BANGKOK (AP) — A Taiwanese court on Tuesday sentenced a woman who advocated for spouses born in mainland China to seven years in prison, after finding her guilty of conspiring with Chinese government officials and proxies to influence Taiwanese politics.

The court in New Taipei city ruled that Hsu Chun-ying, who was herself born in China, violated the Anti-Infiltration Act for contact with Chinese officials and the Banking Act by transferring 24.5 million New Taiwan Dollars ($760,000) outside of proper banking channels from China.

The case has garnered intense media attention, partly because of Hsu’s identity as a so-called mainland spouse — those born in China who immigrated to Taiwan after marriage. The community has been viewed with suspicion amid rising tensions between China and Taiwan.

Taiwan and China split after a civil war in 1949. China claims the self-governing island as part of its territory, and has sent fighter jets and navy ships to the island on a daily basis as part of military exercises. Taiwan, in response, has focused on strengthening its defense and ramping up its arms purchases.

Taiwan’s government said Hsu’s case involved gaining intelligence for mainland China and influencing Taiwanese politics.

Prosecutors had publicized exchanges between Hsu and a director from the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China, which showed discussions about which political party to support in order to get lawmaker positions for mainland spouses in both the Taipei mayoral election and later the 2024 presidential election.

Hsu moved to Taiwan after getting married and has Taiwanese citizenship. She was briefly considered to be a Taiwan People’s Party legislator candidate, but had backed out owing to questions about her loyalty and affiliation with China.

“I had just wanted to serve New Residents,” she said in 2024, referring to the Taiwanese government’s term for immigrants to the island.

Hsu most recently served as the head of the Cross Straits Marriage and Family Services alliance. The organization was disbanded by Taiwan’s Interior Ministry in May for not holding elections for their directors in time.

Hsu could not be reached for comment.

Taiwanese authorities in March investigated three men for trying to smuggle Super Micro computer servers containing advanced Nvidia chips to China. Last year, a Taiwanese court sentenced four soldiers, including three members of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s security team, to seven years in prison for giving sensitive information to China.

Histon, just north of Cambridge, has been named the driest location in the UK this year, with residents saying the prolonged dry spell is causing dust-related breathing difficulties and leaving gardens scorched

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Life in Britain’s driest village has been turned upside down by weeks of scorching temperatures and barely any rain, with residents describing the growing impact of the extreme conditions.

Histon, just north of Cambridge, has seen gardens turn brown, ponds shrink and sports grounds become increasingly difficult to maintain as the dry spell continues.

The village recorded 203.6mm of rainfall between January 1 and July 19, according to the Cambridgeshire weather station. That was less than the totals recorded in Shoeburyness, Essex, at 216.2mm, and Weybourne, Norfolk, at 219.2mm.

Cambridgeshire was among seven regions declared to be in drought by the Environment Agency last week, while a hosepipe ban has been in place across the Cambridge Water region since July 9.

And it is not just plants and playing fields feeling the effects.

Residents have described how the heat is affecting older people in particular, with some community activities having to be cancelled and others choosing to stay indoors.

Sally Smith, who manages the Older People’s Team for local charity HI Friends, told The i that the people they support include residents in their eighties and nineties, as well as some who are 100.

“We have people who are mostly in their eighties and nineties and a few who are 100, and they are very at risk from extreme heat. But the knock-on effect of us cancelling activities like lunch club is that their isolation increases and they really miss their activities and their friends.”

The charity runs activities including fitness classes, lunch clubs and shopping trips, but the unpredictable temperatures have made organising them more difficult.

Neil Davies, a parish councillor and charity manager for HI Friends, said: “It’s affected all aspects of the community,” adding that there had been “a real reluctance and a concern from our older residents not to go out of the comfort of their homes.”

The village’s recreation ground has also been forced to adapt to the conditions, with cracks appearing around the cricket wicket strip and tennis courts.

A staff representative from Histon and Impington Parish Council said: “The recreation ground has had to adapt for its sporting fixtures – we are only watering the areas that would cause a health and safety issue.”

There are now fears about whether the football pitch will be fit for the new season without substantial rainfall.

“We are concerned about the football season, unless we get some persistent rain soon, as the ground as it is would not be safe to play on.”

