World
At least five dead as Ukrainian cities hit by heavy Russian shelling
At least five people died overnight as Russian drone and missile strikes pounded Ukraine’s towns and cities, local officials said on Saturday.
Several Ukrainian cities faced intense Russian missile and drone attacks overnight and into Saturday, resulting in multiple casualties and widespread damage to residential areas, infrastructure, and cultural landmarks.
In the eastern Poltava region, a Russian airstrike struck a residential building early on Saturday morning, killing at least four people and injuring 10 others, including a child. The attack destroyed part of the building, sparking a fire and damaging nearby homes and vehicles.
Rescuers saved 21 people from the rubble, and a temporary reception centre for victims was set up at a local school.
The southern city of Odesa also came under fire, with Russian missiles hitting its historic centre on Friday evening. The attack damaged the Odesa Philharmonic, several museums, and the Bristol Hotel, a building dating back to 1899.
Seven people were injured, and a crater was left near the entrance of the hotel. Norwegian diplomatic representatives were reportedly in the building at the time of the strike.
“The building is damaged from the first to the fourth floors. Firefighters rescued one woman trapped on the second floor. The roof is currently on fire over an area of approximately 20 square metres,” Maryna Averina, a spokesperson for the State Emergency Service of Odesa Oblast, said at the scene.
Employees at nearby facilities recounted the terrifying moments of the attack. “I was closing the door when something hit very hard, and there was a strong blast wave,” Polina, an employee of a damaged salon, said. “Thankfully, no one was hurt, but some people started crying. We brought everyone into the back room, and that saved us.”
Olha, another employee, added, “The first explosion happened during the air raid alert. About five minutes later, another missile hit. We managed to hide in the toilet, but it was very scary. Everything instantly fell apart—smoke, alarms, people screaming and running. It was chaos.”
In Kharkiv, a Russian Shahed drone strike on the Kholodnohirsk district killed one person and injured four others.
The attack damaged 20 private homes, shattered windows, and caused blast damage to four high-rise buildings. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov confirmed the details, stating, “Unfortunately, we have lost one woman, and four more people were wounded. The damage to the houses is significant, but the high-rise buildings suffered less severe damage.”
Zaporizhzhia experienced one of its largest drone attacks, with 18 drones targeting the city. A 57-year-old man was injured by falling debris. The strikes damaged private and apartment buildings, an educational institution, and cars.
According to state energy company Ukrenergo, the attacks also caused emergency power outages in the Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kirovohrad regions.
DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic sat in front of his locker, calmly scrolling through his phone, seemingly unimpressed that 30 minutes earlier he made NBA history.
The three-time NBA MVP had the league’s first 30-20-20 triple-double in the Denver Nuggets’ 149-141 overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday night. Jokic had 31 points, 21 rebounds and a career-high 22 assists.
“It’s not supposed go that way,” Jokic said. “I was talking to (Aaron Gordon) and he said to me, ‘That was a quiet 30 points.’ I didn’t do anything special, just seemed like everyone was in flow.”
Jokic tied his franchise record with his 29th triple-double of the season, and he reached it just 1:20 into the second half with his 10th rebound. He was approaching the triple-double early, finishing the first quarter with 10 points, six assists and six rebounds and had 13, nine and eight at halftime.
The 30-year-old from Serbia is averaging a triple-double with 19 games left in the season. His 28.9 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.6 assists per game all rank in the top three in the NBA.
“I can’t describe him, so don’t ask me to,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “The guy is just an incredible player, and when you are one of one in this league, with the tremendous history of this league, that says a lot. There’s a lot of good players in this league, but Nikola, in my opinion, is just in a class all by himself.”
His fast start to overtime lifted the Nuggets after they had blown a 21-point lead. He had five points, five assists and three rebounds in the extra period, playing nearly 45 minutes overall.
He made a 4-foot turnaround to begin overtime, fed Jamal Murray for two baskets and assisted on a dunk and layup by Christian Braun in a 13-second span.
“He’s just one of a kind,” Braun said. “You’ll never see something like this ever again – ever. You’ll never see a player that does the things he does night in and night out.”
Jokic’s previous high in assists was 19, which happened Feb. 24 at Indiana. He surpassed that on Michael Porter Jr.’s dunk that gave Denver a 139-130 lead with 1:18 left.
Jokic has 149 career triple-doubles and Friday was the seventh time this season he has had at least 15 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists. That tied Oscar Robertson for the most in one season. His 22 assists are the most by a center in a game but he is far short of Scott Skiles’ NBA record of 30, a mark he isn’t concerned about.
“I have different problems than that right now,” he said.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
A shooting Friday at a pub in Toronto, Canada, left a dozen people wounded, as police continue to search for the suspect.
Toronto Police responded at about 10:40 p.m. to the shooting in the area of Progress Avenue and Corporate Drive in eastern Toronto. The shooting happened near Scarborough Town Centre.
There were reports of gunfire and an active shooting inside a Scarborough pub, Toronto Fire Services said, according to CBC.
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A shooting Friday at a pub in Toronto, Canada, left a dozen people wounded. (Getty Images)
The 12 victims were transported to a hospital for treatment. Police said four of the victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries but the extent of the injuries of the remaining eight is unclear.
Police said the suspect was wearing a black balaclava mask and was seen driving away in a silver car, CBC reported.
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Toronto Police responded at about 10:40 p.m. to the shooting in the area of Progress Avenue and Corporate Drive in eastern Toronto. (Getty Images)
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said on X she “is deeply troubled to hear reports of a shooting at a pub in Scarborough.”
The mayor said she spoke to Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw and he assured her “all necessary resources have been deployed.”
Police said the suspect was wearing a black balaclava mask and was seen driving away in a silver car. (Getty Images)
“This is an early and ongoing investigation – police will provide further details. My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” Chow said.
In this week’s edition of our weekly talk show, participants discuss the dramatic shake-up regarding Ukraine diplomacy
What happened at the White House didn’t stay at the White House. The made-for-tv clash between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy left America’s allies in Europe stunned. Never before has there been such a public display of disdain and distrust between allies and partners. The minerals deal that was supposed to be signed in Washington, is now up in the air – as is the future commitment of the United States to supporting Ukraine.
The disaster in the Oval Office left European leaders scrambling for answers. One option is a massive ramp-up of military spending to support Ukraine and defend Europe alone – in case Trump and Elon Musk decide to unceremoniously withdraw U.S. troops from the continent. To fill this void, the British prime minister even suggested a “coalition of the willing” to protect Ukraine and a peace agreement with Russia that may or may not come. Where is all this going?
The perfect question for our guests this week: Shada Islam, independent analyst and commentator on European affairs from Belgium, Ville Niinistö, Member of the European Parliament for the Greens from Finland and Giuseppe Spatafora, research analyst at the EU Institute for Security Studies.
Europe may well be on its own when it comes to supporting Ukraine in the future. However, the participants at the London summit proved to Trump that they, too, can create facts that will influence the final settlement of the war.
First: more military support for Ukraine. Second, no demilitarization of Ukraine after the end of the conflict. And third, security guarantees from European forces behind Ukrainian lines. Can such a concept work and could it impress Trump?
The Trump administration is currently taking a turn that will shock many by focusing entirely on direct negotiations with Moscow and hinting at peace strategies that are entirely to Russia’s liking. A reorientation that is not totally surprising given Trump’s admiration for authoritarian rulers such as Putin.
Are we witnessing the creation of a new geopolitical reality here? Is Trump taking a domestic political risk with this realignment?
This episode was recorded on 5 March ahead of the European Council summit in Brussels.
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