quake rubble as toll rises

Rescuers pulled a 32-year-old woman alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in the western city of Pereira on Aug. 11 as crews continued searching for survivors of Colombia’s magnitude-7.4 earthquake.

North Korea fires ballistic missile ahead of US-South drills

North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its east coast towards Japan early on Aug. 12, Seoul's military said, days before the planned start of massive U.S.-South Korea joint drills.

Gaza water access far below emergency standard: UN

More than 1.3 million people in Gaza, or over half the population, have access to less than six liters of water per person a day, the United Nations said on Aug. 11.

Australia and Vietnam boost military ties in nod to China

Australia and Vietnam said on Aug. 11 that they would expand cooperation between their militaries as the middle powers face down Beijing’s expanding reach in the Pacific and the South China Sea.

Schools remain closed as Indonesia battles wildfires

Dozens of Indonesian schools were shuttered for a second day on Aug. 11 against the spreading haze of wildfires plaguing the archipelago at the start of a long and intense dry season worsened by El Nino.

UN nuclear watchdog set to visit Syria amid reported deal

Syria’s Atomic Energy Commission said on Aug. 11 that a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit the country to announce “significant progress,” appearing to confirm reports that the U.N. nuclear watchdog is preparing to remove nuclear material from a previously undisclosed site.

Compensation rift deepens between Washington, Tehran

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Aug. 11 that he would seek conflict compensation from Iran as part of any peace negotiations, citing attacks and killings stretching back decades allegedly backed or perpetrated by Tehran.

Syria sentences Assad to death in absentia over atrocities

A Syrian court on Aug. 11 sentenced ousted president Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher to death in absentia over crimes committed during the 2011 crackdown in the southern province of Daraa.

Airbus joins probe into Air India flight plunge

Airbus is sending experts to New Delhi on Aug. 11 to assist investigators probing an Air India flight that plunged dramatically, injuring 17 in terrifying mid-air ordeal, the company said.