World

(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Jun 28, 8:17 am
Russian forces in Ukraine ‘are increasingly hollowed out,’ UK says

Ukrainian forces are still consolidating their positions on higher ground in the eastern city of Lyschansak after falling back from nearby Sieverodonetsk, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Tuesday in an intelligence update.

“Ukrainian forces continue to disrupt Russian command and control with successful strikes deep behind Russian lines,” the ministry added.

According to the ministry, Russian forces over the weekend “launched unusually intense waves of strikes across Ukraine using long-range missiles.”

“These weapons highly likely included the Soviet-era AS-4 KITCHEN and more modern AS-23a KODIAK missiles, fired from both Belarusian and Russian airspace,” the ministry said. “These weapons were designed to take on targets of strategic importance, but Russia continues to expend them in large numbers for tactical advantage. Similarly, it fielded the core elements of six different armies yet achieved only tactical success at Sieverodonetsk.”

“The Russian armed forces are increasingly hollowed out,” the ministry added. “They currently accept a level of degraded combat effectiveness, which is probably unsustainable in the long term.

Jun 28, 6:22 am
Death toll from mall strike rises to 18

The death toll from a Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian shopping mall continued to rise Tuesday as rescuers sifted through the charred rubble.

Monday’s attack in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk killed at least 18 people and wounded 59 others, including 25 who remain hospitalized Tuesday, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. A day of mourning for the victims was declared Tuesday in the wider Poltava Oblast.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday in his nightly address that more than 1,000 shoppers and workers were inside the mall during the afternoon attack and that it will take time to “establish the number of victims.” He condemned the incident as “one of the most daring terrorist attacks in European history.”

Jun 28, 5:49 am
Ukraine joining NATO could lead to WWIII, Russia warns

Russia warned Tuesday that Ukraine joining NATO could lead to World War III should Kyiv then attempt to encroach on the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.

“Crimea is a part of Russia for us. And that means forever,” Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview Tuesday with Russian newspaper Argumenty i Fakty. “Any attempt to encroach on Crimea is a declaration of war against our country. If a NATO member country does so, this would mean a conflict with the North Atlantic Alliance. The World War III. A complete catastrophe.”

“Ukraine within NATO is far more dangerous for our country [than Sweden and Finland],” he added. “And this is linked to what [Russian] President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly spoken about: the presence of unresolved territorial disputes, as well as the difference in understanding of the regions’ status.”

Although Moscow is not opposed to Sweden and Finland joining the military alliance, Russia will still have to reinforce its borders in this case, according to Medvedev.

“Accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO will not pose any new threats to us,” he told Argumenty i Fakty. “If they feel better and calmer by joining the alliance, then so be it. Even without them, without Sweden and Finland, NATO is close to our country.”

“Should this enlargement of NATO happen, the length of its land borders with Russia will more than double. And we will have to strengthen these borders,” he added. “The Baltic region’s non-nuclear status will become a thing of the past, the group of land and naval forces in the northern sector will be seriously increased. No one is happy with it. Nor are the citizens of these two NATO candidate countries.”

Jun 27, 6:42 pm
Zelenskyy calls mall attack one of ‘the most defiant terrorist attack in European history’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lashed out against Russian forces in a recorded speech Monday hours after a missile struck a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, calling the attack “one of the most defiant terrorist attacks in European history.”

“Only totally insane terrorists, who should have no place on earth, can strike missiles at such an object. And this is not an off-target missile strike, this is a calculated Russian strike — exactly at this shopping mall,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president said the rescue and salvage efforts were still ongoing.

Ukraine’s Emergency Service reported that 15 people were killed and 59 were injured in the attack as of Monday evening.

“We must be aware that the losses may be significant,” Zelenskyy said.

-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou

Jun 27, 5:36 pm
G-7 leaders ‘condemn’ Russian military strike on mall

G-7 leaders released a statement condemning Russia’s missile strike on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, saying it constitutes a war crime and that President Vladimir Putin “and those responsible will be held to account.”

“We stand united with Ukraine in mourning the innocent victims of this brutal attack,” they said.

The summit began in Germany on Sunday with a heavy focus on the invasion of Ukraine, and the group announced more steps to try and stop Putin from funding his war.

