In our news wrap Thursday, an overnight barrage of Russian drones and missiles killed at least 10 people in Ukraine, the Georgia father whose teenage son killed four people in a 2024 school shooting was sentenced to 15 years in prison and two of soccer’s regional governing bodies threatened to boycott FIFA competitions over a proposal to sell stakes to private investors.
Amna Nawaz:
We start the day’s other headlines in Ukraine, where an overnight barrage of Russian drones and missiles killed at least 10 people, including children. Fire and smoke rose over the capital over city of Kyiv. Ukrainian officials said more than 300 ballistic missiles and attack drones struck targets as far west as the city of Lviv.
Rescuers there were seen pulling children from the rubble of an apartment complex. Russia says Ukraine responded by striking a pair of retail warehouses inside its borders. Ukraine has accused that retailer of supplying the Russian military.
In the meantime, in Poland…
(Sirens)
Amna Nawaz:
… air raid sirens sounded after a Russian missile strayed from Ukraine and entered Polish airspace. A giant crater was left in its countryside. NATO scrambled fighter jets and later called it — quote — another reckless act by Russia.”
In France, over 80,000 evacuees were allowed to return home today as firefighters made progress against a massive blaze that’s burned an area four times the size of Paris. But other parts of Europe are still struggling. In Greece, at least three firefighters have died battling wildfires there. Gale-force winds have fanned the flames and made containment difficult.
Further west, in Spain, firefighters fought new blazes in several provinces, even as they made progress against infernos near Madrid. Many Europeans have expressed fear about how close the fires have come.
Maria Conde (through interpreter):
We’re scared for the restaurant, for the village, the campsite, scared for everything here and all the people who have had to be evacuated from the villages. It’s just a feeling of helplessness.
Amna Nawaz:
In the meantime, a fast-moving fire in Southern England has prompted dozens of evacuations. Drought and heat have created tinder-dry conditions across Europe, the world’s fastest-warming continent.
The death toll in Japan has climbed to at least 25 from this week’s powerful earthquake, and hope is waning that rescuers might find survivors. Part of that concern stems from a grueling summer heat. Many homes were still without running water or electricity in and around the hard-hit area of Kumamoto.
Officials there warn it could take days, if not months, to repair badly damaged pipes and other infrastructure. The Japanese military helped deliver drinkable water and food aid to displaced residents.
The Georgia father whose teenage son killed four people in a 2024 school shooting was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Colin Gray gave his son the gun used in the shooting at Apalachee High School. Colin Gray was convicted in March of both second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. His son was sentenced two days ago to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
After today’s sentencing, the county district attorney said he hopes parents will remember their responsibility not to ignore mental health risks with their children.
Brad Smith, Barrow Co. DA:
These kids are not in the position where they are able to make rational decisions when it comes to things like firearms. And we need the society step up and realize who should and who should not have access to them.
Amna Nawaz:
Colin Gray joins a growing number of parents who’ve been prosecuted for the actions of their children.
Two of soccer’s regional governing bodies for both Europe and North America say they reject a FIFA proposal to sell stakes to private investors. UEFA of Europe goes further, saying it will boycott FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, if the plan goes ahead.
In a statement, UEFA wrote — quote — “The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale.”
It marks a growing repudiation of FIFA’s plan revealed earlier this week to spin off commercial operations to investors, including the family of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, among others.
The State Department says it takes full responsibility for hastily altering and then presenting a map of Africa at a global AIDS conference that mislabeled every single country it highlighted. Attendees shared photos of the incorrect map online. Coastal countries like Nigeria, Mozambique, and Cote d’Ivoire were all landlocked and in the wrong locations. Other countries’ borders were misrepresented.
An analysis by Reuters found a watermark in the map image that suggests it was made with OpenAI.
And worries about U.S. GDP and inflation did not translate on Wall Street today. The Dow Jones industrial average surged more than 600 points, or 1.2 percent. The Nasdaq jumped nearly 3 percent, snapping a six-day losing streak. The S&P 500 more than recovered from yesterday’s sell-off.
Still to come on the “News Hour”: the vote on Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general is postponed; a Missouri couple is murdered in Guatemala after the husband was deported; and a leading democracy scholar proposes a new plan to end gerrymandering.
