World

U.S. President Donald Trump vowed on social media Wednesday to launch against Iran what he called "the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY!

"This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale," he wrote in a post on Truth Social, offering few details.

He also warned ‌of economic consequences for any country that supported ​Tehran or provided "any ​type of lifeline to Iran."

"ANY country that ​allows its ⁠financial institutions, businesses, ⁠airports, ‌or government entities to provide any type of lifeline ⁠to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences," ‌Trump said in a post on social media.

He did ​not specify what ⁠specific steps Washington ⁠would take against such ⁠a ⁠country, nor did he list ​any ⁠country by name. He wrote: "Oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries, front companies — It all needs to stop NOW. You know who you are."

Thousands of people have been killed in the six-month-old war, which quickly drew in countries across the Gulf. Meanwhile, global markets have been shocked as Iran flexed its ability to control shipping through the Strait ​of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's traded oil ​passed before February.

The U.S. and Iran have twice announced ceasefire agreements, in April and June, designed to restore the free flow of shipping through Hormuz to pre-war levels on the way toward ending ​the conflict. Both quickly crumbled even as Israel largely withdrew from the fighting it launched alongside the U.S. in February.

Trump's social media threats and announcements are ⁠not always expanded or successfully acted upon as written.
Conflicting accounts of U.S.-Iran talks

On Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates, which hosts a major U.S. military base, announced it was suspending all trade activities, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran until further notice.

The announcement came after the UAE defence ministry said it had detected two missiles launched from Iran that fell into the sea, ​a report Iran dismissed as baseless.

China buys more than 80 per cent of Iran's shipped oil, according to 2025 data from analytics firm Kpler, but for the U.S. to ⁠engage in further economic warfare with China — a major exporter to the U.S. including of vital rare-earth minerals — risks retaliation.

On Tuesday, Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran's ⁠supreme ⁠leader, said Iran ⁠remains open to dialogue with the U.S. but does not confuse negotiations with surrender. According to the semi-official Fars ​news agency, Mokhber said military pressure and sanctions would not break Iran's resolve.

On Tuesday, Trump said no talks were taking ​place with Iran. A day earlier, Jared ⁠Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and special envoy, struck an upbeat tone, saying talks with Iran were still underway and were "probably more robust" than ever.

(Agencies)

US President Donald Trump signaled Sunday he is prepared to let economic pressure mount against Iran, apparently backing away from ordering more military strikes even as Tehran issues tough demands.

"We are low-keying it," Trump said, according to the news outlet Axios, which said it spoke to him in a brief phone call.

Only a week ago Trump made the latest of his series of threats to hit Iran hard, only to back off, as he presses for a deal to end the war he started along with Israel on 28 February.

Axios said Trump did not express any frustration Sunday with Iran's delaying an agreement to open up the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has demanded that the US first end its blockade of Iranian ports and lift oil sanctions, as per the memorandum of understanding the two countries signed in June.

The strait's blockage by Iran since the war started has sent fuel prices soaring and rattled the world economy, putting pressure on the Trump administration as midterm elections in November grow nearer.

"We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money," Trump was quoted as saying.

Trump also said oil prices are falling so American consumers are feeling less pain from the war.

"It will work out. It always works out. It's like a chess game," Trump said of US dealings with Iran.

Source: AFP

At least nine people, including a child, have died after a fire broke out at a hotel in Kolkata, India, early Wednesday morning, according to local police.

The blaze erupted at around 2:50 a.m. local time on the second floor of the hotel and was brought under control within approximately an hour, a senior police officer said.

Around 30 people were safely evacuated from the building following the incident.

Authorities suspect that an electrical short circuit may have triggered the fire, although the exact cause has not yet been established.

Local media reports said at least six people were injured and receiving treatment at hospitals.

The hotel is situated in a congested area of central Kolkata and is known for offering budget accommodation and housing restaurants.

