logo
Russia attacks Ukraine for third night in a row, Ukrainian officials say

Russia attacks Ukraine for third night in a row, Ukrainian officials say

Straits Times26-05-2025

Explosions are seen in the night sky as Ukrainian servicemen fire towards drones during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 26, 2025. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Explosions are seen in the night sky as Ukrainian servicemen fire towards drones during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 26, 2025. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
Residents look at an apartment building that was damaged in a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 25, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
Tetiana Maksymenko stands with belongings outside her house that was destroyed in a Russian rocket strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Markhalivka, Kyiv region, Ukraine, May 25, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
Emergency workers extinguish fire in the debris of a private house that was destroyed in a Russian rocket strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Markhalivka, Kyiv region, Ukraine, May 25, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
Russia attacks Ukraine for third night in a row, Ukrainian officials say
Russia has attacked Ukraine for a third night in a row, Ukrainian regional officials and emergency services said, a day after the biggest aerial attack of the war so far killed at least 12 people and drew condemnation from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The air raid alert lasted six hours in Kyiv, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city's military administration, said.
Tkachenko reported damage in one city district but said that there were no casualties.
There was no comment from Russia on the attacks. The Kremlin says it is conducting a "special military operation" in Ukraine.
The surrounding Kyiv region was under a combined drone and missile attack, the region's military administration said.
It reported damage in three of the region's districts.
Russian drone strikes caused fires and destruction in private households in the southern Odesa region, Ukraine's Emergency Service said.
At the sites hit in Odesa district, a residential building covering an area of 100 square meters was destroyed, the emergency services said, adding that the fire had been extinguished.
Regional governor Oleh Kiper said a 14-year-old boy was injured in the attack.
In the western region of Khmelnytskyi, many hundreds of km (miles) away from the frontline, governor said that a combined Russian attack damaged private households and enterprises, but there were no civilian casualties, according to preliminary information.
In northeastern Ukraine, the regional governor said that Kharkiv and its outskirts were under Russian attack and explosions could be heard in some of districts.
The governor of the central Cherkasy region said that 25 Russian drones had been neutralised within the region overnight but added that there were no injured or reports of damage so far. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Dismay and disbelief as Trump bans visitors from a dozen countries
Dismay and disbelief as Trump bans visitors from a dozen countries

Straits Times

time40 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Dismay and disbelief as Trump bans visitors from a dozen countries

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office on the day he signs an executive order, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 23, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File photo Officials and residents in countries whose citizens will soon be banned from visiting the United States expressed dismay and disbelief on Thursday at President Donald Trump's new sweeping travel ban as his administration intensifies its immigration crackdown. Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday barring citizens of 12 countries from entering the U.S. starting on Monday, asserting that the restrictions were necessary to protect against "foreign terrorists." The order was reminiscent of a similar move Trump implemented during his first term in office from 2017 to 2021, when he barred travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations. That directive faced court challenges and went through several iterations before the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ban in 2018. Former President Joe Biden, a Democrat who succeeded Trump, repealed that ban in 2021, calling it "a stain on our national conscience." But the new ban is much more expansive and covers Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Citizens of seven other countries - Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela - will be partially restricted. A senior diplomat with the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, who asked not to be named, said Trump's justification did not stand up to scrutiny. "Sudanese people have never been known to pose a terrorist threat anywhere in the world," the official said. Chad President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno said he had instructed his government to stop granting visas to U.S. citizens in response to Trump's action. "Chad has neither planes to offer nor billions of dollars to give, but Chad has its dignity and its pride," he said in a Facebook post, referring to countries such as Qatar, which gifted the U.S. a luxury airplane for Trump's use and promised to invest billions of dollars in the U.S. Afghans who worked for the U.S. or U.S.-funded projects and were hoping to resettle in the U.S. expressed fear that the travel ban would force them to return to their country, where they could face reprisal from the Taliban. Fatima, a 57-year-old Afghan women's rights defender waiting in Pakistan for her U.S. visa to be processed, had her dreams shattered overnight after Trump's order. "Unfortunately, the decisions made by President Trump turned all the hopes and beliefs of us into ashes," she told Reuters, asking that only her first name be published for security reasons. BAN TO TAKE EFFECT MONDAY Trump said the countries subject to the most severe restrictions were determined to harbor a "large-scale presence of terrorists," fail to cooperate on visa security, have an inability to verify travelers' identities, as well as inadequate record-keeping of criminal histories and high rates of visa overstays in the United States. He cited Sunday's incident in Boulder, Colorado, in which an Egyptian national tossed a gasoline bomb into a crowd of pro-Israel demonstrators as an example of why the new curbs are needed. But Egypt was not part of the travel ban. "Because Egypt has been a country that we deal with very closely. They have things under control," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. When asked why he chose this moment to unveil the ban, he said: "It can't come soon enough." The visa ban takes effect on June 9 at 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT). Visas issued before that date will not be revoked, the order said. In total, just under 162,000 immigrant visas and temporary work, study, and travel visas were issued in fiscal year 2023 to nationals of the affected countries in the now banned visa categories, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The ban is likely to face legal challenges. But Stephen Yale-Loehr, a retired professor of immigration law at Cornell Law School, said he expected those lawsuits to face an uphill climb, because the latest ban contains various exemptions and cited specific security concerns with each country. The ban includes exemptions, such as for dual nationals, permanent residents, immigrant visas for immediate family members of U.S. citizens and athletes traveling for major sporting events like the World Cup. "Trump has learned from the mistakes of earlier travel bans," he said. Some foreign officials said they were prepared to work with the U.S. to address Trump's security concerns. "Somalia values its longstanding relationship with the United States and stands ready to engage in dialogue to address the concerns raised," Dahir Hassan Abdi, the Somali ambassador to the United States, said in a statement. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Lawyer for Sean ‘Diddy' Combs accuses witness of lying about balcony attack
Lawyer for Sean ‘Diddy' Combs accuses witness of lying about balcony attack