“Today, we underlined our unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian aggression, an unjustified war of choice that has been raging for 124 days. We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian as well as military support for Ukraine, for as long as it takes. We will not rest until Russia ends its cruel and senseless war on Ukraine,” G-7 leaders said.

-ABC News’ Justin Gomez

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — China said it will cut its mandatory inbound quarantine by half on Tuesday in the nation’s first move to ease COVID-19 borders restrictions since March 2020. Overseas arrivals into China will now only need to quarantine for seven days at a government facility and then an additional three days in home isolation.

The new measures are down from what was previously 14 days in quarantine and then an additional seven days of home isolation.

The concession from China’s National Health Commission comes days after Shanghai Party Secretary Li Qiang declared victory over COVID-19 over the weekend saying that they “won the war to defend Shanghai” after emerging from months of a bruising lockdown.

The omicron wave that hit China, especially Shanghai and Beijing, during the spring has ebbed and the entire country recorded just one local symptomatic transmission on Monday while zero cases were detected in Shanghai and Beijing for the first time in months.

Chinese health authorities warned, however, the announcement did not mean China was changing course on their zero-COVID goal, but that it was merely responding to the shorter incubation time of the omicron variants in circulation.

“It’s absolutely not loosening up, but a more scientific and targeted approach,” said Lei Zhenglong, an NHC official told the pressing in a briefing Tuesday afternoon.

China remains the largest outlier in the world in terms of COVID restrictions as neighboring countries have either dropped testing requirements or completely reopened.

The country still maintains one of the strictest border measures against COVID-19 in the world as China is still adamant in striving for zero-COVID.

Nevertheless, the easing of measures was greeted with enthusiasm by the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock markets, both of which rallied nearly a percentage point after the news.

Tuesday’s announcement also relaxed isolation measures for close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases to seven days of home quarantine instead of having to isolate at a government facility.

China’s other domestic zero-COVID measures have not changed which requires people who test positive need to be sent to government quarantine and to test negative every 48 to 72 hours to access most public places and public transportation.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Jun 28, 8:17 am
Russian forces in Ukraine ‘are increasingly hollowed out,’ UK says

Ukrainian forces are still consolidating their positions on higher ground in the eastern city of Lyschansak after falling back from nearby Sieverodonetsk, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Tuesday in an intelligence update.

“Ukrainian forces continue to disrupt Russian command and control with successful strikes deep behind Russian lines,” the ministry added.

According to the ministry, Russian forces over the weekend “launched unusually intense waves of strikes across Ukraine using long-range missiles.”

“These weapons highly likely included the Soviet-era AS-4 KITCHEN and more modern AS-23a KODIAK missiles, fired from both Belarusian and Russian airspace,” the ministry said. “These weapons were designed to take on targets of strategic importance, but Russia continues to expend them in large numbers for tactical advantage. Similarly, it fielded the core elements of six different armies yet achieved only tactical success at Sieverodonetsk.”

“The Russian armed forces are increasingly hollowed out,” the ministry added. “They currently accept a level of degraded combat effectiveness, which is probably unsustainable in the long term.

Jun 28, 6:22 am
Death toll from mall strike rises to 18

The death toll from a Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian shopping mall continued to rise Tuesday as rescuers sifted through the charred rubble.

Monday’s attack in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk killed at least 18 people and wounded 59 others, including 25 who remain hospitalized Tuesday, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. A day of mourning for the victims was declared Tuesday in the wider Poltava Oblast.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday in his nightly address that more than 1,000 shoppers and workers were inside the mall during the afternoon attack and that it will take time to “establish the number of victims.” He condemned the incident as “one of the most daring terrorist attacks in European history.”

Jun 28, 5:49 am
Ukraine joining NATO could lead to WWIII, Russia warns

Russia warned Tuesday that Ukraine joining NATO could lead to World War III should Kyiv then attempt to encroach on the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.

“Crimea is a part of Russia for us. And that means forever,” Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview Tuesday with Russian newspaper Argumenty i Fakty. “Any attempt to encroach on Crimea is a declaration of war against our country. If a NATO member country does so, this would mean a conflict with the North Atlantic Alliance. The World War III. A complete catastrophe.”

