Ukraine war: Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticises Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko in rare sign of discontent

Published

1 year ago

November 26, 2022

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised the mayor of Kyiv over the provision of emergency shelters, in a sign of discontent rarely seen between Ukrainian leaders since the start of Russia’s invasion.

The president indicated that Vitali Klitschko, the boxing legend turned politician, had not done enough to help the capital’s residents cope with Moscow’s most devastating strikes of the war.

Putin’s warning for Russian mothers – live war updates

Most regions across Ukraine have been impacted by blackouts this week, and while the six million people currently affected is down from a peak of 12 million a few days ago, Mr Zelenskyy said “the biggest problems” were in Kyiv.

“Unfortunately, local authorities have not performed well in all cities,” he said in his nightly video address.

“In particular, there are a lot of complaints in Kyiv. To put it mildly, more work is needed.”

Mr Zelenskyy said that many of the city’s residents had been without power “for 20 or even 30 hours”, and called for “more support” and “quality work” from the mayor’s office.

Ukraine’s ‘invincibility centres’

In the wake of Russia‘s aerial bombardment on its neighbour’s energy infrastructure, an apparent cynical attempt to inflict maximum damage as winter looms, Ukraine has been setting up “invincibility centres”.

These are emergency shelters where people can access heat, water, internet, and mobile phone service.

More than 4,000 have been set up so far, but – according to Mr Zelenskyy – not enough in Kyiv.

Mr Klitschko, a key face of Ukrainian resistance since Vladimir Putin‘s full-scale invasion began in February, has not responded to his president’s criticism.

Meanwhile, the national power grid operator Ukrenergo said its engineers are “working around the clock” to restore energy supplies, but 30% are still out despite the reconnection of Ukraine’s four nuclear power plants.

Three are in Ukrainian-held territory and one is in Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia. They were all back online late on Friday after attacks forced them to shut for the first time in 40 years.

Putin shows no sign of backing down

The Kremlin has claimed that the attacks on Ukraine’s basic infrastructure are militarily legitimate, just as it’s tried to justify the actions of its forces throughout the war.

In a meeting with the mothers of Russian servicemen on Friday, Mr Putin again defended the invasion.

“Russia is first and foremost about people, their culture, their traditions, their history, which is passed down from generation to generation and absorbed with mother’s milk,” he said.

“The main guarantee of our success is our unity.”

While Mr Putin was having tea, his Ukrainian counterpart went to the town of Vyshhorodm, slightly north of Kyiv, to observe damage to buildings and one of the new emergency centres.

Earlier, the president met with UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who pledged continued British support and condemned Russia’s “brutal attacks”.

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It comes ahead of Ukraine marking the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor famine, which the country recognises as a genocide against its people by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

Historians dispute whether the famine, which killed millions of Ukrainians, was a purposefully orchestrated bid to eradicate an independence movement, or a botched nationalisation policy.

It saw Stalin order police to seize grain, livestock and seed from Ukrainian farms.

Mr Cleverly used his visit to Kyiv to accuse Mr Putin of a similar attempt to starve Ukraine’s people.

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Four killed and dozens injured after building collapses on beach in Majorca

Published

10 hours ago

May 23, 2024

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Four killed and dozens injured after building collapses on beach in Majorca

Four people have been killed and 27 are injured after a building collapsed on a beach in Majorca – with people still trapped inside.

The building – reported to be a restaurant – collapsed in the capital of the island, Palma – a tourist hotspot.

Pictures have emerged of emergency services evacuating people from the building, with some being taken out on a stretcher.

Firefighters and police were called to the scene just after 8pm local time, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reports.

Witnesses reported the terrace at the top of a popular restaurant had collapsed.

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Video showing bloodied Israeli female soldiers captured by Hamas released

Published

19 hours ago

May 23, 2024

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Video showing bloodied Israeli female soldiers captured by Hamas released

The three-minute video of five young female Israeli soldiers being taken by Hamas from their base on 7 October is harrowing and extremely upsetting to watch.

The soldiers are Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Daniela Gilboa and Naama Levy.

They all worked at the Nahal Oz observation base, monitoring activity on the Gaza border.

The video, which has been edited in places, was filmed around 9am on the Saturday.

It starts with the five soldiers, unarmed and helpless, standing facing the wall as their hands are tied behind their backs.

Some of them have bloody faces, they all look shocked and frightened.

“You dogs, we will step on you,” one Hamas fighter can be heard saying.

“I have friends in Palestine,” one of the girls pleads. She’s ordered to stay quiet.

They are made to sit down and threatened with being shot.

At this point, another of the soldiers asks to call her friend in Gaza, presumably in a desperate attempt to convince the attackers not to harm them.

