Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine overnight, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 100 others in coordinated drone and missile strikes that hit several major cities, Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday. The attack came after days of warnings from Ukrainian officials that Moscow was preparing a major escalation.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia fired 656 drones and 73 missiles during the overnight barrage, targeting Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and other regions. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 602 drones and 40 missiles, but dozens of projectiles penetrated defenses and struck their targets.

The deadliest strike occurred in the eastern city of Dnipro, where nine people were killed, including a young child and an emergency responder. At least 36 others were wounded after missiles and drones slammed into residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure. Local authorities said rescue workers were still searching damaged buildings for survivors.

In the capital, Kyiv, four people were killed when a missile strike caused part of a 24-storey apartment building to collapse. More than 60 residents were injured, including children, while emergency crews worked through the night to rescue people trapped beneath the rubble. Large fires broke out in several districts, and thousands of residents sought shelter in metro stations as air-raid sirens sounded across the city.

Explosions were also reported in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, where residential buildings, public facilities and infrastructure sustained damage. Ukrainian officials described the attack as a deliberate attempt to overwhelm the country’s air-defense network through the simultaneous use of large numbers of drones and missiles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said intelligence services had warned of a possible large-scale Russian strike days before the attack. Following the bombardment, he renewed calls on Western allies to provide additional air-defense systems, particularly Patriot missile batteries, warning that Ukraine remains vulnerable to ballistic and hypersonic missile attacks.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the strikes and said they demonstrated that Moscow remained committed to military escalation despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war. He argued that the scale of the attack showed Russia was seeking to increase pressure on Ukraine both militarily and psychologically.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said the strikes targeted military command centers, defense-industrial facilities and other military infrastructure. Moscow has repeatedly denied intentionally targeting civilians, although Ukrainian authorities reported significant damage to apartment blocks, schools and other civilian sites.

The assault follows weeks of intensified hostilities between the two countries. Ukraine has stepped up long-range drone attacks against Russian military and energy facilities, while Russia has responded with increasingly large missile and drone barrages against Ukrainian cities. Recent Ukrainian strikes have targeted oil refineries and energy infrastructure deep inside Russian territory, underscoring the widening scope of the conflict.

The latest attack has renewed concerns among Ukraine’s allies that the war is entering another period of intensified violence. With civilian casualties mounting and diplomatic efforts producing little progress, analysts warn that both sides appear to be preparing for a prolonged phase of confrontation rather than a negotiated settlement.

The United States government has announced plans to significantly reduce the number of embassies and consulates in Africa that process visa applications, a move that could reshape how Africans apply for US visas.

According to reports by the Associated Press (AP), nearly 50 US embassies and consulates across the continent currently handle visa applications. However, that number is expected to drop to just 20 designated processing hubs in the coming weeks.

The decision was communicated to US diplomats, including consular chiefs, during a conference call held last Friday. The directive was approved by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and is expected to take effect in June, although an official implementation date has not yet been announced.

Under the new arrangement, the 20 hubs that will continue processing all visa categories are located in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Accra (Ghana), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Cape Town and Johannesburg (South Africa), Dakar (Senegal), Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania), Djibouti, Kampala (Uganda), Kigali (Rwanda), Kinshasa (DR Congo), Lagos (Nigeria), Lome (Togo), Luanda (Angola), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), Monrovia (Liberia), Nairobi (Kenya), Port Louis (Mauritius), Praia (Cape Verde), and Yaounde (Cameroon).

The move comes six months after the Donald Trump administration recalled ambassadors from more than two dozen countries, including Nigeria, with Africa emerging as the most affected region.

What Are The Reasons For The Reduction Of Visa Processing Centers In Africa

According to internal State Department documents and US officials familiar with the decision, the move is part of the Trump administration’s broader strategy to tighten immigration controls and strengthen visa screening procedures. Some African nationals, including Nigerians, already face the possibility of paying visa bonds of up to $15,000 for certain B1/B2 visa applications, while several African countries remain under partial US travel restrictions.

The planned changes are expected to have a significant impact on visa applicants, particularly those living in countries that will no longer process routine visa applications, as they may now be required to travel to another country to complete their applications.

The administration has repeatedly stated that it wants to reduce both immigrant and non-immigrant visa issuance while addressing concerns about visa overstays by travellers who enter the United States legally but remain beyond the duration of their visas.

US officials also indicated that the consolidation is intended to centralise visa operations in selected regional hubs, allowing resources, personnel, and security screening processes to be concentrated in fewer locations. The State Department said it continually reviews overseas operations to ensure taxpayer resources are deployed efficiently and in line with US national interests.

Another factor behind the decision is the administration’s ongoing effort to strengthen security vetting and background checks for visa applicants. The State Department said the visa process must maintain “rigorous standards of security screening and vetting” while aligning operational capacity with national priorities.

The move also follows broader reductions in staffing at US embassies and consulates worldwide, with the administration seeking to streamline diplomatic operations and reduce operational costs.