Reports on the nationalities of those who died remain unclear. ANI, citing the fire department, reported that some of the victims were Bangladeshi nationals who had travelled to Kolkata for medical treatment. NDTV reported that all nine victims were Bangladeshis.

However, the senior police official who spoke to Reuters said the nationalities of those killed had not yet been confirmed.

Authorities are continuing investigations into the circumstances surrounding the deadly fire.

At least 7 people have been reported killed and 15 other people injured in a school shooting in Thailand on Friday morning, according to public broadcaster Thai PBS.

The shooting took place at a school in Central Thailand's Nonthaburi province. The fatalities have been listed as three students, three teachers and the suspected shooter. It has been reported that the attacker turned the gun on himself after shooting the students and teachers.

The shooter, wearing a purple tracksuit, fired multiple rounds inside the school, according to a witness at the scene. Initial reports indicated that the attacker was a student, according to Thai PBS, citing Thai Permanent Secretary for the Interior Arsit Sampantharat.

A student who was inside the school said he initially thought there were firecrackers going off or that someone was banging an object.

"I didn't think it was a gun at first," he told the Reuters.

"There were many shots: bang, bang, bang. Then it went quiet. Then it started again."

Extending sympathy to those killed and injured, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told media that "I am very sorry that this is happening.

"It is horrible. This should not have happened," he said, adding that the problem of gun violence had prompted his government to ban the carrying of handguns by unauthorized people and to more widely restrict the possession of firearms.

With details of the incident still under investigation, officials have asked the public to await an official update.

The deadly incident is the second school shooting in Thailand this year. A teacher died of her injuries after a shooting in Songkhla province in the south of the country in February.

In October 2022, 37 people, including 22 children, were killed when a former policeman with a history of drug abuse attacked a day-care center in Nong Bua Lam Phu province in the upper northeastern region of Thailand.

Oil prices rose sharply on Monday (Aug 17) after US President Donald Trump ruled out extending an interim ceasefire arrangement with Iran, deepening uncertainty over the conflict and the future of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude, the international benchmark, settled at $90.87 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate rose to $84.50. The gains reflected renewed concern that stalled diplomacy could prolong disruptions to global energy supplies.

President Trump said Monday that he did not want to extend the memorandum of understanding reached with Iran in June. The agreement had been intended to create a path toward a broader settlement, but negotiations have struggled over several issues, including Iran’s nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has also hardened its position. A senior Iranian official warned that Tehran could shift toward a more offensive military posture if diplomatic efforts fail.

Why Hormuz matters

The Strait of Hormuz remains the most important factor for oil markets. Before the conflict, around one-fifth of global oil supplies passed through the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to international markets.

Traffic remains heavily disrupted. Only five commodity vessels crossed the strait on Saturday, compared with 31 the previous weekend, while no crossings were recorded on Sunday, according to shipping data cited by Reuters.

Even without a complete shutdown, reduced tanker traffic can increase shipping and insurance costs and restrict supplies from major Gulf producers.

What’s next?

The immediate focus will be on whether Washington and Tehran can maintain diplomatic contacts despite increasingly confrontational rhetoric.

Sustained increases in crude prices can feed into gasoline and transportation costs, making the conflict increasingly relevant to American consumers.

For oil markets, Hormuz will remain the key indicator.

Any agreement that restores significant tanker traffic could quickly ease some of the geopolitical premium built into crude prices. Further attacks or a deeper disruption of the strait could push prices higher.

For now, markets are pricing in a conflict with no clear diplomatic exit and an energy supply route that remains vulnerable to the next political or military move.

(WION)

Russia fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Kyiv and the surrounding region on Wednesday, killing at least 17 people and destroying warehouses and logistics centres of major retailers, Ukrainian officials said, as a shortage of air defence missiles leaves Ukraine vulnerable.

Multiple explosions ripped through the area during the night, and fires lit up the dark skies over the Ukrainian capital, which has come under missile attack every three to four days in recent weeks as Russia has escalated its air war.