However, residents are also reporting a more personal consequence of the parched conditions.

Julie, a hairdresser in her fifties, told The i that the increase in dust has left people coughing more.

“All the mud has turned to dust and the lawns to straw. All of us are noticing that we’re coughing quite a lot. A lot of people who have got asthma are struggling more.”

The UK Health Security Agency has warned that drought can increase the amount of dust in the environment, which can potentially affect people with existing respiratory conditions. It advises people who use inhalers to carry them during hot and dry periods.

Julie has also been forced to rethink how she looks after her own garden.

“It’s been quite difficult having a large garden and trying to keep it alive.

“Obviously all the lawns are just straw and I’d never water them, but the pots and expensive plants have got to be kept alive, which we’re having to do with water butts.”

She has even been organising “watering parties”, with friends visiting to drink wine and help water her plants.

The extreme heat has also had a knock-on effect on her work. When temperatures reached 35C, seven clients cancelled their hair appointments in a single day.

Elsewhere in Histon, Julie Dunn, 62, said the dry conditions had dramatically changed the appearance of the village.

She said its duck pond was at the “lowest level” she had ever seen.

“It’s a very beautiful area, and it’s very pretty, but it doesn’t look at it’s best – it’s just brown and burnt,” she said.

Julie has been saving water from around her home so she can use it in the garden.

“The dry weather means I’m having to water and be very careful – we have a bucket in the shower, and we save all our grey water, and we use that for the garden. We always put a bucket in when we have a shower to get the excess – washing up water, we always put in the water butt to try and avoid filling our watering cans from the hose.”

The lack of rain is also producing unusual scenes elsewhere in the country.

Footage captured in Greenwich Park showed a dust devil swirling across the grass, picking up dust and hay as it travelled through the park.

Jimmy O’Keeffe, who filmed the phenomenon, said he was “shocked and in total disbelief” when it disturbed his picnic.

He said it lasted several minutes, with some people moving away as it passed and others heard screaming.

Another dust devil was spotted near Leeds Castle in Kent.

The small whirlwinds can form on hot, sunny days when rising air begins rotating and picks up loose material from the ground.

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency has warned that prolonged dry weather is putting pressure on water resources across England, with Cambridgeshire among the areas affected by drought.

NEW YORK (AP) — It happened out of necessity. Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman was in Clarksdale, Mississippi, 25 years ago when some out-of-towners asked where they could hear blues music. Musicians were abundant; venues were not.

“There was no place where we could guarantee that you could go in and hear it,” he told The Associated Press. “So, we had to establish that.”

Freeman and his business partners, then-Mayor Bill Luckett and Howard Stovall, were inspired to open a juke joint in Clarksdale called Ground Zero Blues Club. Then, much more recently, they created “Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience,” a touring ensemble of blues musicians who marry the beloved Southern genre with classical, symphonic compositions. On Friday, they’ll release an album under the same name.

The legendary actor is a producer and narrator on the release, not a performer. That’s left up to the professionals: all-star acts like Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’, Shemekia Copeland, Tiernii Jackson, the Stax Music Academy Choir, the Chineke! Orchestra out of London, and many more.

“I like the blues. I like music. I cannot claim to be an aficionado. That’s not my place,” says Freeman. “I’m an enthusiast, but that’s a necessity.”

From live performances to a full-length record

Before the album, the “Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience” traveling performances were born out of a simple idea: How could Freeman and his team bring this music to the world?

“Blues is an important American story birthed in the Mississippi Delta out of hardship but obviously resonates with people and cultures on a global basis, both for how good it sounds, but also the message underneath it,” said Eric Meier, Freeman’s partner and co-producer on the project who joined the actor’s blues club in 2018. “We conceived of this concept to really take this music to new geographies and new audiences.”

Turning the live performance into an album meant cutting down a nearly two-hour show to around 45 minutes across 12 tracks, while still honoring the format. It includes video vignettes as well as “cinematic narration,” courtesy of Freeman, recorded at the club in Clarksdale.

“We offer a musical story, a 100-year arc from the 1930s to modern day, so the evolution of blues music,” says Meier.

Freeman’s idiosyncratic voice opens the record, describing the genre with a real poetry, delivered atop a haunting rendition of Blind Willie Johnson’s 1927 gospel blues classic, “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground.”