“Ukraine within NATO is far more dangerous for our country [than Sweden and Finland],” he added. “And this is linked to what [Russian] President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly spoken about: the presence of unresolved territorial disputes, as well as the difference in understanding of the regions’ status.”

Although Moscow is not opposed to Sweden and Finland joining the military alliance, Russia will still have to reinforce its borders in this case, according to Medvedev.

“Accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO will not pose any new threats to us,” he told Argumenty i Fakty. “If they feel better and calmer by joining the alliance, then so be it. Even without them, without Sweden and Finland, NATO is close to our country.”

“Should this enlargement of NATO happen, the length of its land borders with Russia will more than double. And we will have to strengthen these borders,” he added. “The Baltic region’s non-nuclear status will become a thing of the past, the group of land and naval forces in the northern sector will be seriously increased. No one is happy with it. Nor are the citizens of these two NATO candidate countries.”

Jun 27, 6:42 pm
Zelenskyy calls mall attack one of ‘the most defiant terrorist attack in European history’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lashed out against Russian forces in a recorded speech Monday hours after a missile struck a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, calling the attack “one of the most defiant terrorist attacks in European history.”

“Only totally insane terrorists, who should have no place on earth, can strike missiles at such an object. And this is not an off-target missile strike, this is a calculated Russian strike — exactly at this shopping mall,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president said the rescue and salvage efforts were still ongoing.

Ukraine’s Emergency Service reported that 15 people were killed and 59 were injured in the attack as of Monday evening.

“We must be aware that the losses may be significant,” Zelenskyy said.

-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou

Jun 27, 5:36 pm
G-7 leaders ‘condemn’ Russian military strike on mall

G-7 leaders released a statement condemning Russia’s missile strike on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, saying it constitutes a war crime and that President Vladimir Putin “and those responsible will be held to account.”

“We stand united with Ukraine in mourning the innocent victims of this brutal attack,” they said.

The summit began in Germany on Sunday with a heavy focus on the invasion of Ukraine, and the group announced more steps to try and stop Putin from funding his war.

“Today, we underlined our unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian aggression, an unjustified war of choice that has been raging for 124 days. We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian as well as military support for Ukraine, for as long as it takes. We will not rest until Russia ends its cruel and senseless war on Ukraine,” G-7 leaders said.

-ABC News’ Justin Gomez

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(ZEELAND, Netherlands) — A tornado tore through the Netherlands’ western province of Zeeland, killing one and wounding nine on Monday, according to regional emergency services.

A 73-year-old woman died, one person was taken to the hospital and eight others treated for injuries on site by ambulance personnel following the storm, which started in the center of the city of Zierikzee, authorities reported.

“This afternoon Zierikzee was unexpectedly hit by a very strong gust of wind. Unfortunately, someone died and several people were slightly injured. There is also extensive damage to homes and trees. Also, on behalf of the municipal council, my condolences go out in the first place to everyone affected by this,” Mayor Jack van der Hoek said in a statement.

Officials are in the process of inspecting the affected homes in the area, including a safety assessment for returning residents, regional authorities reported.

As of 4:46 p.m. on Monday, there were still a number of streets that had not been secured by officials, and authorities said the affected area is only available to residents due to safety concerns.

According to Telegraaf Netherlands, 10 to 20 rental homes in the area have been severely damaged and are temporarily uninhabitable.

Officials are working to provide housing accommodations for those who cannot yet return to their homes due to damage, officials said.

Douwe Ouwerkerk was at home for lunch when the storm ramped up.

“It felt like the room was being vacuumed, which was quite a strong sensation,” he told Telegraaf Netherlands.

Ouwerkerk added that he could see roof tiles, a garden pool and “something that looked like a tent” flying around outside of his home.

Zierikzee is home to about 10,000 people and is located about 87 miles southwest of Amsterdam.

According to the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), tornadoes are a rare occurrence for the country.

The last time someone died from a tornado in the Netherlands was in 1992.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Jun 27, 4:58 pm
13 dead in mall strike

At least 13 people were killed and more than 40 were hurt when a shopping mall was hit by missile strikes in the city of Kremenchuk in Ukraine’s central Poltava region, according to the governor of the Poltava Oblast, Dmytro Lunin.

