International News
Russia Attack Ukraine’s Grain After Breaking Sea Deal
According to officials, Russian missile attacks on Ukraine’s Black Sea shore have destroyed 60,000 tonnes of grain and harmed storage facilities.
According to Mykola Solskyi, minister of agriculture, a “considerable amount” of export infrastructure was inoperative.
An international grain agreement that had been in place since last summer and ensured the safe passage of exports across the Black Sea has been terminated by Russia.
The Kremlin said that its export-related requests had not been met.
Within hours of its withdrawal from the grain deal on Monday, Russia had struck the southern port cities of Odesa and Mykolaiv in the early hours of Tuesday.
It followed that up with more strikes overnight into Wednesday, targeting grain terminals and port infrastructure in Odesa and further down the Black Sea coast in Chornomorsk, two of the three ports that were included in the export deal.
Odesa military spokesman Serhiy Bratchuk called it a “truly massive attack”. The agriculture minister said the 60,000 tonnes destroyed in the strike were “supposed to be loaded on a large-tonnage ship and sent through the grain corridor 60 days ago”.
Russia’s defence ministry later declared that from midnight on Wednesday night (21:00 GMT), any ships heading to Ukrainian ports would be viewed as potential carriers of military cargo and party to the conflict. Some north-western and south-eastern areas of the Black Sea would be temporarily dangerous for shipping, it added.
At least 12 civilians, including a nine-year-old boy, were wounded during the attacks, which also caused damage to blocks of flats, military officials said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said each missile strike was a blow not just to Ukraine, but to “everyone in the world striving for a normal and safe life”.
France and Germany also condemned the attack. Germany Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that by covering Odesa with a hail of bombs, Russian President Vladimir Putin was robbing the world of any hope of Ukrainian grain and “hitting the world’s poorest”.
Private traders suffered the most from the missile strikes, Ukrainian officials said
The infrastructure ministry published a series of photos showing damage to silos and other grain facilities. Officials said there had been damage to wharves and reservoirs, but it was international and Ukrainian traders that had suffered the most.
Russian war commentators said the damage proved that Kyiv was unable to shoot down the majority of Russian missiles and drones.
Officials said the co-ordinated attack involved Kalibr cruise missiles, Onyx supersonic and Kh-22 anti-ship missiles as well as kamikaze drones, fired from the Black Sea, Crimea and southern Russia. Although 37 Russian missiles and drones were shot down, a number did penetrate Ukrainian defences, they said.
“I saw a red flash in the window and reacted immediately,” one resident told the Reuters news agency.
“I went downstairs, it was noisy and filled with smoke outside, people were in panic, some were crying, glass shards were scattered all over. It was impossible to remain in the area.”
Russia had called its initial attack on Odesa a “mass revenge strike” for an attack on the Russian-built bridge over the Kerch strait linking occupied Crimea to Russia. Seaborne drones were blamed for Monday’s bridge strike that knocked out a section of bridge and killed a Russian couple.
Explosions were reported for several hours from the ammunition depot in Crimea
Crimea saw further disruption on Wednesday. Some 2,200 residents were evacuated from four villages near a military training range after a fire triggered hours of explosions at a nearby ammunition depot.
Russian-installed officials also shut a 12-km (7.5-mile) section of the Tavrida motorway that links the cities of Simferopol and Sevastopol in southern Crimea to the bridge over the Kerch strait. Construction of the road by Russia’s occupation authorities began in 2017.
The region on Wednesday heard several explosions starting about 4:30 (01:30 GMT).
The reason of the fire at Staryi Krim was not given by officials. On social media, however, there were unsubstantiated reports of three Ukrainian strikes.
According to the Kremlin, Mr. Putin was informed of the situation.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Crimean leader appointed by Russia, said no one was harmed but that the reason of the incident at the military range was under investigation.
Pope Francis will on Sunday be discharged from Rome’s Gemelli hospital, where he has been receiving treatment since February 14 for breathing difficulties and pneumonia.
The 88-year-old pontiff will return to his residence at Saint Martha’s House in the Vatican, where doctors have advised that he undergo “a long convalescence… of at least two months.”
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Dr. Sergio Alfieri explained that while the pope’s health is improving, further recovery is best achieved at home.
READ ALSO: Pope Francis’ Condition Improving, Says Vatican
“Further progress will take place at his home, because a hospital — even if this seems strange — is the worst place to recover because it’s where one can contract more infections,” Alfieri said.
Dr. Luca Carbone, another physician at Gemelli, added that there are positive signs in the pope’s condition. “We hope that he will soon be able to resume his normal activities,” he stated.
