Russia launches missile strikes on Kyiv and surrounding region, killing at least eight

By Harry Sekulich, KYIV Ukraine 

A wave of overnight Russian missile strikes has killed at least eight people in the capital Kyiv and the surrounding region, Ukrainian authorities say.

Apartment blocks and warehouses were hit in the "massive attack" on Thursday, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS), while a children's hospital and school were damaged. At least 33 people were injured.

Authorities are working to rescue people trapped underneath the rubble of demolished buildings, with crews already pulling two survivors from debris.

Meanwhile, Romania said one drone crossed into its territory at the northern border with Ukraine triggering an air alert siren.

In the early hours of Thursday, "a drone entered Romanian national airspace, approximately 13 kilometres east of the city of Galați," the Romanian defence ministry wrote in a statement.

The drone crashed into "an uninhabited area", causing a small fire that was extinguished.

"No casualties or material damage were reported", the ministry added, noting that the initial alert had been lifted.

The Polish military also said it had begun "defensive air operations" to protect its airspace, with the country sharing part of its south-eastern border with Ukraine.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said a children's hospital had been damaged in the overnight strikes, where windows were broken and cars set ablaze nearby. There was also damage at an educational institution, he said.

An industrial centre in the Solomyanskyi district, south-west Kyiv, was also hit by missiles, according to the mayor.

An attack in Brovary district of the broader Kyiv region killed one man and wounded another, Kyiv regional governor Tymur Tkachenko said.

The regional administration issued an alert earlier in the night warning residents to take shelter. It continued: "Air defense operations are possible in the area".

More missile alerts were issued from regional authorities throughout the night, citing warnings from the Ukrainian air force that missiles were flying towards the capital.

The Russian airstrikes cut power to thousands of properties overnight, plunging parts of the Kyiv region into darkness, with technicians racing to repair the damaged energy grids.

The Russian defence ministry claims to have targeted a drone component production facility and a munition depot in Kyiv, according to state-run media, although the claims have not been independently verified by our correspondent.

Kyiv has been battered in near nightly-attacks in recent weeks, with some strikes resulting in dozens of deaths and serious injuries.

More than a dozen regions have been targeted across Ukraine over the past week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, with Russia launching more than 1,550 attack drones, 1,560 guide aerial bombs and 62 missiles Ukraine.

Ukraine has stepped up its attacks deep inside Russia during the past few weeks, with a recent flurry of 600 drones targeting Moscow.

Two separate attacks on Russia this week has killed at least 16 people, including one child.

At least 100 dead in gold mine collapse in Central African Republic

BABOUA, Central African Republic 

More than 100 people have been killed after an artisanal gold mine collapsed in western Central African Republic (CAR) near the border with Cameroon, local sources and a Red Cross volunteer have said.

Local media reported that the cave-in occurred on Tuesday in the village of Zamboye, about 50km (31 miles) from the Central African town of Baboua and a few kilometres from Garoua-Boulai, in eastern Cameroon.

Gervais Ganagoroh, a Red Cross volunteer involved in the relief effort, told the Associated Press news agency on Wednesday that more than 100 bodies had been recovered from the collapse.

A senior official at a local mining association also told Reuters that the cave-in had claimed more than 100 lives, a toll other local sources confirmed to the AFP.

The toll is expected to rise, with several people still missing or trapped beneath the rubble, according to city official Bertrand Be Yangue.

“Finding them alive would be a miracle,” Yangue said. “We are saddened and heartbroken to see young men and women perish after coming to the mines to save their families from despair.”

Souleymane Bi, the deputy mayor of Nana-Mambere prefecture in the Central African Republic, said: “It is horrible … And we are calling for help from organisations and all people of goodwill to help.”

The landslide is believed to have been caused by “the collapse of several underground tunnels in which miners were operating”, the Baboua public prosecutor said in a statement, announcing a judicial inquiry had been opened.

