Russian missiles kill 37 in Ukraine, gut Kyiv children’s hospital

Russian missiles kill 37 in Ukraine, gut Kyiv children’s hospital
Smoke rises up after Russia’s massive missile attack in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, July 8, 2024. A major Russian missile attack across Ukraine killed at least 20 people and injured more than 50 on Monday, officials said, with one missile striking a large childrens hospital in the capital, Kyiv, where emergency crews searched rubble for casualties. (AP)
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Updated 09 July 2024
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Russian missiles kill 37 in Ukraine, gut Kyiv children’s hospital

Russian missiles kill 37 in Ukraine, gut Kyiv children’s hospital
  • President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched dozens of missiles toward five towns and cities in southern and eastern Ukraine as well as the capital
  • At least 37 people were killed, including three children, with more than 170 wounded, Zelensky sai

Kyiv: Russia attacked cities across Ukraine on Monday with a missile barrage that killed more than three dozen people and ripped open a children’s hospital in Kyiv, an assault condemned as a ruthless attack on civilians.
Dozens of volunteers including hospital staff and rescue workers dug through debris from the Okhmatdyt paediatric hospital in a desperate search for survivors after the rare day-time bombardment, AFP journalists on the scene saw.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched dozens of missiles toward five towns and cities in southern and eastern Ukraine as well as the capital.
At least 37 people were killed, including three children, with more than 170 wounded, Zelensky said.
The strikes damaged nearly 100 buildings, including multiple schools and a maternity hospital, he added.
The air force said air defense systems downed 30 projectiles.
“It is necessary to shoot down Russian missiles. It is necessary to destroy the Russian combat aircraft on its bases. It is necessary to take strong steps that will not leave any security deficit,” Zelensky said ahead of a NATO summit where arming Ukraine’s air defenses is expected to top the agenda.
Zelensky called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council over the barrage and urged Ukraine’s allies to deliver “a stronger response” to Russia’s attack.
Following the strikes, US President Joe Biden on Monday promised “new measures” to boost Ukraine’s air defenses.
“Together with our allies, we will be announcing new measures to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses to help protect their cities and civilians from Russian strikes,” Biden said.
UN rights chief Volker Turk condemned the “abominable” Russian strikes, while the body’s chief Antonio Guterres said attacking medical facilities was “particularly shocking,” according to his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
The United States denounced “another savage missile attack on civilians,” while the European Union slammed Moscow for its “ruthless” actions.
France’s foreign ministry called the bombardment of a children’s hospital “barbaric,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the attack as “abhorrent” and Japan’s government spokesman “strongly condemned” the strike.
Kyiv said the children’s hospital had been struck by a Russian cruise missile with components produced in NATO member countries and announced a day of mourning in the capital.
Russia hit back claiming the extensive missile damage in Kyiv was caused by Ukrainian air defense systems.
Moscow said its forces had struck their “intended targets,” which it added were only defense industry and military installations.
Medical staff acted quickly to move patients and personnel to the facility’s basement after air raid sirens rang out over Kyiv on Monday.
“For some reason, we always thought that Okhmatdyt was protected,” said Nina, a 68-year-old hospital employee.
“We were 100 percent sure that they would not hit here,” she told AFP, describing the frantic rush as staff moved children with IV drips to the bunker.
Officials said the attack had also damaged several residential buildings and an office block in Kyiv where AFP reporters saw cars on fire and shredded trees in charred courtyards.
DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, said three of its electrical substations had been destroyed or damaged in Kyiv. Russian strikes on electricity infrastructure have already halved Ukrainian generation capacity in recent weeks compared to one year ago.
Russian forces have repeatedly targeted the capital with massive barrages since invading Ukraine in February 2022, and the last major attack on Kyiv with drones and missiles was last month.
The emergency services said 22 people were killed in Kyiv on Monday, including at both medical facilities hit in the attack, and that another 72 had been wounded.
In Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rig, which has been repeatedly targeted by Russian bombardment, the strikes killed at least 10 and wounded more than 41, officials there said.
In Dnipro, a city of around one million people in the same region, one person was killed and six more were wounded, the region’s governor said, when a high-rise residential building and petrol station were hit.
And in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russian forces have taken a string of villages in recent weeks, the regional governor said three people were killed in Pokrovsk — a town that had a pre-war population of around 60,000 people.
“This shelling targeted civilians, hit infrastructure, and the whole world should see today the consequences of terror, which can only be responded to by force,” the head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, wrote on social media.
Zelensky and other officials in Kyiv have been urging Ukraine’s allies to send more air defense systems, including Patriots, to help fend off deadly Russian aerial bombardment.
“Russia cannot claim ignorance of where its missiles are flying and must be held fully accountable for all its crimes,” Zelensky said in another post on social media.