“This is music that gave voice to a people, to their pain, their hope and their resilience,” Freeman recites. “Music isn’t just melody, you know. It’s memory, it’s history wrapped in ribbon, the echoes of lives lived and lost, heartache and hope all tangled together. And nowhere is that truer than in the blues.”

Freeman wants to keep the blues alive

The last song on “Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience” sees singer-songwriter Muddy Waters’ great-nephew Keith Johnson covering Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson’s “I Lied to You” from the Oscar-winning 2025 film “Sinners.” It brings the 100-year story of blues to its coda, but it also serves as a reminder of the film’s ability to bring the genre into mainstream conversation.

That’s something Freeman hopes to accomplish, too. He wants to make sure blues is not forgotten.

“It is a responsibility that we’ve taken on. And the hope is that it, like everything else that catches on, takes root, as it were. You know, the blues is actually America’s music,” he says. “So, it’s incumbent upon us to water it, nurture it, keep it alive, keep it going.”

Meier adds that their album project predates “Sinners” — he says director Ryan Coogler told him the film’s juke joint was partially inspired by Ground Zero Blues Club; the film is set in Clarksdale after all — but it has been “a wonderful coincidence” that both works have the power to bring the blues to the masses.

And maybe one day, “Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience” will receive the same kind of critical praise given to “Sinners.” The album is eligible for the 2027 Grammy Awards.

“We will be submitting in multiple categories,” says Meier. “You got room on your trophy shelf, Morgan?”

“Yeah, yeah. I want it,” Freeman smiles.

Adding Grammy Award-winner to his Academy Award-winner title? “Sounds pretty good to me.”

A family captured video of the moment they fled their home during an earthquake in Colombia.

Liliana Pérez Ocampo and her family escaped moments before their home was rocked by a 7.4 magnitude quake on Monday.

“At first, we thought it was just a mild tremor like the ones that usually happen in Colombia, but when more than 30 seconds passed and everything was shaking harder, we realised it was an earthquake,” the mother-of-four told the BBC World Service.

Her family, including two young children at school, are safe.

“In the end, material things can be replaced,” she said. “The most important thing is life, and we have that.”

With at least 132 people killed, this has been the strongest earthquake to hit Colombia in the 21st Century, according to the country’s Geological Service.

More on this story.

Michigan’s primary is over, but another pair of tests loom for the progressive left.

On Tuesday, voters in two midwestern states will decide a pair of races that have become the latest battlegrounds of the Democratic Party’s ongoing civil war. In Wisconsin, progressive candidate Francesca Hong is leading in all available polling in the Democratic primary for governor.

In Minnesota, a much tighter race is depicted in polling between Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig in another highly-watched Senate race, which comes just a week after the victory of progressive populist Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan.

Craig, like El-Sayed’s opponent Haley Stevens, is backed by centrist Democratic Party leadership figures such as Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi and Elissa Slotkin. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hasn’t publicly put a thumb on the scale, and Democratic senators are urging him and the party’s campaign arm to stay out of it — largely due to their toxic brand. Flanagan, backed by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren as well as the retiring incumbent, Tina Smith, narrowly trailed Craig in a recent SurveyUSA poll that showed nearly one in five voters still undecided.

Hong, a true political outsider, lacks the kind of national support as Flanagan but is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, the far-left group which continues to grow bolder with the successive primary victories of left-leaning candidates this cycle. Members of the group formed part of the volunteer army that helped El-Sayed push past a mountain of outside PAC spending to victory in the Michigan primary, though El-Sayed himself is not a member. As a former chef, Hong has leaned on her working class background as she runs an insurgent campaign defying the party’s elites.

A victory in one or both races tomorrow will be another rallying cry for the left.

Hong’s momentum is due in large part to her early, energetic campaign style and breakout messaging that established her as a frontrunner early and fractured her opposition.

Her opponents and the party’s centrist wing remained divided, unwilling to fully coalesce behind her closest rival, Mandela Barnes, for months. Barnes then withdrew, leaving Milwaukee County executive David Crowley on deck to jump in and try to stop Hong’s momentum.

Should she win a commanding victory Tuesday, many on the left will quickly wipe the bad taste from their mouth that lingered after El-Sayed’s margin of victory in Michigan was far, far closer than expected.

