8 dead, dozens wounded in Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa port
Kyiv (AP): Eight people were killed and 27 wounded in a Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa, southern Ukraine, late on Friday, Ukraine's Emergency Service said on Saturday morning.
Some of the wounded were on a bus at the epicentre of the overnight strike, the service said in a Telegram post. Trucks caught fire in the parking lot, and cars were also damaged.
The port was struck with ballistic missiles, said Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa region.
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Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces hit a Russian warship and other facilities with drones, Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement on Saturday.
The nighttime attack on Friday hit the Russian warship “Okhotnik,” according to the statement posted to the Telegram messaging app.
The ship was patrolling in the Caspian Sea near an oil and gas production platform. The extent of the damage is still being clarified, the statement added.
A drilling platform at the Filanovsky oil and gas field in the Caspian Sea was also hit. The facility is operated by Russian oil giant Lukoil. Ukrainian drones also struck a radar system in the Krasnosilske area of Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
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Kerala CM Vijayan flags ‘The Kerala Story 2’ as ‘threat to secularism’
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday expressed concern over the upcoming release of the second part of 'The Kerala Story', claiming that its first installment was made with the "intent to spread hatred against the state and undermine its secular tradition."
Vijayan, in a statement issued by his office, also questioned how "poisonous works produced to spread division and hatred in society" were allowed to be screened, while a film like 'Beef' was barred from a film festival.
He further said that Sangh Parivar centres had taken over and spread the false narrative conveyed by 'The Kerala Story'.
“They are spreading false propaganda by portraying even marriages conducted with mutual consent as examples of communalism and forced religious conversion,” the CM said.
He contended that such forces view Kerala—with no communal riots and a tradition of mutual respect among communities—with hostility, and termed them “enemies of the state” attempting to destroy the peace and tranquility of the region.
“We must collectively reject attempts to portray Kerala, a land of religious harmony that stands at the forefront of sustainable development and is a model in maintaining law and order, as a center of terrorism,” Vijayan said.
“It is the responsibility of each of us to ensure that Kerala’s secular foundation is not undermined by false propaganda and to reject it by upholding the values of secularism and brotherhood,” he added.
Directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh, the teaser of 'Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond', was released recently.
The first film, 'The Kerala Story', won awards for Best Direction and Best Cinematography at the 71st National Film Awards.
