Thursday, August 13, 2026

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

The United Arab Emirates says that two vessels linked to the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Iran of being behind the attacks.

2026 United States military buildup in the Middle East

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Nimitz-class USS George Washington will deploy to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln following a nine-month deployment and amidst reports of conditions on the aircraft carrier.

Gaza war

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet says that they have killed Hamas commander and Gaza District Police chief Jamal Mahmoud Abu Kamil in a airstrike in Gaza City. Additionally, the IDF also kills a Hamas company commander in a separate strike in Khan Yunis.

Crimea attacks

Russian military officer Robert Shagaev, who commanded the submarine Zaporizhzhia before defecting to Russia after its annexation of Crimea, is reported to have been killed by an explosive planted in a trash can in Sevastopol.

Blue Nile campaign

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) says that they have retaken control of the Blue Nile town of Kurmuk, a month after being recaptured by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

Kordofan campaign

The SAF and Joint Forces repels a major assault by RSF on the Jebrat al Sheikh district in North Kordofan, Sudan.

Sudanese civil war

Renewed drone attacks by the RSF are reported in Khartoum, Sudan, for a second consecutive day, with the SAF intercepting several drones targeting the area.

2027 Kyrgyz presidential election

Kyrgyz president Sadyr Japarov announces that he will run for a second term in the upcoming presidential election in January 2027.

2026 Zambian general election

Zambians vote to elect a president and 280 seats of the National Assembly. Incumbent president Hakainde Hichilema is running for re-election to a second term in office.

2026 Zambian general election

Zambian police arrest several senior opposition figures during the elections, accusing them of possessing military weapons and planning armed insurrection. Opposition leader Brian Mundubile says security forces raided his residence after voting ended.

Russian spies in the Russo-Ukrainian war

Polish prime minister Donald Tusk says authorities, working with U.S. services, foiled an alleged Russian plot to kill a Ukrainian-American citizen in Warsaw and arrest a suspect accused of acting for Russian intelligence. Tusk says it is the first such Russian-directed plot in another NATO country.

2026 Pacific hurricane season

In the United States, Hawaii governor Josh Green declares a state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Lala's expected landfall on the state over the weekend.

2026 United Kingdom wildfires

Multiple wildfires break out across England on the hottest day of the year in the United Kingdom so far, with widespread damage in Stourbridge, West Midlands.

Lewes derailment

At least 20 people are injured when a GTR Southern commuter train derails near Lewes, East Sussex, United Kingdom.

Disasters

At least eleven people are killed and 13 others are injured after two trucks, two minibuses, two cars and a tricycle collided on the Accra–Kumasi Expressway, Ghana.

Disasters

Seven people are killed after an under-construction tunnel collapsed in Chamoli District, India.

Disasters

Unprecedented torrential rainfall due to severe thunderstorms causes widespread flooding in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, leaving at least eight people dead.

2026 European heatwaves

Romania begins shutting down the second reactor at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, the country's only nuclear power plant, after a drought lowered the Danube river below the level required for cooling, leaving both reactors offline. The government says alternative sources and imports will cover electricity demand.

Health

Greece's public health agency reports 110 West Nile virus infections and nine deaths in 2026, including 45 new cases in one week, as authorities increase mosquito control measures in the Athens metropolitan area.