International
Ukraine strikes with its drones one of the biggest blows of the war to the Russian arsenal
Faced with the resistance of its partners to lifting the ban on using their long-range missiles against Russian territory, Ukraine once again resorted to its own drones to hit the enemy rearguard with a massive attack that hit a warehouse of missiles, ammunition and aerial bombs in the city of Toporets in the Tver region of western Russia.
According to sources of the Ukrainian espionage, the attack was a joint operation by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Kiev military intelligence and the special forces of the Army and reached an ammunition depot in which Iskander and Tochka-U missiles were stored, in addition to aerial bombs and ammunition for artillery.
According to the Russian Telegram channel Astra, the warehouse in question, located in the city of Toporets in the Tver region, was hit by six Ukrainian kamikaze drones around 3.30 a.m. local time (00.30 GMT).
The Ukrainian portal Militarni, specialized in defense matters, has revealed that the attacked unit is 541690 of the Main Directorate of Missiles and Artillery of Russia (GRAU), in information that includes the coordinates of the attacked tank.
According to the balance sheet offered by the Russian Ministry of Defense, 54 drones were shot down throughout Russian territory during last night’s Ukrainian attack, 27 of them over the Kursk region, the scene of a military operation in Kiev since last August 6.
The authorities of the Tver region ordered the evacuation of part of the population of the area where the anti-aircraft defenses were activated in the city of Toporets, of about 11,400 inhabitants, located 460 kilometers from the Ukrainian border and where the attacked weapons warehouse is located, which had already been the target of the Ukrainian drones on two other occasions during the war.
Access to the city was reopened on Wednesday afternoon, when the evacuees were able to return to their homes.
According to the governor of Tver, Igor Rudenia, the attack has not caused fatalities or serious injuries.
Ukraine has made attacks on military airfields and missile and air bomb deposits one of its top priorities during the last months of the war, with the aim of reducing Russian air superiority.
According to data from the Ukrainian Army, Russian warplanes launch a hundred airstrikes every day against Ukrainian positions, infrastructure and inhabited areas, often causing civilian victims.
Through the massive use of guided air bombs – conventional high-power explosives equipped with their own navigation systems that allow the planes to launch them from outside the reach of enemy defenses – Russian aviation destroys Ukrainian defensive structures to pave the way for ground troops.
Kiev has insistently asked its main allies to allow it to multiply the effectiveness of its attacks on airfields and related infrastructures located within Russia with the use of its long-range missiles for this type of attack.
Given the resistance that its partners have shown so far, Ukraine must be content with using its drones for this type of operation, which increasingly hit Russian military installations but have so far failed to significantly decimate Russian aviation.
None of the countries with the capacity to transfer long-range missiles to Ukraine has given the green light for the moment to this request from Kiev, which is welcomed by countries with less military power and by some leaders of Western supranational organizations such as NATO, whose Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Monday that he “applauds” the efforts of the allies to take this step.
Speaking to a Russian radio, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov criticized Stoltenberg for “not taking seriously” the warnings in this regard by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said last week that giving permission to Kiev to attack Russian territory with long-range weapons will be interpreted with Moscow as a NATO entry into the war against Russia.
Peskov linked Stoltenberg’s words to the imminence of the end of his mandate at the head of the Atlantic Alliance. “It is clear that soon he will no longer have any responsibility for these words, but it is an extremely provocative and dangerous position,” he said.
International
Virginia Police Arrest Salvadoran Man in Great Falls Woman’s Killing
Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos, 19, identified by federal officials as an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, was arrested in connection with the death of Carmen Lizet Puch, 42, who was found dead Monday, the Fairfax County Police Department said.
Authorities said Cedillos-Campos and Puch were coworkers and were also involved in an “intimate relationship.”
“Our victim suffered numerous stab wounds in a truly brutal and indescribable manner,” Police Chief Kevin Davis said during a news conference Wednesday.
