Is the war entering a new phase? Syria has called for an "independent and transparent" investigation into the sinking of a cargo ship in the Black Sea, demanding answers over the fate of the ship's 10 crew members, including nine Syrians and an Egyptian, who remain unaccounted for. The Togolese-flagged Alfa Watan, went down in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone early on Tuesday, amid a rising number of drone strikes hitting Black Sea shipping during the Russia-Ukraine war. Mazen Aloush, from the Syria's port authority asked the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Bulgarian authorities to find out why a search and rescue mission was called off, before the missing sailors were found. "Their fate is still unknown" said Aloush, adding that "the reasons that led to the suspension of search and rescue operations" had to be established.

Is the war entering a new phase? More killed in Kramatorsk as Russia targets Ukraine's transportation system Share'New tactic': Russia expands deadly attacks on Ukraine's transport system on social media Russian glide bomb hits buses in Ukraine's Kramatorsk, killing at least 30 A Russian glide bomb struck two passenger buses in the eastern Ukrainian town of Kramatorsk on Thursday morning, killing at least 30 people and wounding 18, regional authorities said. Ukrainian officials said the attack was deliberate. When dropped from planes on the Russian side of the front line, such bombs can glide to fixed coordinates on the ground, in this case, a street in the town that lies about 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) from the front line. "For them, a bus full of passengers is an attractive target precisely because a single strike can kill the maximum number of people."

Is the war entering a new phase? Bulgarian authorities have ended search operations after confirming no survivors were found following a drone strike that sank a ship off the country's coast. Drones hit two commercial vessels early on Tuesday as attacks on Black Sea shipping increase amid an intensifying Russia-Ukraine war . One caught fire, and the other sank. The search stopped late on Tuesday and would not continue, he added.

Is the war entering a new phase? Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev says drones have hit two commercial vessels, sinking one ship and wounding several people, in what he denounced as an "absolutely unacceptable" attack. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Radev said the ships were attacked by sea drones and aerial drones at about 3am (00:00 GMT), about 70 nautical miles (130km) off Bulgaria's coast, amid a rise in attacks on Black Sea shipping due to expanding drone attacks related to the Russia-Ukraine war. It is a blatant violation of international law and maritime law," Radev said. The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical structural damage and sank at the scene.

Is the war entering a new phase? On the day of her 41st wedding anniversary, Vera Gulyaeva recalled her husband's life and death. In March, a Russian drone plunged into a bread line in the southern Ukrainian town of Oleshky, killing several people and wounding Serhiy Gulyaev, a retired 63-year-old driver. The Gulyaevs, who had met at a friends' wedding in 1985, lived in a small house they had built. They were reluctant to leave even after their children fled to Kyiv-controlled areas.

Is the war entering a new phase? Ukrainian officials say at least 19 people have been injured in Russian missile and drone strikes targeting Kyiv and surrounding areas. Ukraine's Air Force said on Thursday that it destroyed or suppressed 131 Russian aerial targets during the overnight attacks, adding that the main areas targeted were the Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Odesa regions. Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces hit metallurgical and electronics plants, factories of the military-industrial complex, energy and transport facilities in the three regions. Three bulk carriers and a ferry used to carry supplies for the Ukrainian military were hit in the port of Chornomorsk, added the ministry.

Is the war entering a new phase? Ukrainian officials say that a Russian drone strike on a bus near the front line in southern Ukraine has killed at least five people and injured seven others. The attack on Wednesday hit an area around the city of Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region governor Oleksandr Hanzha said on the Telegram messaging app. Photos posted by Ukrainian officials showed windows blown out of a white minibus, with a trail of blood streaming down the side of the vehicle. "Russians cynically struck a passenger bus. They targeted a minibus which carried people going about their daily business," said Mykola Lukashuk, head of the Dnipropetrovsk region council.

Is the war entering a new phase? An Italian fighter jet flying for NATO has brought down what officials said was a suspected Russian drone in Lithuanian airspace. According to Lithuania's national crisis management centre, the drone entered the country's airspace on Tuesday from Belarus and was shot down near the small settlement of Pratkunai in central Lithuania, just north of the country's second-largest city, Kaunas. Debris from the device was being examined to determine if it was from Russia or another country. The intervention by the Italian fighter jet demonstrated "the value of the Atlantic alliance" and "what it means to be an ally", Kaunas said after meeting crews who were at the scene.

Is the war entering a new phase? NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has pledged additional support for Ukraine after Russian drone strikes hit close to the border with Poland. Rutte insisted on Monday that the 32-nation military alliance will not be deterred from backing Kyiv in the Russia-Ukraine war, and that it will beef up its own defences along the eastern border with Russia. On Sunday, Russian drones hit a train near the Ukraine-Poland border and a second strike hit close to another crossing point. The strike that hit the train came minutes after a diplomatic delegation that included former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt had passed through the station, according to Ukraine's state rail operator.

Is the war entering a new phase? 'Attacks will be fully autonomous': Russia, Ukraine race towards AI warfare Share'Attacks will be fully autonomous': Russia, Ukraine race towards AI warfare on social media Tetiana Bubynets collapsed on the asphalt after a Russian drone exploded at a gas station in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia. Despite the violent shockwave and blast of drone shrapnel produced by the attack on July 6, the 18-year-old accounting student had no visible wounds except for a nosebleed. One of her lecturers, Tetiana Melikhova of Zaporizhzhia National University, said Bubynets was an only child and that her mother "lost the meaning of life" after she died. At the funeral, she just lay on the coffin; she couldn't let her child go," Melikhova told Al Jazeera. The strike that killed Bubynets was the first recorded case of Russia's use of a fully autonomous attack drone powered by artificial intelligence (AI), according to a New York Times analysis .