Straits Times

time41 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Lawyer for Sean ‘Diddy' Combs accuses witness of lying about balcony attack

Sean "Diddy" Combs speaking to his lawyers in a court sketch, before the start of the day's proceedings on June 5. PHOTO: REUTERS NEW YORK - A lawyer for Sean "Diddy" Combs accused a witness at his sex trafficking trial on June 5 of falsely testifying that the hip-hop mogul held her over the balcony of a Los Angeles apartment, and suggested Combs was on the East Coast at the time of the alleged attack. Ms Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Combs' former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, testified on June 4 that Combs in September 2016 held her over the rail of the balcony at Ventura's apartment and then threw her onto the balcony's furniture, causing her bruises. Prosecutors say the incident was among several violent acts that Combs, 55, took against Ventura and people close to her during the decade he was coercing Ventura to take part in drug-fuelled sexual performances with male sex workers known as "freak offs." Combs has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Ms Bongolan had not stated the exact date of the alleged balcony attack during her testimony on June 4. Jurors on June 4 saw a picture Ms Bongolan took of a bruise on her leg taken on Sept 26, 2016. A civil lawsuit Ms Bongolan filed against Combs in 2024 said the incident took place "on or about Sept 26, 2016." On June 5, Combs' lawyer Nicole Westmoreland asked Ms Bongolan if she was aware that Combs performed at a concert in New Jersey on Sept 25, 2016, and attended an event in New York with Ventura the following day. Westmoreland also showed jurors a document from the Trump International hotel in New York indicating that someone named "Frank Black" stayed there from Sept 24, 2016, through Sept 29, 2016. Previous witnesses at the trial have testified that Combs, like other celebrities, frequently used aliases when staying at hotels. "You came in here and you lied to the ladies and gentlemen of this jury, didn't you?" Ms Westmoreland asked. "I can't agree with you," Ms Bongolan replied. Ms Bryana Bongolan (right) leaving court after testifying on June 4. PHOTO: REUTERS Under further questioning from prosecutor Madison Smyser, Ms Bongolan said she did not know the exact date of the incident because it happened 'a while ago', but said she had no doubt it took place. 'I will never forget him holding me on that balcony,' Ms Bongolan said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyer accuses witness of lying about balcony attack
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyer accuses witness of lying about balcony attack

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyer accuses witness of lying about balcony attack

Sean \"Diddy\" Combs speaks to his lawyers before the start of the day's proceedings during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., June 5, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg Sean \"Diddy\" Combs speaks to his lawyers before the start of the day's proceedings during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., June 5, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg NEW YORK - A lawyer for Sean "Diddy" Combs accused a witness at his sex trafficking trial on Thursday of falsely testifying that the hip-hop mogul held her over the balcony of a Los Angeles apartment, and suggested Combs was on the East Coast at the time of the alleged attack. Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Combs' former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, testified on Wednesday that Combs in September 2016 held her over the rail of the balcony at Ventura's apartment and then threw her onto the balcony's furniture, causing her bruises. Prosecutors say the incident was among several violent acts that Combs, 55, took against Ventura and people close to her during the decade he was coercing Ventura to take part in drug-fueled sexual performances with male sex workers known as "Freak Offs." Combs has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Bongolan had not stated the exact date of the alleged balcony attack during her testimony on Wednesday. Jurors on Wednesday saw a picture Bongolan took of a bruise on her leg taken on September 26, 2016. A civil lawsuit Bongolan filed against Combs last year said the incident took place "on or about September 26, 2016." On Thursday, Combs' lawyer Nicole Westmoreland asked Bongolan if she was aware that Combs performed at a concert in New Jersey on September 25, 2016 and attended an event in New York with Ventura the following day. Westmoreland also showed jurors a document from the Trump International hotel in New York indicating that someone named "Frank Black" stayed there from September 24, 2016 through September 29, 2016. Previous witnesses at the trial have testified that Combs, like other celebrities, frequently used aliases when staying at hotels. "You came in here and you lied to the ladies and gentlemen of this jury, didn't you?" Westmoreland asked. "I can't agree with you," Bongolan replied. Under further questioning from prosecutor Madison Smyser, Bongolan said she did not know the exact date of the incident because it happened "a while ago," but said she had no doubt it took place. "I will never forget him holding me on that balcony," Bongolan said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store