Faith in every shell: Karachi’s Hindu artisan honors Islamic art through seashell creations

Faith in every shell: Karachi’s Hindu artisan honors Islamic art through seashell creations
Updated 25 sec ago
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Faith in every shell: Karachi’s Hindu artisan honors Islamic art through seashell creations

Faith in every shell: Karachi’s Hindu artisan honors Islamic art through seashell creations
  • Babu Lal, 64, picks seashells and inscribes them with sacred Islamic names and verses
  • Nearly 300 Hindu families in Karachi have kept seashell art tradition alive since before 1947

KARACHI: In a modest home situated in one of the narrow streets of a portside slum in the Pakistani megacity of Karachi, a 64-year-old artisan gently picked up a seashell, wiped it clean and began to inscribe it in ink with the names of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
With careful strokes, he transformed the shell into a delicate showpiece, destined for display in upscale shops in Clifton and, eventually, homes across Pakistan. The piece is special, and so is the maker: Babu Lal, a Hindu by faith.
Hindus make up 2.14 percent of Pakistan’s population, according to the 2017 census, with a majority of them living in the southern Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital. In many areas of Sindh, Hindus and Muslims have historically coexisted, though reports of discrimination and violence, such as forced conversions of Hindu girls, blasphemy accusations and land grabs, have increased in recent decades, drawing concern from human rights groups.
And yet, in Karachi’s coastal area of Ibrahim Haideri — along with parts of the Qur'angi and Clifton neighborhoods — nearly 300 Hindu families have kept this seashell art tradition alive, passing it down through generations since well before the country’s independence in 1947.
“Our art teaches respect for all religions, and we work for all religions,” Lal told Arab News, his weathered hands working on a shell.
“We first bring shells from the sea, then clean and wash them, and after that, we make art products from them and supply them to the market,” he said. “All the hard work and labor in this process is done by hand. There is no machine work involved.”

Babu Lal gestures during an interview with Arab News in Karachi on March 26, 2025. A dedicated artisan, he is among nearly 300 Hindu families in Karachi preserving the centuries-old tradition of seashell art, inscribing sacred Islamic names and verses by hand. (AN Photo)

Lal’s creations include a wide range of items from keychains and glass ornaments to frames bearing sacred names and miniature replicas of the Holy Kaaba, among the most sought-after items in the market.
“While making these items, we take extra care in cleaning and handling them,” he said. “We do all this work quite carefully.”
UNCERTAIN FUTURE
Lal’s journey as an artisan began in childhood when he learned the trade by watching his father and grandfather at work over half a century ago.
But the future of the craft is now uncertain, due to a lack of institutional support and limited opportunities for artisans like himself. This has discouraged him from passing the craft on to his children.
Another problem, according to Lal, was that stalls set up by local artisans were now frequently dismantled and once busy sales spots for artists, including popular areas along the Clifton seafront and Manora, had been closed off in recent years.
“They no longer allow us to set up stalls there so what can we do?” the artist asked. “That’s why we want to stop this work. If you’ve seen the stalls at Clifton’s Sea View, those have also been shut down.”

This photo, taken on March 26, 2025, shows art pieces created by Babu Lal in Karachi. (AN Photo)

Despite these challenges, shopkeepers like Gul Sher Abbasi acknowledge Lal’s dedication and craftsmanship.
“These items mostly come from Babu,” Abbasi told Arab News. “Then, there are different people who manufacture and we get them as well.”
“Handcrafted items are something different,” he added. “The things that are made by hand are special. There is a different pleasure in preparing those things.”
Abbasi said the seashells’ craft held potential beyond Pakistan’s borders and with the right support, Lal’s handmade items could find buyers in Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Meanwhile, Lal said his art extended across religious lines, with orders coming in for Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities alike.
“We work for everyone, and we also make things based on specific orders,” he said. “If someone orders us to make an idol, we make it. If someone orders a cross, we make it.”


Pakistan PM extends greetings to UAE and Iranian leaders on Eid Al-Fitr

Pakistan PM extends greetings to UAE and Iranian leaders on Eid Al-Fitr
Updated 15 min 55 sec ago
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Pakistan PM extends greetings to UAE and Iranian leaders on Eid Al-Fitr

Pakistan PM extends greetings to UAE and Iranian leaders on Eid Al-Fitr
  • Shehbaz Sharif acknowledges UAE’s longstanding support to Pakistan, seek stronger economic ties
  • The prime minister also calls for closer cooperation with Iran to deal with border security challenges

