Kyiv mayor says drones and missiles attack city, triggering fires
Ukraine's capital Kyiv was coming under a combined drone and missile attack early on Saturday, Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said.
Timur Tkachenko, head of the capital's military administration, said two fires had broken out in the city's Sviatoshinskyi district. Drone fragments had hit the ground there and in three other districts.
Officials said anti-aircraft units were in action.
Reuters witnesses reported waves of drones flying over the city, which had been jolted by a series of explosions. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
37 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Red Sea marine traffic up 60% after Houthis narrowed targets, EU commander says
MADRID - Red Sea marine traffic has increased by 60% to 36-37 ships a day since August 2024, but is still short of volumes seen before Yemen's Houthis began attacking ships in the region, according to the commander of the EU's Aspides naval mission. The number of merchant ships using the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait increased after missile and drone attacks by the Houthis slowed and the U.S. and the rebel group signed a ceasefire deal, Rear Admiral Vasileios Gryparis said in an interview in Madrid. But shipping traffic, which reached a low of 20-23 ships daily in August last year, is still short of an average of 72-75 ships a day seen before the Houthis began attacks in the Red Sea in November in 2023 in support of Palestinians over Israel's war in Gaza, said Gryparis. The mission, which was established to safeguard navigation in the strategic trade route linking the Mediterranean with the Gulf of Asia through the Suez Canal, was extended in February when it was also tasked with tracking illegal arms shipments and monitoring vessels carrying sanctioned Russian oil. The last attack on a merchant ship took place in November 2024 and the Houthis have also narrowed their objectives, saying their targets are Israeli ships and ships that have a connection with Israel or have docked at an Israeli port, Gryparis said. "If you have a vessel that does not correspond to this criteria... there is a huge possibility - more than 99% - that you're not going to be targeted by the Houthis," Gryparis said. Still, Gryparis said he could not guarantee that merchant ships won't be attacked. Some companies have been deterred from using the route because of the mission's lack of ships, which can cause delays of as much as a week for those seeking to be escorted through the area, he said. He said the mission has between two and three ships operating at one time and has requested the EU provide it with 10 ships to increase its capacity for protection. The mission has provided close protection to 476 ships, shot down 18 drones, destroyed two remote-controlled boats used to attack ships and intercepted four ballistic missiles, he said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
37 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Denmark won't bend to Trump's pressure over Greenland, prime minister says
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen attends a press conference with President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola (not pictured) at the Prime Minister's Office, ahead of Denmark's takeover of the European Union presidency, at Christiansborg, Copenhagen, Denmark, on June 3, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Mads Claus Rasmussen via REUTERS/ File Photo FILE PHOTO: Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen receives Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen ahead of a meeting at Marienborg in Kongens Lyngby, Denmark, April 27, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Mads Claus Rasmussen via REUTERS/File Photo OSLO - Denmark will not yield to "unacceptable" pressure from the United States for control of semi-autonomous Greenland, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday, warning Greenlanders' right to self-determination was at stake. President Donald Trump has said he wants the United States to take over the minerals-rich and strategically-located Arctic island for reasons of national and international security, and has not ruled out the use of force to do so. "The world order we've built through generations is being challenged like never before," Frederiksen said in a speech for National Day. "In recent months Greenland and Denmark have been subjected to unacceptable pressure from our closest ally," she added, referring to the United States. U.S. Vice President JD Vance on a visit to the island in March accused fellow NATO member Denmark of not doing a good job keeping Greenland safe and suggested the United States would better protect the territory. Vance's visit followed an election victory by Greenland's Demokraatit party, which favours a slow approach to independence rather than the quicker departure proposed by some others. Leaders of Denmark and Greenland have said only Greenlanders can decide the territory's future, and the Danish constitution gives the island the right to seek independence. Fundamental principles in the transatlantic relationship such as national sovereignty, the respect for borders and people's right to self-determination are now at stake, Frederiksen said. "But we don't bend. We Danes are not like that," she added. Denmark's King Frederik, who is popular in Greenland, visited the island in late April in a show of unity amid the diplomatic stand-off with Trump. A 1951 agreement between the United States and Denmark gives the U.S. the right to construct military bases in Greenland as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified. The island, whose capital Nuuk is closer to New York than Copenhagen, boasts mineral, oil and natural gas wealth, but development has been slow and the mining sector has seen very limited U.S. investment. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Oscar Pistorius competes in triathlon 12 years after murdering girlfriend
South African former Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius competes in a triathlon event, 12 years after murdering his girlfriend and a year after his release on parole, in the coastal city of Durban, South Africa, June 1, 2025. REUTERS/Michael Fragoeiro South African former Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius competes in a triathlon event, 12 years after murdering his girlfriend and a year after his release on parole, in the coastal city of Durban, South Africa, June 1, 2025. REUTERS/Michael Fragoeiro JOHANNESBURG - South African former Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius was spotted competing in a triathlon last weekend in the coastal city of Durban, 12 years after murdering his girlfriend and a year after his release on parole. Afrikaans-language news website Netwerk24 on Wednesday reported Pistorius' participation in the Ironman 70.3 competition. Netwerk24 cited an unnamed source as saying that Pistorius had permission from his parole officer to compete. Conrad Dormehl, an attorney for Pistorius, confirmed to Reuters that Pistorius had participated in the Durban race. Singabakho Nxumalo, spokesperson of South Africa's Department of Correctional Services, said he did not know whether Pistorius had received permission to compete, but would find out and respond to questions sent by Reuters. He said his parole officer would have needed to approve him travelling from where he lives to another district. Pistorius - dubbed "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fibre prosthetic legs - shot dead 29-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door on Valentine's Day in 2013, in a crime that drew worldwide attention and shocked a nation inured to violence against women. He repeatedly said he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder and launched multiple appeals against his conviction on that basis. Pistorius, now 38, was freed from jail in January 2024 after completing more than half his sentence and is on parole until his sentence expires in 2029. Netwerk24 published a photograph of Pistorius riding a bicycle with the race number 105. Pistorius' distinctive tattoo and prosthetic legs were visible in the photograph. Reuters contacted the photographer who gave the news agency permission to publish images similar to the one Netwerk24 used. Results published online by sports-timing company SportSplits show an athlete called Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius competed in the triathlon under race number 105, coming 555th among all participants and third in the "physically challenged" category. The race involved a 2-km swim, a 90-km bike ride and a 21-km run - a total distance of 70.3 miles. Pistorius was once the darling of the sports world, and a pioneering voice for disabled athletes, for whom he campaigned to be allowed to compete with able-bodied participants at major sports events. He won six gold medals over three Paralympic Games in Athens, Beijing and London, and competed in able-bodied races at the London 2012 Olympics. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.