Nearly 22,000 Pakistanis deported from Gulf over four months for visa violations and begging highlights tightening immigration enforcement across the Middle East. The written statement submitted by the Ministry for Narcotics Control detailed that Saudi Arabia accounted for the vast majority of repatriations, expelling 15,500 Pakistani nationals during the four-month window. The United Arab Emirates deported 3,803 individuals, followed by Oman with 1,606 deportations, Bahrain with 521, Qatar with 429, and Kuwait with 97. A significant subset of the repatriated individuals involved 4,628 absconders, 1,294 individuals who served prison sentences, and 472 individuals specifically identified as beggars.

Residents across other parts of Sumatra also reported shaking after the magnitude 6.1 earthquake. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency, or BNPB, said the earthquake had no potential to generate a tsunami. Residents in South Nias felt weak shaking for about three to five seconds. Local disaster offices began monitoring affected areas after the tremor, while the initial national bulletin provided no confirmed casualty or damage figures.

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become the deadliest in the country’s history. Government data showed 4,945 confirmed cases and 2,325 deaths as of Aug. 16. Health officials recorded 101 new confirmed cases during the previous 24 hours. The death toll has now surpassed the 2,299 fatalities recorded during the country’s 2018 to 2020 Ebola outbreak.

On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse crossed the Russian Arctic. It then swept into the North Atlantic and continued toward Europe. State Space Corporation Roscosmos said the eclipse began over Russia’s remote northern regions at about 17:00 GMT. The Moon’s shadow moved across Greenland and Iceland before reaching Spain and northeastern Portugal near sunset. Totality appeared only inside a narrow corridor. Surrounding regions across Europe, North America and Africa experienced a partial solar eclipse.

International Youth Day 2026 highlights youth inclusion, skills and shared global aspirations. The UN said economic uncertainty, digital inclusion and climate change rank among major challenges facing younger generations across borders. These pressures often reach beyond national boundaries and require coordinated responses, according to the Secretary-General’s message. Guterres also pointed to the creativity, dynamism and leadership of young people. He described youth as organizers and innovators who already contribute to communities and public life. The message linked youth participation with wider efforts to advance sustainable development.

Thousands of lawsuits accusing major social media companies of fueling harmful and addictive use among young people can continue in federal court. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an early appeal from Meta Platforms and TikTok on Aug. 10. The ruling leaves more than 3,000 consolidated federal cases before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland. Plaintiffs allege that platform design features encouraged compulsive use and contributed to mental health problems among children and teenagers.