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reached out to the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Iran to extend Eid Al-Fitr greetings on Monday, highlighting Pakistan’s close ties with the two countries and calling for continued collaboration in areas of mutual interest.
Sharif has contacted the top leadership of several Muslim-majority nations since the end of Ramadan, including Gulf states, Malaysia and Bangladesh, in a diplomatic outreach that coincides with Pakistan’s efforts to attract foreign investment to bolster its struggling economy.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Sharif held “a warm and cordial telephone conversation” with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“The Prime Minister fondly recalled his recent meeting with the UAE President in Abu Dhabi last month and reaffirmed his strong resolve to transform the existing Pakistan-U.A.E. ties into a mutually beneficial economic partnership,” his office said in a statement. “He also expressed Pakistan’s deep appreciation for U.A.E.’s longstanding and steadfast support to Pakistan.”
The UAE president reciprocated the Eid greetings and reiterated his country’s “unwavering support for Pakistan’s economic and development initiatives,” while stressing the importance of continued collaboration across various fields.
Sharif also spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and extended Eid greetings to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and its people.
“The Prime Minister said that Pakistan and Iran enjoyed deep fraternal relations and, as neighboring countries, they could benefit from enhanced trade,” a separate statement said. “At the same time, they also needed to cooperate more closely to deal with challenges such as border security.”
The Pakistan-Iran border has long been a source of concern, with both sides grappling with smuggling networks, cross-border militant activity and recent flare-ups in tensions involving missile and drone attacks last year.


India forecasters warn abnormally hot summer looms

India forecasters warn abnormally hot summer looms
Updated 16 min 1 sec ago
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India forecasters warn abnormally hot summer looms

India forecasters warn abnormally hot summer looms
  • India usually experiences four to seven heatwave days between April and June
  • India sweltered through its longest-ever heatwave last year

NEW DELHI: India can expect hotter-than-usual temperatures this summer with more heatwave days taking a toll on lives and livelihoods, the weather office warned.
The country is no stranger to scorching summers but years of scientific research has found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense.
Summer in India lasts from April to June, when temperatures often soar past 45° Celsius (113° Fahrenheit) at the season’s peak.
This year, the hot weather season will see “above-normal” maximum temperatures over most parts of the country, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a forecast late Monday.
The number of heatwave days, when abnormally high temperatures several degrees above the long-term average are recorded, will also increase.
“Up to 10 heatwave days or even more can be expected, especially over east India,” leading to heat stress, weather bureau boss Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told reporters.
India usually experiences four to seven heatwave days between April and June.
Infants, the elderly, people with health problems and outdoor workers are particularly vulnerable to hotter temperatures.
The resulting heat stress can cause symptoms ranging from dizziness and headaches to organ failure and death.
City dwellers surrounded by concrete, brick and other heat-absorbing surfaces also face an elevated risk.
Prolonged periods of extreme heat can also strain infrastructure such as power grids and transportation systems.
The IMD said heat action plans must be devised to address those challenges.
“This includes providing access to cooling centers, issuing heat advisories, and implementing strategies to alleviate urban heat island effects in affected areas,” it said.
India sweltered through its longest-ever heatwave last year, with temperatures regularly passing 45° Celsius.
The World Health Organization has calculated that heat kills a minimum of half a million people every year, but warns the real figure could be up to 30 times higher.


South Korea’s Constitutional Court to issue ruling on Yoon Suk Yeol impeachment on Friday

South Korea’s Constitutional Court to issue ruling on Yoon Suk Yeol impeachment on Friday
Updated 01 April 2025
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South Korea’s Constitutional Court to issue ruling on Yoon Suk Yeol impeachment on Friday

South Korea’s Constitutional Court to issue ruling on Yoon Suk Yeol impeachment on Friday
  • Yoon’s December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule plunged South Korea into political chaos
  • Lawmakers defied the troops to vote the measure down and impeached Yoon soon after