Over 1,000 civilians were there at the time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Authorities have deployed forensic experts from Kyiv and war crimes investigators, National Police Chief Ihor Klymenko said.

Jun 27, 3:46 pm
Lysychansk hit by rocket artillery, 8 dead

Russians fired multiple rocket launchers on the city of Lysychansk in Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region, striking civilians who were collecting drinking water, according to Luhansk region governor Serhiy Haidai.

Eight have been killed and more than 20 are injured, Haidai said.

Jun 27, 2:41 pm
11 dead in mall strike

At least 11 people were killed and over 40 were hurt when a shopping mall was hit by missile strikes in the city of Kremenchuk in Ukraine’s central Poltava region, according to Ukraine Emergency Services.

Jun 27, 11:55 am
3 killed in Kharkiv shelling

Three people were killed and at least 15 were wounded in shelling in Kharkiv, according to Natalia Popova, adviser to the head of the Kharkiv Regional Council.

Children were among the victims, Popova said.

Jun 26, 3:32 pm
Ukrainian forces attack Russian controlled oil-drilling platform

A Russian controlled oil drilling platform in the Black Sea was targeted by Ukrainian shelling on Sunday, the second attack in a week, Russia’s state-run media outlet TASS reported.

A spokesperson for Crimea’s emergency services reported that no one was injured in the attack on the platform operated by the Chernomorneftegaz oil and gas company.

Russia-backed officials seized Chernomorneftegaz’s oil-drilling platforms from Ukraine’s national gas operator Naftogaz as part of Moscow’s annexation of the Crimea peninsula in 2014, according to Reuters.

This is the second attack in a week on the same Chernomorneftegaz oil-drilling platform.

On June 20, Ukrainian forces shelled the platform in the Black Sea, injuring three of the 109 people on the drilling rig at the time, according to Crimea officials. Seven people remain missing, the officials said.

More than 90 people were evacuated from the platform after the previous attack and 15 people had stayed behind to guard operations, Sergey Aksyonov, the governor of Russian-controlled Crimea.

Jun 26, 2:43 pm
250 civilians evacuated from Severodonetsk chemical plant

About 250 Ukrainian civilians have been evacuated from a chemical plant where they sought shelter in the besieged city of Severodonetsk in Eastern Ukraine, an official said.

Rodion Miroshnik, the Luhansk People’s Republic ambassador to Russia, said the civilians were evacuated safely from the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk.

“Servicemen of the LPR People’s Militia evacuated another about 250 people, including little children, from the premises of the Severodonetsk Azot plant,” Miroshnik said on social media Sunday.

He added that the evacuation came a day after about 200 civilians were evacuated from the chemical plant.

Following months of heavy fighting, Russian troops took complete control of the Severodonetski over the weekend, according to Oleksandr Striuk, chief of the city’s military administration.

Jun 26, 2:35 pm
1 killed, 6 injured in missile strike on Kyiv

One person was killed and six were injured, including a child, following a Russian missile strike Sunday in Ukraine’s capital city, officials said.

The Russian shelling of Kyiv struck a residential building in the city, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Klitschko said at least six people were injured in the attack, including a 7-year-old girl. He said the girl was undergoing surgery Sunday for non-life-threatening injuries.

Klitschko said the girl’s mother was also injured in the attack.

A missile strike occurred in the Shevchenkivskyi neighborhood, near central Kyiv, officials said.

Jun 26, 7:11 am
More of Russia’s ‘barbarism,’ Biden says of Kyiv strike

President Joe Biden on Sunday said Russia’s early morning missile strikes on Kyiv were an act of “barbarism.”

As Biden stood alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the official G7 welcome ceremony, ABC News’ Karen Travers asked if he had any reaction to the strikes on a residential neighborhood.

“Yes, it’s more of their barbarism,” Biden said.

A missile struck an apartment block in Shevchenkivskyi, near central Kyiv, on Sunday morning, killing at least one and trapping others in the rubble, local officials said.

-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky

Jun 26, 5:03 am
US to ban Russian gold imports

The Biden administration and other G7 leaders will announce on Sunday an import ban on Russian gold.

