Ukraine, Russia Accuse Each Other of Lethal Attacks, Odesa Port Damaged

Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a residential area in downtown Odesa, Ukraine, 09 August 2026, amid the Russian invasion. EPA/IGOR MASLOV
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a residential area in downtown Odesa, Ukraine, 09 August 2026, amid the Russian invasion. EPA/IGOR MASLOV
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Ukraine, Russia Accuse Each Other of Lethal Attacks, Odesa Port Damaged

Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a residential area in downtown Odesa, Ukraine, 09 August 2026, amid the Russian invasion. EPA/IGOR MASLOV
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a residential area in downtown Odesa, Ukraine, 09 August 2026, amid the Russian invasion. EPA/IGOR MASLOV

Ukraine and Russia accused each other of lethal attacks on Sunday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow was targeting global food security by striking Odesa's seaport. 

Three people were killed and 37 wounded in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, where a multi-storey apartment block was hit, while authorities in Russia's Belgorod said five were killed and 25 wounded by a Ukrainian drone attack. 

Zelenskiy said Odesa's seaport had been damaged by a strike. Local authorities said dozens of drones and missiles hit the southern seaside city, wounding ‌a dozen ‌people. 

"In this way, the Russians are at ‌war ⁠with the world's ⁠food security," Zelenskiy said. Odesa's seaports are the artery for Ukraine's vast agricultural exports. 

He said Russia also hit nine other Ukrainian regions on Sunday. 

Russia has been bombarding Odesa in an attempt to cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea. 

"Everyone who lives in Odesa knows that the most common target is around the port area," said ⁠67-year-old Ihor, a local resident whose apartment narrowly ‌escaped destruction. 

As Ukraine seeks to ‌disrupt Russia's revenues for waging war, it has hit Russian oil tankers ‌and other cargo vessels in the Black Sea, claiming another three ‌such strikes on Sunday. 

Both sides have launched a broader campaign against the other's logistics, with e-commerce warehouses on both sides and Ukraine's petrol stations coming under heavy attack during the summer months. 

Ukraine's state oil and ‌gas giant Naftogaz said attacks on its facilities had increased significantly over the last three days, including ⁠on oil ⁠extraction facilities overnight. 

Ukraine's energy ministry said Russia had attacked power facilities in the Odesa region, causing a "significant amount" of the port city's residents to lose electricity overnight. 

It said power had already been restored to 90,000 consumers. 

Russia's Defense Ministry said it hit fuel storage facilities "used in the interests" of the Ukrainian military in the ports of Odesa and nearby Chornomorsk. 

In the Vatican, Pope Leo on Sunday renewed his calls for an end to the 4-1/2-year war. 

"Tragic incidents are multiplying, causing an ever-growing number of civilian victims, including children," the pontiff said before worshippers gathered for Sunday's Angelus prayer. 



Localized Ceasefire in Effect to Enable Repairs to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant, IAEA Says

A view shows Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine June 16, 2023. (Reuters)
A view shows Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine June 16, 2023. (Reuters)
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Localized Ceasefire in Effect to Enable Repairs to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant, IAEA Says

A view shows Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine June 16, 2023. (Reuters)
A view shows Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine June 16, 2023. (Reuters)

A ‌local ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has taken effect to enable repairs for the restoration of external power to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power ‌plant, the agency ‌said on ‌Saturday.

The ⁠Russian-controlled nuclear power ⁠plant, located in Ukraine, has been without external power since August 20 and has relied on ⁠emergency diesel generators ‌to ‌cool its vital safety systems.

The ‌plant is running ‌low on diesel fuel reserves and faces a possible station blackout ‌within days unless power is restored or more ⁠diesel ⁠is transported to the site, the UN atomic watchdog said, adding that Ukrainian technicians will begin power line repairs later on Saturday after demining the area.


Iranian Media Report Explosions in Kharg Island Area of Gulf

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, September 5, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, September 5, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Iranian Media Report Explosions in Kharg Island Area of Gulf

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, September 5, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, September 5, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Iranian media on Saturday reported several explosions near the country's major oil hub of Kharg Island in the Gulf, days after renewed fighting broke out with the United States.

Fars news agency said blasts were heard by its correspondent but that there was no smoke visible, while the SNN news agency claimed "an Iranian tanker was targeted by the US" near the island.

There was no immediate comment from US or Iranian officials.

Fighting between the foes resumed last Sunday with US attacks on Iran as their war passed its six-month mark.

The American strikes prompted retaliatory attacks by Tehran on US targets in the Middle East.

Iran said Thursday that its armed forces had hit Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, vowing to avenge civilian deaths at a wedding that it blamed on Washington.

The two sides also remain vying for control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, with Iran blocking the passage of ships as Washington maintains a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.


Rescuers Continue Grim Search for Nepal Flood Survivors

A man using an excavator clears sludge along the Trishuli river in the aftermath of flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district on September 5, 2026. (AFP)
A man using an excavator clears sludge along the Trishuli river in the aftermath of flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district on September 5, 2026. (AFP)
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Rescuers Continue Grim Search for Nepal Flood Survivors

A man using an excavator clears sludge along the Trishuli river in the aftermath of flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district on September 5, 2026. (AFP)
A man using an excavator clears sludge along the Trishuli river in the aftermath of flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district on September 5, 2026. (AFP)

Inspired by the "miracle" rescue of two hydropower workers, Nepal's emergency response teams were digging with new vigor Saturday through piles of debris as the death toll from the flooding disaster crossed 1,200.

The rescued pair were among hundreds of hydropower workers who went missing since a tsunami-like wall of water and mud swept through the China-Nepal border following a vast glacial and rock collapse on August 26.

So far, 1,294 bodies have been recovered in Nepal, according to the disaster agency, with 5,053 people missing.

In China, state media said 31 people had been killed and 531 were missing. That takes the overall death toll to 1,325 people, with 5,584 missing.

"We have been working since morning on search and rescue operations," Nepal Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet told AFP on Saturday.

Searches continued at the Trishuli 3A tunnel where the two men were rescued on Friday, as well as multiple other sites, with at least 12 hydropower projects destroyed by the floods.

- 'The work goes on' -

"Work is also underway at the tunnels," Basnet said. "We don't have an update yet, but the work goes on."

The government initially said it believed more than 100 workers could be alive inside multiple tunnels.

Rescuers called it a "miracle" after the two men, caked in mud, were pulled out alive after being trapped for nine days.

They were taken to hospital and are said to be in a stable condition.

Experts from India, China, Australia and South Korea have been aiding Nepali rescuers in their search of survivors inside blocked tunnels.

With morgues overflowing, some 1,030 bodies hade been buried in mass graves after taking DNA samples for future identification by family members, Nepal Police said Saturday.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah promised to provide "safe and comfortable accommodation" for thousands of people displaced by the disaster and currently living in temporary relief camps.

"We know that staying there (camps) is not easy for you," he said in an emotional post on social media late Friday.

"(But) we will once again create an environment where you can dream about and build your future."