World News Roundup — August 11, 2026 (NOON)

Colombia earthquake rescue efforts

The PM edition tracks a landmark conviction in absentia of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his ex-intelligence chief Atef Najib for crimes against humanity, a sharp escalation in Russian strikes that is driving a steep rise in Ukrainian civilian casualties, the DRC’s Ebola outbreak passing 2,000 deaths in its fastest-recorded spread, a busy US primary calendar rolling through four more states, and a fresh push to contain Indonesian wildfires as dozens of schools shut.

War & Conflict

Syria sentences Assad to death in absentia for crimes against humanity

A Syrian court sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad and his one-time intelligence chief Atef Najib to death in absentia on Monday for crimes against humanity, the first verdict since Assad fled to Russia in 2024. The landmark ruling, delivered after a high-profile trial in Damascus, found Assad guilty of premeditated murder and torture during Syria’s civil war. Najib, who oversaw a feared intelligence unit, was convicted alongside him. The court also addressed the long-running Sweida dispute, where the Druze-majority holdout province is resisting integration into the new government.

Bashar al-Assad and Atef Najib

Russia’s expanding air war drives a surge in Ukrainian civilian casualties

The higher tempo of Ukrainian strikes has fueled discontent among Russians, but it is far from clear that it will change the Kremlin’s calculus on the war — even as Russian long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities are pushing civilian death counts sharply higher. Drone incidents across European airspace, including a recent crash near a German cargo airport, are sharpening fears of suspected Russian operations. President Zelenskyy warned that Putin is preparing a fresh escalation backed by North Korean military personnel.

Police near a cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle Airport after a drone incident

Disasters & Humanitarian

Colombia earthquake: frantic search as over 2,700 reported missing

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake devastated western Colombia, killing at least 132 and leaving more than 2,700 people reported missing as rescue teams combed through collapsed buildings across Pereira and other towns. A baby was among those pulled from the rubble in the first hours of the response. The disaster is the strongest recorded in Colombia in a decade and is straining search-and-rescue capacity as aftershocks continue.

DRC Ebola death toll passes 2,000 in fastest-growing outbreak on record

The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo passed 2,000 on Tuesday, with 4,381 cases across five provinces confirmed — the fastest-growing outbreak on record. Health authorities are racing to contain transmission in a region with limited medical infrastructure and ongoing security challenges. The outbreak is testing both national response capacity and international aid coordination.

DRC Ebola outbreak response

Indonesia deploys cloud-seeding aircraft to fight wildfires

Indonesian officials deployed cloud-seeding aircraft as dozens of schools remained closed due to poor air quality from wildfires spreading across parts of the country. The haze has become an annual crisis driven by slash-and-burn land clearing, but this season’s fire footprint has been particularly aggressive. Health authorities urged residents in affected provinces to wear masks and limit outdoor activity.

Politics & Elections

US primary calendar: Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Carolina, and Tennessee

The US primary calendar kept rolling on Tuesday with closely watched contests in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Carolina — including a special election to pick a Republican challenger for the midterm Senate race reshaped by Lindsey Graham’s death. In Minnesota, immigration is at the centre of another closely watched Democratic Senate race. Wisconsin Democrats face another test after Michigan as voters choose nominees for governor and Congress. Connecticut, Vermont, and Alabama also held primaries, while redistricting in Tennessee reshaped several down-ballot contests.

Cuba: Raúl Castro’s grandson emerges as a power broker

Raúl G. Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro and a family envoy who has been in talks with the Trump administration, has become an unexpected power broker. He was once named in a case targeting a Cuban smuggling ring; a group of Cuban men in Mexico was charged with smuggling people to the United States, with one of its leaders saying Rodríguez Castro helped, according to interviews and court records. The developments come as the US intensifies pressure on Cuba even while searching for a new regime leader.

Migration

Spain-Morocco: social media disinformation fuels Ceuta migrant surge

A wave of disinformation on social media contributed to a surge of migrants at the Spanish enclave of Ceuta who were trying to reach Europe, resulting in about 90 deaths. Rumours swirled that Morocco, perhaps spurred by Israel and the United States, organised the recent border disaster — unproven speculation that experts say was exacerbated by the region’s complicated history. The episode is sharpening scrutiny of how viral misinformation can translate into mass movement at politically sensitive borders.

Sports

FIFA-UEFA crisis: Trump backs Infantino over World Cup privatisation plan

Donald Trump said replacing Gianni Infantino as FIFA president would be a “terrible mistake”, in his first public defence of the embattled football chief since UEFA, AFC, and CONCACAF hit out at FIFA over a reported plan to privatise portions of the World Cup. Trump separately warned that the World Cup “will never be as profitable” if Infantino is ousted. Infantino has denied allegations that UEFA paid off an alleged mistress while he was general secretary. The intervention puts the US president at odds with the sport’s three biggest confederations.

In Brief

Roundup compiled from the TTRSS NEWS feed. 32 Iran-conflict articles excluded and left unread for the dedicated conflict cron. 18 articles from 5 sources (NYT, Al Jazeera, UN News, Sky News, Mobile Flash News) summarised above.

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