Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza City has obliterated families, flattened homes, and stretched hospitals to breaking point. As Palestinians flee with nowhere safe to go, children are collapsing from exhaustion and rescue workers are still trying to save people from the rubble.
UKRAINIAN forces claim to have killed three perpetrators of the Bucha massacre in a slew of revenge bombings.
It comes as Kyiv marked its Independence Day by unleashing a wave of drone strikes crippling key energy infrastructure in Russia.
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Ukrainian GUR military intelligence claims to have killed three Russian war criminals during bombings in the occupied Luhansk region of Ukraine.Credit: East2West
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Ukraine’s heavy overnight drone attacks sparked fires at key energy facilities in the major Ust-Luga portCredit: East2West
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Bodies of civilians were left lying in the streets of BuchaCredit: Afp
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Russians rounding up civilians during the massacre in Bucha, Ukraine, in 2022.Credit: East2West
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Soldiers walk amid destroyed Russian tanks in Bucha in 2022Credit: AP
Ukraine‘s military intelligence unit GUR said three Russian soldiers dubbed “Butchers of Bucha” were wiped out in surgical bombings in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region.
They were targeted in the Luhansk region while operating as a mobile air defence group to cover a Russian military-repair base.
Bucha is a town close to Kyiv where Russian troops were accused of perpetrating appalling war crimes as they sought to storm Kyiv in 2022.
Hundreds of Ukrainian people were subjected to executions, torture, mutilation, and sexual violence including rape used by as weapon of war.
After the Russian retreat, mass graves were found where dozens of bodies were hastily buried by Putin’s occupying force.
There were numerous accounts of indiscriminate killings of civilians, including those seeking to flee the violence.
The revenge attack came in Kalynove village, where the Russian soldiers were linked to the Bucha atrocities.
Ukrainian military officials said: “In 2022, [these dead] Russian occupiers directly took part in committing war crimes in the city of Bucha.
“The detonation was in the yard of an apartment building where six Russian invaders were staying with their military transport.
“As a result of the explosion, two enemy pickups with machine guns were destroyed, one landed with ammunition.”
Vlad bombs American factory in Ukraine injuring 23 as Trump suggests Kyiv should attack Russia to win war
“There will be just retribution for every war crime committed against the Ukrainian people.”
Meanwhile, the Russia‘s defence ministry said at least 95 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted across more than a dozen Russian regions.
The attaclc come on August 24, the day that Ukraine celebrates its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
One of the drones was shot down over the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in western Russia, one of the country’s biggest energy nuclear facility.
It detonated upon impact and sparked a fire, forcing a sharp fall in the capacity of a reactor at according to the facility.
The plant said the fire had been extinguished, adding there were no casualties or increased radiation levels.
There was damage to a transformer which supplies the plant, and the power of reactor number three was reduced by 50 per cent.
Russian authorities said Ukrainian drones had also been shot down over areas sometimes far from the front, including Saint Petersburg in the northwest.
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A view shows the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflictCredit: Reuters
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A Ukrainian servicewoman fires a 2S7 Pion self-propelled gunCredit: Reuters
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A car damaged during Russian missile and drone strikes burnCredit: Reuters
The attacks caused tourist mayhem at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport as more than 99 flights were diverted or delayed at the busy hub.
Ten drones were shot down over the port of Ust-Luga on the Gulf of Finland, sparking a fire at a fuel terminal owned by Russian energy group Novatek, regional governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said: “This is how Ukraine strikes when its calls for peace are ignored.
“Today, both the US and Europe agree: Ukraine has not yet fully won, but it will certainly not lose. Ukraine has secured its independence. Ukraine is not a victim; it is a fighter.”
Ukraine meanwhile said Russia had attacked it overnight with a ballistic missile and 72 Iranian-made Shahed attack drones, 48 of which the air force said had been shot down.
A Russian drone strike killed a 47-year-old woman in the eastern region of Dnipropetrovsk, the governor said.
It came amid Donald Trump’s rising frustration with Putin for dragging out the war.
Washington is now trying to get Moscow to agree to a one-on-one meeting with Zelensky.
Pressure has been mounting on Putin to sit down with Zelensky since the White House summit – but the latest language from Russia looks suspiciously like well-worn stalling tactics.
Trump hoped he would be able to convince Putin to stop the bloodshed when he met the dictator in Anchorage.
But since then, little tangible progress has been made towards a peace deal.
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Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet on the tarmac in AlaskaCredit: Reuters
In a social media post, Trump appeared to hint that he is open to Ukraine launching more attacks on Russia.
He suggested that it would be “impossible” for Ukraine to win the war without attacking Russia.
He said: “It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invader’s country.
“It’s like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defence, but is not allowed to play offence.
“There is no chance of winning! It is like that with Ukraine and Russia.”
