Global Express | August 22, 2026 Russian and Ukrainian attacks kill 9 as mall strike aftermath grips Ukraine

1. Russian and Ukrainian attacks kill 9 a day after shopping mall strike

Source: AP News

Russian and Ukrainian forces traded drone and missile strikes on Saturday (Aug 22), with officials reporting at least nine people killed. Russian strikes killed at least seven people inside Ukraine, while a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's southern Krasnodar region killed two children and wounded two adults. A day earlier, Russian drones struck a shopping centre in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, killing 16 people and wounding more than 130.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said ballistic missiles hit railway infrastructure in the capital Kyiv overnight, killing one person and wounding another. Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck a locomotive depot. Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said nine people remained missing in the rubble of the shopping centre. Zelensky described the attack as a "double-tap" strike — an initial wave of drones followed by a second wave as rescue workers responded — with a fire that spread across 9,000 square metres now extinguished and rescue efforts under way.

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2. Ukrainian drones hit Russian oil refinery and Ozon warehouse

Source: The Independent

Ukrainian drones struck a Russian oil refinery and a warehouse belonging to Ozon, a major Russian online retailer, on Saturday, after Putin's strike on a shopping centre killed 16 people. Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said in a Telegram post that several people had been wounded in the strikes. He did not name the industrial facility struck, but the region hosts several oil refineries that have been repeatedly attacked by Ukraine.

The day before, Russia launched a "double-tap" attack on a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky's hometown: an initial wave of drones was followed by a second strike as rescue workers arrived, killing 16 people and wounding more than 130, with nine people — including two children — still missing as search efforts continued. Zelensky called the attack an "act of barbarism" and vowed "we will definitely respond", urging the world to hold Russia to account. The EU condemned the attack as "terror by design".

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3. Somali pirates hijack oil tanker as piracy resurges

Source: AP News

Somali pirates have hijacked an oil products tanker off Yemen, the sixth commercial vessel seized since April as piracy resurges across the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean. A Somali maritime security official said six armed pirates seized the Eritrean-flagged M.T. Sibu 1 on Thursday about 136 nautical miles (252 kilometres) east of al-Mukalla, Yemen, and took it toward Somalia's Puntland coast.

The vessel, managed by a UAE-based company, was sanctioned by the US Treasury last year for allegedly belonging to an Iranian "shadow fleet". It had 20 crew members aboard, including 16 Indians. The International Maritime Bureau recorded 38 piracy and armed robbery incidents worldwide in the first half of 2026, with Somali pirates accounting for 94% of crew members taken hostage. Puntland's Security Ministry said its investigations indicated forces beyond Puntland's control were behind the renewed piracy.

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4. US casualties in Iran war rise to 774

Source: The Jerusalem Post

The number of US service members killed or wounded in the Iran war has risen to 774 — 18 killed and 756 wounded — according to The Washington Post, citing the Pentagon's casualty reporting system. The Pentagon added scores of new troops to the wounded list in the last few days.

The numbers rose despite an ongoing ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, which expired on Monday, though large-scale combat has not resumed. The US is considering scaling back its military presence in the Middle East, including making defence cuts in the Persian Gulf and not rebuilding bases damaged by Iranian attacks. The report comes two months after several servicemen alleged their injuries were more severe than their designations implied, with one sergeant claiming he "absolutely believed" the Pentagon tried to downplay the strike in Kuwait that killed 6 US soldiers.

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5. US national debt tops $40 trillion, doubling in a decade

Source: Euronews

The US national debt has crossed the $40 trillion threshold after adding $1 trillion in just five months. Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, warned the debt "doesn't exist solely on the government's ledgers; it is felt throughout the economy and finds its way to the pocketbooks of people one way or another". By one estimate, based on average salaries, it would take a US worker more than 615 million years to earn the equivalent of America's $40 trillion national debt.

The IMF projects US gross government debt will reach $40.7 trillion in 2026, or 125.8% of GDP, up from 103.7% in 2012. Long-term Treasury yields hit multi-year highs this week, with the 30-year yield reaching almost 5.34% on Tuesday, its highest level since 2007. The Congressional Budget Office warns that without reform, gross federal debt could reach roughly $64 trillion by the end of 2036.