"Ballistic missile interceptors could have saved the lives of those killed today," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Telegram, urging Ukraine's foreign allies to replenish its supplies of interceptors. Deliveries of air defence missiles were three times smaller than in 2025, he added.

Ukrainian air defences downed nearly 90% of the 115 drones launched by Russia but failed to intercept a single one of the ⁠24 ballistic missiles and four Zircon cruise missiles, the air force said.

Russia's Defence Ministry said it had struck seven logistics centres in Kyiv and the region, accusing them of being used to store or distribute dual-use goods and drone components.

For months, Ukraine has suffered from a critical shortage of air defence missiles for U.S. Patriot systems, the only weapon in its arsenal capable of downing Russia's ballistic missiles, which travel at many times the speed of sound.

Since the Iran war broke out in February, Patriots earmarked for Ukraine have been diverted to the U.S. military and U.S. allies in the Gulf.

Russia, meanwhile, has intensified its ballistic strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities as its advances on the frontline have slowed considerably this year.

BODIES SCATTERED ACROSS PLATFORM

Officials said more than 40 people were injured in the attack.

At a commuter station in the Kyiv suburb of Brovary, seven bodies were scattered across the platform. The body of an eighth victim lay in the bushes nearby, Reuters TV images showed.

"People missed their last train. For now, we know of eight dead," said Volodymyr Bigun, head of Brovary's local administration, adding that five logistics warehouses had been hit in the district, ⁠including food retailer Fozzy. "The enemy continues to hit civilian infrastructure." Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

As Kyiv aims to bring the war back to Russia, Ukraine hit a logistics hub of Russian online retailer Wildberries overnight, adding to more than a dozen it has damaged recently.

FACILITIES DESTROYED WITHIN MINUTES

Epicentr, Ukraine's largest home improvement and DIY retail chain, said two key logistics facilities and a factory were destroyed within minutes during the attacks, and it was still assessing the full scale of the damage.

"This is a deliberate attack on Ukrainian manufacturing, logistics, jobs and the country’s ability to ⁠recover," Epicentr said in a statement.

Food retailer Silpo said on Facebook at least six of its employees had been killed and two distribution centres set ablaze by the strikes.

Iryna Chechotkina, co-founder of leading online retailer Rozetka, said she watched overnight as the work of her entire life went up in flames after strikes by three ballistic missiles. "How did I feel that night? Devastation and pain," she said on Facebook. “A feeling that I must carry ⁠on despite everything. ROZETKA is still operating.”

Ukraine's economy has proved remarkably resilient over more than four years of war, backed by billions in financial aid from Western partners. But this year the business losses are piling up.

The Kyiv regional military administration said 13 warehouses were damaged in Wednesday's attack, as well as a manufacturing facility and four private homes, and dozens of vehicles.

Prime Minister Sergii ⁠Koretskyi, who took office last month in a reshuffle, said the government would call an emergency meeting with businesses to work out how to secure smooth operations of logistics and trade companies.

Kyiv sought more PAC-3s, the newest type of Patriot interceptor missile.

The United States is pressing ahead with talks to allow Ukraine to make Patriot missiles, even after President Donald Trump cast doubt on such a deal, four sources familiar with the discussions said.

Source: Reuters

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in Dhaka said on Sunday (August 16, 2026) that officials of India and Bangladesh have been in talks for “several weeks” for a possible India visit by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and stated that the atmosphere of bilateral relations was “vitiated” by deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s August 5, 2026, press conference held in Delhi’s Foreign Correspondents Club.

MoFA’s official spokesperson A.K.M. Shahidul Karim said that “a propitious environment” is required for Mr. Rahman’s visit and urged India to “extradite” Ms. Hasina and the suspected killers of radical student leader Osman Hadi.