“This is a key export, a key source of revenue alternative for Russia, in terms of their ability to transact in the global financial system,” a senior administration official told reporters on a briefing call about the G7 summit in Germany. “Taking this step cuts off that capacity and again, is an ongoing illustration of the types of steps that the G7 can take collectively to continue to isolate Russia and cut it off from the global economy.”

The Treasury Department is expected to issue an official notice on Tuesday.

Gold is Russia’s second largest export after oil and a source of significant revenue, but much of Russia’s gold exportation has already been cut off in practice by banks, refiners and shippers. The move on Sunday marks an official severance of Russia from the world’s gold market.

The U.S. and U.K. are participating in Sunday’s announcement, but it is unclear whether all G7 countries will participate in the initiative. A Biden administration official tried to downplay concerns about potential disunity among G7 member states, pivoting instead to a talking point about efforts to cut off all financial pathways for Russia.

Pressed on whether Russia could continue to export gold by going through a country that does not participate in the ban, officials insisted the ban will be effective.

“We will continue to identify places where evasion as a risk continue to take steps to block off those pads,” an official said. “And the measuring gold in some ways is in fact, another step forward to block off ways that that Russia might seek to engage with the financial system, by virtue of all the other ways that have now been cut off to them.”

-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky

Jun 26, 3:30 am
Russian strike traps Kyiv woman in rubble

Emergency responders in Kyiv are working to free a woman from the top floor of a residential building that was hit by a Russian strike on Sunday morning.

An advisor to the minister of the interior told ABC News that the woman, who is in her 30s, is alive and trapped in the rubble.

At least one civilian was killed in Sunday’s strike, local officials said. At least one other, a young girl, was rescued from the building in Shevchenkivskyi, a central district a few moments from the historic center of the city.

-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge

Jun 26, 2:55 am
Missiles strike central Kyiv residential neighborhood

A series of Russian missiles struck a residential area of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sunday morning, local officials said.

“Friends! Search and rescue operations are underway in a residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district where a missile hit,” Mayo Vitaliy Klychko said on Telegram. “There are people under the rubble. Some residents were evacuated, two victims were hospitalized. Rescuers continue to work, medics are on site.”

At least one residential building appeared to have had sections of its facade sheared off, photos from the scene showed. Emergency responders could be seen working on the upper floors of the building as smoke rose into the morning sky.

“Several explosions in the Shevchenkivskyi district,” Klychko said. “Ambulance crews and rescuers on the spot. Residents are being rescued and evacuated in two houses.”

At least one missile was shot down by Ukrainian air defenses, Oleksiy Kuleba, head of the Kyiv regional administration, said on Telegram.

“The remains of the missile fell on the outskirts of one of the villages in the area,” Kuleba said.

-ABC News’ Natalia Kushnir

Jun 24, 9:01 am
Ukrainian forces to retreat from Severodonetsk

Ukrainian forces plan to retreat from the city of Severodonetsk, following weeks of fighting.

The local governor said Friday morning “it doesn’t make sense” to hold onto the city and “the number of people killed will increase every day,” in a statement on Telegram.

The city has faced a heavy bombardment of rockets and street-to-street fighting between Ukrainian and Russia troops for weeks.

Ukrainian officials said nearly 90% of buildings in Severodonetsk have been destroyed.

It’s believed 8,000 civilians remain. At one point, hundreds of civilians sheltered in a chemical plant.

-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti

Jun 23, 2:58 pm
Ukraine granted candidate status for EU membership

The European Council has granted Ukraine and Moldova candidate status for EU membership, European Council President Charles Michel tweeted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the announcement on Twitter, calling it a “unique and historical moment,” adding, “Ukraine’s future is within the EU.”

It could take years for Ukraine to become an EU member. Five other countries that have been granted candidate status are currently negotiating their EU membership: Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(EL ESPINAL, Colombia) — At least four people have died and dozens were injured after an accident occurred at the venue of a bullfight in Colombia.

The spectators were watching the bullfight in El Espinal, Colombia — about 100 miles southwest of Bogota — on Sunday when several stands collapsed, the Tolima Civil Defense told ABC News.

In addition to the four people who died, about 60 people were treated on-site for minor injuries, while another 10 were transferred to local hospitals.

It is unclear what caused the stands to collapse.

