Global Express | August 20, 2026 Russian Missile Barrage Kills at Least 13 in Kyiv

1. Russian Missile Barrage Hits Kyiv, Killing at Least 13

Source: Al Jazeera

Russian forces launched ballistic missile attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv early Thursday, killing at least 13 people and wounding 33, officials said. Explosions rang out across several districts of Kyiv, shaking buildings and setting off car alarms, according to Ukrainian media reports. The blasts hit the Sviatoshynskyi, Solomianskyi and Shevchenkivskyi districts, where a nine-storey residential building collapsed and caught fire in Solomianskyi. A children's hospital in the district was also damaged, with windows shattered and cars burning on the grounds.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that people were trapped at another residential building, and parts of Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi were without electricity. Ukraine's Emergency Services said rescuers had retrieved at least two people from the rubble. An attack in the Brovary district killed one person and wounded another, with an industrial facility damaged, said Kyiv region's Governor Tymur Tkachenko. Poland's military command said it had mobilised aircraft and activated air defences, while Romania's Defence Ministry said radar systems detected aerial targets near the Ukrainian border overnight.

2. Israeli Military Opens Criminal Probes Into Killings of Hind Rajab and Palestinian Paramedics

Source: AP News

Israel's military announced Thursday it will open criminal investigations into the deaths of 5-year-old Hind Rajab and her family, and of 15 Palestinian paramedics in Gaza — its first criminal probes into troop conduct in the war. At the same time, the military ruled out criminal investigations into the deaths of aid workers from World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders.

Hind Rajab was killed alongside her family in Gaza in February 2024, a case that drew widespread international attention. The decision marks a rare judicial response to civilian casualties in Israel's military campaign in Gaza. The progress of the probes has not been announced, and observers are closely watching the independence and transparency of the investigations.

3. US Military Reported to Be Stealthily Transporting Oil Through Hormuz

Source: Axios

The US military is helping empty tankers enter the Gulf from the Arabian Sea through the Strait of Hormuz, pick up oil from countries in the region and then exit, sources with knowledge of the situation told Axios. The US has established a shipping corridor through the strait, covertly facilitating the transport of millions of barrels of oil daily. During the operation, 15 to 20 tankers have safely transited along a southern channel across the coast of Oman, and the operation has been underway for several weeks.

The sources said around 10 million barrels of oil a day are being transported out of the strait into global energy markets, roughly half the pre-war volume. Speaking to reporters, US President Donald Trump said "the strait is open. A lot of boats are coming through," adding that the price of oil is decreasing again — around $84-$85 a barrel, well below the $350 a barrel that had been discussed. Trump also said people have found alternatives to the strait, with record numbers of pipelines being built.

4. Zelensky's Fired Defence Minister Fedorov Demands Elections in Ukraine

Source: The Washington Post

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's former defence minister, is publicly demanding the country hold new elections, mounting a direct political challenge to his former boss, President Volodymyr Zelensky. Fedorov served as defence minister from January to July, when Zelensky fired him in a government shake-up. Known as a young, media-savvy technocrat who pushed to transform the military into a drone-centred force, he was much less popular within the military, and his feud with then-Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky ultimately led to his dismissal.

Fedorov recently posted a video on YouTube calling on Zelensky to hold elections despite the wartime situation. "Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia," he proclaimed, arguing that Ukraine was fighting "precisely because we want to remain a free European state." He also bemoaned corruption in the country, warning that it is "particularly dangerous when society develops the feeling that the main criterion for an appointment is not professionalism, results, or the ability to transform the country, but personal loyalty to the system."

5. Chinese Court Sentences Evergrande Founder Hui Ka Yan to Life in Prison

Source: CNN

A Chinese court sentenced Evergrande founder Hui Ka Yan to life in prison Thursday, according to state media. Hui, formerly one of China's richest men, had pleaded guilty in April to multiple charges related to his time as chairman of China's largest real-estate developer, including fraud and misuse of funds. Xinhua reported that the court in the southern metropolis of Shenzhen also ordered the forfeiture of his personal assets and stripped him of all political rights. Evergrande Group was fined 8.82 billion yuan ($1.23 billion), and Evergrande Real Estate was fined 7 billion yuan.

The verdict said the criminal conduct of Evergrande Group, Evergrande Real Estate and Hui Ka Yan "seriously disrupted the order of the socialist market economy, infringed upon public and private property rights, and undermined the integrity of public officials in the performance of their duties." The companies were found guilty of financial fraud, inflating assets and concealing liabilities, illegally absorbing public deposits, fundraising fraud and illegal disclosure of important information. Evergrande has been hobbled by debt since 2021, with $300 billion in liabilities, and its crisis has been at the heart of China's real-estate shock.