There appear to be more than 10 Hamas fighters, all heavily armed and with bullet proof vests on.

Some have green Hamas bandanas around their heads. They appear relaxed, at one point stopping to pray.

It exposes the complete failure of Israel to foresee and prevent the attacks.

Finally, the video cuts to the female soldiers being hurried out of the building and put into one of their own khaki army jeeps.

One is carried, another hops on an injured leg.

There is the sound of heavy gunfire as Israeli forces battle Hamas nearby.

Many Israeli soldiers were killed in the fighting there that day.

The video was put together from body cameras worn by the Hamas attackers that day and released by The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, to put pressure on the Israeli government.

The video, the group said, “is a damning testament to the nation’s failure to bring home the hostages”.

The families have asked the video be broadcast “until somebody wakes up”.

Who are the teenagers in the video?

Liri Albag

Liri Albag, who is 18, is described by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum as having a “heart of gold”.

Her life “revolves around music and the arts”, they added.

Karina Ariev

Karina Ariev is 19 and “loves the field of cosmetics, makeup and beauty”. Her ambition, the group says, is to make a career in this industry.

Her mother told reporters in October she spoke to them on the morning of the attack, saying she “screamed and said she loves us very much”.

“She told us to continue our lives,” she added.

Agam Berger

Agam Berger, 19, volunteers with people who have special needs and with children who have learning difficulties.

Her father told the Associated Press in March one of his three daughters has not gone to school since 7 October, while one of his young daughters has stopped eating.

His wife, an engineer, does not go to work and he tries to avoid the news to save himself the daily roller coaster.

Daniela Gilboa

Daniela Gilboa is 19.

Her mother, Orly Gilboa told Reuters the girls “suffer there every minute, every second”.

“So please, please do whatever you can to bring them home,” she added.

Naama Levy

Naama Levy, 19, is described by her family as strong, according to the Times of Israel.

She’s a triathlete, used to working hard in training and pushing past obstacles – which are traits her family hopes are helping her withstand captivity.

She’s also the great-granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, the paper adds, and took part in the Hands of Peace project in the US, which worked for peace between Israel and the Palestinians until it shut in March.

Ceasefire talks have all but broken down since Israel and Hamas couldn’t agree a deal a few weeks ago.

Last night, in Tel Aviv, the Israeli war cabinet ordered the negotiating team to restart talks, reportedly with a fresh mandate.

Egyptian mediators are now said to be exploring options, although Cairo threatened to pull out of talks earlier in the week over a disagreement with Israel.

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Singapore Airlines turbulence: People seriously injured on fatal flight need ‘spinal operations’, hospital says

Published

21 hours ago

May 23, 2024

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Singapore Airlines turbulence: People seriously injured on fatal flight need 'spinal operations', hospital says

Many of the people seriously injured on the London-Singapore flight that hit severe turbulence need operations on their spines, a Bangkok hospital has said.

A spokesperson for the Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, said six Britons are among 20 people still in intensive care after the Boeing 777 Singapore Airlines flight sharply descended 6,000ft (1,800 metres) after hitting the turbulence over the Andaman Sea.

Others in the ICU include six Malaysians, three Australians, two Singaporeans and one person each from Hong Kong, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

Some of the 211 passengers on board flight SQ321 described their “sheer terror” as the aircraft began shuddering, causing people to be “launched into the ceiling” while others laid paralysed on the floor.

Geoff Kitchen, 73, from Gloucestershire in the UK died from a suspected heart attack after the freak incident despite flight crew trying to revive him for 20 minutes.

One of the passengers, Josh Silverstone, told Sky News that there was an alert for the seatbelts to come on and then there was a “huge bang”.

“I remember waking up on the floor and just hearing people crying and I am looking around and seeing blood and the ceiling falling through,” he said.

Mr Silverstone said there was an elderly lady in front of him who couldn’t move and couldn’t remember her name or why she was on the flight, while cabin crew members, who had their own injuries, were lying on the floor with passengers making sure they were okay.

The Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital said it had provided medical care to a total of 104 people after the flight was diverted to Thailand.

It remains unclear what exactly caused the turbulence, but data from Flightradar24, said “the flight encountered a rapid change in vertical rate, consistent with a sudden turbulence event”.

At 3.03pm local time, the flight changed course and began its diversion to Bangkok and around 20 minutes later declared an emergency.

Tim Atkinson, an aviation consultant and pilot, told the Sky News Daily podcast he believes “it’s fairly clear” the Singapore Airlines flight “encountered atmospheric turbulence”.

He noted that the area – called the Intertropical Convergence Zone – where the Boeing 777 plunged 6,000 feet is “renowned among pilots, and I dare say passengers, for turbulence”.