Tuesday, August 26, 2025
15 stories, grouped by subject, the most important first
Conflict
August 2025 FARC dissidents clashes
Colombian defense minister Pedro Sánchez reports that at least 34 soldiers have been kidnapped by armed civilians in Guaviare after clashes with dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that killed eleven fighters, including a commander, on Sunday.
Israeli incursions in the West Bank during the Gaza war
Israeli forces carry out a daytime raid on Ramallah in the West Bank, wounding at least 58 Palestinians with gunfire and tear gas.
World
Australia–Iran relations
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese announces the closure of the Australian embassy in Tehran, the expulsion of Iranian ambassadors from Australia, and designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization after an Australian Security Intelligence Organisation investigation links the IRGC to least two antisemitic attacks, including the 2024 Melbourne synagogue attack and an arson attack on a North Bondi kosher restaurant.
International sanctions against Iran
Representatives of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom fail to reach an agreement with Iran in Geneva, Switzerland, on avoiding the possible reimposition of UN sanctions under the 2015 nuclear deal's snapback mechanism, following concerns about Iran's compliance.
Politics
2026 Colombian presidential election
Miguel Uribe Londoño, the father of assassinated Colombian senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, announces his candidacy for president in the upcoming election, seeking the Democratic Centre's nomination.
Martial law in Ukraine
Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko announces that men aged 18 to 22 may now freely cross the border under martial law, reversing earlier restrictions that barred men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country.
Politics
The Lithuanian Seimas elects Inga Ruginienė as the country's new prime minister.
Politics
The Marshall Islands' parliament building in Majuro, including its library and archives, burns down in a fire.
Crime & Justice
Corruption in Sri Lanka
Former Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe is granted bail after being arrested on allegations of misusing public funds, becoming the first former president of the country to face arrest.
Haitian conflict
Haitian police regain control of the Téléco telecommunications hub in Port-au-Prince after it was seized by the Viv Ansanm gang, an operation that briefly disrupted air traffic and internet services.
Mass shootings in the United States
One person is killed and six others are wounded in a mass shooting near Interstate 35 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.
Porepunkah police shootings
Two police officers are shot and killed and a third is wounded in a suspected sovereign citizen terrorist attack in Porepunkah, Victoria, Australia, sending the town into lockdown. The perpetrator remains at large.
Disasters
India–Pakistan relations
Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority evacuates more than 100,000 people from Punjab after India releases water from dams into the Sutlej river, raising flood risks amid heavy monsoon rains.
Disasters
At least 14 people are killed and six others are seriously injured when a four-story building collapses in Virar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Culture
Culture
France repatriates three colonial-era skulls from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris to Madagascar under a 2023 law enabling the restitution of human remains, marking the first such handover between the two countries.
Stories adapted from Wikipedia’s Current events portal for August 26, 2025, by Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.