If Craig also loses, it will be a sign of not just the organization of the far left, which remains a powerful theme of the 2026 cycle. It will also signal a deep anger that seems to exist among the Democratic Party’s electorate nationwide, not just in far-left neighborhoods of New York City where party leaders initially hoped to contain the DSA and the anti-establishment fury.

The 2024 defeat of Kamala Harris left many Democrats nationwide feeling angry and hopeless, and furious at a party elite that denied voters a primary, then selected a nominee after it was clear that the president, Joe Biden, could no longer run.

Percieved inaction in 2025 only poured gasoline on that fire as repeated calls for Democrats to withhold votes on key legislation and prevent the Trump administration from operating in a business-as-usual atmosphere seemed to fall on deaf ears at times, even as Elon Musk’s DOGE staffers began taking a hammer to the federal government.

On the other hand, a victory by Craig would be a significant message to party leadership, too. The congresswoman is one of her party’s true moderates, having voted for the Laken Riley Act last year and being known for working across the aisle with Republicans on other issues. She, like Stevens in Michigan, has also been supported by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in the past — though the race differs significantly from Michigan in that the pro-Israel lobby has not spent tens of millions of dollars to protect one candidate.

Flanagan, while not aligned with DSA, is much closer in attitude to the far-left group: “Whatever word you want to use, [ICE] can’t exist like this anymore,” she told the New York Times of her own views of immigration enforcement. “We have to rip ICE apart and start over.”

Should Craig manage to pull it off a win on Tuesday, her victory would symbolize the enduring appetite of Democratic voters for a stricter law enforcement attitude, even as most find the mass deportation strategy deplorable and opposed the “surge” of enforcement in Minneapolis that ended with federal agents withdrawing partially after the deaths of two protesters in confrontations with ICE and immigration enforcement authorities.

Democrats could wake up Wednesday morning to the creation of a powerful midwestern bloc of progressive candidates having sprung up before their eyes. Counting El-Sayed and Will Lawrence in Michigan (who won his primary despite AIPAC-related groups highlighting his old criticism of Black political leaders), four victories by progressives in high-profile races within two weeks will leave many in the Beltway feeling anxious about the scope of the transformation the party is currently undergoing.

Ch Supt Emma Croft, the divisional commander for Glasgow, is overseeing the police investigation into the recent disorder.

“Members of the public might consider that it’s one arrest following something that happened two weeks ago,” she said.

“But please be assured that the methodical nature of the inquiry takes time and we’d rather have a clear case for prosecution.”

She told BBC Scotland News that officers had trawled through a “significant amount of footage” which identified people they wanted to speak to.

She said the nature of the other alleged offences was “similar” to the traffic-cone attack, adding: “Unfortunately a lot of it had a racial tendency to it which is obviously of great concern to us.”

Ch Supt Croft said that since June, police had arrested 56 people across Scotland for being involved in “incidents in and around protest that have amounted to criminality”.

She warned that more arrests were expected.

“I think we’re all feeling pretty disgruntled with the levels of division within our communities,” she said.

“So it’s absolutely key the public see the level of priority and commitment we’re putting to these types of inquiries.

“Only when we can get these individuals rooted out and identified to the court will our public feel like they are at rest with all of this.”

In the footage, Abdul Nabizada can be seen returning to the secluded area in Joppa, Edinburgh, in his taxi.

Chilling CCTV footage caught a rapist taxi driver returning to the secluded spot where he brutally attacked a teenage girl.

Abdul Nabizada, 36, raped his 19-year-old victim in Edinburgh on November 13, 2021. Instead of taking the girl home after a night out, Nabizada seized her phone and drove her to a remote area in Joppa where he raped her.

He was caged for seven years following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday, August 11.

CCTV footage, released by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, showed Nabizada returning to the site multiple times after he carried out the depraved attack.

In the footage, his taxi is seen returning to the area five times. At one point, he parked the vehicle stationary while he checked out the car park on Queens Bay Crescent.

The trial heard how the teenage victim entered his taxi after it appeared to be the vehicle she had booked. The girl managed to escape the vehicle and Nabizada’s clutches before she contacted friends, who found her distressed and frightened a short time later.

