Good afternoon. Here is The Daily 10 for Monday, August 10, 2026, ten stories across the day's biggest categories, each condensed to the essentials.
1. Current Affairs: Strong earthquake strikes Colombia's Pacific coast and rattles Ecuador
A powerful earthquake struck Colombia's Pacific coast shortly after 8:30 a.m. local time on Monday, shaking neighboring Ecuador and damaging or destroying buildings across several cities. Early reports described collapsed structures and residents evacuating into streets as aftershocks followed the initial temblor. Authorities in both countries began assessing casualties and infrastructure damage, while emergency crews moved to search affected areas. The region sits along the seismically active boundary where the Nazca and South American plates converge, an area that has produced major quakes in the past. Officials urged residents to stay clear of damaged buildings and to prepare for further aftershocks. The scale of the human toll remained unclear as reporting continued through the day. The event underscores the persistent seismic risk facing communities along South America's western edge, where dense coastal populations and older construction can amplify the consequences of a single strong tremor. Source: NPR News.
2. AI: Meta unveils a compact agent model as chip investment accelerates
Meta introduced a roughly 30-billion-parameter artificial intelligence agent designed to run on a single graphics processor, a move aimed at bringing capable models onto smaller and cheaper hardware. The release lands amid a broader surge in industry spending. Intel is reported to have raised about 15 billion dollars to strengthen its position in the AI chip race, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company posted a 45 percent jump in July sales as demand for advanced processors climbed. Analysts note that efficient, smaller models could widen access to AI by lowering the cost of deployment for businesses and developers. The developments reflect a shifting competitive landscape in which model efficiency, not just raw scale, has become a central battleground. They also highlight how the AI boom continues to ripple through the semiconductor supply chain, driving record orders and heavy capital commitments across the sector. Source: Tech Startups.
3. Gaming: Devolver Digital moves to go private after a steep valuation collapse
Indie publisher Devolver Digital announced plans to return to private ownership, proposing to cancel the trading of its shares on AIM, a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange. The company cited significant disruption and volatility across the global video games industry, several underperforming releases, and what it called a valuation disconnect. Devolver went public in September 2021 at a value of roughly 950 million dollars, but its market capitalization had fallen to about 46.6 million dollars by early August 2026, a decline of more than 96 percent. A general meeting is scheduled for September 8, where the proposal will require 75 percent shareholder approval to proceed. If approved, the company would leave AIM by mid September and offer up to 5 million dollars in returned capital to qualifying shareholders. The decision reflects broader financial pressures on mid sized publishers navigating a crowded and cost heavy market. Source: GamesBeat.
4. Faith: Armenian Apostolic Church leaders summoned to court in reinstatement dispute
Senior leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church, including Catholicos Karekin II and six other high ranking clergymen, have been taken to court, accused of defying a judicial order to reinstate a defrocked bishop. The case has drawn attention amid ongoing tensions between the church hierarchy and Armenian authorities. Supporters of the clergy frame the dispute as a matter of church autonomy and internal ecclesiastical governance, while those pressing the case point to the binding nature of the court's order. The proceedings mark an unusual public confrontation involving the leadership of one of the world's oldest Christian institutions. Observers say the outcome could carry implications for the relationship between religious and civil authority in Armenia. The church has faced political friction in recent years, and the latest legal action adds a formal judicial dimension to a conflict that had largely played out in public statements. Source: Religion Media Centre.
5. Scam Alert: The "accidental text message" scam is targeting consumers
Consumer watchdogs are warning about a rise in so called accidental text message scams, a form of smishing in which a stranger sends what appears to be a misdirected text, such as a friendly greeting or a wrong number message. The goal is to spark a reply and build rapport, after which the scammer steers the conversation toward a fake investment opportunity, a romance ploy, or a request for money or personal information. Officials advise recipients not to respond to unsolicited texts from unknown numbers, even to say the message was sent to the wrong person, because any reply confirms the number is active. Related smishing waves include fake loan approval texts and messages impersonating carriers or tech companies claiming a device has been compromised. The recommended response is simple: do not click links, do not reply, delete the message, and report it. Source: FNBC.
