Russian Strike on Ukraine’s Odesa Kills Three as Moscow, Kyiv Battle Over Black Sea

A civilian vessel is on fire, as Ukraine's navy spokesman reported a Russian military strike on a civilian vessel, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the Black Sea port of Odesa, Ukraine, July 14, 2026. (Reuters)

09:50-15 July 2026 AD ـ 30 Muharram 1448 AH

Russia and Ukraine stepped up their battle over the Black Sea and key trade routes on Wednesday, with Moscow killing three people in an attack on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa and Kyiv's drone forces striking Russian shipping.

Odesa region Governor Oleh Kiper said that a "massive" Russian drone and missile attack on the southern region continued for a fifth day, with civilian, industrial and port infrastructure ‌coming under attack.

Three ‌people were killed and at least three more ‌injured after ⁠a Russian missile ⁠strike on a seven-storey residential building in Odesa, Ukrainian authorities said.

Russia in recent days has stepped up attacks on Ukraine's deepwater Black Sea ports in the Greater Odesa area, which handle much of the country's grain and other cargo and are vital to its wartime economy, while Ukraine has expanded its campaign to disrupt logistics for Russia's forces in areas Moscow occupies in southern Ukraine and to isolate Crimea, ⁠which Russia annexed in 2014.

Ukrainian drones hit 20 Russian vessels ‌in the Black Sea overnight, Kyiv's top drone ‌forces commander said on Wednesday.

"Now Black Sea," Robert Brovdi, the commander of Ukraine's Unmanned ‌Systems Forces said on Telegram, adding that 116 vessels have been struck in ‌the Sea of Azov this month.

STRIKES DISRUPT SEA OF AZOV SHIPPING

The Ukrainian attacks have forced Russia, the world's top grain exporter, to restrict shipping in the Sea of Azov — a route that handles about a quarter of its grain exports, sources told Reuters. ‌Shipping remained restricted on Tuesday, they said.

Russia's defense ministry said on Wednesday that Moscow's forces continued overnight strikes on Ukrainian ⁠ports it said were ⁠handling cargoes for the Ukrainian military.

It said a number of targets in the ports of Odesa and nearby Chornomorsk port had been hit, as well as four vessels it said were delivering cargoes for Ukraine's forces in the ports of Chornomorsk and Dnipro-Buh.

Kiper said on Tuesday that two people were killed in an evening drone attack on port infrastructure in the region. A civilian vessel under a Marshall Islands flag had been damaged in the attack, he said.

Ukraine's top grain exporter Kernel halted operations at Chornomorsk port after Russian attacks, while another Russian strike damaged its vegetable oil terminal in the Odesa region, it said late on Tuesday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described the attacks on shipping in the Sea of Azov as "terrorism" while Russia's agriculture ministry acknowledged that exports may get diverted to other routes.

Nepal Warns of Climate Threat After Deadly Floods

A disaster rescue personnel looks on at the site of damaged buildings in the aftermath of flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 29, 2026. (AFP)

17:20-29 August 2026 AD ـ 16 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

Nepal Warns of Climate Threat After Deadly Floods

A disaster rescue personnel looks on at the site of damaged buildings in the aftermath of flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 29, 2026. (AFP)

Nepal's foreign minister warned on Saturday of the growing threat from climate change in the Himalayas, as China offered water and satellite data after devastating floods on their shared border killed hundreds.

The US Geological Survey said the disaster on Wednesday near the high-altitude China-Nepal border was caused by a glacial collapse that sent a torrent of debris downstream, with nearly 3,000 people missing and 682 confirmed dead.

While the exact cause of the collapse is unclear, climate change is causing glaciers to melt worldwide, increasing the risks of such disasters.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said he had spoken by phone with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, agreeing to increase the sharing of "real-time hydrological data", according to a statement.

Wang, in a Chinese foreign ministry statement, said Beijing had "shared crucial information with Nepal, including disaster area imagery, satellite and hydrological data, as well as early warnings about upstream barrier lakes".

Wang added that "China and Nepal are bound by mountains and rivers, sharing a common destiny".

Khanal had earlier told reporters on Saturday that Nepal needed greater research to "understand the changing dynamics of the Himalayan ecosystem" and the risks they pose to the landlocked country, encircled by India and China.

That includes not only risks "to Nepal and the downstream community, but also to our northern neighbor, to China, as well," Khanal said.

Himalayan glaciers, which provide critical water to nearly two billion people, are melting faster as the planet heats, exposing communities to unpredictable, costly disasters.

