Russian missile hits educational institution, kills five in Odesa
ODESA, Ukraine (Reuters) -A Russian missile attack on an educational institution in a popular seafront park in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa on Monday killed at least five people and injured 32, local officials said. Regional governor Oleh Kiper, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said that in addition to those killed in the attack, one man died after suffering a stroke attributed to the strike. Kiper said eight of the injured were in serious condition, including a 4-year-old child. Among the injured were another child and a pregnant woman.
Philippines accuses China of damaging its vessels in S China Sea
BEIJING/MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines on Tuesday accused China’s coast guard of harassment and of damaging two of its boats in a disputed area of the South China Sea, rejecting Beijing’s position that it had expelled those vessels from the hotly contested shoal. The Philippines’ task force on South China Sea issues said a coast guard ship and a fisheries vessel were damaged by water cannons used by Chinese coast guard ships, as the vessels headed to Scarborough shoal to assist Filipino fishermen in the area. The fisheries vessel was rammed thrice both by the Chinese coast guard and maritime vessels, the task force said.
Indonesia’s Ruang volcano erupts, more than 12K people evacuated
JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesia’s Ruang volcano erupted on Tuesday, spewing lava as lightning flashes lit up its crater, prompting authorities to raise the alert status and evacuate more than 12,000 people living on a nearby island. The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) had warned the residents of Tagulandang island that a tsunami could be triggered by volcanic material collapsing into the ocean. The warning, issued on Tuesday morning, remained in placed as of the afternoon.
Meta in EU’s crosshairs for election disinformation
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Meta Platforms’ Facebook and Instagram have failed to tackle deceptive advertising and disinformation in the run-up to European Parliament elections, the European Commission said on Tuesday as it opened an investigation into suspected breaches of EU online content rules. The move by EU tech regulators came amid concerns about Russia, China and Iran as potential sources of disinformation, but also inside the EU, with some political parties and organisations seeking to attract voters with lies in the June 6-9 vote to select the next five-year parliament. The Digital Services Act which kicked in last year requires Big Tech to do more to counter illegal and harmful content on their platforms or risk fines of as much 6% of their global annual turnover.
Haiti presidential council picks leader, next prime minister
(TNS) — A former presidential candidate and head of the Senate was selected Tuesday to head Haiti’s new nine-member transitional presidential council in a deal that also designated a former minister of public works as Haiti’s next prime minister. Edgard Leblanc Fils, 68, was named president of the transitional presidential council shortly before noon and nearly two hours behind a scheduled vote, following an agreement between the majority of the panel’s seven voting members. The same majority then selected Fritz Bélizaire, a one-time minister of public works, as prime minister to replace the outgoing Ariel Henry.