Jul 30, 2026, 02:30 PM UTC

Russia launched a widespread barrage of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones across Ukraine overnight, killing at least eight people and injuring more than 50 others. Ukrainian officials reported strikes on residential areas and civilian infrastructure in major cities, including Kyiv, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Kryvyi Rih, and Lviv. Among the casualties were two children, while a direct missile hit targeted a residential home in the Kryvyi Rih district.

The bombardment severely damaged energy infrastructure, triggering widespread blackouts across five Ukrainian regions. State grid operator Ukrenergo identified Sumy Oblast as the hardest-hit territory. Air defense units were deployed across the country to intercept incoming threats following prior warnings from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Emergency crews remain on-site clearing debris and restoring power grid access.

Sources: Investor.bg, Ukrinform

Italy's governing coalition is navigating policy disagreements over defense spending and European Union recovery funds while domestic economic figures show modest expansion.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced plans to request €14.9 billion from the EU's Safe defense purchasing initiative. However, coalition partner Lega insisted that any such commitment requires prior parliamentary approval. Concurrently, a dispute concerning EU-mandated tenders for Intercity train services has stalled progress on the National Recovery and Resilience Plan decree in the Chamber of Deputies, jeopardizing between €1 billion and €3 billion in funding.

Despite legislative friction, national statistics agency Istat reported that Italy's gross domestic product expanded by 0.2% in the second quarter, matching quarterly growth in France and Germany.

Sources: Corriere della Sera, Il Sole 24 Ore.

Malta's opposition Nationalist Party (PN) has warned that ongoing power outages are causing significant damage to the national tourism industry, challenging government claims of prioritizing quality tourism over volume. In response to the blackouts, the party requested an urgent parliamentary discussion on the National Audit Office report regarding the 2023 power crisis.

Concurrently, environmental organization Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar emphasized that the repeated power failures underscore an urgent need to adopt climate-resilient building standards across the island.

In separate court proceedings, a Maltese court acquitted two men facing contraband charges. Meanwhile, extreme weather forced over 200,000 people to evacuate raging wildfires in France and Spain.

Sources: The Malta Independent

Emergency services in Japan continue search operations following a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Kumamoto prefecture that killed 13 people and displaced over 9,000 residents. Rescuers are focusing on an explosion and structural collapse at the Aeon Mall in Kashima, alongside a destroyed paper mill, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reporting widespread infrastructure damage.

In Europe, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the end of the national emergency, though a new fire broke out near the Portuguese border. Meanwhile, wildfires in Greece forced the evacuation of 8,000 people in Crete's Rethymno region before conditions eased. In France, where blazes near Bordeaux prompted 140,000 evacuations, authorities ordered the distribution of 1.5 million FFP2 masks. Additionally, a wildfire was reported near a nuclear facility in Suffolk, United Kingdom.

Sources: Corriere della Sera, Il Messaggero.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has submitted a proposal to the organization's council to create a commercial entity managing World Cup assets, promising roughly €40 million to each national federation. In a letter sent to council members, Infantino set a deadline of September 19 to approve the initiative while reassuring officials that FIFA "will maintain control" of the new company.

The venture involves financial backing from Thrive Capital, an investment fund led by Joshua Kushner, brother of former US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The initiative aims to maximize revenue for member associations ahead of upcoming global tournaments.

Sources: Corriere della Sera.