SEOUL: South Korea’s Constitutional Court will issue its long-awaited ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment Friday, months after he was suspended for declaring martial law.
Yoon’s December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule plunged South Korea into political chaos, after he sent armed soldiers into parliament.
Lawmakers defied the troops to vote the measure down and impeached Yoon soon after, but the months of political instability have hit South Korea’s economy and left the country in leadership limbo, even as US President Donald Trump targets the region with tariffs.
The court has held weeks of impeachment hearings to determine whether to officially remove Yoon from office, and then took weeks to deliberate on the case, giving rise to a surge in speculation with some suggesting the justices must be experiencing intense disagreements.
“The president’s impeachment case verdict will be on April 4, 2025 at the Constitutional Court,” the court said in a statement Tuesday.
For Yoon to be removed from office, at least six of the court’s eight justices must vote in favor. Confirmation of his impeachment would trigger elections which must be held within 60 days.
Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans have been rallying for and against Yoon every weekend in central Seoul.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, was detained in January on insurrection charges but was released in early March on procedural grounds. He has remained defiant throughout and blamed a “malicious” opposition.
He is also the first sitting South Korean president to stand trial in a criminal case, facing charges of insurrection over the martial law bid.
“After four long months of waiting, the Constitutional Court has finally responded to the people,” the opposition Democratic Party’s spokesperson said.
“We believe the Court will demonstrate its firm resolve to defend the constitutional order and founding principles of the Republic of Korea by removing Yoon Suk Yeol, the insurrectionist, from office.”
Yoon’s party said it welcomed the court’s move to issue a ruling, saying it hoped the verdict would be “fair and impartial” and would not lead to further social unrest.
The People Power Party “will respect and accept the court’s decision, and after the ruling, both the ruling and opposition parties... must take the lead in easing public divisions and promoting national unity,” Kweon Seong-dong PPP party floor leader said.
If the Constitutional Court decides to formally dismiss the president, it would trigger elections, which opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is currently frontrunner to win.
An appeals court last week overturned an election law conviction against Lee, potentially clearing the way for him to mount a presidential campaign.
But if it is reinstated on appeal before the election, he will be stripped of his parliamentary seat and barred from running for office for five years, including the next presidential vote.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said the ruling on Lee may have appeared “to many Koreans to be reading the political tea leaves.”
“This is the judiciary trying to unwind the lawfare of the past three years to allow South Korea’s political crisis to be resolved by an election rather than by the courts.”
In a separate case, the Constitutional Court last week dismissed the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reinstating him as acting president – a role he took after the president was suspended for declaring martial law.
Experts said the ruling did not have a direct legal correlation with the pending decision on Yoon’s impeachment, as it was not focused on the legality of martial law itself.


Yemen’s Houthis claim they shot down another American drone as US strikes pound country

Yemen’s Houthis claim they shot down another American drone as US strikes pound country
Updated 01 April 2025
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Yemen’s Houthis claim they shot down another American drone as US strikes pound country

Yemen’s Houthis claim they shot down another American drone as US strikes pound country
  • The reported shootdown over Yemen’s contested Marib governorate came as airstrikes hit around Sanaa and Saada
  • The US military acknowledged to The Associated Press being aware of reports of the downing of a Reaper

DUBAI: Yemen’s Houthi militia claimed Tuesday that they shot down another American MQ-9 Reaper drone, even as the US kept up its campaign of intense airstrikes targeting the group.
The reported shootdown over Yemen’s contested Marib governorate came as airstrikes hit around Sanaa, the country’s militia-held capital, and Saada, a stronghold for the Houthis.
US President Donald Trump issued a new warning to both the Houthis and their main benefactor, Iran, describing the group as having “been decimated” by the campaign of strikes that began March 15.
“Many of their Fighters and Leaders are no longer with us,” Trump wrote on his social media website Truth Social. “We hit them every day and night — Harder and harder. Their capabilities that threaten Shipping and the Region are rapidly being destroyed. Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to Freedom of Navigation.”
He added: “The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran.”
Houthis claim they downed another US drone
The militia claimed to have felled a drone in Marib governorate, home to oil and gas fields still under the control of allies to Yemen’s exiled central government. Footage released on social media showed flames in the night, with a Yemeni man claiming a drone had been shot down.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, separately claimed downing the MQ-9 drone in a prerecorded video message.
Saree described the militia targeting the drone with “a suitable locally manufactured missile.” The Houthis have surface-to-air missiles — such as the Iranian missile known as the 358 — capable of downing aircraft.
Iran denies arming the militia, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in sea shipments heading to Yemen for the Shiite Houthi militia despite a United Nations arms embargo.
The US military acknowledged to The Associated Press being aware of reports of the downing of a Reaper, but declined to comment further.
General Atomics Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes over 40,000 feet (12,100 meters) and remain in the air for over 30 hours. The aircraft have been flown by both the US military and the CIA for years over Afghanistan, Iraq and now Yemen.
The Houthis claim they’ve shot down 20 MQ-9s over the country over the years, with 16 downed during the militia’ campaign over the Israel-Hamas war. The US military hasn’t acknowledged the total number of the drones it has lost there.
Intense US bombings began March 15
An Associated Press review has found the new American operation against the Houthis under Trump appears more extensive than those under former President Joe Biden, as the US moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities.
The new campaign of airstrikes, which the Houthis now say have killed at least 61 people, started after the militia threatened to begin targeting “Israeli” ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip. The militia have loosely defined what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning many vessels could be targeted.
The Houthis targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors from November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting American warships, though none has been hit so far.
The attacks greatly raised the Houthis’ profile as they faced economic problems and launched a crackdown targeting dissent and aid workers at home amid Yemen’s decade-long stalemated war, which has torn apart the Arab world’s poorest nation.