The conviction followed an extensive Police Scotland investigation. Officers had to identify the offender despite there being no legitimate booking record linking the victim to Nabizada. Investigators gathered and analysed evidence from multiple sources, including CCTV footage, mobile phone data and witness testimony. This helped establish the movements of both the victim and the offender, helping to build the case presented at trial.

Forensic analysis also found Nabizada’s DNA on the victim’s clothing, providing further evidence to support the Crown case. Nabizada tried to deny his guilt and defence lawyer David Taylor told the court how he came to Scotland after working for the US, Danish and UK militaries – primarily as an interpreter – in his homeland of Afghanistan.

The court was told he currently has indefinite leave to remain in the UK, and had applied for British citizenship. Mr Taylor said Nabizada is now concerned about the possibility of deportation in light of his conviction.

As well as the jail term, Nabizada’s name was added to the sex offenders register indefinitely. A non-harassment order was also granted.

Faye Cook, Procurator Fiscal for High Court Sexual Offences, said: “This conviction is the result of the victim’s courage in coming forward and the determined work of police officers to uncover what happened that night. Officers had to piece together evidence from a range of sources to identify the offender and build the case that was presented in court.

“The victim should have been able to trust that her journey home would be safe. Instead, she was seriously sexually assaulted by a taxi driver who took advantage of her vulnerability and abused his position resulting in a deeply traumatic experience.

“While stranger offending is rare, Scotland’s prosecutors treat every report of sexual abuse with the utmost seriousness, recognising the profound and lasting impact these crimes have on victims and communities. I hope this conviction provides reassurance that reports will be thoroughly investigated and that COPFS will work with policing partners to ensure offenders are held accountable.”

On Wednesday (August 12), up to 96% of the Sun will be obscured by the Moon.

It will offer the best eclipse in the UK since 1999, when an eclipse was visible in parts of Devon and Cornwall.

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking some or all of the Sun’s light.

What time will the solar eclipse be in the UK?

What time the solar eclipse will peak will depend on where you are in the UK, but it will be somewhere between 7.02pm and 7.16pm.

Here are the estimated eclipse times for areas across the UK, according to the RMG:

• Edinburgh and Glasgow – begin at 6.08pm, peak at 7.05pm, end at 8pm
• Manchester and Liverpool – begin at 6.13pm, peak at 7.10pm,  end at 8.03-04pm
• Norwich and Birmingham – begin at 6.15pm, peak at 7.11pm, end at 8.04pm 
• London, Bristol and Cardiff – begin at 6.17pm, peak at 7.12pm, end at 8.06pm
• Truro, Cornwall – begin at 6.18pm, peak at 7.16pm, end at 8.10pm

At its peak, enough of the Sun will be covered to make a noticeable difference in the temperature and light levels.

However, unlike with a total eclipse, the sky will not become dark – it will feel more like a cloudy day or close to dusk or dawn.

When is the next solar eclipse in the UK?

Many will be watching the rare event this week, as another total solar eclipse will not be visible from the UK again until 2090.

The closest approach before then will be on September 3, 2081, when up to 99% of the Sun will be covered, with southern areas once again expected to have the best view.

There will be other notable partial eclipses in the coming decades:

• 2030 – 50% coverage
• 2053 – 40% coverage
• 2066 – 60% coverage
• 2075 – 70% coverage
• 2082 – 70% coverage
• 2088 – 40% coverage

Despite this, people in the UK can enjoy a lunar eclipse in the coming weeks.

Solar eclipses are always paired with lunar eclipses, occurring two weeks before or after each other as part of a regular celestial cycle, the Royal Museums Greenwich explains.

On Friday, August 28, a deep partial lunar eclipse will be visible from the UK, though under less convenient timing.

A lunar eclipse will follow in the coming weeks (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The eclipse will start at 3.33am, reaching its peak at 5.12am.

Around 90% of the Moon will fall within the Earth’s umbra, or darkest shadow.

At maximum eclipse, the Moon will appear red as it is illuminated by sunlight filtered and scattered through the Earth’s atmosphere—a phenomenon often called a “blood moon.”

How to safely watch the solar eclipse

To watch the solar eclipse, you can use certified solar eclipse glasses, through a solar telescope, or by watching an official live stream.

You can also make a pinhole projector, which can be done at home.

