While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 11, 2026
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A member of the Colombian Red Cross searching through the rubble of a collapsed building in Cali, Colombia, after an Aug 10 earthquake.
PHOTO: EPA
State of emergency after Colombia quake kills 111
Colombia on Aug 10 declared a state of emergency following a powerful earthquake that caused at least 111 deaths and flattened dozens of buildings, trapping more victims underneath.
The 7.4-magnitude quake struck western Colombia at 7.34am (8.34pm in Singapore) and triggered a frantic search for survivors in several cities.
“The national government is maintaining all its capacities deployed to protect lives, assist affected communities and deliver aid to every area that needs it,” President Abelardo de la Espriella stated from Bogota.
The leader appointed just three days ago reported 111 deaths, 87 people injured and over 1,000 buildings were damaged.
Trump says Iran must pay compensation
PHOTO: REUTERS
US President Donald Trump said on Aug 10 he will demand that Iran pay compensation for “all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded”, in response to Iran seeking compensation for the damages it has incurred from US and Israeli attacks.
Trump’s social media post came after Iran said over the weekend it was nearing a deal with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the US must meet conditions including compensation and an end to sanctions and military threats, before the strategic waterway is reopened.
“It is an interesting idea because now I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Russia readying more North Korean troops, missiles
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug 10 that Russia was preparing to station more North Korean troops on its territory and had received more ballistic missiles from Pyongyang.
Zelensky has repeatedly warned of deepening military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, often while appealing for more Western air-defence supplies.
“This is the first time they cannot wage war without supplements from North Korea,” he said in his nightly address, referring to Russian forces.
Russia bars only anti-war party from elections
PHOTO: AFP
Russia’s Supreme Court on Aug 10 barred the country’s only anti-war party, Yabloko, from contesting September’s parliamentary elections.
The court thereby upheld a suit brought by a pro-Kremlin nationalist party, stripping voters opposed to the four-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine of their last option on the ballot.
About a hundred supporters, mostly young people, gathered outside the courthouse, chanting “Shame! Shame!” after the ruling was delivered.
World Cup co-hosts US, Canada oppose FIFA’s Infantino
PHOTO: AFP
The football federations of the United States and Canada – two of the 2026 World Cup host nations – on Aug 10 backed a statement from three confederations criticising FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
US Soccer, Canada Soccer, the CFU (Caribbean Football Union) and UNCAF (Central American Football Union) said they “stand together, along with our colleagues around the world, in calling for meaningful change that strengthens FIFA’s governance, transparency and accountability”.
That puts the US and Canada at odds with the third co-host of this year’s World Cup, Mexico, which has given Infantino its backing.
