
Ukraine says Russian drones hit port town next to Romania
May 30 (Reuters) - Russian forces launched a drone attack overnight that targeted a Ukrainian town on the border with NATO member Romania, Ukrainian officials said on Friday.
The attack hit the town of Izmail, Ukraine's biggest port on the Danube river, which is important for critical imports and which lies across the river from Romania.
A post office branch was destroyed in the drone attack, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said.
He reported no casualties.
Reuters could not independently verify the report. There was no immediate comment from Russia.
Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia started with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.
Hashtags

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


Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Gold prices climb as tariff jitters lift safe-haven demand
June 2 (Reuters) - Gold prices climbed on Monday as an escalation in the Russian war in Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump's fresh threat to double tariffs on imported steel and aluminum prompted investors to seek refuge in safe-haven bullion. Spot gold was up 0.5% at $3,305.85 an ounce, as of 0204 GMT. U.S. gold futures rose 0.4% to $3,329.80. "With trade and geopolitical worries bubbling to the surface once again, it's no surprise to see gold ticking higher to start the week," said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. "Risk assets are on the backfoot to start the week while a dip in the dollar is also keeping gold supported." Trump said on Friday that he plans to raise tariffs on imported steel and aluminum to 50% from 25%, prompting the European Commission to warn that Europe is prepared to retaliate. Ukraine and Russia escalated hostilities ahead of their second round of peace talks in Istanbul, with a wave of attacks that included one of Ukraine's boldest strikes of the war and an overnight drone assault by Russia. The U.S. dollar index (.DXY), opens new tab edged 0.2% lower, making bullion less expensive for overseas buyers. Markets are awaiting speeches from several U.S. Federal Reserve officials this week for cues on the monetary policy outlook, with Fed Chair Jerome Powell set to speak later in the day. Fed Governor Christopher Waller said that interest rate cuts remain possible later this year even as the Trump administration's tariff regime is likely to push up price pressures temporarily. Gold, which is considered as a safe-haven asset during the time of geopolitical and economic uncertainty, tends to thrive in low-interest rate environment. Meanwhile, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to speak soon to iron out trade issues including a dispute over critical minerals, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday. Elsewhere, spot silver was steady at $32.99 an ounce, platinum was down 0.6% at $1,049.72 and palladium fell 0.5% to $965.77.


The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
AP PHOTOS: Romanian children celebrate International Children's Day at the Palace of Parliament
News AP PHOTOS: Romanian children celebrate International Children's Day at the Palace of Parliament Show all 14


Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
OPEC+'s crude output hike comes amid tepid Asian oil demand: Russell
LAUNCESTON, Australia, June 2 (Reuters) - The crude oil market devotes considerable energy to what OPEC+ says, but perhaps a little less to what it actually does when it comes to the supply of the world's most important commodity. The eight members of the wider group that had implemented voluntary production cuts met at the weekend and decided to raise output by 411,000 barrels per day (bpd) in July, the third straight month of the same increase. More than half of the lift in output will be split among the big three of the OPEC+ group, namely Saudi Arabia, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. However, there are two questions that need answering. Firstly, will the eight members party to the agreement actually increase output by the agreed volumes, and secondly, if they do will they find buyers for the additional oil? A point worth noting is that OPEC+, and much of the wider market, talk in terms of production, but the more important metric is export volumes, as it's the amount of crude flowing around the globe that sets the price and the supply-demand balance. The group's top producer, Saudi Arabia, actually saw weaker exports in April of 5.75 million bpd, down from March's 5.80 million bpd, according to data complied by commodity analysts Kpler. Saudi Arabia's exports kicked up to 6.0 million bpd in May, the Kpler data showed, and are expected to rise even further in June, suggesting that there is a lag between output agreements and actual exports. Russia's seaborne exports of crude were 5.07 million bpd in March, remained largely flat at 5.12 million bpd in April and then dipped to 4.82 million in April, showing that the agreed increase in output didn't translate into higher shipments. The question still remains as to whether any additional oil is actually needed, especially in the top-importing region Asia. In the statement after the May 31 meeting, OPEC+ reiterated its view that the global oil market has "healthy" fundamentals "as reflected in low inventories." This is the position they have held since they started easing the 2.2 million bpd of voluntary production cuts in April. However, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries monthly report for May showed crude inventories in the developed world rose in March by 21.4 million barrels to 1.323 billion barrels, which is 139 million barrels less than the average from 2015-2019. In other words, inventories in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development are slightly below the pre-COVID average, and are were already rising before OPEC+ started raising output. Inventories outside the OECD are less visible, and especially in China, the world's largest crude oil importer. Even though China doesn't disclose commercial and strategic stockpiles, the amount of surplus crude can be estimated by subtracting the volumes processed by refiners from the total available from domestic output and inventories. On this basis, China's surplus oil has surged in recent months, hitting 1.98 million bpd in April, the most since June 2023, and up from 1.74 million bpd in March. China increased oil imports in March and April as it secured discounted cargoes from Iran and Russia. But it appears that China's appetite for crude eased in May, despite the lower global prices. China's seaborne imports are estimated at 9.43 million bpd in May by Kpler, down from 10.46 million bpd in April and 10.45 million bpd in March. China's weaker appetite in May contributed to a drop in arrivals in Asia, the world's top-importing region, with Kpler estimating 24.2 million bpd, down from 24.85 million bpd in April. For the first five months of the year, Asia's seaborne crude imports are estimated at 24.45 million bpd, down 320,000 bpd from the same period in 2024. This means that despite the near 30% drop in global crude benchmark Brent futures between mid-January and the low so far this year of $58.50 a barrel on May 5, Asia's demand for oil hasn't increased. So far the impact of lower prices has been muted, and while demand may yet rise in coming months in response to cheaper oil, it's also possible that the economic uncertainty unleashed by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war is crimping fuel consumption. Brent futures gained on Monday by more than $1 to $63.84 a barrel. The gain in prices suggests that the market had been expecting a larger output increase from the OPEC+ group of eight for July. There remains a high degree of uncertainty for the demand outlook, given the distortions being created by the Trump trade war. But there is also uncertainty over the supply outlook and questions as to whether OPEC+'s top producers will increase export volumes and seek market share over prices. The views expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.