Zero's Briefs

Foreign Affairs and Geopolitics — Trump rules out a deal with Iran as more ships are hit in the Strait — On August 21, before boarding at Joint Base Andrews, the US president told reporters he did not believe Iran was ready for a satisfactory agreement and claimed control of the Strait of Hormuz area. The United Arab Emirates reports an attack on two ships linked to the Abu Dhabi oil company and accuses Tehran; among the vessels hit was the Bermuda-flagged LNG carrier Gaslog Shanghai, carrying liquefied natural gas from Qatar. Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense states it intercepted Iranian drones in its own airspace. Times of Israel, dispatch roundup.

Foreign Affairs and Geopolitics — Colombia shuts down the news programming of public media — The TIC Ministry and Inravisión’s management have announced the end of news and opinion programming on radio and television, which had run until August 6 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and placed under review more than 1,051 contracts worth over 100,000 million pesos signed in 2026, including 87 contracts worth approximately 4,000 million signed between August 6 and 7. Broadcasts by twenty Emisoras de Paz have also been suspended. Ángela María Mora Soto has headed Inravisión since August 7, appointed by President Abelardo de la Espriella. Portafolio, Semana.

News in Brief — Red List declares fifteen more animal species extinct — The 2026-1 update of the IUCN Red List, published on July 9, moves six mammals, four fish, one insect and four mollusks into the “extinct” category. Bucking the trend, the Australian numbat moves from “endangered” to “near threatened”: from around 300 specimens in the late 1970s to an estimated 2,000-3,000, thanks to the control of feral cats and introduced red foxes, protected reserves and captive breeding at Perth Zoo. The species now occupies about 0.04% of its original range. Artensterben, IUCN NL.

Economy and Markets — Solar overtakes wind as the world’s second renewable source — According to the International Energy Agency’s mid-year update, photovoltaic output will grow by around 600 TWh in 2026, matching the record expansion of 2025, and will overtake wind, ranking behind only hydropower. In 2025 renewables covered 34% of global electricity generation, up from 32% in 2024, with wind and solar together at 17%. Coal generation fell by about 0.5%, the first decline since 2020. IEA, Global Energy Review.

Health — In Congo, 5,290 confirmed cases of Ebola Bundibugyo and 2,516 deaths — Data reported by the ECDC on August 20, updated to the 19th, indicate 837 patients hospitalized in isolation and an outbreak spread across 54 health zones in six provinces. In the WHO situation report updated to August 16, the crude case fatality rate rose from 45.9% to 47.4%. The WHO classifies it as the largest Ebola outbreak ever documented in the country, above the 3,317 cases recorded in 2018-2020; for the Bundibugyo species there are no vaccines or specific treatments. ECDC, WHO, WHO AFRO.

Health — 77% of children worldwide are fully protected against measles — Joint WHO-UNICEF estimates on vaccination coverage for 2025 show a rise from 17% in 2000 to 77% today, with nearly one million more children receiving the second dose compared to the previous year. First-dose coverage remains stalled at 84%, below pre-pandemic levels: 20.8 million children did not receive it and 8.3 million missed the second dose. The threshold indicated to prevent outbreaks is 95%. Measles & Rubella Partnership, WHO, UNICEF Data.

Tech & AI — ChatGPT advertising arrives in 31 European markets on Monday — OpenAI will begin selling ads on ChatGPT on August 24 in 31 European markets, six months after the US launch. Advertisers will initially buy through major agency groups, with direct access planned later. The company states it has adapted its privacy policies to GDPR and says conversations are not shared with advertisers; it also claims that around 20% of ChatGPT requests have direct commercial intent. MarketingProfs, AI Weekly.

Sports — Serie A restarts today with Como-Udinese at 6:30 p.m. — The Italian championship kicks off on August 22, a day after the rest of Europe resumed play: on Friday, Serie B opened at the Romeo Menti stadium with Vicenza-Catanzaro, the Premier League with Arsenal-Coventry City, Ligue 1 with Marseille-Strasbourg and La Liga with Betis-Real Sociedad. The first matches of the three Serie C groups and the German cup have also begun. In the Conference League play-offs, the first leg between Atalanta and Hapoel Tel Aviv ended 0-0. Calcio Magazine, results.

Cinema & Entertainment — Werner Herzog to receive the Donostia Award in San Sebastián — The announcement came on August 7: the German director will be honored on the opening night of the 74th edition of the Basque festival, running from September 18 to 26, with a screening at the Teatro Victoria Eugenia of his new film “Bucking Fastard,” starring Rooney Mara, Kate Mara, Orlando Bloom and Domhnall Gleeson. It is the last edition directed by José Luis Rebordinos, who will be succeeded by Maialen Beloki from January 2027. Festival de San Sebastián, Deadline.

Cinema & Entertainment — Italian cinemas experience their richest August ever — The month generated 30.4 million euros against 6.7 million in the same period of 2025 and 8.6 million in 2024, bringing the annual box office close to 400 million. On the Ferragosto Monday holiday, however, for the first time neither “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (882 thousand euros) nor “Odissea” (676 thousand) surpassed one million euros in daily takings. According to Cinecittà News’s analysis, no Italian titles appear in the month’s top ten box office ranking. MYmovies, Cinecittà News, Di tutto un pop.

Cinema & Entertainment — In Venice, only one woman director among twenty films in competition — The selection for the 83rd Mostra, running from September 2 to 12, includes a single work directed by a woman: “Woman Unknown” by Danish-Egyptian director May El-Toukhy. The previous year there were six out of twenty-one. The festival opens with “Ink” by Danny Boyle, about Rupert Murdoch’s early career, and awards lifetime achievement Golden Lions to George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn; the jury is chaired by Maggie Gyllenhaal. The selection is sparse in titles from major studios and streaming platforms. Screen Daily, IndieWire, The Hollywood Reporter.

Number of the Day — 112,432 species assessed, 30,178 threatened with extinction — This is the tally from the IUCN Red List’s July 9, 2026 update: just over one in four assessed species is at risk. IUCN NL.

On This Day — The Edinburgh Fringe was born in 1947 — The world’s largest performing arts festival is in its 79th edition, running until August 31 with over 4,200 bookable shows. On August 7, the Fringe Society inaugurated its first permanent home for artists and staff on Infirmary Street, in the Old Town. Edinburgh Festival Fringe, BBC News.