Portal:Current events/2026 August 14

August 14, 2026 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Gaza war
- Gaza war hostage crisis
  - The Israel Defense Forces announce that Al-Qassam Brigades commander Muhammad Bassam Mushtaha, who was accused of taking hostages during and after the Hamas–led attacks against Israel on October 7, was killed in a recent airstrike last month in northern Gaza. (The Times of Israel)
Sudanese civil war
- Kordofan campaign
  - Heavy fighting erupts in El Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Clashes also break out in Umm Arda. (Sudan Tribune)
  - Around 14 people are reported to be killed following an attack by RSF militants on the North Kordofan town of Umm Arda. (AFP via Arab News) (Xinhua)
Colombian conflict
- A Colombian soldier is killed and four more wounded following a drone strike in the rural area of El Carmen, Norte de Santander. (El Colombiano in Spanish)
Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- A constable policeman is killed and another is injured after a group of suspected insurgents attacked a police post in Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Dawn)
Mexican drug war
- Three gunmen are killed and a child is wounded in an attempted ambush on a highway in La Piedad, Michoacán, Mexico. Authorities seize four long guns, magazines, ammunition, and improvised explosives. (El Heraldo de México in Spanish)
War in the Sahel
- American missionary Kevin Rideout is released from captivity after being kidnapped by an unidentified organisation front in Niger nine months prior. (The New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

2026 Croatia wildfires
- One person dies and at least 40 others are injured after a severe wildfire breaks out on Croatia's coastline. (BBC News)
2026 Flores earthquake
- At least 47 people are killed and several more are injured when a M_w 7.7 earthquake strikes the coast of the island of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. (AP)
A M_w 4.8 earthquake strikes the province of Granada in Spain, with damage reported in Granada and the surrounding area, and being felt in Madrid. (The News International)
Sixteen people are killed and 40 others injured on the Yaounde-Bafoussam highway after a passenger bus crashed into a parked truck carrying planks in Mbam-et-Inoubou, Cameroon. (Xinhua)
Thai rescuers find a French tourist and his two sons alive after they spend more than 16 hours at sea when their rented jet ski capsizes off Ko Samui. The family receives medical checks and is discharged. (CBS News)
Heavy rainfall persists in Eastern China due to the remnants of Typhoon Dolphin, resulting in flooding in Zhejiang province, China, killing atleast one. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Internet censorship in France
- The Constitutional Council of France blocks a bill proposing a ban on social media access for minors under the age of 15. President Emmanuel Macron orders prime minister Sebastien Lecornu to re-work the draft legislation and resubmit it to the Council. (RFI) (Business of Fashion)

Politics and elections

2026 political prisoner release in Venezuela
- Venezuela releases 131 detainees under alternative custody measures as part of a national reconciliation program following former president Nicolás Maduro's removal. Human rights group Foro Penal confirms that at least 45 of those freed are political prisoners. (AFP via RFI)

Sports

2026 NFL season
- In American football, the National Football League suspends Atlanta Falcons linebacker James Pearce Jr. for eight games for violating the league's personal conduct policy after his arrest in February on domestic violence charges. (AP) (WAGA-TV)
2026 Volta a Portugal
- In road bicycle racing, the eighth stage at the Volta a Portugal race is neutralised after British cyclist Finlay Tarling is killed in an accident during the race. (The Athletic via The New York Times)