Evening Brief: Gunman Opens Fire on Minneapolis Church Schoolchildren, Russian Troops Push into Eighth Ukrainian Region

· Guy D. McCardle

A Ukrainian firefighter battles flames after Russian drone strikes on civilian infrastructure in Sumy. (@ZelenskyyUa/X)

Catch up on today’s evening news for Wednesday, August 27, 2025

 

Gunman Opens Fire on Minneapolis Church Schoolchildren, Killing 2 and Wounding 17

A shooter armed with multiple weapons opened fire through the windows of Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis during morning Mass on Wednesday, killing two children, ages 8 and 10, and injuring 17 others, most of them students.

Police said the suspect, identified as 20-something Robin Westman, fired dozens of rounds before dying by suicide. Officers rescued children hiding inside the church, while families gathered at a reunification site nearby.

Authorities said Westman had no extensive criminal history and appeared to act alone.

Investigators found a barricaded door and a smoke bomb at the scene, but no explosives. Witnesses described chaos as shots rang out, with students shielding one another and parents rushing to the site.

The attack drew swift condemnation from city and state leaders, as well as President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the violence “horrific,” while Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the tragedy struck children “literally praying.”

Hospitals reported multiple children in critical condition.

The shooting was one of several fatal incidents in the city within 24 hours, adding to concerns about gun violence as the school year begins.

 

Denmark Summons US Envoy Over Reported Trump-Linked Influence Operations in Greenland

Denmark’s foreign minister summoned the top US diplomat in Copenhagen after a report by public broadcaster DR alleged that at least three Americans with ties to President Donald Trump conducted covert influence operations in Greenland.

According to Danish, Greenlandic, and US sources cited by DR, one individual compiled a list of pro- and anti-Trump Greenlanders and gathered material to discredit Denmark in US media, while two others sought contacts with local politicians and business figures.

The report said the operations appeared aimed at undermining relations between Denmark and Greenland, but did not clarify whether the individuals acted independently or under direction.

Denmark and Greenland have consistently rejected Trump’s push for US jurisdiction over the resource-rich Arctic territory.

Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called any foreign interference “unacceptable” and confirmed the US chargé d’affaires was summoned for talks.

Denmark’s intelligence service (PET) said Greenland remains a target for influence campaigns exploiting divisions within the Kingdom of Denmark and pledged to continue strengthening countermeasures.

The US Embassy declined comment to reporters, referring inquiries to Washington.

 

Russian Troops Push into Eighth Ukrainian Region as Peace Talks Stall

Russian forces have entered villages in Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, opening a new front in the war that has now stretched across eight Ukrainian regions, according to local military officials.

Fighting continues in Novoheorhiivka and Zaporizke, though Russia claims to have already captured the villages. Ukrainian defenders remain under strain but analysts say there are no signs of a collapse, as Russia’s slow advance through rural areas keeps pressure on Kyiv without delivering control of major cities.

The war’s front line runs more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles), with Russia occupying about a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea seized in 2014.

US-led peace efforts are faltering as President Donald Trump warned Moscow to agree to direct talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy within two weeks or face new steps. Western officials are also considering security guarantees for Ukraine, but Moscow has rejected any role for NATO troops.

Meanwhile, Ukraine continues drone strikes on Russian refineries that have fueled gas shortages, while Russia escalates attacks on Ukraine’s power grid and energy infrastructure, hitting six regions this week as winter approaches.

 

Italy’s Meloni Condemns Israeli Strikes in Gaza as Disproportionate, Urges Restraint

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticized Israel’s military actions in Gaza on Wednesday, calling them disproportionate and warning they risk undermining prospects for a two-state solution.

Speaking at a political conference in Rimini, Meloni said there have been “too many innocent victims” during the nearly two-year conflict and condemned the recent killing of five journalists in an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

While reaffirming Israel’s right to self-defense after the October 2023 Hamas-led attack, Meloni urged Israel to halt military operations in Gaza, allow humanitarian aid, and stop settlement expansion in the West Bank. She also called on the international community to pressure Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reports more than 60,000 Palestinians killed since the war began, while Israel maintains it targets militants and blames Hamas for operating in civilian areas.

Meloni highlighted Italy’s humanitarian role, noting that the country has evacuated 917 Palestinians from Gaza for medical treatment, including more than 180 children.

 

Israeli Drone Strikes Near Damascus Kill 8 Syrian Soldiers, Officials Say

Israeli drone strikes on Tuesday targeted the southern Damascus suburb of Kiswah, killing eight Syrian soldiers and wounding others, according to Syria’s Foreign Ministry and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Syria condemned the attack as a violation of international law and its sovereignty. Israel has not commented.

The strikes are part of a wider Israeli campaign that has included hundreds of attacks on Syrian territory since the fall of Bashar Assad nine months ago.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said forces will remain in a “security zone” inside Syria to protect Israeli border communities and pledged continued protection for Syria’s Druze, following recent clashes in Sweida.