“At this stage, it’s difficult for us to establish a formal toll,” Baboua local official Laurent Ngon Baba told AFP earlier on Wednesday.

Cedric Mbango, a miner at the site, described the incident as “catastrophic”.

“The ground completely collapsed and buried people. As I speak to you, other people are still buried. Rescue attempts are under way,” he told AFP.

Government spokesman Evariste Ngamana expressed sympathy for the families of the victims and said authorities are “working hard to provide relief and assistance” to those affected.

Gregoire Mvongo, governor of the eastern Cameroonian region, said on public CRTV radio that they were “working in close collaboration with our Central African colleagues to deal with the aftermath of this tragedy”.

Artisanal mine collapses are common in CAR, where several thousand people work in small-scale extraction mining outside government control. The work is risky because miners typically do not have enough protection and accidents are often deadly.

In June, a collapse killed dozens of people at the Be-Mbari gold mining site, also on the Cameroon border.

In mid-March, a landslide killed seven people at a mine in the village of Ngourroum, in the west of CAR.

Another 20 were killed in February in Gordi, in the northeast.

Kenya helicopter crash kills seven in Samburu, including six tourists

NAIROBI, Kenya 

Seven people, including six tourists and the pilot, have died after a helicopter came down near Mount Ololokwe in central Kenya, according to air accident officials.

The crash took place in Samburu County at around 9:13 a.m. local time (06:13 GMT), the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said.

The aircraft had been operating a sightseeing trip between a wildlife conservancy in Loisaba and Ewaso Nyiro, a river that passes through a number of national reserves.

The KCAA identified the helicopter as a Eurocopter EC130 B4 and said it was helping coordinate the response. The Transport Ministry and the Air Accident Investigations Department are expected to establish what caused the crash.

The identities and nationalities of those who died have not yet been released.

Access to the crash site remains difficult, according to the Kenya Red Cross. It said drones were being used to survey the area and help assess the situation. Images circulating online showed smoke rising from the site near Mount Ololokwe.

Samburu is one of Kenya's well-known tourism areas, attracting visitors to its wildlife conservancies and distinctive landscapes.

The latest crash adds to a number of fatal helicopter accidents recorded in Kenya in recent years.

Six people, including a lawmaker, died in a helicopter crash in Nandi County in February this year.

In April 2024, Kenya's military chief, General Francis Omondi Ogolla, was killed when an army helicopter carrying 11 people crashed in the western part of the country. Two people survived.

Another military helicopter accident in June 2021 killed at least 10 soldiers during a landing near Nairobi.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 20/8/2026

 

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 19/8/2026

 

Patrick Vieira takes charge of Senegal after World Cup disappointment

DAKAR, Senegal 

Senegal have appointed former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira as their new head coach, turning to the Dakar-born France legend to rebuild the national team after a disappointing World Cup campaign and the dismissal of Pape Thiaw.

The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) confirmed Vieira's appointment following an emergency committee meeting, describing the move as a “strategic choice” aimed at building a high-level technical structure aligned with the country's sporting ambitions.

The 50-year-old replaces Pape Thiaw, who was dismissed after Senegal's World Cup campaign ended in a dramatic 3-2 extra-time defeat to Belgium in the round of 32.

Vieira was born in Dakar in 1976 and moved to France at the age of eight. He went on to win 107 caps for France, lifting the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.

Vieira became one of Arsenal's most celebrated players during a nine-year spell in north London. He won three Premier League titles and was captain of the unbeaten “Invincibles” team of 2003-04.

He later played for Juventus, Inter Milan and Manchester City before beginning his managerial career with New York City FC in 2016.

His coaching career also included spells with Nice, Crystal Palace, Strasbourg and Genoa, but his appointment with Senegal marks his first role in international management.

The FSF said the date of his official presentation and the remaining administrative and contractual details would be announced later.

Vieira inherits a team still dealing with the fallout from a turbulent period under Thiaw.