Before leaving the hospital, Pope Francis is expected to greet the public and offer a blessing from a hospital balcony after the Angelus prayers on Sunday, marking his first appearance in weeks.
Speculation about a possible resignation has been circulating due to the pope’s prolonged absence from public duties, but Vatican officials have firmly denied such claims.
When asked if the topic had been discussed, Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin was clear in his response: “No, no, no, absolutely not.”
The pope, who had part of a lung removed in his youth, has received an outpouring of prayers and well-wishes from Catholics worldwide.
Supporters have been gathering outside Gemelli hospital, leaving flowers, candles, and messages of encouragement.
His hospitalization, the longest of his papacy has led to questions about how Easter celebrations will be handled in his absence.
However, Vatican officials remain optimistic about his gradual return to his duties in the coming weeks.
A Memphis man was accidentally shot by his own dog after the pet jumped onto his bed and triggered a loaded firearm, police confirmed on Wednesday.
The incident occurred early Monday morning while the man was asleep alongside his female partner.
According to police reports, the couple’s one-year-old pit bull, Oreo, inadvertently discharged the weapon after getting its paw stuck in the trigger guard.
READ ALSO: Nigerian Woman Mauled To Death By Stray Dogs In Italy
The bullet grazed the man’s left thigh, causing a minor injury that was treated at a local hospital.
The victim’s girlfriend, who spoke to Fox 13 Memphis, described Oreo as a playful dog and recounted the shocking moment the firearm discharged.
“The dog is a playful dog, and he likes to jump around and stuff like that, and it just went off,” she said. Reflecting on the incident, she added: “Keep the safety on or use a trigger lock.”
Police have classified the case as an “accidental injury” and have not disclosed the type of firearm involved.
Although gun-related incidents are frequent in the United States, cases involving animals firing weapons are rare.
In a similar case in 2023, a Kansas man was killed when his German shepherd stepped on a hunting rifle.
A comparable incident in 2018 saw an Iowa man accidentally shot in the leg by his pit bull-Labrador mix.
Authorities are using the Memphis case as a reminder of firearm safety, urging gun owners to secure their weapons properly to prevent unintended discharges.
A deadly measles outbreak in the southwestern United States has claimed two lives and infected at least 228 people, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a travel advisory.
The outbreak has hit Texas the hardest, with 198 reported cases, while New Mexico has confirmed 30.
READ MORE: Rivers communities lose 50 children to measles
Health officials say both fatalities involved unvaccinated individuals—a child in Texas and an adult in New Mexico who tested positive for measles posthumously.
The CDC has classified both as measles-related deaths.
As the outbreak continues to grow, the CDC is warning that more cases are likely. In a recent Health Alert Network advisory, the agency urged healthcare professionals and public health officials to take precautions.
“With the spring and summer travel season approaching in the United States, CDC emphasizes the important role that clinicians and public health officials play in preventing the spread of measles,” the advisory stated.
“They should be vigilant for cases of febrile rash illness that meet the measles case definition and share effective measles prevention strategies, including vaccination guidance for international travelers.”
Measles, a highly contagious disease, spreads through respiratory droplets and can remain airborne for up to two hours after an infected person leaves an area.
It causes fever, respiratory symptoms, and a characteristic rash but can also lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, brain inflammation, and death.
Despite the effectiveness of the measles vaccine—providing 93% immunity after one dose and 97% after two—vaccination rates in the U.S. have been on the decline.
The CDC recommends a 95% immunization rate for herd immunity, but coverage among kindergartners fell to 92.7% in the 2023-2024 school year.
The outbreak’s epicenter is in a west Texas county with a large Mennonite community known for vaccine hesitancy.
Religious exemptions have been rising nationwide, contributing to lower immunization rates.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who previously promoted discredited claims linking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism, has recently shifted his stance.
While he now encourages vaccination, he also continues to advocate for alternative treatments like vitamin A and steroids.
Health experts warn that emphasizing such treatments could divert attention from the urgent need to improve immunization coverage.
The last measles-related death in the U.S. occurred in 2015, when a Washington state woman with a suppressed immune system died from virus-induced pneumonia. Before that, the previous fatality was recorded in 2003.
Pope Francis To Return To Vatican After Month-Long Treatment
Ifon-Ilobu Crisis: Adeleke Assures Of Quick Restoration Of Peace
Ifon-Ilobu Communal Dispute: Adeleke Extends Curfew To Erin-Osun Town
Okpebholo Joyful As Work On Edo State’s 1st Flyover Bridge Reaches Advanced Stage
NDSF Torch Tour Takes Off From Bayelsa