“We are of the view that a propitious environment needs to be created for the visit. To this end, we have requested the Indian authorities to expeditiously act on our request to extradite Sheikh Hasina and other fugitive criminals, and to hand over to Bangladesh the accused killers of Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi in compliance with our bilateral extradition treaty,” said Mr. Karim in a statement, adding, “We are awaiting their response.”

Ms. Hasina sought refuge in India on August 5, 2024, after a popular uprising toppled her government. Hadi, a radical student leader who was part of the protests and subsequently planned to contest the election, was shot in Dhaka by unknown assailants in December 2025. He passed away in Singapore while undergoing treatment on December 18, 2025, leading to widespread violence in Bangladesh some of which also targeted India’s diplomatic missions and minority Hindu community members. Dhaka has been maintaining that the suspected shooters involved in the incident escaped to India, but New Delhi has not said anything definitive in response.

Diplomatic sources had earlier indicated that bilateral talks had been on the right track after India distanced itself from Ms. Hasina’s press conference in which she had targeted Mr. Rahman’s government. Subsequently, Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Dinesh Trivedi called on Mr. Rahman on August 10.

In view of these exchanges, sources in Dhaka had indicated that “positive movements” had started and that the window for a big ticket visit from Dhaka was gradually opening. Mr. Karim confirmed the consultation and said, “Officials of Bangladesh and Inda have been in touch with each other for several weeks on the possibility of a bilateral visit by Honourable Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman to India. However, this process was vitiated by the open press interaction in New Delhi on August 5 by Sheikh Hasina…”.

The official spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry, Randhir Jaiswal, had reiterated last Friday that India had extended two invites to Prime Minister Rahman – one for the upcoming BRICS summit to be held here and the other an invite for a bilateral visit. The latter was extended on February 17, when Mr. Rahman was sworn in after winning the general election. Earlier, on August 7, Mr. Jaiswal had distanced India from Ms. Hasina’s press conference saying that India does not “endorse” the comments made against the “duly constituted government” of Bangladesh.

In Sunday’s remarks, Mr. Karim reiterated Dhaka’s “Bangladesh first” foreign policy and said the government will continue to “promote friendly bilateral relations with other countries” including with neighbours, “on the basis of sovereign equality, national dignity, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs and mutual benefit”.

(The Hindu)

Russia fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Kyiv and the surrounding region on Wednesday, killing at least 17 people and destroying warehouses and logistics centres of major retailers, Ukrainian officials said, as a shortage of air defence missiles leaves Ukraine vulnerable.

Multiple explosions ripped through the area during the night, and fires lit up the dark skies over the Ukrainian capital, which has come under missile attack every three to four days in recent weeks as Russia has escalated its air war.

"Ballistic missile interceptors could have saved the lives of those killed today," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Telegram, urging Ukraine's foreign allies to replenish its supplies of interceptors. Deliveries of air defence missiles were three times smaller than in 2025, he added.

Ukrainian air defences downed nearly 90% of the 115 drones launched by Russia but failed to intercept a single one of the ⁠24 ballistic missiles and four Zircon cruise missiles, the air force said.

Russia's Defence Ministry said it had struck seven logistics centres in Kyiv and the region, accusing them of being used to store or distribute dual-use goods and drone components.

For months, Ukraine has suffered from a critical shortage of air defence missiles for U.S. Patriot systems, the only weapon in its arsenal capable of downing Russia's ballistic missiles, which travel at many times the speed of sound.

Since the Iran war broke out in February, Patriots earmarked for Ukraine have been diverted to the U.S. military and U.S. allies in the Gulf.

Russia, meanwhile, has intensified its ballistic strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities as its advances on the frontline have slowed considerably this year.

BODIES SCATTERED ACROSS PLATFORM

Officials said more than 40 people were injured in the attack.

At a commuter station in the Kyiv suburb of Brovary, seven bodies were scattered across the platform. The body of an eighth victim lay in the bushes nearby, Reuters TV images showed.

