Russian Missile Strike on Odesa Injures Three, Ukraine Says 

Local residents stand at a site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine June 24, 2024. (Reuters)
Local residents stand at a site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine June 24, 2024. (Reuters)
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Russian Missile Strike on Odesa Injures Three, Ukraine Says 

Local residents stand at a site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine June 24, 2024. (Reuters)
Local residents stand at a site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine June 24, 2024. (Reuters)

A Russian missile attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa struck civilian infrastructure and injured at least three people, including a 19-year-old boy, on Monday morning, regional governor Oleh Kiper said.

The attack damaged a storage facility where some 50 people were working, military and regional authorities said. A massive cloud of smoke rose from the site where firefighters battled a fire, pictures published by the interior ministry showed.

The air force said it had prevented one of two cruise missiles launched by Russia from reaching the target.

Kiper said on national television that around 5,000 square meters had been damaged in the attack and that a fire had spread over 3,000 square meters.

Two middle-aged men in addition to the 19-year-old boy were taken to hospital, Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app.

The air force had warned the city's residents of the threat of incoming missiles before the explosions sounded.

Odesa has been a frequent target of Russian forces in the 28-month-long full-scale invasion, with many attacks aimed at the city's port facilities. Russia denies targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure.



German-Iranian Women’s Rights Activist Released from Iranian Prison

09 January 2024, Iran, Tehran: German-Iranian Nahid Taghavi sits on a couch after her temporary release from the notorious Ewin prison in Tehran. (dpa)
09 January 2024, Iran, Tehran: German-Iranian Nahid Taghavi sits on a couch after her temporary release from the notorious Ewin prison in Tehran. (dpa)
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German-Iranian Women’s Rights Activist Released from Iranian Prison

09 January 2024, Iran, Tehran: German-Iranian Nahid Taghavi sits on a couch after her temporary release from the notorious Ewin prison in Tehran. (dpa)
09 January 2024, Iran, Tehran: German-Iranian Nahid Taghavi sits on a couch after her temporary release from the notorious Ewin prison in Tehran. (dpa)

Nahid Taghavi, an Iranian-German women's rights activist, has been released from prison and is back in Germany after more than four years incarceration in Iran, Amnesty International said on Monday.

The release of Taghavi followed concerns about the 70-year-old's health and calls from rights groups on the German government to pressure Tehran on the case.

Taghavi was detained in October 2020 during a visit to Tehran and later sentenced to 10 years and eight months in prison for her alleged involvement in an illegal group and for propaganda against the state. Amnesty called the charges fabricated

"My mum is finally home. Words are not enough to describe our joy. At the same time, we mourn the four years we were robbed of and the horror she experienced in Evin prison," her daughter Mariam Claren said in a statement.

The rights group said Taghavi was tortured during her time in prison and held in solitary confinement.

The activist landed safely in Germany on Sunday, Amnesty said, calling for many more releases to follow in Iran.

Iran's judiciary was not immediately available for comment.

"A great moment of joy that Nahid Taghavi can finally embrace her family again," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a post on X.

Germany has clashed with Iran in the past over its jailing of dual citizens and criticized its human rights record. In October, Berlin recalled its ambassador to Iran over the execution of German-Iranian national Jamshid Sharmahd.

Last week Iran freed Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, three weeks after she was detained in Tehran during a reporting trip.