2 more killed as Russian artillery keeps on battering Ukraine’s Kherson region

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian shelling killed an 81-year-old woman in the yard of her home and a 60-year-old man in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region Thursday, local authorities said. The deaths were the latest civilian casualties in Moscow’s recent ramped-up bombardment of the front-line area. Kherson is a strategic military region located on the Dnieper River near the mouth of the Black Sea. Unconfirmed reports say attacking Ukrainian troops have gained a foothold on the Russian-held side of the river during Kyiv’s monthslong counteroffensive. The two civilians died when Russian artillery targeted Kherson region villages, according to Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin.

Australian woman is accused of killing her ex-husband’s parents and aunt

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The host of a weekend family lunch at her Australian country home was charged Thursday with murdering her ex-husband’s parents and aunt with poisonous mushrooms and attempting to murder a fourth guest, police said. Police arrested Erin Patterson, 49, at her home in the Victoria state town of Leongatha, where her former husband’s parents, Gail and Don Patterson, both 70, Gail Patterson’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, and Wilkinson’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, 68, were invited for lunch on July 29. All four guests were hospitalized the next day, and only Ian Wilkinson survived. Patterson has publicly denied any wrongdoing.

Storm Ciarán whips Western Europe, blowing record winds in France

PARIS (AP) — Recording-breaking winds in France and across much of Western Europe left at least seven people dead and injured others as Storm Ciarán swept through the continent overnight and into Thursday, plunging vast numbers into darkness, devastating homes and causing travel mayhem in several countries. Winds of more than 190 kph slammed the northern tip of France’s Atlantic coast, uprooting trees and blowing out windows. A truck driver was killed when his vehicle was hit by a tree in northern France’s inland Aisne region, Transport Minister Clement Beaune said. Meanwhile a 70-year-old man in the port city of Le Havre, Normandy, died in a fall from his balcony.

Japan’s prime minister announces $113 billion in stimulus spending

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Thursday a stimulus package of more than 17 trillion yen ($113 billion) that includes tax breaks and benefits for low-income households, a plan criticized by some observers as populist spending that would worsen Japan’s national debt. Kishida said his priorities are to overcome deflation and to put the economy on a growth track. Tax revenues will increase only when the economy grows and lead to fiscal health, he told a news conference, explaining the package endorsed by his Cabinet earlier in the day.