Zelensky sacks key aide as pressure on him grows

Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has fired one of his top aides, who is reported to be the target of a corruption investigation. Iryna Mudra, the president's deputy chief of staff, was sacked after Ukraine's anti-corruption agency said it had raided the homes of a senior official on Wednesday morning. Meanwhile the former defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov - whose removal last month prompted widespread street protests - has called for elections. Also: Israel opens up bids for construction of more than 1,000 new homes east of Jerusalem, that would contravene international law. We hear from Gaza about families searching for their relatives - some of the thousands of people missing presumed dead in the conflict with Israel. Plus, the impact pollution controls have had on the lungs of children in London; why South Korea and the US have cut short joint military exercises, and the message it sends to North Korea; the SpaceX rocket drifing in the South Pacific; and the water lilies that can take the weight of a grown person.

Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during visit to Serbia, August 8, 2026.

Credit: Reuters