Global news highlights from AP

August 17, 2026

Ukraine launched hundreds of drones across Russia on Sunday, killing at least six people in one of Kyiv's largest aerial attacks of the conflict. Russia's Ministry of Defense said that it had destroyed 822 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Hurricane Lala weakened to a tropical storm after skirting Hawaii without making landfall, but it's not done punishing the Big Island with hurricane-force gusts. Forecasters expect total rainfall to approach nearly three feet in some places.

Firefighters are battling wildfires in Belgium and Greece. The blazes are scorching a nature reserve in eastern Belgium and a fire on a Greek island has killed two people. The fires follow weeks of unusually hot and dry weather across Europe.

Thieves stole four works attributed to Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina worth millions of euros from a regional museum in Sicily cultural officials and Italian media said on Sunday.