Moscow Shoots Down Nearly 60 Drones; Russian Attacks Kill Five in Ukraine

Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026, in this picture obtained from social media. (Social media/via Reuters)
Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026, in this picture obtained from social media. (Social media/via Reuters)
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Moscow Shoots Down Nearly 60 Drones; Russian Attacks Kill Five in Ukraine

Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026, in this picture obtained from social media. (Social media/via Reuters)
Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026, in this picture obtained from social media. (Social media/via Reuters)

Moscow shot down dozens of drones in the early hours of Monday and briefly suspended flights at airports, authorities in the Russian capital said, just days after Ukraine hit the city's oil refinery again.

Ukrainian authorities said Russian drones had hit civilian merchant vessels, killing an Egyptian crew member, while drone attacks elsewhere killed at least five people, including three members of the same family in Ukraine's northern Sumy region.

Nearly 60 drones headed for Moscow were downed, Mayor ‌Sergei Sobyanin said on ‌Telegram.

He said emergency services had been dispatched to the areas where ‌drones ⁠were downed but ⁠gave no further information.

The airports of Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, as well as Zhukovskiy near the Russian capital, had suspended flights, though they were later resumed, the aviation watchdog said separately. In total, Russian defense systems downed 301 drones overnight, local newswires said, citing the defense ministry. That tally included Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

The latest attacks come after drones again hit Moscow's sole oil refinery last week, in one of the biggest air attacks on the city since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The drone attack early ⁠on Monday in Ukraine's Sumy region killed a 13-year-old boy, his 36-year-old ‌father and 73-year-old grandmother, while the boy's mother and two ‌siblings were injured, regional prosecutors said.

In the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, a woman was killed and three other ‌people injured after a drone attack, Ivan Fedorov, the local governor, said on Telegram on ‌Monday.

Russia also hit the southern Odesa region with an Iskander ballistic missile on Sunday evening, killing one and injuring three people, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.

Vehicles and fuel storage tanks caught fire after the strike hit an agricultural facility, he said.

Elsewhere, the city of Sevastopol in Russia-annexed Crimea cancelled all open-air public events ‌on Monday and will keep street lights switched off, its governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said, as he called on people to curb electricity usage.

Crimea, ⁠a popular tourist destination ⁠for Russians, has suspended fuel sales to the public and businesses, with supplies restricted to government agencies responsible for essential services and security, as Ukraine's drone attacks on its supply routes and energy facilities elsewhere led to a fuel crisis.

THREE VESSELS UNDER RUSSIAN DRONE ATTACK

Russian drones hit a Turkish dry cargo vessel, the Victress, which was sailing under the Panamanian flag, Ukraine's navy said.

Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said a 58-year-old Egyptian cook was killed and eight other crew members, including Turkish and Indian nationals, had to evacuate on a lifeboat.

The vessel sustained significant damage, Kuleba said on Telegram.

The operator of the Victress, Türkiye’s Rana Denizcilik according to LSEG data, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Kuleba said vessels operating under the flags of Palau and Belize also came under attack overnight, but nobody was hurt and the vessels resumed their journey.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's maritime export routes, striking vessels and ports vital to foreign trade and the wartime economy.



Researchers: Over 2,700 May Have Died Due to England Heatwaves

People sit in the shadow of a tree to protect from the sun by the Daumesnil Lake during a heatwave at the Bois de Vincennes park in Paris on July 11, 2026. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)
People sit in the shadow of a tree to protect from the sun by the Daumesnil Lake during a heatwave at the Bois de Vincennes park in Paris on July 11, 2026. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)
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Researchers: Over 2,700 May Have Died Due to England Heatwaves

People sit in the shadow of a tree to protect from the sun by the Daumesnil Lake during a heatwave at the Bois de Vincennes park in Paris on July 11, 2026. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)
People sit in the shadow of a tree to protect from the sun by the Daumesnil Lake during a heatwave at the Bois de Vincennes park in Paris on July 11, 2026. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)

At least 2,700 people could have died in England and Wales as a result of heatwaves that struck in May and June, according to a study released Monday.

Experts from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine used weather data, climate models and studies on excess mortality during heatwaves to arrive at their estimate.

"More than 2,700 people are thought to have died from heat-related causes during the May and June heatwaves in England and Wales," AFP quoted a statement as saying.

"Of those, it's estimated that 42% died as a result of the extra heat caused by human-induced warming," it added.

The UK and most of Europe experienced two unprecedented heatwaves in May and June, with monthly records set at 35.1°C and 37.7°C, respectively, in England.

"They were extreme heatwaves for the UK, and for all parts of western Europe, and they're particularly exceptional for the timing and how early in the year they occurred," Mark McCarthy, science manager of the Met's climate attribution team, was quoted as saying in the study.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will publish its official estimate of heat-related deaths in the coming weeks, based on death records from recent heatwaves.

The study's models "while they are not a measure of observed mortality, they help illustrate the scale of risk associated with extreme heat and the growing threat climate change poses to our wellbeing," said Lea Berrang Ford, head of UKHSA's Centre for Climate and Health Security.