Additional information was not immediately available.

The ethics surrounding bullfighting, which involves killing the bull at the end of the contest, has come into question in recent years. While the practice is customary in many Spanish-speaking countries, a judge in Mexico City extended a ban on bullfighting indefinitely earlier this month over complaints that bullfights violated resident’s rights to a healthy environment free from violence, The Associated Press reported.

While four states in Mexico have already banned bullfighting, a ban in Mexico City could mark the end of nearly 500 years of bullfighting in Mexico and could threaten the practice internationally, The AP reported.

ABC New’s Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(EAST LONDON, South Africa) — At least 22 people were found dead in a South African tavern early on Sunday morning, officials said.

The South African Police Service said they were found dead inside a local tavern in Scenery Park in the area of East London, according to Police Spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said.

“We received this report in the early hours of this morning. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation,” Kinana said. “We do not want to make any speculation at this stage as our investigations are continuing.”

Police responded to the Enyobeni Tavern at about 4 a.m. local time, Kinana said, and were combing the scene for evidence midday. Scenery Park is in East London, a city in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province.

Kinana said the dead were between up to 20 years old.

The youngest victim was 13, South African Police Service Spokesperson Col. Athlenda Mathe told reporters.

ABC News’ Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(KRUN, Germany) — The Group of Seven nations on Sunday began rolling out a global infrastructure initiative in a bid, as they described it, to promote “stability” and improve conditions in developing and middle-income countries around the globe.

The Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment plans on disbursing $600 billion by 2027 in infrastructure investments, with President Joe Biden announcing the U.S. alone would aim to spend $200 billion in public and private partnerships.

Biden and other world leaders, speaking in Germany’s Bavarian Alps, cast the investments as “critical” amid crises on multiple fronts, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, an energy crunch fueled in part by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and more.

“These strategic investments are in areas critical to sustainable development and to our shared global stability: health and health security, digital connectivity, gender equality and equity, climate and energy security,” Biden said.

“We need a worldwide effort to invest in transformative clean energy projects to ensure that critical infrastructures resilient to changing climate. Critical materials that are necessary for clean energy transition, including production of batteries, need to be developed with high standards for labor and environment,” he added.

The G-7 announcement comes as the alliance looks to lay down markers of tangible investments and accomplishments at a time when China and Russia are looking to make inroads elsewhere.

China has become increasingly involved in Africa and Latin America, investing hefty sums in building roads, bridges and more in an aggressive diplomatic effort on both continents.

In his remarks on Sunday, Biden directly contrasted the new announcement with what China has done, emphasizing that the G-7’s investments will be based on “shared values,” a signal to nations that it’s in their benefit to align with the U.S. and others compared with China.

“What we’re doing is fundamentally different because it’s grounded on our shared values of all those representing the countries and organizations behind me. It’s built using the global best practices: transparency, partnership, protections for labor and the environment,” he said.

He said the infrastructure program was not “aid or charity,” but instead “an investment that will deliver returns for everyone, including the American people and people of all” nations.

“It’ll boost all of our economies, and it’s a chance for us to share our positive vision for the future …. Because when democracies demonstrate what we can do, all that we have to offer, I have no doubt that will win the competition, every time,” he said.

The investments in energy and climate infrastructure have taken on heightened on importance both as nations race to combat climate change’s effects and make themselves less reliant on countries like Russia for oil and natural gas — a dependency that has hindered the response to Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

There was no question-and-answer session at the end of the G-7 announcement, but when one reporter shouted a question, it was about whether the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade had come up in meetings.

“What decision?” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen could be heard asking as she walked off stage.

ABC News’ Justin Gomez contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.

The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Jun 26, 3:32 pm
Ukrainian forces attack Russian controlled oil-drilling platform

A Russian controlled oil drilling platform in the Black Sea was targeted by Ukrainian shelling on Sunday, the second attack in a week, Russia’s state-run media outlet TASS reported.

A spokesperson for Crimea’s emergency services reported that no one was injured in the attack on the platform operated by the Chernomorneftegaz oil and gas company.

Russia-backed officials seized Chernomorneftegaz’s oil-drilling platforms from Ukraine’s national gas operator Naftogaz as part of Moscow’s annexation of the Crimea peninsula in 2014, according to Reuters.