While visa services will be scaled back in many African countries, consular sections in non-hub locations are expected to remain open for limited services, including assistance for US citizens, passport renewals, emergency consular support, diplomatic visas, and special national interest cases.

Analysts say the policy could create longer travel distances, additional expenses, and increased waiting times for applicants from countries that lose full visa-processing capabilities. However, US officials maintain that the changes are aimed at improving efficiency, enhancing security oversight, and supporting the administration’s broader immigration objectives.

Brazilian health authorities are monitoring two patients for possible Ebola infection in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, raising concerns as the outbreak continues to spread in parts of Africa.

Officials in São Paulo said a 37-year-old man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) was placed under observation after developing symptoms including fever. In Rio de Janeiro, health authorities activated emergency safety protocols after a Belgian man who recently arrived from Uganda reported symptoms such as cough, chills and diarrhoea.

Test results for both patients are expected next week. If either case is confirmed, it would mark the first Ebola infection detected outside Africa since the current outbreak began.

While investigations continue, both patients have already tested positive for other diseases.

The patient in São Paulo was diagnosed with meningitis and remains in serious condition, while the Belgian national in Rio tested positive for malaria. Health officials stressed that these diagnoses do not completely rule out the possibility of Ebola infection, which is why additional testing is being carried out.

Authorities have continued to monitor both individuals closely while following strict containment measures.

The latest health alert comes as the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo continues to worsen. More than 1,000 suspected cases have been reported, with at least 246 deaths recorded so far.

Neighbouring Uganda has also confirmed nine Ebola cases and one death linked to the outbreak.

The current outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which has no approved vaccine and is known to have a fatality rate of around one-third of infected patients.

Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) recently warned that the rapid spread of the virus has created an alarming situation, with an unusually high number of cases recorded at an early stage of the outbreak.

Meanwhile, World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is currently visiting Ituri Province in DR Congo, the region most affected by the outbreak, where efforts to contain the virus are ongoing.

Despite the suspected cases in Brazil, the World Health Organization has repeatedly stated that the risk of widespread global transmission remains very low.

How Ebola Spreads

Ebola is a severe viral disease that is believed to originate in animals, particularly fruit bats. Human outbreaks can occur after contact with infected animals or consumption of contaminated meat.

The virus spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, including blood, saliva, sweat, urine, vomit and other secretions.

Health authorities continue to urge vigilance but emphasize that strict monitoring and containment measures remain effective tools in preventing further spread of the disease.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday ordered fresh military strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, marking a significant escalation in Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hezbollah and raising fears of a wider regional confrontation.

The order targeted the Dahiyeh district, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, after Israel accused the Iranian-backed militant group of repeatedly violating a ceasefire agreement and launching attacks against Israeli territory. Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz instructed the Israeli military to strike what they described as “terrorist targets” linked to Hezbollah.

The move comes amid mounting tensions despite a ceasefire announced in April. Israeli officials said Hezbollah has continued firing rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel, prompting a tougher military response. Hezbollah, in turn, accuses Israel of repeatedly breaching the truce through airstrikes and ground operations in southern Lebanon.

Residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs began fleeing shortly after the Israeli announcement, with roads out of the area reportedly clogged by vehicles as families sought safer locations. The district has endured repeated bombardments since the conflict intensified earlier this year, forcing multiple waves of displacement.

The latest escalation follows Israel’s decision to expand its ground operations in southern Lebanon. Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli forces would deepen and broaden their control over areas previously held by Hezbollah, describing the campaign as necessary to protect northern Israeli communities from continued attacks. Israeli troops recently seized the historic Beaufort Castle, one of the deepest advances into Lebanese territory since Israel ended its occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000.

Hezbollah responded by claiming responsibility for more than 20 military operations against Israeli positions over the weekend, including rocket attacks on military infrastructure near the northern Israeli city of Nahariya. The group maintains that armed resistance remains justified while Israeli forces continue operations inside Lebanon.

The conflict has exacted a heavy humanitarian toll. According to reports from international organizations and media outlets, more than 3,400 people have been killed in Lebanon since the latest phase of fighting began, while over one million people have been displaced from their homes across southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs. Israel has also reported military and civilian casualties from Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks.

The renewed strikes have complicated diplomatic efforts led by the United States to broker a broader regional settlement. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been engaged in talks with Israeli and Lebanese officials aimed at securing a durable ceasefire. However, diplomats acknowledge that negotiations have stalled as both sides continue military operations.

Iran, Hezbollah’s principal backer, has argued that continued Israeli military action in Lebanon is undermining broader diplomatic efforts to end the wider regional conflict. Tehran has insisted that any comprehensive agreement must include an end to hostilities in Lebanon.

International concern is growing. France has called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, warning that the renewed fighting threatens regional stability and risks triggering a broader Middle East crisis. European leaders have also urged both sides to return to the ceasefire framework and avoid further escalation.

With Israeli airstrikes returning to Beirut’s southern suburbs and Hezbollah continuing cross-border attacks, the conflict appears to be entering a more dangerous phase, casting fresh doubt on prospects for a negotiated settlement and increasing fears of a prolonged war in Lebanon.