You can buy certified solar eclipse glasses in the UK from reputable astronomy retailers, specialised online distributors, or general online marketplaces such as Amazon UK.

However, many retailers are seeing shortages in stock as people across the country rush to secure them ahead of the event on Wednesday evening.

Recommended reading:

People have been warned not to look at the eclipse without glasses, as they block out the Sun’s harmful rays.

Regular sunglasses are not safe to use, as they don’t have adequate UV protection to protect your eyesight.

Adequate glasses should have safety certification ‘ISO 12312-2′ or ‘ISO 12312-2:2015’ printed somewhere on them.

How will you be watching the solar eclipse this week? Let us know in the comments.

This is the moment a six-month-old baby was rescued alongside her mother from the rubble of a collapsed building following a Colombian earthquake. 

The 7.4-magnitude earthquake tore through Colombia’s coffee-growing heartland early on Monday, killing at least 164 people. 

The quake reduced multi-story buildings to rubble in cities such as Pereira and Cali, and cracked apart one of the towers of a historic cathedral in the city of Manizales.

Extraordinary footage shows the baby being pulled from the wreckage of a building by a crowd of people. They promptly helped to extract the mother from the debris, who emerged covered in blood.

Around 1,600 buildings have so far been reported as damaged or collapsed. Soldiers, rescue personnel and families picked through the rubble, removing and passing large pieces of concrete by hand down lines of volunteers. 

In one clip taken in an airport, petrified people were seen in the terminal trying to get to cover as the ceiling collapses around them. 

The whole building rattled around them, shaking off bits of the ceiling with every tremor. 

Another clip showed people screaming in fear as they ran away from a disintegrating building. 

The façade of the round building quickly began splitting after a deep crack developed. Whole parts of the building fell down, narrowly avoiding fleeing people.  

Extraordinary footage shows the baby being pulled from the wreckage of a building by a crowd of people. They promptly helped to extract the mother from the debris, who emerged covered in blood

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The 7.4-magnitude earthquake tore through Colombia’s coffee-growing heartland early on Monday, killing at least 164 people

And in one particularly shocking video, a church’s spire was seen falling off and crumbling into rubble in front of a terrified crowd of onlookers.

Families were held back from the scene by local police as a cloud of dust filled the air.

Rescue efforts are currently underway across Colombia as emergency workers dug through collapsed buildings and flattened homes, amid expectations that the death toll from the country’s most powerful earthquake in decades could rise.

Emergency teams aided by police, soldiers and volunteers worked through the night with excavators and, at times, their bare hands, hunting for survivors beneath debris. 

In Cali, home to about 2.2 million people, at least 85 people were killed. Dozens of buildings were left leaning precariously or destroyed outright, forcing residents into the streets.

Several of the top floors of one of the city’s hospitals – some dedicated to paediatric care – collapsed upon themselves, leaving some patients trapped and forcing some 600 others to be tended to on a street strewn with rubble. 

Carmen Yasmin Garcia, 43, a Cali resident volunteering with rescue teams, said on Monday afternoon that her group had freed seven people from a collapsed building, but four others and a dog remained trapped.

‘A moment ago there was scratching but now we can’t hear anything, we still have faith that the dog is alive and we can get these people out,’ Garcia said. 

The quake reduced multi-story buildings to rubble in cities across the country 

Rescue efforts are currently underway across Colombia

Residents and rescue workers carry out search, rescue and evacuation operations after a powerful earthquake struck Colombia

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Sculptures are surrounded by debris at a partially collapsed church at Palermo neighborhood after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia on August 10, 2026 in Tamesis, Colombia

In Pereira, capital of the hard-hit state of Risaralda, authorities reported 66 dead

‘We need people with sticks and spades, the more people lending a hand the better.

Dana Carolina Zamora posted an image of her missing 60-year-old uncle, Miguel Ángel Zamora, cradling his dog. The farmer was living in a rural area of El Cairo, not far from the epicenter of the quake in San Jose Del Palmar.

Local authorities said 80% of El Cairo, a town of about 7,000 people, was damaged. Zamora said she worried because her uncle lived in a traditional but fragile house made of sticks and mud.

‘We are afraid. We hope that is not the case, that he is all right and that it is only a communication failure. But we haven’t heard anything from him,’ Zamora said.

