Lead Story
Ukraine launches one of the war's largest drone attacks, killing at least six in Russia
Ukraine launched hundreds of drones across Russia overnight into August 16, 2026, in one of the largest aerial attacks of the war, as Russia's Ministry of Defense said it destroyed 822 Ukrainian drones. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said roughly 600 drones were detected heading toward the capital, and an 83-year-old man was killed when a drone struck a private home in the Moscow region; a separate attack involving more than 150 drones hit three towns in Russia's Rostov region, killing five people, damaging homes and a railway station, and sparking a forest fire. In retaliatory strikes, a Russian missile attack on Ukraine's Kryvyi Rih killed two people and wounded 14, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, while a Russian strike on Kyiv sparked fires across the capital and injured six, and one more person was killed in Sumy.
Read more →Lead Story
Ukraine launches one of the war's largest drone attacks, killing at least six in Russia
Ukraine launched hundreds of drones across Russia overnight into August 16, 2026, in one of the largest aerial attacks of the war, as Russia's Ministry of Defense said it destroyed 822 Ukrainian drones. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said roughly 600 drones were detected heading toward the capital, and an 83-year-old man was killed when a drone struck a private home in the Moscow region; a separate attack involving more than 150 drones hit three towns in Russia's Rostov region, killing five people, damaging homes and a railway station, and sparking a forest fire. In retaliatory strikes, a Russian missile attack on Ukraine's Kryvyi Rih killed two people and wounded 14, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, while a Russian strike on Kyiv sparked fires across the capital and injured six, and one more person was killed in Sumy.
Trump orders 'substantial reduction' in US-South Korea military drills, citing ties with Kim Jong Un
President Trump instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on August 16, 2026 to substantially scale back the joint Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises with South Korea just hours before the ten-day drills were set to begin, citing their cost, his 'very good relationship' with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Seoul's lack of assistance with the US and Israel's war on Iran. Since it was too late to cancel the exercises outright, Hegseth was ordered to cut back their scope instead; Trump argued the drills sent an unnecessarily hostile signal to Pyongyang, echoing complaints he made during his first term when he called the exercises 'expensive' and 'provocative' after his 2018 summit with Kim in Singapore.
Read more →Trump orders 'substantial reduction' in US-South Korea military drills, citing ties with Kim Jong Un
President Trump instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on August 16, 2026 to substantially scale back the joint Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises with South Korea just hours before the ten-day drills were set to begin, citing their cost, his 'very good relationship' with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Seoul's lack of assistance with the US and Israel's war on Iran. Since it was too late to cancel the exercises outright, Hegseth was ordered to cut back their scope instead; Trump argued the drills sent an unnecessarily hostile signal to Pyongyang, echoing complaints he made during his first term when he called the exercises 'expensive' and 'provocative' after his 2018 summit with Kim in Singapore.
Kushner meets Hamas leaders in Egypt, pushes for verifiable Gaza disarmament
Jared Kushner met Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in El-Alamein, Egypt on August 16-17, 2026 in a renewed push to salvage the postwar plan for Gaza, pressing for 'concrete, verifiable steps' on disarmament and relaying the message that 'Gaza can never again be a source of terror for Israel.' A source described the roughly 90-minute meeting as 'very productive,' with Hamas leaders reaffirming their commitment to disarm and demilitarize Gaza, even as the Israeli military continued strikes. Kushner was next expected to travel to Israel to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had rejected an earlier 15-point disarmament sequencing proposal, to discuss the 'corresponding steps' Israel must take.
Read more →Kushner meets Hamas leaders in Egypt, pushes for verifiable Gaza disarmament
Jared Kushner met Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in El-Alamein, Egypt on August 16-17, 2026 in a renewed push to salvage the postwar plan for Gaza, pressing for 'concrete, verifiable steps' on disarmament and relaying the message that 'Gaza can never again be a source of terror for Israel.' A source described the roughly 90-minute meeting as 'very productive,' with Hamas leaders reaffirming their commitment to disarm and demilitarize Gaza, even as the Israeli military continued strikes. Kushner was next expected to travel to Israel to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had rejected an earlier 15-point disarmament sequencing proposal, to discuss the 'corresponding steps' Israel must take.
Indonesia earthquake death toll rises to 54 amid nearly 1,000 aftershocks
The death toll from the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province rose to 54 as of August 17, 2026, the country's National Disaster Management Agency said, with more than 12,000 people left homeless and hundreds injured. Nearly 1,000 aftershocks have followed the initial quake, hampering rescue and recovery efforts as teams continue digging through rubble and landslide debris to reach remote villages across six regencies on Flores Island that were cut off by the disaster. Authorities said assessments of casualties and damage are ongoing and warned the toll could rise further as isolated areas become accessible.
Read more →Indonesia earthquake death toll rises to 54 amid nearly 1,000 aftershocks
The death toll from the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province rose to 54 as of August 17, 2026, the country's National Disaster Management Agency said, with more than 12,000 people left homeless and hundreds injured. Nearly 1,000 aftershocks have followed the initial quake, hampering rescue and recovery efforts as teams continue digging through rubble and landslide debris to reach remote villages across six regencies on Flores Island that were cut off by the disaster. Authorities said assessments of casualties and damage are ongoing and warned the toll could rise further as isolated areas become accessible.
Spanish F-18 shoots down suspected Russian drone over Romania near Moldova border
A Spanish F-18 fighter jet flying a NATO air-policing mission shot down a suspected Russian drone that entered Romanian airspace from Moldova at 4:44 a.m. on August 16, 2026, about 24 kilometers north of Galati, Romania's Ministry of National Defence said. The jet established radar contact and was cleared to engage, downing the drone at 5:01 a.m.; searches located a possible impact site and drone and missile fragments in an unpopulated area between the villages of Baleni and Cudalbi. It was the fourth drone Romania has shot down in 2026, officials said, underscoring the growing strain NATO's eastern air patrols face as Russia's war on Ukraine continues.
Read more →Spanish F-18 shoots down suspected Russian drone over Romania near Moldova border
A Spanish F-18 fighter jet flying a NATO air-policing mission shot down a suspected Russian drone that entered Romanian airspace from Moldova at 4:44 a.m. on August 16, 2026, about 24 kilometers north of Galati, Romania's Ministry of National Defence said. The jet established radar contact and was cleared to engage, downing the drone at 5:01 a.m.; searches located a possible impact site and drone and missile fragments in an unpopulated area between the villages of Baleni and Cudalbi. It was the fourth drone Romania has shot down in 2026, officials said, underscoring the growing strain NATO's eastern air patrols face as Russia's war on Ukraine continues.