6. Tech Tip: Harden your phone against text based phishing
With smishing on the rise, a few settings can meaningfully reduce risk. First, enable your phone's built in spam and junk message filtering, available in the messaging settings on both iPhone and Android, so suspicious texts are diverted before they reach your main inbox. Second, move away from text message codes for two factor authentication where possible and switch to an authenticator app, which generates login codes on the device itself and cannot be intercepted through a spoofed text. Third, never tap links inside unexpected messages, even ones that appear to come from a bank, carrier, or delivery service; instead, open the company's official app or type the web address manually. Finally, keep your operating system and apps updated, since security patches close the vulnerabilities that scams often try to exploit. These steps take minutes to configure and add durable protection against the most common mobile fraud tactics. Source: Forbes.
7. Science: Experimental weight loss pill shows strong results in trial
Researchers reported that an experimental GLP-1 pill helped people with obesity or who were overweight lose as much as 12.1 percent of their body weight over 36 weeks. The findings are notable because most highly effective GLP-1 therapies to date have been injectables, and an oral option could improve convenience and expand access for patients who prefer or require a pill. GLP-1 medications work by mimicking a hormone that regulates appetite and blood sugar, and they have reshaped the treatment landscape for obesity and type 2 diabetes. Scientists cautioned that trial results still require review, and that longer studies are needed to assess durability of the weight loss and the full safety profile. Even so, the data add to mounting evidence that oral formulations could play a growing role in metabolic care, potentially easing supply and cost pressures that have accompanied the injectable versions. Source: ScienceDaily.
8. Space: Total solar eclipse to sweep across Europe on Wednesday
A total solar eclipse is set to darken skies across parts of Europe on Wednesday, August 12, with Spain positioned to offer some of the best viewing conditions along the path of totality. During totality, the Moon will completely block the Sun, briefly turning day to twilight and revealing the solar corona to observers in favorable locations. It will be the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe in decades, and astronomers and eclipse chasers are converging on the continent to witness the event. Officials are reminding spectators to use certified solar viewing glasses at all times outside the brief window of totality, since looking directly at the Sun can cause permanent eye damage. Weather and clear skies will determine the quality of the spectacle across different regions. For those outside the path, a partial eclipse will be visible over a much wider area. Source: Space.com.
9. Business & Finance: Stocks rally after a surprise drop in July jobs
Wall Street closed the week higher after the July employment report showed the economy unexpectedly lost 23,000 jobs, the first monthly decline since February. Investors interpreted the weaker labor data as raising the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady or eventually cut them, a prospect that lifted equities. For the week, the S&P 500 rose 3.58 percent, the Nasdaq climbed 5.19 percent, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 2.96 percent. Average hourly earnings rose just 0.1 percent for the month, below expectations, and were up 3.2 percent from a year earlier. The softening picture reflects a cooling labor market that markets have increasingly welcomed as a sign that inflationary pressure may be easing. Earnings season continued as well, with companies including Barrick Mining, Rocket Lab, Hims and Hers Health, and Ferguson Enterprises among those reporting results. Source: Yahoo Finance.
10. Consumer Tech: Google returns to the smart speaker market
Google has released a new standalone smart speaker, its first in roughly six years and the first since the Nest Audio arrived in September 2020. The launch signals renewed investment in home audio hardware at a time when voice assistants are being reshaped by advances in conversational artificial intelligence. The move comes just ahead of the company's Made by Google event scheduled for Wednesday, August 12, where Google is expected to showcase additional devices. Industry watchers see the speaker as part of a broader effort to keep the smart home ecosystem competitive against rivals and to give newer AI powered assistants a dedicated physical home in the living room. Pricing, audio performance, and how deeply the device integrates next generation assistant features will determine its reception. For consumers, the return of a first party Google speaker restores a mainstream option that had been dormant for years. Source: TechRadar.
Written by Lonnon Jensen. Read more about the author.