8 August marks International Cat Day, a celebration of all things feline – but which four-legged fame-seekers gained pawsitively stratospheric fame online?

Russian forces used used chemical munitions in the area of Novodanylivka in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast on Sunday, the Ukrainian military said on Monday. “The enemy continues to use chemical munitions, violating all conventions,” said General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander of the Tavria operational-strategic group of troops. FRANCE 24 correspondent Emmanuelle Chaze explains, adding that this is “nothing new”.

Rescue operations are continuing and the government is investigating any possible violations of safety regulations in the area.

Russia said Monday it plans to launch a lunar lander this week after multiple delays, hoping to return to the Moon for the first time in nearly fifty years.

Poland and Lithuania say they’re bracing for provocations from Moscow and Minsk. The NATO nations are ramping up border security, following the arrival of thousands of Wagner mercenaries in neighbouring Belarus, after an aborted mutiny in Russia in June. Last week, two Belarusian helicopters flew briefly into Polish airspace, in what was viewed as a provocation. FRANCE 24’s Magdalena Chodownik, Gulliver Cragg and Elena Volochine sent this report.

Authorities in Spain and Portugal are warning that the risk of wildfires remains extremely high, as residents brace for further scorching temperatures this week. Thousands of hecters of land were destroyed in central Portugal over the weekend, while water-bomber planes were deployed to battle a large blaze threatening homes in southern Spain. FRANCE 24’s Carys Garland gives us more details.