Ukraine Says Russian Drone Attack Injures Three, Damages Homes in Odesa 

A resident stands on a backyard of his house damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine April 16, 2025. (Reuters)
A resident stands on a backyard of his house damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine April 16, 2025. (Reuters)
TT

Ukraine Says Russian Drone Attack Injures Three, Damages Homes in Odesa 

A resident stands on a backyard of his house damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine April 16, 2025. (Reuters)
A resident stands on a backyard of his house damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine April 16, 2025. (Reuters)

A Russian drone attack on the Black Sea port city of Odesa overnight injured three people, sparked fires and damaged homes and civilian infrastructure, officials of the southern Ukrainian region said on Wednesday.

Various morning attacks by Russian aviation and artillery on the southern city of Kherson also killed one person and injured three more, local authorities said.

In a Telegram post, Ukraine's emergency service said three people were injured and several fires broke out in Odesa as a result of the overnight attack there.

In Odesa, residents picked through debris in several ruined homes. A woman swept up after the windows in a church were smashed.

The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 57 out of 97 drones launched by Russia overnight. Another 34 did not reach their targets likely due to electronic warfare countermeasures.

It did not specify what happened to the remaining six drones.

The emergency services also said an attack on Kamianske in Dnipropetrovsk region injured two people and damaged a gas pipeline. The fires had been put out by the morning.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Russia.

Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia started with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.

Late in March, the United States said it had reached separate deals with Ukraine and Russia to pause their attacks over the Black Sea and against each other's energy targets.

Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of breaking the moratorium on striking energy facilities.



Pope Leo Appeals for Israel to Allow Humanitarian Aid in Gaza 

Pope Leo XIV blesses the crowd at the end of his first weekly general audience at St. Peter's Square in The Vatican on May 21, 2025. (AFP)
Pope Leo XIV blesses the crowd at the end of his first weekly general audience at St. Peter's Square in The Vatican on May 21, 2025. (AFP)
TT

Pope Leo Appeals for Israel to Allow Humanitarian Aid in Gaza 

Pope Leo XIV blesses the crowd at the end of his first weekly general audience at St. Peter's Square in The Vatican on May 21, 2025. (AFP)
Pope Leo XIV blesses the crowd at the end of his first weekly general audience at St. Peter's Square in The Vatican on May 21, 2025. (AFP)

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday appealed for Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, calling the situation in the Palestinian enclave "yet more worrying and saddening".

"I renew my fervent appeal to allow for the entry of fair humanitarian help and to bring to an end the hostilities, the devastating price of which is paid by children, the elderly and the sick," the pope said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square.

Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected the leader of the Catholic Church on May 8 to succeed the late Pope Francis. He has mentioned the situation in Gaza several times in the first weeks of his papacy.

In his first Sunday message on May 11, the new pope called for an immediate ceasefire and for the release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Israel said on Monday that it would allow aid to enter Gaza after an 11-week blockade on the enclave, but the United Nations said no help had been distributed as of Tuesday.

Leo's appeal comes a day after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his government had paused free trade talks with Israel and summoned the Israeli ambassador to the UK over the situation in Gaza.

Israel says it plans to intensify military operations against Hamas and to control the whole of Gaza, which has been devastated by an Israeli air and ground war since Hamas' cross-border attack on Israeli communities in October 2023.

Israel has said its blockade is aimed in part at preventing Palestinian gunmen from diverting and seizing aid supplies. Hamas has denied doing so.