"People missed their last train. For now, we know of eight dead," said Volodymyr Bigun, head of Brovary's local administration, adding that five logistics warehouses had been hit in the district, ⁠including food retailer Fozzy. "The enemy continues to hit civilian infrastructure." Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

As Kyiv aims to bring the war back to Russia, Ukraine hit a logistics hub of Russian online retailer Wildberries overnight, adding to more than a dozen it has damaged recently.

FACILITIES DESTROYED WITHIN MINUTES

Epicentr, Ukraine's largest home improvement and DIY retail chain, said two key logistics facilities and a factory were destroyed within minutes during the attacks, and it was still assessing the full scale of the damage.

"This is a deliberate attack on Ukrainian manufacturing, logistics, jobs and the country’s ability to ⁠recover," Epicentr said in a statement.

Food retailer Silpo said on Facebook at least six of its employees had been killed and two distribution centres set ablaze by the strikes.

Iryna Chechotkina, co-founder of leading online retailer Rozetka, said she watched overnight as the work of her entire life went up in flames after strikes by three ballistic missiles. "How did I feel that night? Devastation and pain," she said on Facebook. “A feeling that I must carry ⁠on despite everything. ROZETKA is still operating.”

Ukraine's economy has proved remarkably resilient over more than four years of war, backed by billions in financial aid from Western partners. But this year the business losses are piling up.

The Kyiv regional military administration said 13 warehouses were damaged in Wednesday's attack, as well as a manufacturing facility and four private homes, and dozens of vehicles.

Prime Minister Sergii ⁠Koretskyi, who took office last month in a reshuffle, said the government would call an emergency meeting with businesses to work out how to secure smooth operations of logistics and trade companies.

Kyiv sought more PAC-3s, the newest type of Patriot interceptor missile.

The United States is pressing ahead with talks to allow Ukraine to make Patriot missiles, even after President Donald Trump cast doubt on such a deal, four sources familiar with the discussions said.

Source: Reuters

At least 15 people have drowned and 27 are missing after a boat sank on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe on Tuesday, officials have said.

The boat had a capacity to carry 90 passengers and five crew members but a lake official had reported that 120 people, including 12 children, were on it, police said.

The vessel was hit by a strong wave and overturned, police added. Footage shared online appears to show the overturned hull floating in the water.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a state of disaster, as search and rescue operations intensify. A total of 77 people have been rescued so far.

Lake Kariba, which straddles the border with Zambia, is one of the world's largest man-made reservoirs, supporting transport and fishing and providing vital hydroelectric power to both countries.

Mutsa Murombedzi, a local member of parliament, posted a video on X of what she said was the boat at the start of the journey, adding that residents had been using it to travel across the lake to Kariba town, a journey that takes about five hours.

"We have very hard questions that require honest answers. The officials must release the correct number of people who were onboard," she wrote.

The Zimbabwe Civil Protection Unit (CPU) said that registered ticket sales showed 114 adult passengers were on the vessel. There could also have been an unknown number of children below ticketing age, it added.

The CPU confirmed that 77 passengers had so far been rescued, and 15 bodies had been retrieved.

Two funeral parlours were collecting the bodies, it added.

Local government minister Daniel Garwe said the president had declared a state of disaster to ensure "all necessary resources are mobilised" for search and rescue operations.

He said 27 people were still unaccounted for and an unconfirmed number of children were also believed to have been on the vessel.

Garwe added that an army boat squadron, a police sub-aqua unit and a privately owned helicopter were involved in search and rescue operations.

"The government extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives in this tragic incident," he said in a statement.

Source: BBC

Floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains have killed more than 100 people across India since July, official data showed Wednesday (Aug 5), with thousands forced to flee their inundated homes.

While the annual monsoon brings rainfall that farmers depend on, scientists say climate change is making the phenomenon more erratic, unpredictable and deadly across the South Asia region.

