Ukrainian drone attack sparks massive fire at Russian oil depot
Videos on social media appear to show huge pillars of smoke billowing above the oil depot.
Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, temporarily stopped flights at Sochi's airport.
Further north, authorities in the Voronezh region reported four people were injured in another Ukrainian drone strike.
Russia's defence ministry said its air defences shot down 93 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea overnight into Sunday.
Meanwhile, in southern Ukraine, a Russian missile strike hit a residential area in the city of Mykolaiv, according to the emergency services, injuring seven people.
The Ukrainian air force said on Sunday that Russia launched 76 drones and seven missiles against Ukraine. It said 60 drones and one missile were intercepted, but 16 others and six missiles hit targets across eight locations.
The reciprocal attacks came at the end of one of the deadliest weeks in Ukraine in recent months, after a Russian drone and missile attack on Thursday killed 31 people, including five children, and injured more than 150.
The continued attacks come after US President Donald Trump on Tuesday gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a shorter deadline of August 8 for peace efforts to make progress.
He then said on Thursday that special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia to push Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in its war with Ukraine, and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made.
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Reuters
27 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump-led Texas redistricting gambit ignites national arms race to control Congress
Aug 5 (Reuters) - The escalating political fight over the Texas congressional map is spreading across other states across the country, triggering an unprecedented mid-decade redistricting arms race with the balance of power in Washington at stake. At President Donald Trump's urging, Texas Republicans have proposed new congressional districts aimed at flipping five Democrat-held U.S. House seats in next year's midterm elections, further skewing what is already considered a deeply partisan map in that state. In response, Democratic governors elsewhere - most notably Gavin Newsom of California, the only state with more congressional districts than Texas - have threatened to retaliate by mounting their own redistricting efforts. "Donald Trump is a cheater, and so is Governor Greg Abbott," JB Pritzker, the Democratic governor of Illinois, told reporters on Tuesday. Standing alongside him were several of the Democratic lawmakers from Texas who fled their home state on Monday to deny Republicans a quorum and prevent a vote on the proposed new map. "As far as I'm concerned, everything is on the table," Pritzker said. Democrats need to flip only three Republican-held seats to retake the majority in the 435-seat House next year, so even modest gains for either party via redistricting could prove decisive. If Democrats win the House, they could stymie much of Trump's legislative agenda and pursue multiple investigations into his administration. The practice of partisan gerrymandering - manipulating district lines to benefit one party over another - has a long tradition in the United States, but the advent of powerful software and sophisticated voter data has allowed mapmakers to drill down to individual streets and neighborhoods. Redistricting typically occurs every 10 years to incorporate the U.S. Census count. Trump has broken with that convention by openly pushing Texas Republicans to pursue a rare mid-decade redistricting for partisan gain, even though the existing map, which Republicans drew just four years ago, resulted in the party winning 25 of the state's 38 seats. "I won Texas. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats," Trump told CNBC on Tuesday, referring to the 2024 presidential election. Trump has encouraged other Republican states to follow suit. A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters last week the administration believes as many as five states could redraw their maps, including Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis has expressed a willingness to take such a step. Ohio Republicans will draw a new map ahead of the November 2026 election that could flip at least two Democratic seats. In Missouri, where Democrats hold two of the state's seven seats, some Republican lawmakers have had preliminary conversations about a new map, according to a source familiar with the matter. Other Republican-controlled states that could in theory use redistricting to target Democrats include Kansas, Kentucky and New Hampshire. Democrats, meanwhile, face some legal hurdles in their biggest states. In California, where redistricting is overseen by an independent commission, voters would likely have to approve giving Democratic lawmakers the power to draw a new map. Newsom said on Monday he would put the issue before voters this autumn if Texas moves forward. Experts say a Democratic-drawn map could easily target five Republican incumbents, even though Democrats already hold 43 of the state's 52 seats. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Monday that she would not "fight with my hand tied behind my back." Even so, any new map in her state would require voters to approve a constitutional amendment, and that process cannot take place before 2026. In Illinois, where Pritzker and the Democratic-controlled legislature have no restraints, Democrats already hold 14 of the state's 17 U.S. House seats, leaving them without much room to maneuver. Meanwhile, in Texas, the Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton, said on Tuesday he would seek court orders declaring that any Democratic lawmakers who failed to return by Friday will lose their seats. Democrats have dismissed that threat as empty. David Froomkin, a law professor at the University of Houston, said he did not believe judges would buy the argument that lawmakers had created vacancies by leaving the state in protest. "Courts have generally taken the view that a legislator has surrendered their seat when they have chosen to surrender their seat," he said. "Here, they're not intending to vacate their offices – they're exercising their offices by trying to prevent the passage of legislation they find troubling." Paxton's threat follows warrants issued by the Republican Speaker of the Texas House, Dustin Burrows, for authorities to bring the absent lawmakers back to the statehouse for a vote. Abbott has ordered state law enforcement to help find them. But the Democrats have all left the state, putting them beyond the reach of any state agency. Trump told reporters late on Tuesday that the FBI 'may have' to get involved in forcing Democrats back to Texas.