The study estimates that around 550 people died as a result of the heat between May 21 and 29, and nearly 2,200 died between June 18 and 28 in England and Wales.

The authors emphasize the role of climate change, which is making heatwaves more intense and frequent.

They estimate that maximum daytime temperatures were 3°C to 4°C higher than they would have been without global warming.

The Climate Change Committee (CCC), the body responsible for advising the government on climate change, warned last year the UK was "not ready" to deal with the consequences of climate change.

In a report published in May, it estimated 92 percent of British homes could be too hot by 2050, and recommended the government set maximum temperature limits in the workplace, as well as investing in air conditioning for public buildings such as hospitals and schools.


EU Countries Weigh Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements

TOPSHOT - Journalists, protesters and local Palestinian landowners, who say some of their land was taken for the newly built Mount Tarousa settlement (background), run from tear gas fired by Israeli security forces blocking a road leading to the hilltop during a rally against the settlement near Dura in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on June 19, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
TOPSHOT - Journalists, protesters and local Palestinian landowners, who say some of their land was taken for the newly built Mount Tarousa settlement (background), run from tear gas fired by Israeli security forces blocking a road leading to the hilltop during a rally against the settlement near Dura in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on June 19, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
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EU Countries Weigh Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements

TOPSHOT - Journalists, protesters and local Palestinian landowners, who say some of their land was taken for the newly built Mount Tarousa settlement (background), run from tear gas fired by Israeli security forces blocking a road leading to the hilltop during a rally against the settlement near Dura in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on June 19, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
TOPSHOT - Journalists, protesters and local Palestinian landowners, who say some of their land was taken for the newly built Mount Tarousa settlement (background), run from tear gas fired by Israeli security forces blocking a road leading to the hilltop during a rally against the settlement near Dura in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on June 19, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)

EU foreign ministers on Monday discussed imposing an import ban on products from Israeli settlements, after pressure from a raft of member states.

"Everybody agrees that the situation in the West Bank is really intolerable," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said at the start of a meeting in Brussels, AFP reported.

"What is happening in the West Bank is actually making it more and more impossible that the two-state solution ever can come into effect."

Several EU countries -- including Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain -- have already imposed their own trade restrictions on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, considered illegal under international law.

Under pressure for the EU as a whole to take measures, the bloc's executive last week laid out options to curb trade with settlements, including a ban.

"There have been a lot of asks and requests from the member states regarding the ban of the trade with illegal settlements," Kallas said.

"Let's see if these options that have been provided now will have a stronger push from member states."

Diplomats said the debate at a meeting in Brussels on Monday was not expected to yield any concrete decisions, but would help to sound out if there is enough support to move forward.

The slow pace of the discussion has angered countries keen to curb trade -- with some diplomats accusing the European Commission of dragging its feet.

Belgium's foreign minister Maxime Prevot said the options laid out appeared to be more "a bone to gnaw on than a genuine desire to move forward."

"We are calling for concrete proposals," he said.

There is disagreement in Brussels as to whether that move would need backing from all 27 member states or just a weighted majority.

Diplomats say that key players Germany and Italy are still undecided on the move.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the territory, excluding east Jerusalem, among some three million Palestinians.

The UN chief Antonio Guterres has condemned the "relentless" expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying in a report seen by AFP last month that they are contributing to the territory's worst displacement crisis since 1967.

The EU has long been hampered by divisions over its approach towards Israel, with some members staunchly backing the country and others supporting the Palestinians.


Garbage Heap Collapse Kills 9 at India Waste Plant

This photograph taken on July 8, 2026 shows a pedestrian (C) walking amidst vehicles along a bridge in New Delhi. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)
This photograph taken on July 8, 2026 shows a pedestrian (C) walking amidst vehicles along a bridge in New Delhi. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)
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Garbage Heap Collapse Kills 9 at India Waste Plant

This photograph taken on July 8, 2026 shows a pedestrian (C) walking amidst vehicles along a bridge in New Delhi. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)
This photograph taken on July 8, 2026 shows a pedestrian (C) walking amidst vehicles along a bridge in New Delhi. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

Nine workers were killed at a waste-to-energy plant in western India after a garbage heap collapsed onto an administrative building following heavy rains, the facility's operator said Monday.

Building and construction accidents are common during India's June-to-September monsoon season, with old and rickety structures buckling after prolonged downpours.

The accident occurred last Wednesday at the Antony Waste plant on the outskirts of Pune, when thousands of tons of waste from a nearby landfill gave way, trapping 23 people inside the building.

"The incident, triggered by incessant rains causing thousands of tons of waste from an adjacent landfill to destabilize, severely damaged the structure where 23 personnel were present," AFP quoted the company as saying in a statement.

Nine were killed and the other 14 were rescued alive.

Rescue efforts were hampered by the rain as workers struggled to reach those buried under debris, according to plant officials.

Operations at the plant have been temporarily suspended pending structural and safety assessments.

Scientists say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in India, the world's most populous country.

The arrival of a potentially powerful El Nino weather system this year could also shift normal weather patterns in the country, weather forecasters say.