India's northeastern state of Assam is among the hardest hit by the annual rains, with at least 87 people killed, according to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

In the state's worst-affected Sivasagar district, some 47 people have been killed as several areas remain under water.

State authorities have appealed for financial donations from the public to support relief and rehabilitation efforts.

"The devastation here is unlike anything these areas have witnessed before," Sarma posted on X.

“Material losses can be restored, but no compensation can replace a loved one.”

SEVERE WEATHER

AFP images showed residents using rafts and inflated boats to reach higher ground with the help of the state's disaster response officials.

In India's southern state of Kerala, Chief Minister VD Satheesan said at least 15 people have been killed and another seven were missing after heavy rains over several days.

More than 300 relief camps have been set up in the state, sheltering over 10,000 people, after rains triggered landslides and swollen rivers breached their banks.

In the Himalayan territory of Jammu and Kashmir, at least 31 people have been killed, according to a report by the public state broadcaster.

Monsoon-related disasters are an annual occurrence across India after the region's long summers when many parts of the country face water scarcity and drought.

Neighbouring Sri Lanka has also seen unusually heavy monsoon rains that have caused flash floods and mudslides, claiming the lives of at least eight people since Monday, according to the Disaster Management Centre.

Some 12,000 people have been driven out of their flooded homes in the central region.

At the same time, the country's eastern regions were in the grip of a severe drought, with authorities having to transport drinking water for residents in tanker trucks.

The government last month said the severe weather events were due to this year's El Nino weather phenomenon, which warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.

The government is yet to estimate the potential loss to Sri Lanka's economy from the effects of El Nino, but has set up a ministerial task force to mitigate its impact.

Source: AFP

At least 132 people are dead and a state of emergency has been declared after Colombia was hit by one of its largest earthquakes in years.

The death toll is likely to rise, with more feared trapped under collapsed buildings.

The magnitude 7.4 quake struck at 07:34 (12:34 GMT) at a depth of 103km (64 miles) in Chocó province, the country's geological service said. It was felt across an enormous area, stretching for hundreds of miles across western Colombia.

Many of the deaths have been concentrated in the city of Pereira, in Colombia's coffee-growing region, with surrounding cities and the Valle del Cauca region also hit hard.

The epicentre of the quake was near the village of San José del Palmar, in Chocó province, but local mayor León Fabio Marín Moncada said that there had miraculously been no deaths or injuries - despite the roads in and out being damaged.

More than 480 people were injured in the quakes, Colombia's Association of Capital Cities wrote in a statement update on Monday.

About 55km (34 miles) from the epicentre of the earthquake, the city of Pereira saw some of the worst damage.

Videos verified by the BBC show at least one building collapsing in Plaza Bolívar, the city's main square, with scattered debris and dust across the open space where many people had gathered.

Local authorities have reported at least 40 people dead in the city's metropolitan area, with 65 collapsed buildings. People are believed to be trapped in 15 of them.

A curfew is in place in some parts of the city until 05:00 local time on Tuesday.

Thirty-two buildings collapsed in Cali, located about 160km south of Pereira and about 200km from the epicentre.

Dan Cutler, 29, is from London but has been in Colombia for about two months as part of a big trip with his partner, and is currently in Cali.

Being woken by the earthquake, he told the BBC: "I've never experienced anything like it."

"We sprinted outside in our pyjamas. There's no major structural damage to the hotel, but there are surface cracks in the walls, and paint and plaster have peeled off," he says.

There were also reports of deaths in Manizales, Quibdó, Medellín, across the Chocó and Valle del Cauca regions.

At least two people have died in Manizales.

Speaking to BBC World Service, Angélica Ávila said she had been staying in a hotel in Manizales.

She said as the earthquake hit, cracks appeared in the walls.

"Everyone was screaming... I saw dust coming out of the neighbouring buildings, and bricks were falling off the walls," she said.

