Portal:Current events/2024 August 26

August 26, 2024 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
  - 26 August 2024 Russian strikes on Ukraine
    - Massive Russian attacks are launched on cities across Ukraine, killing at least seven people. Ukrainian officials call it the largest Russian attack on Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Kyiv Independent) (Kyiv Independent 2) (Reuters)
    - Poland says that a Russian Shahed drone had likely entered its airspace during the attacks on Ukraine and that searches are underway for the object as it may have landed in Polish territory around 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Poland–Ukraine border. (The Defense Post) (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) (Reuters)
    - A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet crashes after shooting down several missiles fired from Russia, killing the pilot. (CNN)
- Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War, Corruption in Ukraine
  - Audits conducted by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense determine that between March and July, multiple Armed Forces of Ukraine units never received nearly US$4.2 million in military aid labeled as "humanitarian aid" to bypass customs fees, prompting embezzlement and illicit enrichment investigations. (Kyiv Independent)
Insurgency in Balochistan
- Operation Hereof
  - The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) launches an offensive against the Pakistani Army in Balochistan, Pakistan, gaining control of several key highways, including the Karachi–Quetta section of National Highway 8, and also damages a train station in Mastung. (Al Jazeera)
  - At least 14 soldiers and policemen and 21 BLA gunmen are killed in ambushes and clashes on highways in Balochistan. Five civilians are also killed in Kalat. (Al Jazeera)
  - Twenty-three people are killed in a mass shooting targeting Punjabis on a highway in Musakhail District. Between 30 and 40 armed men offloaded passengers from trucks and buses and shot them after checking their identities, subsequently setting fire to their vehicles. The BLA claims responsibility for the attack. (Dawn) (NPR)
Sudanese civil war
- Darfur campaign
  - The Rapid Support Forces shell an internally displaced persons camp in North Darfur, Sudan, killing 25 people and wounding at least 40 others. (Sudan Tribune)
Israel–Hezbollah conflict
- IDF launches airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Kfar Kila, Tayr Harfa, Shebaa and Aita ash-Shaab and shelling of Chamaa and Naqoura in southern Lebanon. (Anadolu Ajansi)
- A Hezbollah militant survives an Israeli drone strike in Sidon. (Anadolu Ajansi)
- Hezbollah launches three drone strike on IDF surveillance equipment in Ramya. (Anadolu Ajansi)
Libyan crisis
- The Benghazi-based Libyan Government of National Stability says that it is suspending production at all oil fields and oil terminals that it controls until further notice amid a dispute with the central bank in Tripoli. (France 24) (S&P Global)

Business and economy

Canada–China relations
- Canada announces a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles and a 25% tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

2024 Nigeria floods
- At least 49 people are killed and more than 40,000 people are displaced after heavy rains caused floods in Adamawa, Jigawa, and Taraba states, Nigeria. (Al Jazeera)
Arbaat Dam collapse
- The Arbaat Dam collapses near Port Sudan, Sudan, amid floodwaters, killing more than 60 people, displacing around 50,000 more, and destroying 20 villages. (Al Jazeera)
One person is killed and three others are injured in a landslide in Ketchikan, Alaska, United States. (AP)

Health and environment

2023–2024 mpox epidemic
- Germany announces that it will donate 100,000 doses of mpox vaccines to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other African nations, as well as provide funding to the GAVI Vaccine Alliance through the World Health Organization. (DW)

International relations

France–Russia relations, Arrest of Pavel Durov
- Russian lawmakers accuse French authorities of arresting Russian-born Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in order to acquire confidential information from Telegram users, and urge Russian users to delete all confidential information on the Telegram app. (Politico)
- President of France Emmanuel Macron makes the first official French acknowledgement of the arrest of Pavel Durov by stating that Durov's arrest had "no political motive" and also dismissed contrary accusations and claims by free speech protesters and Russia as "false information". (Reuters)

Law and crime

Controversies surrounding Uber
- The Dutch Data Protection Authority fines Uber €290 million (US$324 million) for allegedly breaching the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation in order to collect information on its European drivers. (DW)
The National Football League Players Association files a lawsuit against DraftKings for allegedly violating an agreement to pay licensing fees on NFL players' likeness rights after DraftKings closed its NFT trading cards business. (Reuters)