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A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 17 august 2022
Explosions rock Crimea in suspected Ukrainian attack

By PAUL BYRNE strong.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ex- Ammunition is strewn all
plosions and fires ripped over the ground,” he said,
through an ammunition adding that several homes
depot in Russian-occupied burned down.
Crimea on Tuesday in the In what may have been re-
second suspected Ukraini- taliation for the attacks in
an attack on the peninsula Crimea, Russian warplanes
in just over a week, forcing fired missiles at a military
the evacuation of more airfield in Zhytomyr, 87 miles
than 3,000 people. (140 kilometers) west of
Russia blamed the blasts in Kyiv, damaging a runway
the village of Mayskoye on and vehicles, Ukrainian of-
an “act of sabotage,” with- ficials reported.
out naming the perpetra- Crimea is a popular sum-
tors. mer destination for Russian
Separately, the Russian tourists, and last week’s ex-
business newspaper Kom- plosions at Crimea’s Saki
mersant quoted residents air base sent sunbathers on
as saying plumes of black beaches fleeing as flames
smoke also rose over an air and pillars of smoke rose
base in Crimea’s Gvardeys- over the horizon.
koye. Ukrainian officials warned
Ukraine stopped short of Tuesday that Crimea would
publicly claiming responsi- Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, centre, and former Colombia’s President Juan not be spared the ravages
bility for any of the blasts, Manuel Santos, centre right, walk during their visit in Bucha near Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. of war.
16, 2022. The former leader of the United Nations called on the world Tuesday to honour civilian
including those that de- victims killed during the Russian attack on Kyiv. Rather than a travel des-
stroyed nine Russian planes Associated Press tination, “Crimea occu-
at another Crimean air pied by Russians is about
base last week. In another reported act Sea. tary warehouses are,” said warehouse explosions and
Russia seized the Crimean of sabotage, Russia’s Tass Videos posted on social resident Maksim Moldovs- a high risk of death for in-
Peninsula in 2014 and has news agency quoted the media showed thick col- kiy. “We stayed there until vaders and thieves,” Ukrai-
used it to launch attacks FSB security agency as say- umns of smoke rising over about 7-8 a.m. Everything nian presidential adviser
against Ukraine in the ing Ukrainian operatives raging flames in Mayskoye, was exploding flashes, Mykhailo Podolyak said on
war that began nearly six blew up six high-voltage and a series of explosions fragments, debris falling on Twitter.
months ago. transmission towers earlier could be heard. The Rus- us. Then the emergency Russia blamed last week’s
If Ukrainian forces were be- this month in Russia’s Kursk sian Defense Ministry said guys came and said they explosions on an acciden-
hind the explosions, that region, close to Ukraine. a power plant, electrical were evacuating every- tal detonation of munitions,
would represent a signifi- The Kremlin has demanded lines, railroad tracks and body.” but satellite photos and
cant escalation in the war. that Kyiv recognize Crimea apartment buildings were Crimea’s regional leader, other evidence — includ-
Such attacks could also as part of Russia as a condi- damaged. Sergei Aksyonov, said two ing the dispersed blast sites
indicate that Ukrainian op- tion for ending the fighting, “We came out to take a people were injured and — pointed to a Ukrainian
eratives are able to pen- while Ukraine has vowed to look and saw clouds of more than 3,000 evacuat- attack, perhaps with anti-
etrate deeply into Russian- drive Moscow’s forces from smoke coming from the ed from two villages. ship missiles, military ana-
occupied territory. the peninsula on the Black cowshed where the mili- “The detonations are rather lysts said.q

New Scottish law makes period

products free for all

of period products such financial barriers to access- ucts can’t afford them.
as tampons and sanitary ing them,” Scottish Social “Proud of what we have
pads available for free in Justice Secretary Shona achieved in Scotland,”
their bathrooms. The Scot- Robison said. Lennon tweeted Monday.
tish government already “This is more important “We are the first but won’t
invested millions of pounds than ever at a time when be the last.”
since 2017 to fund free pe- people are making difficult The Scottish government
riod products in education- choices due to the cost of said its move was world-
al institutions, but the law living crisis and we never leading, with countries in-
makes it a legal require- want anyone to be in a po- cluding South Korea and
This file photo taken March 16, 2014 shows a general view of the
Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland. ment. sition where they cannot New Zealand taking similar
Associated Press A mobile phone app also access period products,” approaches.
helps people find the near- she added. Last year New Zealand’s
LONDON (AP) — A law has the right to access free pe- est place such as the local The bill, which was passed government said all
taken effect in Scotland to riod products when its Peri- library or community cen- unanimously in 2020, was schools in the country were
ensure period products are od Products Act came into ter where they can pick up introduced by Scottish Par- to offer free period prod-
available free of charge to force Monday. period products. liament lawmaker Monica ucts, as part of a drive to
anyone who needs them. Under the new law, schools, “Providing access to free Lennon, who had cam- help students from poorer
The Scottish government colleges and universities as period products is funda- paigned against “period families who were missing
said it became the first in well as local government mental to equality and poverty” when someone school because of period
the world to legally protect bodies must make a range dignity, and removes the who needs sanitary prod- poverty.q