Senegal's 2025 Africa Cup of Nations triumph was later overturned by the Confederation of African Football after Senegalese players and staff left the field during the final against Morocco in protest at a refereeing decision.

CAF subsequently awarded the title to Morocco. Senegal has appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with a hearing scheduled for October 8.

Thiaw then faced further criticism after Senegal's World Cup exit. The team had reached the knockout stage but surrendered a two-goal lead against Belgium before losing 3-2 in extra time.

Vieira's first major task will be to steady the team ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, which begins in September.

Senegal have been drawn alongside Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia.

The former France international will also be expected to restore confidence around a team whose recent successes have been overshadowed by controversy.

For Vieira, the challenge is both personal and sporting: the Dakar-born former World Cup winner now returns to his country of birth to lead Senegal into a new era.

Top Fifa official sacked after slamming Gianni Infantino World Cup plot

GENEVA, Switzerland 

Frenchman Kevin Lamour has left his role as Fifa’s chief operating officer after criticising president Gianni Infantino’s scrapped private investor plan, world football’s governing body has confirmed.

Lamour was the third highest-ranking Fifa official.

“Fifa can confirm that the working relationship between Fifa and Kevin Lamour as Fifa’s chief operating officer has ended on August 17, 2026,” a Fifa spokesperson told AFP, confirming a report in The Athletic.

“Fifa thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future.”

A former employee of European governing body Uefa, Lamour had served as Fifa COO since November 2024.

He was one of the highest-ranking Fifa figures to speak out against Infantino’s proposal to sell stakes in competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors. 

Former Arsenal manager Wenger said it was “absolutely necessary” to scrap it.

The controversy has left Infantino’s position under threat for the first time since he was originally elected in 2016.

European football’s governing body Uefa, North and Central America’s Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation released a joint letter earlier this month declaring “football belongs to no individual”.

Zambia's president wins second term with 60% of the vote

LUSAKA, Zambia 

Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema has been re-elected for second five-year term after securing 60% of the valid votes cast, the electoral commission has announced.

Hichilema's win was widely expected, with his closest challenger Brian Mundubile getting 38% of the votes. The remaining 12 candidates trailed far behind.

Under Zambia's electoral system, a candidate needs more than 50% of the vote to win in the first round, avoiding a runoff.

The result came after a contested process, with 55-year-old Mundubile earlier claiming victory and alleging, without providing evidence, that there had been voting irregularities.

In statement after being declared the winner, Hichilema (64), said: "We are truly humbled by the trust you have placed in our hands."

He said the election showed that Zambia was a nation of peace, law and order and a "democratic nation that settles our differences at the ballot box, and nowhere else".

"To those citizens who preferred the ideas presented by our opponents, we hear you, and we will continue to work for you," he added.

Hundreds of Hichilema's supporters, dressed in the red colours of his UPND party flooded the streets of the capital, Lusaka, to celebrate after the results declaration.

Zambia has a record of peaceful transfers of power. Since the return to multiparty democracy in 1991, presidential transitions have occurred through the ballot box.

It is unclear if the opposition will challenge the election result.

Mundubile had earlier alleged there had been discrepancies between polling-station results and those officially announced and claimed military involvement at tallying centres.

The opposition candidate was accused by the government of plotting an insurrection, which he denied, with 11 people, including senior opposition figures, being arrested. Mundubile dismissed the accusations as a "fabrication".

A day after polling, the electoral commission briefly suspended counting and the announcement of results, citing reports of violence targeting polling staff and the theft of marked ballot papers in some areas.

The suspension was lifted the same day.

Regional and international observers described the election day as largely peaceful and urged all sides to remain calm and respect the official process.

They did however raise concerns about late electoral reforms, media freedom and access to the media in the run-up to the poll.

They also expressed concern over the brief suspension of the vote counting, saying it risked the credibility of the process as well as voter confidence.

The EU observation mission warned at the weekend that restrictions on the opposition in the campaigning period may have contributed to an "uneven contest".

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 18/8/2026