Breaking news of Tuesday, 18 August 2026
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8 checks · 14 flash
- 23:31
Wall Street, semiconductors sharply lower in Tuesday's session
Negative session in New York. Bloomberg shows the semiconductor index down 5.5% and the Nasdaq 100 down 1.7%, with US ten-year yields near their highest since early 2025 and oil around $85. TheStreet confirms stocks falling and crude rising over the standoff between Washington and Tehran on Hormuz, after Trump ruled out reviving the truce that expired Monday. Precise closing figures have not yet been consolidated in the available sources: the sector percentages currently come from Bloomberg alone.
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- 23:31
Syria, four raids on Abu al-Duhur base: US ambassador to Turkey criticizes Israel
At dawn on Tuesday four unclaimed airstrikes hit the Abu al-Duhur military base in northwestern Syria, damaging the runway and storage facilities; Syrian military sources cited by Reuters report no casualties (NewsNation). During the day the United States ambassador to Turkey publicly criticized Israel over the raids on the Syrian base, calling them an unnecessary escalation that does not favor regional stability (CBS News). It is an explicit distancing between allies while the crisis over Hormuz remains open.
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- 20:31
Ukraine, 791 drones toward Russia; ten dead in Pechenihy missile strike
The Russian Defense Ministry states that 791 Ukrainian drones were shot down over 17 regions during the night between August 17 and 18; Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin reports 637 aircraft heading toward the capital and its region and calls the attack the most massive in the past two years, with three injured in the Moscow region and thousands of residents left without electricity (Novaya Gazeta Europe, AiF). In Pechenihy, Kharkiv region, a Russian missile killed ten people: the head of the regional administration, Oleh Synehubov, reports 17 injured, up from the initial toll of 8 (Glavred). Two dead in the Zaporizhzhia region according to Ukraine’s civil protection service.
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- 20:31
Government bonds sell-off: US 30-year yield at 5.335%, highest since 2002
At 7:38 a.m. Eastern time, the 30-year Treasury yield rose to 5.335%, the highest level since 2002; the 10-year yield reached 4.748%, its highest since 2007 (CNBC). The German 10-year Bund is trading at its highest levels in fifteen years, the French bond since 2008. The sell-off is attributed to the negotiating window between Washington and Tehran closing without an agreement and to Brent above 90 dollars, with the Strait of Hormuz effectively blocked (Reuters via Yahoo Finance). On August 17 the 30-year had closed above 5.311%.
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- 19:59
No update.
Last check: 19:59 — searched across multiple areas of the world and multiple fields, in two passes: no news from the last few hours meets the relevance threshold.
- 13:00
China, body of former premier Zhu Rongji cremated in Beijing
On Tuesday morning in Beijing, Xi Jinping and the entire Politburo Standing Committee paid tribute to former Premier Zhu Rongji at Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, where the body was cremated; a wreath arrived from former President Hu Jintao, Xinhua (Chinese state news agency) reports. AFP journalists verified flags at half-mast on government buildings and in Tiananmen Square, a measure extended to Hong Kong and Macao (Hong Kong Free Press). Zhu, premier from 1998 to 2003, led fiscal reforms and China’s entry into the WTO; he died on August 12 at age 98.
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- 09:58
Hormuz, new ship hit: Washington and Tehran rule out further talks
A ship was hit on Tuesday, August 18, in the Strait of Hormuz, the day after the sixty-day negotiating truce expired without an agreement: according to CNBC, the United States and Iran have ruled out new talks. The attack follows renewed threats by Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari, reported by Fox News, against merchant ships attempting the passage. Traffic remains almost at a standstill: only three transits on Sunday according to Kpler data, compared with about 130 per day before the war began on February 28. In Bab el-Mandeb, 49 cargo ship passages over the weekend, down from 55 previously.
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- 09:58
Brent above $91, gold at $4,398: markets price in Hormuz stalemate
Brent rises to $91.56 a barrel (+3.60% in twenty-four hours) and WTI to $84.53 (+4.18%) in the 6:16 GMT reading on August 18 from OilPriceAPI. Gold gains 0.51% to $4,398 an ounce, silver 1.24%, while the dollar index remains at two-month lows after Wall Street’s negative close on Monday (Dow Jones -0.51%), according to The Rio Times. In Asia, Hang Seng +1.34% and Nikkei +0.74%. TradingEconomics links the rise in crude to naval attacks and stalled negotiations. FOMC minutes due later today.