This is the second attack in a week on the same Chernomorneftegaz oil-drilling platform.

On June 20, Ukrainian forces shelled the platform in the Black Sea, injuring three of the 109 people on the drilling rig at the time, according to Crimea officials. Seven people remain missing, the officials said.

More than 90 people were evacuated from the platform after the previous attack and 15 people had stayed behind to guard operations, Sergey Aksyonov, the governor of Russian-controlled Crimea.

Jun 26, 2:43 pm
250 civilians evacuated from Severodonetsk chemical plant

About 250 Ukrainian civilians have been evacuated from a chemical plant where they sought shelter in the besieged city of Severodonetsk in Eastern Ukraine, an official said.

Rodion Miroshnik, the Luhansk People’s Republic ambassador to Russia, said the civilians were evacuated safely from the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk.

“Servicemen of the LPR People’s Militia evacuated another about 250 people, including little children, from the premises of the Severodonetsk Azot plant,” Miroshnik said on social media Sunday.

He added that the evacuation came a day after about 200 civilians were evacuated from the chemical plant.

Following months of heavy fighting, Russian troops took complete control of the Severodonetski over the weekend, according to Oleksandr Striuk, chief of the city’s military administration.

Jun 26, 2:35 pm
1 killed, 6 injured in missile strike on Kyiv

One person was killed and six were injured, including a child, following a Russian missile strike Sunday in Ukraine’s capital city, officials said.

The Russian shelling of Kyiv struck a residential building in the city, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Klitschko said at least six people were injured in the attack, including a 7-year-old girl. He said the girl was undergoing surgery Sunday for non-life-threatening injuries.

Klitschko said the girl’s mother was also injured in the attack.

A missile strike occurred in the Shevchenkivskyi neighborhood, near central Kyiv, officials said.

Jun 26, 7:11 am
More of Russia’s ‘barbarism,’ Biden says of Kyiv strike

President Joe Biden on Sunday said Russia’s early morning missile strikes on Kyiv were an act of “barbarism.”

As Biden stood alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the official G7 welcome ceremony, ABC News’ Karen Travers asked if he had any reaction to the strikes on a residential neighborhood.

“Yes, it’s more of their barbarism,” Biden said.

A missile struck an apartment block in Shevchenkivskyi, near central Kyiv, on Sunday morning, killing at least one and trapping others in the rubble, local officials said.

-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky

Jun 26, 5:03 am
US to ban Russian gold imports

The Biden administration and other G7 leaders will announce on Sunday an import ban on Russian gold.

“This is a key export, a key source of revenue alternative for Russia, in terms of their ability to transact in the global financial system,” a senior administration official told reporters on a briefing call about the G7 summit in Germany. “Taking this step cuts off that capacity and again, is an ongoing illustration of the types of steps that the G7 can take collectively to continue to isolate Russia and cut it off from the global economy.”

The Treasury Department is expected to issue an official notice on Tuesday.

Gold is Russia’s second largest export after oil and a source of significant revenue, but much of Russia’s gold exportation has already been cut off in practice by banks, refiners and shippers. The move on Sunday marks an official severance of Russia from the world’s gold market.

The U.S. and U.K. are participating in Sunday’s announcement, but it is unclear whether all G7 countries will participate in the initiative. A Biden administration official tried to downplay concerns about potential disunity among G7 member states, pivoting instead to a talking point about efforts to cut off all financial pathways for Russia.

Pressed on whether Russia could continue to export gold by going through a country that does not participate in the ban, officials insisted the ban will be effective.

“We will continue to identify places where evasion as a risk continue to take steps to block off those pads,” an official said. “And the measuring gold in some ways is in fact, another step forward to block off ways that that Russia might seek to engage with the financial system, by virtue of all the other ways that have now been cut off to them.”

-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky

Jun 26, 3:30 am
Russian strike traps Kyiv woman in rubble

Emergency responders in Kyiv are working to free a woman from the top floor of a residential building that was hit by a Russian strike on Sunday morning.

An advisor to the minister of the interior told ABC News that the woman, who is in her 30s, is alive and trapped in the rubble.

