Ukraine says power and water supplies across the country have been badly hit after Russia launched more than 50 missiles targeting critical facilities. In the capital Kyiv, 40% of residents are without water, according to the latest update from the mayor, and 270,000 apartments have no electricity.  Energy facilities were also hit in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv. Thirteen people were injured across the country. Russia said it targeted Ukraine’s military command and energy systems. The country’s defence ministry added that all “designated objects were hit” by long-range high-precision weaponry. Ukraine’s military said its air defences had shot down 44 cruise missiles launched from the area of Russia’s Rostov region and the Caspian Sea. The strikes come after Russia blamed Ukraine for a drone attack on its Black Sea Fleet in the annexed Crimea.(BBC)…[+]

About 1,000 people in Tehran have been charged in connection with the anti-government protests that have engulfed Iran, the city’s chief prosecutor says. Suspects accused of “acts of sabotage”, including murdering security guards and arson, face open mass trials this week. Authorities have not said how many have been arrested nationwide, but rights activists have put the total at 14,000. The announcement came as two teenage protesters allegedly killed by security forces were buried in north-east Iran. Kumar Daroftateh, 16, was shot at close range at a demonstration in the city of Piranshahr and died in hospital on Sunday night, according to Kurdish human rights group Hengaw. At his funeral on Monday, mourners shouted slogans against the government.(BBC)…[+]

Brazil has taken a turn to the left as former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva beat far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the presidential election. After a divisive campaign which saw two bitter rivals on opposite sides of the political spectrum go head to head, Lula won 50.9% of the votes. It was enough to beat Jair Bolsonaro, whose supporters had been confident of victory. But the division which this election has highlighted is unlikely to vanish. It is a stunning comeback for a politician who could not run in the last presidential election in 2018 because he was in jail and banned from standing for office. He had been found guilty of receiving a bribe from a Brazilian construction firm in return for contracts with Brazil’s state oil company Petrobras. Lula spent 580 days in jail before his conviction was annulled and he returned to the political fray. “They tried to bury me alive and here I am,” he said, kicking off his victory speech. Since the announcement, congratulations have been coming in from leaders around the world, including US President Joe Biden, who noted the result came “following free, fair, and credible elections”. He added he was looking forward to continuing co-operation. Russian President Vladimir Putin also  offered his “sincere congratulations”, saying the results had confirmed Lula’s “impressive political authority”.(BBC)…[+]