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- 08:30
Putin receives Myanmar's president Min Aung Hlaing at the Kremlin
The Russian presidency’s press service announced today’s talks at the Kremlin between Vladimir Putin and Myanmar’s president Min Aung Hlaing, on an official visit: according to the statement, the discussions will cover bilateral cooperation and international and regional issues, with the signing of several documents at the end. It is the second visit since Min Aung Hlaing was appointed president in April 2026; the last meeting between the two dates back to September 2025. This year Myanmar opened a consulate general in Novosibirsk, and at the end of March the Russian government authorized a mission in Vladivostok (Interfax, ANSA; RIA Novosti, Russian state news agency).
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- 08:30
Philippines, red alert for monsoon: schools closed in Manila and 14 provinces
At 8 a.m. on Tuesday the weather service PAGASA raised the red alert for rain over Bataan and parts of Batangas and Zambales, with 100-200 millimeters expected by noon on Wednesday also over Benguet, La Union, Pangasinan and Occidental Mindoro (GMA News, The Summit Express). The Presidential Palace suspended in-person classes in Metro Manila and in 14 provinces, putting public employees on work-from-home (PhilNews). The most recent toll remains the one from the National Police updated as of 6 a.m. on August 17: 27 dead, two missing, 18 injured (GMA News).
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- 05:00
Yemen, Houthi attacks on the port of Mokha and on Marib
The Yemeni army reports Houthi attacks with missiles and drones against the port of Mokha, on the Red Sea, and the central province of Marib, without providing a toll. Mokha, held by the government, had already been hit overnight, the second time in twenty-four hours. The attacks affect an internal front that has been still since the 2022 truce and a stretch of sea near Bab el-Mandeb. The account comes from CBS News’s live blog, which cites the Yemeni army: no independent confirmation nor verified claim by the Houthis at this time.
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- 05:00
Hungary, Parliament elects András Baka as President: swearing-in on August 19
The Hungarian Parliament has elected András Baka as head of state, former president of the Supreme Court, the sole candidate backed by the Tisza party: neither Fidesz nor its ally KDNP put forward a name. The election took place by qualified majority; the inauguration is set for August 19, 2026. This is the first recent case in which the Hungarian presidency has gone to a candidate put forward by the opposition without contenders from the ruling party. The news currently comes from a single source (Reuters, reported in the current events timeline); the exact time of the vote has not yet been confirmed.
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- 05:00
Greece, West Nile: 110 cases and nine deaths in 2026, 45 infections in one week
The Greek public health agency reports 110 West Nile virus infections and nine deaths since the start of 2026, with 45 new cases recorded in a single week: this is the most recent update of the bulletin. Authorities have stepped up mosquito control operations in the Athens metropolitan area. The information comes from an AFP wire recorded in the current events chronology: the report currently stems from a single source, and the exact publication date of the weekly bulletin is not confirmed on the agency’s website.
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- 01:49
Sudan, African Union meets Khartoum leadership: reportedly the first talks in the country since 2021
The African Union has held a meeting with Sudanese officials in an attempt to stop the war: this would be the organization’s first talks inside the country since the military led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan seized power in the October 2021 coup. The news, dated August 17, appears in the Wikipedia timeline based on Sudan Tribune and is recorded by the Morning Star’s international brief, which speaks of a new AU push for a ceasefire. The exact date and location of the meeting have not yet been specified by a statement from the AU Commission.
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- 01:49
Box office, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" tops two billion dollars worldwide
The US film “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” has surpassed two billion dollars in global box office revenue, the second superhero title to do so after “Avengers: Endgame”. The figure appears in the Wikipedia timeline, which cites Forbes, USA Today and Deadline as sources. The report currently stems from a single documented source; no independent confirmation is available, nor the exact date of the milestone, which will need to be verified against Comscore tracking or the studio’s official statement.
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