Ukrainian drones struck a major refinery deep inside Russia, military officials said Thursday, the fourth in three days in Kyiv's monthslong campaign to choke Moscow's vital oil sector.

Russia is one of the world's biggest energy producers, with oil providing an economic mainstay as its army tries to push deeper into Ukraine in a slow and costly advance more than four years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion.

A cloud of dust billows behind Maarten Janse's tractor as he spreads a mixture of compost, straw and manure over a field to nourish the parched soil.

Janse's farm on the fertile land of the Netherlands' southwestern Zeeland Province is drying out despite his efforts to make it more drought resistant as accelerated human-caused global warming and a supersized El Nino batter fields across Europe.

Large parts of western Europe were sweltering once again on Thursday, with Britain and France entering their fifth heat waves of an exceptional summer that's threatening to break even more records.

Forecasters in the U.K. are predicting the mercury will rise as high as 38 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) in central and southeast England, potentially making it the hottest day of the year. The highest temperature this year was recorded on June 26 when the temperature hit 38 C in eastern England.

At least one government soldier was killed and another critically wounded in clashes between Houthi rebels and the military in the mountainous province of Taiz, Yemeni military officials told The Associated Press.

The fighting came as part of a spate of recent attacks by the Houthis on government-held areas across the country. Dozens of government troops have been killed in attacks since last week, the Yemeni military said.

Defense Minister Michel Menassa expressed Thursday profound regret to the families of fallen military officers, saying in a poignant statement that he felt he had failed them amidst growing political pressures on the armed forces.

"I apologize to the families of our martyrs; today, I feel I have let you down.

The Trump administration has said that Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz’s comments that Israel will not withdraw from certain south Lebanon areas are inconsistent with a framework deal agreed to by Israel and Lebanon.

A U.S. State Department official reaffirmed that the U.S. “expects all parties to act in a manner consistent with the framework they agreed to,” which does not include a long-term or permanent Israeli presence in south Lebanon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday for the first time visited the Kuril Islands, a Russian-controlled Pacific island chain also claimed by Japan, in a move that drew a protest from Tokyo.

Putin visited a fish plant, a hospital and a school on Iturup, one of the chain's southernmost islands. He also briefly spoke to local residents and met with the governor of Russia's Sakhalin region, Valery Limarenko.

Millions of people crowded cloudless cities and towns in Spain on Wednesday in search of the best views of a total solar eclipse, when the alignment of the sun, moon and Earth briefly plunged parts of the planet into darkness.

The crowds brought lawn chairs and umbrellas as they eagerly awaited the celestial spectacle, which began early in the evening. As the sky darkened, gradually at first and then quickly, people broke into applause and cheered. It was the country's first total solar eclipse in more than a century.

It may be hard to believe, but even Sir Anthony Hopkins doubts himself sometimes.

"There's a part of me which says, 'you didn't write that,'" he recalls of composing his debut album, "Life Is a Dream." "What's it called? Impostor syndrome."

Paris Saint-Germain gets back on the trophy trail on Wednesday in the UEFA Super Cup against Aston Villa.

There are six pieces of silverware up for grabs for PSG this season, with the No. 1 priority being a third straight Champions League title to cement its status as one of the greatest club teams in soccer history.