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       A Russian missile hit an industrial area in Ukraine's northern city of Kharkiv on Wednesday, killing at least five people and injuring eight while causing a major fire in a printing house, local authorities said.

       The mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, said five others were missing after the strike. In a later posting on Telegram at about 11 pm local time, he said Kharkiv had come under fresh shelling, with explosions in the city.

       President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strike underscored the lack of proper air defences in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, and elsewhere, particularly in northern regions near the Russian border.

       The Kharkiv region, which borders Russia to the north and lies close to the frontline, has suffered regular drone and missile attacks during Russia's two-year-old invasion.

       The X-59 missile struck the multi-storey industrial building in the afternoon.

       "The building houses production facilities and offices. This is an act of terrorism because it was conducted at a time when the vast majority of the people are at work," Volodymyr Tymoshko, head of the regional police, was quoted as saying on a police account on Telegram.

       Expand article logo Continue reading "In addition to the five dead, there are another five who are missing," Terekhov, the mayor, said on Telegram.

       Olaf Scholz Backs Decision To Buy Weapons From Outside EU

       German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hailed on Wednesday decisions to allow the use of European funds to buy weapons from outside Europe for Ukraine.

       "This is about solidarity and not economic policy," he said while speaking to the German parliament in Berlin ahead of the European Union summit.

       German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers a speech at the German parliament Bundestag in Berlin ahead of a EU summit. Markus Schreiber/AP

       That should also go for windfall profits from frozen Russian assets, which he said could bring up to 5 billion euros this year and in the coming years, Scholz said.

       Those resources should be used for ammunition and weapons that are important for Ukraine now, "and not for all sorts of general things that one might also want," he said.

       Scholz emphasised his recent discussions with the French and Polish leaders.

       "We will support Ukraine for as long as it is necessary; we will at the same time ensure that NATO does not become a party to this conflict, and we will not accept a dictated peace at Ukraine’s expense," he said.

       The German leader also pointed to the importance of stepping up weapons production, and noted a recent agreement to build production capacity in Ukraine with partners there.

       Germany, France and Poland vowed Friday to procure more weapons for Kyiv and step up production of military equipment along with partners in Ukraine, promising that Ukraine can rely on the trio of European powers as it tries to overcome a shortage of military resources.

       "We stand together – Germany and France, the Weimar Triangle, the whole European Union, and that is the message we are sending to Russia with all these decisions," Scholz said.

       "If the Russian president thinks he just has to sit out this war and we will weaken in our support, then he has miscalculated," he added.

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       The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has responded to criticisms from Russia regarding athlete restrictions during a press conference that marked the end of its two-day Executive Board session.

       IOC spokesman Mark Adams said the statements from Moscow, including accusations of "racism and Neo-Nazism", were "very aggressive" and reached "a new low".

       IOC President Thomas Bach deferred to his spokesperson Adams when asked about the quotes from Russia due to the "personal" nature of the accusations.

       Adams said the comments go "beyond anything that is acceptable. "To link the president, his nationality and the Holocaust in the context of this issue reaches a new low," he added. Bach is of German origin.

       The Kremlin reacted furiously to the IOC banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from the traditional opening parade at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.

       "These decisions demonstrate how far the IOC has moved away from its stated principles and slipped into racism and neo-Nazism," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a briefing.

       The IOC suspended Russia from the 2024 Games last year, but greenlighted athletes to compete as neutrals as long as they had not vocalised support for Russia's war in Ukraine.

       This neutral status forces Russian athletes to "renounce any association with their homeland, with their citizenship, with their history, culture and people," Zakharova argued.

       "The IOC's decisions are wrongful, unjust and unacceptable," she said.

       "We are outraged by the unprecedented discriminatory conditions imposed by the International Olympic Committee on Russian athletes."

       The IOC said athletes from Russia and Belarus who are approved to compete at the Olympics as neutrals will have a chance only “to experience the event” - likely watching from near the river.

       The decision follows the International Paralympic Committee which two weeks ago announced a ban for its Paris opening ceremony on 28 August.

       Russia and Belarus are barred from team sports at the Olympics because of the war in Ukraine and the IOC has laid out a two-step vetting procedure for individual athletes from those countries to be granted neutral status. Those athletes must first be approved by the governing body of their individual sport and then by an IOC-appointed review panel.

       Neutral athletes must not have publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine, or be affiliated with military or state security agencies. It is unclear if membership in a Russian military sports club, such as CSKA, will be a reason for denying neutral status.

       The IOC said on Tuesday it expects about 36 neutral athletes with Russian passports and 22 with Belarusian passports to qualify for the Paris Games.

       The decision regarding the participation of those athletes in the closing ceremony on 11 August will be made at a later stage.

       Any medals won by neutral athletes will not be counted as a collective group in the overall medals table.

       The IOC also revealed details of the replacement flag in jade green that will be used for neutral athletes at medal ceremonies, where a specially written anthem without lyrics will be played.

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       A Spanish court ruled that former Brazilian footballer Dani Alves could be released from prison on a €1 million bail and must surrender his passports while awaiting the appeal of his rape conviction in Barcelona.

       Alves was convicted of raping a woman in a nightclub in 2022 and received a prison sentence of four years and six months. He maintained his innocence throughout the three-day trial.

       He has been behind bars since being arrested in January 2023. Previous appeals for bail release were rejected as the court considered him a flight risk, noting that Brazil does not extradite its nationals who face convictions abroad.

       To now go free, in addition to the bail money, the 40-year-old Alves is also required to hand over his Brazilian and Spanish passports and is prohibited from leaving the country. He also cannot come within 1,000 metres of the victim or try to communicate with her and he must report to the courthouse weekly. He still has a residence near the city.

       The decision came a day after a hearing where Alves told the court via video conference from prison that he had no intention of fleeing the country, according to his lawyer, Inés Guardiola.

       Guardiola and the state prosecutor have appealed the conviction. His defence is seeking his acquittal while the prosecutor wants his prison sentence increased to nine years. The victim's lawyer wants him put away for 12 years. No date has been scheduled for the new trial at a higher court in Barcelona. Following that, the case can be escalated to the Supreme Court in Madrid.

       As part of his conviction, the court ordered Alves to pay €150,000 in compensation to the victim, banned him from approaching the victim’s home or place of work, and from communicating with her by any means for nine years.

       He was with the Mexican club Pumas when he was arrested. Pumas terminated his contract immediately.

       Alves won dozens of titles with elite clubs including Barcelona. He helped Brazil win two Copa Americas and an Olympic gold medal. He played for Barcelona from 2008-16, helping to win three Champions Leagues, and briefly rejoined the club in 2022.