The Observatory reported multiple strikes in Kiswah, including one that hit after paramedics arrived, and said the area had previously hosted Syrian military posts.

Earlier Tuesday, another Israeli strike near Quneitra killed one person.

Syria denounced both attacks, warning they threaten regional peace and stability.

 

IAEA Chief Warns Iran Still Not Fully Cooperating as Europe Weighs Sanctions

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said Wednesday that Iran has not provided full cooperation to inspectors despite recently allowing limited access to nuclear facilities.

Inspectors have returned to the Bushehr power plant but not yet to other key sites, including those hit by US and Israeli strikes in June.

Grossi called the progress “a work in progress” and said major inspection issues remain unresolved. His warning comes as European leaders consider reimposing UN sanctions on Iran under the 2015 nuclear deal’s “snapback mechanism.”

The US and the E3 (Germany, France, and the UK) have set an August 31 deadline for Iran to resume talks, permit full inspector access, and account for highly enriched uranium stockpiles. A meeting between European and Iranian officials in Switzerland this week ended without resolution.

Grossi, who has received police protection in Austria after threats he said came “from the direction” of Iran, emphasized that the IAEA will continue its oversight role.

Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, but its enrichment levels remain close to weapons-grade. European officials say failure to comply will trigger renewed sanctions, even as Tehran insists it remains committed to diplomacy.

 

Australia, Canada, and Philippines Hold Naval Drills Near Disputed South China Sea Shoal

Australia, Canada, and the Philippines conducted joint naval and air defense drills Wednesday east of Scarborough Shoal, a disputed South China Sea territory long guarded by Chinese forces.

The exercises involved three warships — Australia’s HMAS Brisbane (DDG 41), Canada’s HMCS Ville de Quebec (FFH 332), and the Philippines’ BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150)— along with fighter jets and helicopters simulating responses to aerial threats.

The Philippine military said the drills concluded without incident.

China, which claims Scarborough Shoal and much of the South China Sea, has warned it will defend the area at all costs but has not commented on the exercises.

The drills came as part of broader 15-day joint exercises between Australia and the Philippines, joined by over 3,600 personnel and observed by Canada and other partners.

The shoal remains a flashpoint in regional tensions.

On August 11, a Chinese navy vessel collided with a Chinese coast guard ship while attempting to block a Philippine vessel, leaving the coast guard ship badly damaged. Days later, US Navy ships sailed near Scarborough in freedom of navigation operations, shadowed by Chinese forces.

Washington has reiterated its defense commitments to the Philippines under their longstanding treaty.

 

US Tariffs on Indian Goods Rise to 50%, Threatening $48 Billion in Exports

Steep US tariffs on Indian products took effect Wednesday, raising duties to 50 percent after President Donald Trump doubled the original levy in response to India’s purchases of Russian oil.

The Indian government estimates the new tariffs will affect $48.2 billion in exports, with officials warning the move could render shipments to the US unviable, trigger job losses, and slow economic growth.

Labor-intensive sectors such as textiles, gems and jewelry, leather, food, and automobiles are expected to be hit hardest, while pharmaceuticals and electronic goods remain exempt. Export groups caution that small and medium enterprises reliant on the US market may struggle to survive, with some product lines becoming unprofitable overnight.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed not to yield to US pressure to open India’s agriculture and dairy sectors, framing the tariffs as part of a “politics of economic selfishness.”

Trade talks between the two countries remain stalled.

To cushion the impact, India is considering tax cuts, financial incentives for exporters, and expanding trade with the European Union, Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

 

Monsoon Floods Kill 34 in India and Pakistan, Displace Over 210,000 in Punjab

Heavy monsoon rains triggered flash floods and landslides across Pakistan and Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing at least 34 people, officials said Wednesday.

Nearly 100 people have died in the Himalayan region this month, with forecasters warning of continued downpours. In Kashmir’s Jammu region, part of a mountainside collapsed on a Hindu pilgrimage route, killing several devotees and injuring at least 18, while pilgrimages to the shrine were suspended.

In Pakistan’s Punjab province, more than 210,000 people have been displaced as swollen rivers inundated villages.

The floods submerged the Sikh holy site of Guru Nanak’s shrine in Narowal, and authorities carried out a controlled breach of a Chenab River embankment to protect key infrastructure, diverting water into nearby villages.

Army-led rescue operations continue, though two soldiers died during relief efforts.

Floodwaters also forced the evacuation of more than 20,000 people from Lahore’s outskirts as the Ravi River rose. Officials warn rising waters in the Ravi, Chenab, and Sutlej rivers threaten additional districts.

Pakistan has recorded more than 800 flood-related deaths since late June.

Scientists link the worsening monsoons to climate change, raising fears of a repeat of the devastating 2022 floods that killed nearly 1,800 people.

 

Sources: News Agencies