Europe

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian ballistic missiles slammed into an apartment complex and a university building in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown Monday, killing six people and wounding 75 others as the blasts trapped residents beneath rubble, Ukrainian officials said.

One of the two missiles that hit the central city of Kryvyi Rih destroyed part of an apartment building between the fourth and ninth floors, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. Video showed black smoke billowing from corner units and burned out or damaged cars on a tree-lined street.

27 July 2023; MEMO: Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on Thursday announced that his country will provide free grain to six African countries in the next three to four months, Anadolu Agency reports.

31 July 2023; MEMO: Handala, the Freedom Flotilla boat which hopes to break the siege of Gaza, yesterday left the Netherlands city of Rotterdam heading for Hamburg in Germany, a statement said.

Head of the International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza, Zaher Birawi, said: "This stage of Handala's journey is core in the creation of a state of international solidarity with Palestine."

ST. PETERSBURG, July 29. /TASS/: Moscow is ready to switch to national currencies in trade with African countries, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk said in an interview with TASS on the sidelines of the second Russia-Africa Summit.

"We have successful experience of settlements in national currencies within the Eurasian Economic Union and we are ready to share this experience. We are also ready to conduct trade with Africa particularly in Russian rubles, provided that economic operators find it convenient," the deputy prime minister noted.

ST. PETERSBURG, July 30. /TASS/: Russia is ready for any scenario, but does not want a direct military clash with the US, the country’s President Vladimir Putin said when asked about the US side's provocations in Syria.

"We are always ready for any scenario, but no one wants this, and on the initiative of the American side we once created a special mechanism to prevent these conflicts. Our heads of certain departments communicate directly with each other, have the opportunity to consult on any crisis situation. This shows that no one wants clashes," Putin told reporters.

MOSCOW, July 30. /TASS/: A drone fell down in the Daraganovka farm near Taganrog in Russia’s southern Rostov Region, damaging a one0family house and a car, the region’s governor Vasily Golubev said on Sunday.

"An unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in Daraganovka farm. As a result, the roof of a one-family house and a car were damaged. No one was hurt," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

According to the governor, Russian defense ministry specialists are working on the site to identify who this drone belonged to.

MOSCOW, July 30. /TASS/: Russian air defense means brought down 44 Ukrainian drones over the past day, official spokesman of the Russian Defense Ministry Igor Konashenkov said.

"Air defense means destroyed 44 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the day," the spokesman said.

KYIV July 29 (Reuters) - Ukrainian soldiers were observed using North Korean rockets that they said were seized by a "friendly" country before being delivered to Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.

Ukraine's defence ministry suggested the arms were captured from the Russians, the newspaper said.

The United States has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia, including alleged shipments by sea, but has not offered proof and North Korean weapons have not been widely observed on the battlefields in Ukraine.

July 30 (Reuters) - Ukraine is to start consultations with the United States this week on providing security guarantees for Kyiv pending the completion of the process of joining NATO, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff said on Sunday.

Andriy Yermak, writing on the Telegram messaging app, also said officials from a number of countries were preparing to meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss Zelenskiy's peace plan for Ukraine, based on the departure of all Russian troops.

LONDON, July 30 (Reuters) - Britain's Prince William has served up a surprise to hungry members of the public when he dished out environmentally friendly burgers from a food truck in south London.

In a video released on Sunday, the heir to the throne handed out "Earthshot Burgers" to highlight the work of last year's winners of his annual Earthshot Prize, which he set up to help develop solutions to major environmental problems.

"Coming right up," the prince said as he served up the burgers to the stunned customers. "Morning everyone, nicely cooked, ready to go."