WORLD BRIEFING: May 26, 2024

Scores of people were killed or wounded in a Russian missile attack on a Kharkiv supermarket in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called “a manifestation of Russian madness.” He appealed to Western countries to provide Ukraine with air defence systems. “When we tell world leaders that Ukraine requires adequate air defence protection ... we are literally talking about how not to allow such terrorist strikes,” he said in a post on X. "Only madmen like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin are capable of killing and terrorising people in this way," Zelensky added.when an aerial bomb hit a large store in the city of Kharkiv on Saturday afternoon, according to local officials. The airstrike caused a huge fire to break out, with huge plumes of smoke seen filling the sky in social media footage. Zelensky said more than 200 people could have been inside the store. A second bomb hit the city's central park, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. Zelenskyy called the airstrike “a manifestation of Russian madness", and appealed to Western countries to provide Ukraine with air defence systems. “When we tell world leaders that Ukraine requires adequate air defence protection ... we are literally talking about how not to allow such terrorist strikes,” he said in a post on X. “Only madmen like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin are capable of killing and terrorising people in this way," Zelensky added. - Euronews

A top Sudanese general, Yasser al-Atta, said on May 25 that Russia had asked for a fueling station on the Red Sea in exchange for weapons and ammunition, and that agreements with Russia would be signed soon. The two countries signed a naval base deal under former President Omar Al-Bashir, but army leaders later said that plan was under review and it never materialized. Russia has previously developed ties with the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, which is the army’s foe in a year-old war and which Western diplomats say has also had ties with Russia's Wagner private military group. - RFE/RL

Scuffles between Israeli police and protesters erupted in Tel Aviv on Saturday after thousands gathered to demonstrate against the government and demand that it bring back the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. Meanwhile, a small U.S. military vessel and what appeared to be a strip of docking area washed up on a beach near the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, not far from the U.S.-built pier on which the Israeli military said humanitarian aid is moving into the Palestinian territory. Also on Saturday, Israeli bombardments were reported in northern and central Gaza. Some protesters in Tel Aviv carried photos of the female soldiers who appeared in a video earlier in the week showing them soon after they were abducted during the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 started the war between Israel and Hamas. Some held banners reading “Stop the war” and “Help.” They called on the government to reach a deal to release the dozens of hostages still in captivity. - AP

Participants at a global conference on how to reduce the world's energy use called for universal access to clean cooking through government incentives and subsidies to unlock more private sector funds. The Paris-based International Energy Agency's ninth annual conference on energy efficiency, held Tuesday and Wednesday in Nairobi, brought together ministers, CEOs and thought leaders from around the world to discuss how to speed up progress on energy efficiency, which experts say can drastically reduce planet-warming emissions. How to deliver affordable clean cooking, which involves using electricity, solar and other solutions instead of more polluting fuels like charcoal, wood and kerosene, was on the agenda. “There are many practical barriers to energy efficiency, and of course the barrier of the need for investment up front," said Brian Motherway, head of IEA's office of energy efficiency and inclusive transitions. "The key to unlocking efficiency is in the hands of governments. Strong, coordinated policies by governments will unlock finance and enable business and consumers to take the actions required to lower their bills." This year's conference focused on accelerating progress toward doubling energy efficiency by 2030 as agreed upon by governments at the COP28 climate change conference in 2023. - VOA