Investigators said surveillance video showed Cedillos-Campos at the restaurant where he and Puch worked, allegedly taking a fixed-blade knife, a pair of black latex gloves and a bottle of water before leaving.
“He left with the intent to harm and kill the victim,” Davis said.
Cedillos-Campos was arrested Wednesday morning in Maryland and confessed to the killing, according to Davis. He is awaiting extradition to Virginia. Authorities have not said whether he has an attorney representing him.
The Department of Homeland Security said Cedillos-Campos had previously been arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2024 after allegedly crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally near El Paso, Texas.
International
Mexico and Guatemala Agree on Five-Point Binational Plan for 2027
Mexico and Guatemala agreed Tuesday on a 2027 Binational Plan built around five areas of cooperation, along with a schedule of meetings and initiatives aimed at making progress by the end of 2026 on security, border infrastructure, human mobility, development and technical and social cooperation.
The agreement was announced by the foreign ministers of both countries following a meeting in Mexico City.
Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said the plan will establish the “direction and priorities” of bilateral relations for next year. His Guatemalan counterpart, Carlos Ramiro Martínez, said the meeting allowed both governments to make decisions, schedule activities and revitalize bilateral cooperation mechanisms.
Security and border infrastructure
In the area of security, the two governments have nearly completed negotiations on a new memorandum of understanding for the Mexico-Guatemala High-Level Security Group (Ganseg), which was reactivated in 2025.
The countries expect to sign the agreement in the coming months to strengthen coordination and their ability to respond to shared security threats.
Regarding their nearly 1,000-kilometer shared border, Mexico and Guatemala agreed to advance infrastructure improvements at border crossings and continue work on a joint cargo clearance program between Ciudad Hidalgo and Tecún Umán, two border areas separated by the Suchiate River.
The measures are intended to facilitate bilateral trade while making cross-border exchanges safer and more efficient.
The two governments will also continue defining a route toward a railway connection between their countries through Line K of Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT), with the aim of strengthening economic and community ties.
Migration and development
On human mobility, Mexico and Guatemala will maintain coordination to ensure safe, orderly and dignified returns, while strengthening protection for people in transit.
The bilateral agenda also includes a second phase of the Sembrando Vida program in Guatemala, which is expected to benefit 10,000 people across 15 departments.
Both countries will also advance initiatives under Juntos para el Bienestar, as well as six technical, scientific and energy cooperation projects approved by the Joint Commission.
The agreements seek to strengthen bilateral ties and establish concrete priorities for cooperation between Mexico and Guatemala during 2027.
International
France to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats Over Alleged Attack on French Officials
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced Tuesday, August 18, 2026, that France will expel two Iranian diplomats in response to what Paris described as an attack on two French representatives in Iran last month.
“Two French diplomats were scandalously and deliberately assaulted on July 19. I had announced that this intolerable act would have consequences. It has now happened. Two Iranian diplomats in France will be expelled in the coming days,” Barrot said in a message posted on X.
The two Iranian diplomats have been declared persona non grata and will be required to leave France within the coming days, according to the French foreign minister.
About a month ago, Barrot said that two members of the French diplomatic staff had been detained by Iranian security forces for several hours. One of them was also subjected to harassment, he said.
The French government described the incident as an “extremely serious act of intimidation” that violated diplomatic immunity.
The two French embassy staff members were working on programs supporting Iranian civil society, particularly initiatives involving artists and researchers.
Iran has denied France’s allegations regarding the incident. The diplomatic dispute comes amid already strained relations between Paris and Tehran.
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Heat wave puts more than 70 million Americans under alerts as temperatures near 46°C
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Mexico and Guatemala Agree on Five-Point Binational Plan for 2027
Virginia Police Arrest Salvadoran Man in Great Falls Woman’s Killing
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International24 hours agoFrance to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats Over Alleged Attack on French Officials
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International2 hours agoVirginia Police Arrest Salvadoran Man in Great Falls Woman’s Killing