Khanal said climate change required international action.

"We always highlight that Nepal contributes less than or just about 0.01 percent of greenhouse gases but we, the people of Nepal, are one of the major victims of the changing climate and its impact," he added.

"So we request the global community also to come together to preserve the Himalayan ecosystem."

Melting glaciers and thawing permafrost can also destabilize mountain slopes, increasing the risk of landslides and other hazards.

World

Türkiye Summons Ukraine Ambassador Over Black Sea Attacks

Smoke rises from a civilian vessel on fire, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine July 19, 2026. (Reuters)

16:22-29 August 2026 AD ـ 16 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

Türkiye Summons Ukraine Ambassador Over Black Sea Attacks

Smoke rises from a civilian vessel on fire, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine July 19, 2026. (Reuters)

Türkiye summoned Ukraine's ambassador over attacks this week in the Black Sea against a Turkish vessel, and against a second ship that came to tow the first, the country's foreign ministry said Saturday.

The attacks happened on Wednesday and Thursday, the ministry told AFP.

"During the meeting, Türkiye warned about the absolute need to ensure the safety of people, of assets, of navigation and of the environment in the Black Sea," the ministry said in a statement.

It said the Turkish container ship Lider Bordo Mavi was hit on Wednesday while it was off the Russian coast on the Black Sea. The next day, the ship Lider Kocatepe sent to tow the cargo vessel was also targeted, the ministry said.

The ministry did not say whether there were any casualties in the attacks.

According to local Turkish media, the container ship was towed to the Turkish port of Samsun.

Ankara has been calling for weeks on Ukraine and Russia to suspend their attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea. Each of the warring countries has been seeking to damage the other's sources of export revenues as part of their conflict, which Russia started in 2022 with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Turkish commercial ships are active in the Black Sea, sailing under various countries' flags, and several have been hit by drones suspected to be launched by Ukraine.

Türkiye, a NATO member country that maintains relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, has not joined Western sanctions levelled against Russia.

On August 8, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called for a "moratorium" on Black Sea attacks.

"The conflict has spread across the whole Black Sea," he said at the time, complaining that "they are attacking all commercial shipping without distinction".

World

French Far-Right Accuses Left of Threatening ‘Civil Peace’ if Le Pen Wins

French far-right leader and member of parliament Marine Le Pen, President of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party parliamentary group, attends a debate with other candidates for the 2027 French presidential election during the MEDEF summer forum "La Rencontre des Entrepreneurs de France, La REF" in Paris, France, August 27, 2026. (Reuters)

16:17-29 August 2026 AD ـ 16 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

French Far-Right Accuses Left of Threatening ‘Civil Peace’ if Le Pen Wins

The French far-right on Saturday accused the left of seeking to "undermine civil peace" should Marine Le Pen win the presidential election next spring, underscoring the increasingly confrontational tone of the campaign.

With less than eight months to go before France's presidential election, far-right leader Le Pen, 58, remains the front-runner in the polls.

Analysts say that the appeal of political extremes is growing in France, and recent surveys show that hard-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, 75, may have the best chance of reaching the run-off against Le Pen.

Speaking at an agricultural fair in the northeastern town of Chalons-en-Champagne, Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally (RN) party and Le Pen's prospective prime minister in the event of her victory, said he was concerned by calls from the left for "civil disobedience" if the RN comes to power.

Bardella, 30, said they amounted to "an admission of weakness from the left, which hates democracy and is calling into question the fundamental principles of the rule of law and the electoral process."

"The attitude of France Unbowed at the start of this campaign is deeply worrying," said Bardella.

"They are already seeking to undermine civil peace in our country."

Mathilde Panot, leader of the LFI parliamentary group in parliament's lower house, and Greens leader Marine Tondelier have recently said they would support "civil disobedience" in the event of an RN victory.

Some observers say the election campaign is increasingly at risk of becoming a contest dominated by populist anti-establishment forces, raising concern among investors about the prospect of a presidential runoff between the far right and the hard left.

Bardella said he was concerned about Melenchon's "true intentions."

During a first presidential debate on Thursday, Melenchon vowed to "disobey" European decisions that contradict the wishes of French voters and pressed ahead with his proposals to cancel a chunk of France's public debt.

"France Unbowed and Monsieur Melenchon do not want to win this presidential election," said Bardella.

"They do not want to protect institutions, they want to destroy them."

Russian Strike on Ukraine’s Odesa Kills Three as Moscow, Kyiv Battle Over Black Sea

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