6. US National Debt Hits $40 Trillion, Rising by $90,000 Per Second

Source: WJLA

The US national debt crossed a record $40 trillion this week — a figure economists and lawmakers expect will continue to surge. Data from the US Congress Joint Economic Committee reveals that the debt grew at a rate of $90,000 per second over the past year. 7News spoke with Don Boudreaux of George Mason University's Department of Economics, who addressed the core drivers behind the rapid increase, how it impacts everyday families, and potential paths toward fiscal recovery.

As the debt crosses the $40 trillion mark, US fiscal conditions are drawing close attention from investors at home and abroad, and debate over fiscal sustainability is intensifying. The live US debt clock shows the figure continuing to climb.

7. Death Toll in Central African Republic Mine Collapse Rises to More Than 100

Source: AP News

The death toll from a gold mine collapse in a western part of the Central African Republic has risen to more than 100, a Red Cross volunteer involved in relief efforts and a local official said. The low-tech, artisanal gold mine collapsed Tuesday morning in the village of Zamboye, in the Nana-Mambere prefecture, near the border with Cameroon. In addition to the dead, several survivors were critically injured, said Gervais Ganagoroh, a local Red Cross volunteer.

The death toll is likely to rise since several people were still missing and others were trapped under the rubble, said Bertrand Be Yangué, a member of the Zamboye youth council. "Finding them alive would be a miracle," Yangué said. "We are saddened and heartbroken to see young men and women perish after coming to the mines to save their families from despair." An investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the collapse, identify the victims and establish any potential criminal liability, the prosecutor at the Baboua sub-prefecture court said in a statement.

8. Colombia Quake Death Toll Rises to 319

Source: Xinhua

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella signed a decree declaring a 30-day state of economic, social and ecological emergency in parts of the country hit by the Aug. 10 earthquake. The decree, signed after a cabinet meeting in Bogota, covers 15 affected departments, including Valle del Cauca, Risaralda and Caldas. De la Espriella said the emergency measures were aimed at not only rebuilding damaged homes, but also restoring businesses and essential public infrastructure, including schools and hospitals.

According to figures released by Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management as of Wednesday evening, the 7.4-magnitude earthquake in western Colombia had killed 319 people, injured 4,469 and left 260 missing, with 364 people rescued. The agency said 476 municipalities across 15 departments had been affected, with some 272,830 people impacted. The president said Colombia was facing the "most complex" fiscal situation in its republican history, and that his government would cut spending on some non-priority programs while ensuring the most vulnerable people were not affected.

9. SpaceX Recovers Starship Spacecraft Once Feared Lost to Sea

Source: USA Today

SpaceX has successfully recovered the upper stage of its Starship rocket, after teams once feared it could be lost in the Indian Ocean. The 171-foot-tall upper stage launched July 24 from Starbase in South Texas on the 13th flight test of Starship, made a controlled landing after reentry about an hour after launch, and landed upright in the Indian Ocean. Because the landing was so gentle, the vehicle was able to tip over and float without exploding or sinking. SpaceX soon dispatched teams on a mission to locate and haul it to shore.

After days of "challenging conditions and increasingly rough seas," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk admitted in an Aug. 7 post that "recovery is not looking good right now." But teams did not give up, and on Aug. 18 SpaceX shared that the mission ended in success: following 24 days at sea, the upper stage was hauled off the coast of Christmas Island, an Australian territory about 840 nautical miles northwest of the mainland. "Starship Flight 13 is being recovered from sea," Musk said. SpaceX plans to return the vehicle to Starbase in Texas for analysis to improve future Starship designs.

10. Trump Considers Meeting Kim Jong Un at Shenzhen APEC Summit; China's Foreign Ministry Responds

Source: National Business Daily (China)

At Thursday's regular press conference, a reporter asked China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian about US President Donald Trump's statement on Wednesday that he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year. According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump is considering holding the meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen in November. The reporter asked for China's comment as a country with close ties to all parties involved.

Spokesperson Lin Jian responded: "Regarding the US-North Korea contact you mentioned, I do not have specific information, and I have no comment on that." Trump has previously said that Kim Jong Un responded to his call for dialogue, without providing further details. US media report that Trump is urging his team to arrange a meeting with Kim as early as this autumn, with the APEC summit in Shenzhen in November potentially serving as the occasion.