Trump sets deadline
He set a two-week time frame for assessing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Don told Todd Starnes on Newsmax: “I would say within two weeks we’re going to know one way or the other.
“After that, we’ll have to maybe take a different tack.”
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Putin is ready to meet Zelensky only after working through a list of vague “issues”.
Lavrov said: “Our president has repeatedly said that he is ready to meet, including with Mr Zelensky.”
But he insisted the meeting would only happen “with the understanding that all issues that require consideration at the highest level will be well worked out”.
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Putin has been accused of stalling peace talksCredit: Afp
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Zelensky and Putin attend a meeting on Ukraine with French President and German Chancelor at the Elysee Palace in 2019Credit: AFP
A popular stretch of coast renowned for its sugar-like sand and cobalt waters is cracking down on two common tourist activities – which now risk fines of up to £100 or £1,000 if you’re taken to court
A ‘glorious’ slice of the UK coast has unveiled a major tourist clampdown ahead of the busy summer holidays. Situated in the idyllic Dorset National Landscape, and boasting four miles of pristine beach framed by rugged dunes and lush cliffs, lies the acclaimed Studland Bay.
Often touted as a ‘tropical paradise’ due to its sugar-like sand and crystal-clear waters, the hotspot wouldn’t look out of place if it moved over to the picturesque Caribbean. The bay comprises of four beaches: Shell Bay, Knoll Beach, South Beach, and Middle Beach, all of which have been managed by the National Trust since 1982.
Now, Dorset Council has confirmed the extension of its current PSPOs, which will be in place for another three years. These orders clamp down on drinking alcohol in public places, feeding gulls, overnight camping on beaches, lighting of fires and BBQs on open land, as well as ‘aggressive begging’.
The council has also extended the overnight camping ban to include Studland Beach, in a move to ‘protect the sensitive coastal environment’. Tourists found breaking this rule could be fined up to £100.
It has also expanded restrictions on lighting fires and BBQs to cover additional areas of heathland and forest across Dorset. Again, flouting this PSPO can result in a hefty penalty.
If you pay the fixed penalty notice, the offence is discharged and no further action is taken. However, if the fixed penalty notice is not paid, you may be liable on summary conviction in a Magistrates Court to a fine not exceeding £1,000.
“Renewing our existing PSPOs means continuing the important safeguards that have been in place for several years—protections our residents have told us they value,” said Councillor Gill Taylor. “In addition to these renewals, we’re introducing two new Orders: one to help preserve the natural beauty and tranquillity of Studland Beach, and another to protect our rare heathland habitats, which are home to some of the UK’s most endangered wildlife.
“Dorset should be an enjoyable place for our residents and visitors alike. By working with our partners, these Orders help us to deal with a small minority of people who can spoil it for others.”
The PSPO extension will remain in place for the next three years(Image: Getty Images)
Shaun Milton of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, also welcomed the move – reminding Brits of the ‘devastating’ Wareham Forest fire in 2020 which destroyed more than 220 hectares of forest and heathland. This is the equivalent of more than 230 football pitches. “Preventing fires before they start is the most effective way to protect lives, property, and the environment,” he added.
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People asked to avoid swarms of stinging insects after truck hauling 250 million bees rolls over near the Canadian border.
A truck carrying millions of honeybees has overturned in the northwestern United States, prompting emergency warnings from local authorities.
The truck, carrying approximately 31,751kg (70,000 pounds) of active beehives, overturned on Friday in Washington state’s Whatcom County – a rural area near the Canadian border, about 48km (30 miles) south of Vancouver.
“250 million bees are now loose,” the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) announced on its official social media page. “Avoid the area due to the potential of bee escaping and swarming.”
Authorities sealed off parts of the area and urged the public to keep a safe distance of at least 200 yards (182 metres) as officials and bee experts helped recover, restore and reset the hives, according to the sheriff’s office.
The goal, officials said, is to safely re-hive the bees and help them locate their queens, a process that could take up to 48 hours.
While some beekeepers focus solely on honey production, many others lease their hives to farmers who rely on bees to pollinate their crops. The loss of millions of bees, even temporarily, could threaten the productivity of nearby farms during the growing season.
“While there is no general health risk to the public, anyone who is allergic to bee stings or has concerns should check the State Department of Health webpage on bees and wasps,” WCSO said.
Honeybees are crucial to the food supply, pollinating more than 100 crops including nuts, vegetables, berries, citrus and melons. Bees and other pollinators have been declining for years, and experts blame insecticides, parasites, disease, climate change and lack of a diverse food supply.
In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly sponsored the first “World Bee Day” on May 20 to bring attention to the bees’ plight.
Beekeepers often transport millions of bees from one location to another because leaving them in one location for too long can deplete resources for other pollinators, The Seattle Times newspaper reported.
In 2015, 14 million bees escaped a truck north of Seattle on Interstate 5 and started stinging people, the newspaper reported at the time.
