AnewZ Morning Brief – 18 May 2026
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 18th of May, covering the l...
Russian forces have resumed attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv, as well as its second largest city Kharkiv and other cities early on Tuesday (3 February), officials said, triggering fires and dealing new blows to energy infrastructure.
The strikes injured four people, officials in the two largest cities said. They came on the eve of the next planned three-sided talks on resolving the nearly four-year-old war in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday and Thursday.
In Kyiv, as night time temperatures dipped close to -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees F), Reuters witnesses reported loud explosions after midnight, saying both missiles and drones were being deployed.
The strikes caused damage in five districts, hitting three apartment blocks and a building housing a kindergarten, Tymur Tkachenko, Head of the city's military administration, said on the Telegram messaging app.
Flames consumed an apartment on the upper floors of a Kyiv block in videos posted on social media. An air raid alert stayed in effect for more than five hours.
A series of massive attacks on the capital since New Year's Day have knocked out power and heating to hundreds of apartment blocks and emergency crews were still trying to restore heating systems on Monday (2 February).
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the attacks targeted energy infrastructure and called for tough decisions to keep heating systems from freezing. Coolant needed to be drained from 820 apartment buildings supplied by a single thermal plant.
"The goal is obvious: to cause maximum destruction and leave the city without heat in severe cold," Terekhov wrote on Telegram.
Public broadcaster Suspilne also said Russian strikes had knocked out power in two towns in the Kharkiv region, Izium and Balakliia, and struck two apartment buildings in the northern city of Sumy.
The attacks also coincided with talk of a moratorium on strikes on energy infrastructure adopted by both Russia and Ukraine at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Russia said the ceasefire ended on Sunday (1 February), while Ukraine said it was supposed to continue for a week from 30 January.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia carried out a deliberate overnight air attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, involving a record number of ballistic missiles.
Bulgaria has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, taking victory in a final overshadowed by a boycott over Israel’s participation and the war in Gaza.
At least eight people were injured after a driver rammed a car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, authorities said on Saturday. Four of the victims were reported to be in serious condition.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington could destroy Iran’s infrastructure “in two days,” while Tehran warned the U.S. would face growing economic costs from the conflict. The remarks came as Hezbollah reported new attacks on Israeli forces despite an extended Lebanon ceasefire.
At least eight people have died and 32 others were injured after a freight train collided with a public bus at a railway crossing in Bangkok on Saturday (16 May), triggering a fire that quickly spread through the vehicle.
U.S. President Donald Trump says China's Xi Jinping agreed Iran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran prepares a new shipping mechanism. Tensions over the U.S. blockade and stalled nuclear talks continue to disrupt global oil supplies.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 18th of May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The World Urban Forum (WUF13) continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 18 May, addressing the global housing crisis. The day’s agenda includes the official opening press conference, the WUF13 Urban Expo opening and a ministerial dialogue on the Nairobi Declaration to advance Africa's urban agenda.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), warning that the situation poses a significant risk of cross-border spread in Central Africa.
Small businesses across Russia are increasingly feeling the impact of tighter internet restrictions, including limits on the messaging app Telegram, stricter controls on virtual private networks, and repeated mobile internet outages.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has reaffirmed the island’s commitment to sovereignty and regional stability following the recent meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
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