At least one civilian was killed in Sunday’s strike, local officials said. At least one other, a young girl, was rescued from the building in Shevchenkivskyi, a central district a few moments from the historic center of the city.

-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge

Jun 26, 2:55 am
Missiles strike central Kyiv residential neighborhood

A series of Russian missiles struck a residential area of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sunday morning, local officials said.

“Friends! Search and rescue operations are underway in a residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district where a missile hit,” Mayo Vitaliy Klychko said on Telegram. “There are people under the rubble. Some residents were evacuated, two victims were hospitalized. Rescuers continue to work, medics are on site.”

At least one residential building appeared to have had sections of its facade sheared off, photos from the scene showed. Emergency responders could be seen working on the upper floors of the building as smoke rose into the morning sky.

“Several explosions in the Shevchenkivskyi district,” Klychko said. “Ambulance crews and rescuers on the spot. Residents are being rescued and evacuated in two houses.”

At least one missile was shot down by Ukrainian air defenses, Oleksiy Kuleba, head of the Kyiv regional administration, said on Telegram.

“The remains of the missile fell on the outskirts of one of the villages in the area,” Kuleba said.

-ABC News’ Natalia Kushnir

Jun 24, 9:01 am
Ukrainian forces to retreat from Severodonetsk

Ukrainian forces plan to retreat from the city of Severodonetsk, following weeks of fighting.

The local governor said Friday morning “it doesn’t make sense” to hold onto the city and “the number of people killed will increase every day,” in a statement on Telegram.

The city has faced a heavy bombardment of rockets and street-to-street fighting between Ukrainian and Russia troops for weeks.

Ukrainian officials said nearly 90% of buildings in Severodonetsk have been destroyed.

It’s believed 8,000 civilians remain. At one point, hundreds of civilians sheltered in a chemical plant.

-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti

Jun 23, 2:58 pm
Ukraine granted candidate status for EU membership

The European Council has granted Ukraine and Moldova candidate status for EU membership, European Council President Charles Michel tweeted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the announcement on Twitter, calling it a “unique and historical moment,” adding, “Ukraine’s future is within the EU.”

It could take years for Ukraine to become an EU member. Five other countries that have been granted candidate status are currently negotiating their EU membership: Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey.

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(OSLO, Norway) — Two people were fatally shot and 10 were injured early Saturday in a nightclub in Oslo, Norway, in what Oslo police now suspect was a terror attack.

Authorities say the gunman, identified as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested after opening fire at three locations in downtown Oslo at approximately 1 a.m., including at a nightclub that is popular within the LGBTQ community called The London Pub.

Police attorney Christian Hatlo confirmed that the unnamed suspect was being held on charges of suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism, and that the suspect’s mental health was also being investigated.

“Our overall assessment is that there are grounds to believe that he wanted to cause grave fear in the population,” Hatlo said. “We need to go through his medical history, if he has any. It’s not something that we’re aware of now.”

Authorities said they were able to seize two weapons following the suspected terror attack, including a handgun and an automatic weapon which Hatlo described as “not modern” but gave no further details.

Two of the shooting victims were killed, Oslo police inspector Tore Soldal said. He also confirmed that the other 10 victims were being treated for serious injuries but that all 10 were expected to survive.

“I saw a man arrive at the site with a bag. He picked up a weapon and started shooting,” said Olav Roenneberg, a journalist from Norwegian public broadcaster NRK who said he witnessed the attack. “First I thought it was an air gun. Then the glass of the bar next door was shattered and I understood I had to run for cover.”

Following the shooting, Oslo Pride confirmed that it has been advised by authorities to cancel the annual Pride parade and other Pride events that had been scheduled for this weekend.

“Oslo Pride therefore urges everyone who planned to participate or watch the parade to not show up. All events in connection with Oslo Prides are canceled,” Oslo Pride organizers said on the official Facebook page of the event.

“The shooting outside London Pub in Oslo tonight was a cruel and deeply shocking attack on innocent people,” said Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoer in a Facebook post following the attack.

Store added that the mass shooting had caused immediate fear and grief within Norway’s LGBTQ community.

“We all stand by you,” Store wrote.

ABC News’ Rashid Haddou, Lama Hasan, Ahmad Hemingway and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.

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