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6. Meta faces 29 states in landmark trial over 'hook, hold, harvest and hide'

Source: The Guardian

Meta's blockbuster trial opened this week in Oakland, California, where California and 28 other states are suing the tech giant, accusing it of designing addictive products that harm children and violate child privacy laws. In opening statements, lawyer Megan O'Neill boiled Meta's business model down to four words beginning with H: "hook, hold, harvest and hide" — and said "Meta's business model worked especially well for kids".

Prosecutors allege Meta collected data on children under 13 without parental consent. If found liable, damages could reach $200bn, equivalent to the company's 2025 annual revenue. Meta denies all allegations; its attorney Paul Schmidt said the company has "come up with tools to try and address" the issue and has disabled more than 1 million accounts of young users. Former Meta safety engineer Arturo Béjar testified that a survey he sent to Zuckerberg showed 51% of teen users had bad or harmful experiences within the previous seven days, with content removed only 0.02% of the time — and that he "didn't hear back" from the CEO.

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7. Europe logs over 32,000 excess summer deaths in heatwave

Source: See Hua Daily News (AFP)

Europe has recorded at least 32,000 excess deaths across a blistering summer of back-to-back heatwaves and drought, which scientists have blamed on man-made climate change, according to provisional figures. The EuroMomo monitoring platform estimates more than 32,000 excess deaths between mid-July and mid-August, with summer not yet over; an AFP count found 33,000 excess or heat-linked deaths across just eight countries — Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.

By country, Germany saw 14,000 heat-related deaths up to August 9, a record since such records began in 2016; France logged 7,300 excess deaths; Spain recorded nearly 4,500; and Belgium 2,570. EuroMomo data shows the last week of June was the summer's deadliest, with nearly 16,000 excess deaths. The monitor's model covers official statistics from 23 European countries, and the total toll is expected to rise further.

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8. More than 16,000 Ebola vaccine doses arrive in DR Congo

Source: See Hua Daily News (AFP)

More than 16,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday night as the country faces its deadliest Ebola outbreak in history. The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, and official data shows 5,290 confirmed cases with 2,516 deaths. Julien Harneis, the UN's senior Ebola coordinator, warned the outbreak "is growing exponentially".

The World Health Organization announced Thursday that the DRC will receive a total of 70,000 doses of the vaccine produced in Germany, with 20,000 earmarked for a clinical trial and 50,000 for frontline and health workers. The vaccine, developed by Merck, is approved against the Zaire strain of the virus but not the Bundibugyo strain currently circulating. WHO experts have recommended a full-scale human trial of Ervebo to see if it offers cross-protection against the Bundibugyo strain.

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9. Tesla's door handles lead to its biggest recall yet

Source: WIRED

The Chinese government has recalled more than 2.9 million Tesla Model 3s and Model Ys manufactured in China between 2019 and 2026, over concerns that hidden door handles could impede passengers from escaping in an emergency. It is Tesla's largest recall ever — and China's. Some vehicles can be made safer with an over-the-air software update that lowers windows after collisions, but many will also need new warning stickers, affixed free of charge, to help people find emergency mechanical door handles.

At the same time, China recalled more than 1 million vehicles from eight Chinese automakers over the same flush door handle safety concerns, and nearly 50,000 imported Tesla Model 3s, Xs and S's for insufficiently monitoring drivers using assisted steering technology — some of which need new in-cabin cameras. China, which introduced rules this year that will soon ban fully retractable door handles, has been more aggressive than other countries in regulating new automotive technology. The US's top road regulator has also begun examining whether new door handle rules are needed.

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10. China will not play along with the US' 'reckless games' on Iran

Source: Global Times

US President Donald Trump announced on August 19 an "economic D-Day" operation against Iran, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent describing it as "economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale" and urging China to "get with the program". In response, a Global Times editorial said economic sanctions may concentrate pressure on a single country, but it is difficult to confine the costs to that country alone: "War cannot solve problems, and sanctions only add fuel to the fire."

The editorial noted the US war against Iran has entered its sixth month, with both sides locked in a stalemate, and argued the "economic D-Day" is less a new offensive than an attempt by Washington to cut its losses and extricate itself from the Middle East quagmire. It stressed that China has consistently opposed unilateral bullying and long-arm jurisdiction — and that not only will China not play along with the US' "reckless games" on the Iran issue, the international community will not stand with Washington either. Only by abandoning the Cold War mentality and returning to dialogue and negotiation can Washington cut its losses and make a dignified exit.

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