Aug 1, 2026, 03:30 PM UTC

At least nine people were killed and 28 others wounded in Kyiv following a wave of Russian air strikes on the Ukrainian capital. Emergency responders scrambled to assist victims and search through damaged buildings across the city. The bombardment highlights the persistent threat of heavy aerial attacks on Ukrainian urban centers, with air defense systems actively working to intercept incoming Russian missiles and drones. Local municipal authorities reported that rescue and cleanup operations were ongoing throughout the affected districts.

Sources: France24.

Renowned climber Nirmal Purja and nine expedition members have died following a high-altitude avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak in the Karakoram range, according to his mountaineering company, Elite Expeditions.

The avalanche struck the 8,047-metre mountain around midday on Thursday, severing communication with the ten-person international team. High-altitude search and rescue operations subsequently recovered three bodies, identified by officials as climbers Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy of Oman, Pur Bahadur Gurun of Nepal, and Mallory Geis of the United States.

Search efforts continued for the remaining missing team members until Elite Expeditions confirmed on Saturday that all ten individuals perished in the slide. Purja, a Nepal-born former British Royal Marine, achieved international acclaim after scaling all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre peaks in under seven months, a feat featured in the documentary "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible".

Sources: BBC News, FAZ, France24

US President Donald Trump announced that Hamas has agreed to lay down its weapons under a Washington-brokered proposal aimed at ending conflict in Gaza. Trump described the development as a breakthrough and stated that Israel was "very happy" with the terms. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly approved the arrangement.

Key points of friction remain between the warring parties regarding the sequence of implementation. Israeli officials indicate that military forces will not pull back without verifiable disarmament by Hamas. Conversely, Hamas maintains that Israeli troops must fully withdraw from the enclave before any surrender of arms can occur.

Sources: France24.

A majority of European Union member states have requested an emergency meeting of interior ministers following the arrival of tens of thousands of undocumented migrants in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

Leaders from 22 of the 27 EU nations signed an open letter asking for an online meeting as soon as possible to coordinate a unified response and prevent further uncontrolled border crossings. The initiative, spearheaded by Italy and Denmark, stresses a shared responsibility among member states to deter unlawful arrivals and secure external borders.

Sources: Morgunblaðið.