Journalist and meteorologist Luis Felipe Molina, from Manizales, was at home when the earthquake struck - about 150km from the epicentre.

He explained that due to previous earthquakes, the city has "very strict seismic-resistant building regulations" - so his building was able to resist the impact.

"I have 450 books and only a few were left standing on the shelves. You could hear glass breaking and people screaming," he told BBC Mundo.

"It was a terrible and terrifying experience."

The country's aviation authority has reported damage at several regional airports, including those in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura.

In the capital, Bogotá, trees and traffic lights shook violently, with reports of cracks in buildings but so far none of any serious damage to the city's infrastructure.

Tremors were felt as far away as neighbouring Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama.

The quake comes less than two months after twin quakes devastated the north of Venezuela, killing more than 6,300 people.

Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella has declared a national disaster situation, creating special powers to react to the emergency, including to reallocate budgets.

Having only taken up the role on Friday, the new president is immediately faced with a potentially legacy-defining event.

Along with the dead, he confirmed that more than 1,500 homes had been damaged.

As the extent of the damage has begun to emerge, world leaders have come forward to offer support.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was "closely monitoring" the earthquake, and stood "ready to support", while EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the EU's Copernicus satellite was being used in the rescue operation.

The President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, sent a message of solidarity to the Colombian people and offered personnel and equipment for rescue efforts.

According to the US Geological Survey, an estimated 1.5 million people felt shaking close to magnitude seven.

It stated that deep earthquakes, like the one which hit on Monday, are usually less dangerous than earthquakes which break closer to the Earth's surface.

But they can release energy in a way which is damaging to buildings, with fewer but potentially stronger aftershocks.

(BBC)

US President Donald Trump on Monday said that he wants to give Iran a “last chance” before taking what he described as a “decapitation” action, while claiming negotiations are "going on” despite Iranian denials.

“Iran did not want to be hit, and they said we want to talk,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office.

“We’re talking at the request of Iran, backed by Saudi Arabia, backed by UAE and backed by Qatar in particular, but others also,” he said.

“This is the last chance for them to sign a good document,” Trump said.

“I want to give him every last chance before decapitation,” he said when pressed further.

Asked whether talks with Iran were now off, Trump said: “They’re going on right now.”

“When they’re talking, they don’t like saying that they’re talking… We’re in talks, and they’ll sometimes deny it, even though they spend hours and hours together talking,” he said.

Trump said the talks would proceed in two phases, with the first focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the second addressing Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

“We’re talking about the Strait, the opening of the Strait, having it open literally by tomorrow, completely open, and that’s phase one. And phase two is we then will talk about the nuclear capacity,” he said.

Asked where the talks would take place, Trump said the location would be decided “today or tomorrow,” adding that discussions would move quickly.

He also added that the US will not allow Iran to charge the ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. “There's not going to be charging. We're not talking about charging at all.”

Trump said that the oil prices will drop after the US is “finished with Iran,” while adding that top US oil producers ExxonMobil and Chevron “made too much money.”

“When you look at one company where they made 12 times what they made the year before, they would give some of that back to the public, and they better cut the retail price, the consumer price. Too much money,” he said.

Iran said Monday that it is not engaged in negotiations with the US and that it is working with Oman to establish "a temporary route" in the Strait of Hormuz to ensure safe navigation through the strategic waterway.

“Our current discussions with Oman are focused on ensuring the safe passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said at a press briefing.

Baqaei rejected reports of negotiations between Tehran and Washington, saying: “We are not having negotiations with the United States.”

In recent weeks, the US and Iran have exchanged military strikes, with Washington attacking targets inside Iran and Tehran responding by targeting what it described as US military facilities and equipment in several Arab countries, particularly Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait.

The escalation followed a memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran in June and the launch of negotiations toward a final agreement.

The talks later stalled over disagreements concerning security guarantees and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important routes for energy supplies and global trade.