Reuters
27 minutes ago
- Reuters
White House to target banks as Trump claims discrimination
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Aug 5 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he believes that banks, including JPMorgan (JPM.N), opens new tab and Bank of America (BAC.N), opens new tab, discriminate against him and his supporters, as he prepares to act against banks for allegedly dropping customers for political reasons. Trump also said the country's top two lenders had previously rejected his deposits, ramping up his attack on the industry. "They totally discriminate against, I think, me maybe even more, but they discriminate against many conservatives," he told CNBC in an interview. Trump made the comments when asked about a report by the Wall Street Journal that said he planned to punish banks that discriminated against conservatives, but did not address the order specifically. The executive order instructs regulators to review banks for "politicized or unlawful debanking" practices, according to a draft reviewed by Reuters. It is likely to be announced on Wednesday, an industry source said. "They did discriminate," Trump said of actions taken by JPMorgan after his first term in office. "I had hundreds of millions, I had many, many accounts loaded up with cash ... and they told me, 'I'm sorry sir, we can't have you. You have 20 days to get out.'" Trump's latest criticism adds pressure on America's largest lenders. The order would likely require banks to conduct sweeping reviews of their businesses to comply with regulations. Trump said, without providing evidence, that the banks' refusal to take his deposits indicated that the administration of former President Joe Biden had encouraged regulators to "destroy Trump." Trump said he subsequently tried to deposit funds with BofA and was also refused, and eventually split the cash. "I ended up going to small banks all over the place," he said. "I was putting $10 million here, $10 million there, did $5 million, $10 million, $12 million," he said, without naming the lenders. "I have them all over the place, the craziest thing, and it's lucky I even had them. They were doing me a favour, and that's because the banks discriminated against me very badly, and I was very good to the banks." In a statement, JPMorgan did not address the president's specific claims about his account. "We don't close accounts for political reasons, and we agree with President Trump that regulatory change is desperately needed," JPMorgan said. "We commend the White House for addressing this issue and look forward to working with them to get this right.' BofA also did not address Trump's specific claims. During Biden's administration, regulators were able to scrutinize banks' decisions on the basis of reputational risks, a second source familiar with the matter said. Lenders were under intense scrutiny and pressure to weigh reputational risks when dealing with Trump because of his legal woes, a third source said. JPMorgan continues to have a banking relationship with members of the Trump family that dates back years, and it also banks a number of campaign accounts linked to Trump, the third source said. After Trump took power, the Federal Reserve announced in June it was directing its supervisors to no longer consider reputational risk when examining banks, a metric that had been a focus of industry complaints. The Wall Street Journal reported late Monday that the expected executive order would instruct regulators to investigate whether any financial institutions breach the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, antitrust laws or consumer financial protection laws by dropping customers for political reasons. The order could authorize monetary penalties, consent decrees or other disciplinary measures against violators, according to the draft. The White House had no immediate comment on the reported order. "What the White House is doing is telling the banks not to hide behind regulations to deny loans or banking relationships," said Wells Fargo bank analyst Mike Mayo. "Banks can use their normal underwriting standards and deny services, but not blame regulators or use reputational risk as a justification." BofA said it welcomed the administration's efforts to clarify the policies. "We've provided detailed proposals and will continue to work with the administration and Congress to improve the regulatory framework," the bank said. Trump in January admonished the CEOs of JPMorgan and BofA for denying services to conservatives. At the time, the two banks denied making banking decisions based on politics. Banks have consistently argued that any complaints about "debanking" should be aimed at regulators, as they argue onerous rules and overzealous bank supervisors can discourage them from engaging in certain activities. "The heart of the problem is regulatory overreach and supervisory discretion," the Bank Policy Institute, an industry group, said in a statement. Lenders have held discussions around debanking and weighed scenarios around a potential order, the first source said. Banks are also hopeful the administration may change anti-money laundering laws that they say are outdated and burdensome, the source added.
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Donald Trump accused of being 'like a medieval king' who has turned 'the Oval Office into a reality TV set'
The former UK ambassador to the US has delivered a scathing rebuke of Donald Trump, accusing him of acting like a 'medieval king'. Lord Darroch said the President had turned the 'Oval Office into a reality TV set'. The former diplomat was forced to quit his role in 2019 during Mr Trump's first term after leaked briefings showed him describing the President's government as 'dysfunctional', 'inept' and 'divided'. Speaking to broadcaster Iain Dale at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Lord Darroch defended the letter, which he said was a result of then-prime minister David Cameron urging him to be honest and direct. He told the audience that his comments were borne out by Mr Trump's actions as president. The former ambassador said Mr Trump was ultimately an unpredictable leader as he cited the numerous firings of top officials by the President, the various changes to his tariff policies and the recent move to place nuclear submarines near Russia. 'He's sort of like a medieval king - that sort of capricious decision-making - than he is like a modern politician where consistency is seen as important,' he said. 'He doesn't think that's important at all. He thinks that every day is a fresh day. You're basically battling with media. 'You're battling with your opponents. If it suits you today to reverse something you did last week, just do it. 'If you look at tariffs, that's a perfect example of unpredictability of capriciousness.' Lord Darroch suggested that Mr Trump's style stemmed from his time on the US version of The Apprentice. 'Donald Trump was made by reality TV,' he said, describing him as 'the American version of Alan Sugar'. He added: 'He learned a lot about how to present himself from reality TV. 'I think he's now literally turned the Oval Office into a reality TV set.' During his discussion with Mr Dale, the former diplomat praised the Prime Minister's handling of foreign policy, including his relationship with the US President. He told the broadcaster: 'So far, against a lot of predictions, Keir Starmer has proved himself really quite an adept Trump whisperer. 'He's done some clever things, including phoning Trump up after the assassination attempt - that was a clever thing to do, going to see him to sort of kiss the ring before the election.' The peer said the Labour leader had been better on foreign policy than domestic policy, but warned the PM there were 'not many votes in foreign policy'. Asked about defence, Lord Darroch suggested the UK would not be able to cope with a Russian invasion, although he said the chances of that were low. 'The truth is I don't think we are close,' he said. 'I do think it's less distant than it was five years ago. 'I do think the important point really is that we are woefully underprepared.' Lord Darroch has been outspoken in his criticism of Mr Trump since he was forced to quit his stateside role. Mr Trump had criticised him as as a 'stupid guy' and a 'pompous fool'.