In Pereira, capital of the hard-hit state of Risaralda, authorities reported 66 dead.

The city also bore some of the most visible destruction, with entire residential blocks reduced to piles of concrete and twisted steel. 

Another 13 people died in Choco, the rural province closest to the quake’s epicentre. 

Choco is one of the poorest and most neglected regions of Colombia, often beset by warring armed groups. 

Volunteers help with debris removal at a collapsed building in downtown Pereira after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia on August 10, 2026

People wearing face masks walk through dust and debris following a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Pereira, Colombia, on August 10, 2026

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People remove a refrigerator from a damaged home in Pereira on August 10, 2026 

Much of Choco is accessible only by boat, through the jungle or by airplane. Little was known about the extent of the damage there.

De la Espriella travelled to Choco’s capital, Quibdo, on Monday night to assess the damage and announced he had mobilized ‘the entire military and police apparatus’ to respond, deploying engineers, rescue workers and search dogs. He announced rental subsidies for those whose homes were damaged while they undergo repairs.

‘Choco will never again be the ‘land of the forgotten,” he said. 

President Abelardo De La Espriella, who assumed power just days ago, said 35 people died in Cali alone, while 188 were missing. 

He said 1,000 members of the security forces would be deployed to the city by dawn, following reports of looting. Cali, as well as Pereira, implemented curfews on Monday night.

‘Our intention is to cooperate in any way necessary. Here, there are no distinctions or ideological divisions when it comes to defending our people or showing solidarity,’ De La Espriella told journalists on Monday evening.  

The earthquake presents the first major test for de la Espriella, who was sworn in as Colombia’s leader on Friday. De la Espriella is a divisive figure because of his pledge of an all-out crackdown on criminal groups.

The disaster has drawn comparisons to a deadly 1999 earthquake that devastated the same coffee-growing region, killing more than 1,000 people, as well as to catastrophic quakes that killed more than 6,300 in neighbouring Venezuela in June.

Residents and rescue workers carry out search, rescue and evacuation operations after a powerful earthquake struck Colombia on August 10, 2026

A man rests near the site of earthquake damage following a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Pereira, Colombia, on August 10, 2026

People gather in the streets after a powerful earthquake struck Colombia on August 10, 2026

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The EU said this morning that it would provide funding and help to support rescue operations in Colombia. 

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on X: ‘The EU has mobilised Copernicus, our satellite service, to support rescue and relief operations. We are providing funding to support the response, including through the Red Cross.

‘We have also activated the EU’s crisis consular assistance mechanism to support EU citizens caught in the disaster.’

The US State Department, meanwhile, announced it would provide $15.5million (£11.5million) for emergency shelter, food and other aid. Governments across Latin America also lined up to help. 

Lottie Perks went on a family holiday to Brazil – but within days she was struck down with what seemed like a stomach bug

A mum says medical professionals ‘dismissed’ her concerns as ‘overly anxious’ behaviour before her daughter’s supposed holiday tummy bug proved to be a ruptured appendix – and life-threatening sepsis.

Now 20-year-old Lottie Perks had recently started university and had been looking forward to a much-needed family getaway. However, just days into the trip, she started suffering ‘crippling’ stomach pain and vomiting.

Yet 24 hours afterwards, she had recovered and the family resumed enjoying their holiday in Brazil. After returning home, though, it became obvious Lottie, from London, still wasn’t right.

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“She began shaking uncontrollably and I noticed her lips, hands and feet were freezing cold,” her mum, Laura, said.

“Her feet were white and her lips were blue. And her temperature was weirdly very low. Her face and limbs were swollen and flushed. I had been trying to trust the doctors before this and convince myself they were right.

“But, at this point, it was clear something was very wrong. I was terrified. And then, she collapsed in my arms as her eyes rolled back in her head. Her blood pressure plummeted and her heart rate raced dangerously high. I thought this was the end.”

‘They said they’d done all they could’

Laura had experienced a bout of sickness after returning from the trip in April 2025, too. And so, the family simply assumed Lottie had contracted the same bug.

But just hours after coming home, the stomach pain and vomiting started up again, coupled with bleeding and diarrhoea. They went to A&E, concerned, but nothing was found to be wrong.

