August 12, 2026
A magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck San José del Palmar, Chocó, on August 10, 2026, killing at least 126 people according to UN figures, with a presidential estimate of 181 deaths and more than 3,000 still missing. The disaster damaged nearly 5,000 homes, collapsed 61 buildings, and affected over 550 schools and 24 health facilities across five departments. Casualty figures remain unreconciled across sources, and rescue operations are hampered by remote terrain accessible only by boat.
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Milky Mist Dairy Food's ₹1,553 crore IPO crossed full subscription by mid-morning on August 12, its second day open, with retail investors 1.28 times subscribed against shares offered. The offer is priced at ₹133–₹140 per share and carries a reported post-issue valuation of approximately ₹10,778 crore, roughly 85 times FY26 earnings against a sector average of about 52.5 times. Proceeds are allocated primarily to debt repayment and expansion of the company's Perundurai manufacturing facility, with listing on BSE and NSE tentatively set for August 18.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics will publish July 2026 Producer Price Index data on Thursday, August 13, at 8:30 a.m. ET, one day after the July CPI release and roughly a month before the Federal Reserve's tentative September 15–16 policy meeting. The most recent completed data, from June, showed final demand fell 0.3% on a seasonally adjusted monthly basis while remaining up 5.5% year-over-year, with trade-services margins accounting for more than 60% of the monthly gain in final-demand services. No July figures, forecasts, or policy decisions are available yet, making this release a data point to watch rather than one to report.
Google has officially confirmed the Pixel 11 branding, Pixel Watch 5, and an August 12 preorder start, but has not disclosed prices, a full model lineup, or chip details ahead of tonight's 6 p.m. ET livestream. Rumored starting prices of $899 for the base Pixel 11 and $399 for the Pixel Watch 5 come from a single pre-event report, not Google. The event broadcast and accompanying product pages will be the first authoritative source for specifications, pricing, and availability.
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Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín has scheduled a 12-court-day antitrust trial from March 2 through March 19, 2027, for the proposed Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger, while a July 24 stipulation bars the deal from closing before a merits ruling or June 1, 2027. Beginning October 1, when the merger agreement's original End Date expires, WBD shareholders are entitled to approximately $0.00277778 per share per calendar day, which press estimates place at roughly $7 million daily and a potential $1.7 billion total through May 31, 2027. Separately, SEC filings describe a conditional $7 billion Paramount regulatory termination fee and a $3 billion WBD termination fee under specified circumstances, though available filings do not establish these figures are cumulative with the ticking fees.
Despite Iranian state media reporting a navigation understanding with Oman, no joint statement, route coordinates, fee structure, or implementation date has been confirmed by either government. The proposed arrangement faces unresolved conflicts with the June 2026 U.S.–Iran memorandum, GCC demands for fee-free passage, and a U.S. State Department position rejecting Iranian tolling and control. Industry sources told Reuters the deal is not feasible for commercial shipping, and no carrier or naval force has committed to the proposed route.
On August 12, the Pinglu Canal launched a live-ship trial using vessels in the 1,000-, 3,000-, and 5,000-ton classes to validate navigation conditions along its 134.2-kilometer route, with construction more than 98% complete. Guangxi maritime authorities timed the opening to coincide with the China-ASEAN Expo on September 17-21, 2026, though no official pass/fail threshold, trial end date, or formal opening declaration has been published. The canal is designed for an annual one-way throughput of 89 million tonnes and is intended to cut southwest China's sea-route distance by roughly 560 kilometers while connecting inland ports to Beibu Gulf and ASEAN shipping lanes.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced on July 28, 2026, that its Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration will end after calendar year 2026, removing a subsidy that reduced average monthly standalone drug plan premiums by $26 in 2025 and $16 in 2026 for roughly 24.9 million enrollees. CMS has set the 2027 base beneficiary premium benchmark at $41.33, but individual plan premiums will not be known until the agency releases its landscape file in mid-to-late September, with open enrollment running October 15 through December 7. The program cost an estimated $9.8 billion across its two years, and while CMS expects most enrollees to see increases below $10 per month, that figure is an attributed expectation rather than a guaranteed ceiling.
FIFA announced and then abandoned a plan to raise up to USD 4.2 billion by placing its commercial rights into a new subsidiary valued at USD 20 billion, after the AFC, Concacaf, and UEFA objected to insufficient consultation. Following the withdrawal, those three confederations issued a joint letter demanding an independent third-party review of how the proposal was advanced; only UEFA's conditional boycott threat was formally stated, and neither AFC nor Concacaf issued one. Member association positions remain divided, with Mexico, Argentina, and several African and Gulf nations publicly supporting FIFA President Infantino while Norway called for his resignation.
