Aug 15, 2026, 02:00 PM UTC

Russian forces have launched extensive drone and shelling attacks across several Ukrainian regions, killing at least eight people and injuring more than 60 over a 24-hour span.

Ukrainian authorities reported that around 180 drones targeted locations across the Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia regions. Emergency responders in Dnipropetrovsk confirmed five fatalities and 16 injuries following dozens of strikes on Kamianske, Pavlohrad, and Nikopol districts. A drone strike near Kryvyi Rih hit a petrol station, killing three people, including an eight-year-old child.

Meanwhile, combat intensified on the eastern front line. The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that its forces captured the settlements of Toretsk and Vasyutinske in the Donetsk region, while Ukrainian military officials reported ongoing intense battles across the area.

Sources: Adevărul, Moldova1, Ziarul de Gardă

The confirmed death toll from a magnitude 7.7 earthquake off the coast of Flores island in eastern Indonesia has risen to around 40 people, according to national and regional disaster management agencies.

Initial assessments from local search and rescue personnel had placed the number of fatalities at 20. However, emergency services revised the count upward to between 38 and 40 as response teams reached harder-hit districts. The undersea tremor caused severe structural destruction, collapsing residences, warehouses, and schools, while secondary landslides obstructed key roadways and complicated access for emergency responders.

Authorities had briefly declared a tsunami alert and evacuated coastal communities before withdrawing the warning. Rescue workers continue to clear debris and search for trapped survivors amid persistent aftershocks.

Sources: Canarias7, El Día, El Mundo, Expresso das Ilhas, La Vanguardia

A media investigation into Moldova's scrap metal industry has detailed allegations that former Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) lawmaker Alexandr Trubca accepted a €200,000 bribe to advance tax legislation favoring specific waste collectors.

According to a criminal complaint filed with prosecutors by a former associate of entrepreneur Valentin Eșanu, the funds were intended to replace a 12% income tax on individuals delivering scrap metal with a 7% corporate sales tax, alongside value-added tax adjustments.

Trubca rejected the claims as unfounded, stating, "I have never received money from anyone," and announced plans to pursue legal action for defamation. The wider investigation highlighted ongoing market shifts following demonopolisation, including four consecutive years of financial losses at state enterprise Metalferos and persistent regulatory scrutiny surrounding regional metallurgical operations.

Sources: Moldova1, Newsmaker, Point, Ziarul de Gardă

Iran and Oman are finalizing a proposal to establish a safe maritime corridor through the Strait of Hormuz after agreeing on specific geographical coordinates, according to Iranian diplomatic officials. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei noted that while the arrangement is in its final stages, its implementation depends on the absence of interference from outside parties and cannot independently guarantee regional maritime stability.

Simultaneously, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indicated that fully resuming transit remains tied to further demands, including compensation for war damages. The diplomatic developments coincide with persistent security incidents in the waterway, following United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations alerts regarding twin explosions near an oil tanker off Oman's coast. The vessel and its crew were reported safe without environmental damage.

Sources: BBC News, France24, STV News, Sweden Herald, The Guardian.