Laura said: “She was very pale, weak and physically could not stop vomiting even though there was nothing left in her.

“Lottie was placed on an IV drip for three hours while being observed, but was ultimately discharged with a gastro bug, as her blood tests showed normal levels of inflammation. That night, and the next day, she didn’t improve and became much weaker.

“I called the hospital and asked if it could be appendicitis, but they said everything was fine.”

Still worried, Laura rushed her daughter back to hospital and begged for her to be seen again. Doctors allegedly claimed she was simply dehydrated and that they needed to leave the hospital – until an unusual rash was spotted.

After further checks, Lottie’s legs had started to turn a mottled purple and her body was severely swollen. A CT scan was ordered and it was found that her appendix had burst, causing sepsis.

Laura said: “I knew something was clearly wrong and before they took me seriously, I felt powerless. She had emergency surgery, but it was too late, the sepsis had spread. When she collapsed in my arms, that was her going into septic shock.

“And the start of her organs ceasing to work. I thought she’d be OK after the operation But the look on the surgeon’s face afterwards told me otherwise. When they explained about the sepsis and septic shock, and said they’d done all they could do, I felt powerless.”

Doctors rushed to give Lottie antibiotics, as there was a one hour window before her organs would start to fail completely. As nothing else could be done, it was a waiting game for a week. Luckily, the teen recovered and was slowly taken off medication, as well as machines, keeping her alive.

And, despite her life being on the line, she managed to return to university and pass her first year with flying colours. Now, she still suffers with bouts of sickness, stomach pain, dizziness, fatigue and difficulty keeping warm.

‘Sepsis can become fatal so quickly’

The emotional toll is felt by not just Lottie, but her mum, too. To help raise awareness, the pair are working with Sepsis Trust to warn others of the signs to look out for.

And, to never dismiss whether worrying symptoms could be sepsis.

Laura added: “Sepsis doesn’t need a cut, injury or an appendix bursting. It can be from something as simple as a virus. The symptoms are so subtle and confusing; but can become fatal so quickly.

“Having that one question in your mind when advocating for a loved one could save their life. We both suffer from nightmares following the experience. It’s difficult to look at photos from that time.

“And it’s hard not to associate the trip with what happened. We’ve always enjoyed relatively adventurous holidays and discovering further away places. But this has definitely put on the radar the possibility of a medical emergency while we’re away.

“And so, as a family, we haven’t been away too far since. We’re trying not to let the worry and her vulnerability take over too much from enjoying life.

“It’s forever changed us, but we’re so incredibly lucky to have caught it just about in time. I was treated like an overly anxious mother – but that’s what saved my daughter’s life.”

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Lottie added: “Initially, I was very scared. I tried to stay calm and thought it was probably a gastro bug or food poisoning.

“It quickly turned into frustration because I was in so much pain and it was clearly where my appendix was. There was a lot of fear; I was terrified. Genuinely feeling like you’re dying and can’t explain or get anyone to understand was [infuriating].

“I still don’t think I really understood what was happening while I was in the ICU. I remember being frustrated that I couldn’t go up to the normal ward. But this was obviously because my organs weren’t fully functioning on their own still.

“Another part of the recovery that was quite frustrating was the loss of all my muscle. I remember just doing one lap of the ICU when I was well enough and being completely exhausted and my legs feeling so tired.

“Going from being someone quite active, and having to come to terms with this new situation, was quite a shock. Looking back on it now, I just feel incredibly lucky and almost proud of my body for managing to push me through it.

“But that gratitude and appreciation also comes with a huge frustration that it could’ve been avoided or acted upon sooner. And I wouldn’t have had to have been in that position in the first place.

“But it taught me a lot and I’m obviously very grateful for all the doctors and nurses that helped me. I have learned to advocate for myself better and to speak out when something isn’t right.

“I also felt frustrated as just being young and female meant that so many things masked it – from doctors thinking I could be pregnant, toxic shock syndrome, period cramps. I wanted to explain that as women, we know what’s normal for us, and this clearly wasn’t normal.

“I understand that various possibilities needed to be ruled out; but I wish someone had considered rapidly progressing sepsis as one of those a little sooner.

“That said, I am well aware that I am one of the very lucky ones. I’ve been shocked to read all of the ways it could have ended differently.”