The day opened with the theft of four Antonello da Messina paintings from the MuMe museum in Messina during Ferragosto night, leading coverage across outlets. Simultaneously, the drone war between Russia and Ukraine escalated, with a Spanish fighter jet downing a suspected Russian drone over Romania and Kyiv launching over 600 drones at Moscow. By afternoon, attention shifted to the assault on a group of Italians in Barcelona, leaving a 21-year-old in a pharmacological coma. In the evening, sports dominated: Simona Quadarella won gold in the 400m freestyle at the European Swimming Championships, and at the European Athletics Championships, Larissa Iapichino won gold in the long jump and the men's 4x400 relay secured gold, propelling Italy to the top of the medal table.