Foreign News
Russia launches ‘massive’ attack on Ukraine, as Kyiv hits oil refineries
Russia launched a “massive” overnight attack on Ukraine’s southern and central regions, authorities said, as Kyiv struck Russian oil refineries.
One woman was killed in Zaporizhzhia and 28 people were injured – including three children – according to local officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow launched over 500 drones and 45 missiles, hitting 14 regions across the country.
It comes amid ongoing international efforts to secure an end to the war – and days after Ukraine faced the second biggest aerial attack of the war so far, with a least 23 killed on Thursday.
In Dnipropetrovsk, Governor Serhiy Lysak said overnight the region was “under massive attack” as he warned people to take cover.
It is the second successive night Dnipropetrovsk has been targeted. Earlier this week, Kyiv acknowledged that Russia’s military had entered the region and is trying to establish a foothold.
Railway infrastructure was damaged near Kyiv, but it was central and south-eastern Ukraine that bore the brunt of the latest strikes.
Emergency services were seen putting out fires in Zaporizhzhia, while explosions were heard in the central eastern regions of Dnipro and Pavlohrad.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military said it hit Russia’s Krasnodar and Syzran oil refineries overnight. Both refineries have been targeted before.
The Ukrainian military said there were “numerous explosions and fires were recorded at the facility,” which they said produces a volume of three million tons per year.
Russian authorities in Krasnodar acknowledged the drone strikes from Kyiv hit its oil refinery. It said one of the process units was damaged and a fire occurred in the area. It said there were no casualties.
The Russian defence ministry added it had shot down 20 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 18 over Moscow-annexed Crimea.
The blows between the warring sides follow US-led diplomatic efforts aimed at bringing an end to the war, which so far remain at a standstill.
Zelensky said the latest attack shows Russia’s “disregard for words”, adding that the only way to deal with Russia is to impose sanctions.
“We expect action from the U.S., Europe, and the entire world,” he said.
The US on Friday announced it had approved the potential sale of air-launched cruise missiles to Ukraine which will help the country defend it’s cities from Russian missiles.
[BBC]
A court in Malta has acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech of masterminding the murder of prominent anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Fenech, 44, was acquitted on Wednesday at the end of a jury trial. He had been tried on charges of complicity to murder and for the lesser charge of criminal association to commit murder.
If found guilty, Fenech could have faced life in prison.
Caruana Galizia’s family were seen weeping in the packed courtroom in Valletta after the businessman was cleared of both counts by an 8-1 margin following eight hours of deliberation by the jury.
“Nine years after Daphne’s brutal assassination, the institutional failures that enabled her murder remain unaddressed and unreformed,” the slain reporter’s family said in a statement.
“Lasting justice means no person should ever face the same risks again. Our country failed to protect Daphne’s life. It owes it to her to prevent other lives being lost.”
Fenech’s family members were seen celebrating the jury’s decision.
The killing of Caruana Galizia in October 2017 shocked Europe’s journalist community and set off a political firestorm in Malta, focusing international attention on its police and judiciary.
Dubbed a “one-woman WikiLeaks”, Caruana Galizia had exposed corruption at the highest level in the Mediterranean island country, shining a spotlight on links between Malta’s business and political elites. She was 53 when she was killed.
Prosecutors argued that Fenech had wanted Caruana Galizia killed because she was about to reveal information about him.
Fenech has denied the accusations. His defence instead pointed fingers at his one-time friend Keith Schembri, the former chief of staff of then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and a target of Caruana Galizia’s blogs.
Muscat, who was never linked to the murder, stepped down in January 2020 due to the political fallout from the assassination.
Police told the court that Schembri had never been a suspect. He has denied any role in the murder.
An independent inquiry in 2021 found that officials in Malta had failed to protect Caruana Galizia from threats to her life before her death.
[Aljazeera]
A head teacher’s quick decision to evacuate his school saved 900 pupils from deadly flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border
Rajendra Dawadi tells the BBC he was tipped off about incoming flood waters and moved students to higher ground with just minutes to spare. One pupil says she and her friends survived by just 10 seconds and watched as a nearby bazaar was swept away
Wednesday’s disaster has killed at least 794 people and more than 2,500 people are missing in Nepal, local officials say
In Tibet, the official death toll is 16, with 546 reported to be missing, according to Chinese state media –
[BBC]
A ferry carrying around 260 people has capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus with a search underway for survivors, according to local media.
The catamaran-style boat was travelling from the port of Kyrenia, also known as Girne, and started sinking a few kilometres off the coast of the island state on Sunday.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
[Aljazeera]
Shree Charani, Prema Rawat spin Pakistan out for 55 in one-sided contest
Sun directly overhead Bentota, Thiniyawala, Iththakanda, Udawalawe, and Kataragama about 12.08 noon t9day (06)
Showers above 75 mm are likely at some places in the Uva and Eastern provinces.
Tharanga creates history with Diamond League crown in Brussels
UN welcomes Lanka’s anti-graft drive, seeks end to impunity
Dispute which triggered listed company director being detained at BIA resolved
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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