World roundup: August 7 2026
Stories from Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Colombia, and elsewhere
TODAY IN HISTORY
August 7, 1819: Simón Bolívar’s victory over colonial Spanish forces at the Battle of Boyacá allows his army to seize Bogotá and secure the independence of the colony of New Granada (roughly Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama). It’s considered one of the first key battles in Bolívar’s campaign to liberate northern South America.
August 7, 1946: The Soviet Union informs the Turkish government that its management of the Dardanelles and the Bosporus has been detrimental to other Black Sea countries (i.e., the Soviets themselves) and that it would seek to reopen international negotiations on the subject. This was the main event of the “Turkish Straits Crisis” and pushed Turkey to drop its stance of neutrality and align itself with the US/NATO. It was also a key factor in the development of the “Truman Doctrine,” about which FX subscribers can read more here.
MIDDLE EAST
SYRIA
The Syrian Health Ministry has amended its casualty figures from Thursday’s car bombing in Damascus to at least 14 wounded with no deaths. It initially reported at least two deaths but now says that this was based on a mistaken analysis of the scene. There’s still been no claim of responsibility as far as I know.
