WORLD BRIEFING: May 1, 2024

A Russian missile attack on an educational institution in a popular seafront park in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa, known locally as ‘Harry Potter castle’, on Monday killed at least five people and injured 32, local officials said. The previous death toll was four. The building is reportedly the residence of prominent former MP Serhiy Kivalov, who was among those said to have been injured in the strike. Regional governor Oleh Kiper said that in addition to those killed in the attack, one man died after suffering a stroke attributed to the strike. Kiper said eight of the injured were in serious condition, including a four-year-old child. Among the injured were another child and a pregnant woman. “Our doctors are trying to do their best,” he added - The Guardian

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says it's critical for allies to speed up deliveries of weaponry so Ukrainian forces can put those supplies to use in their fight against the Russian invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that his country needed "a significant acceleration" in deliveries of weaponry from its partners to enable its troops to face advancing Russian troops in several sectors of the front line. Zelensky, looking stern, made his comments in his nightly video address amid an acknowledgement from his top commander that Ukraine's forces have pulled back from villages in some of the most hotly contested sectors in the two-year-old war. "We need a significant acceleration of supplies to enhance tangibly the capabilities of our soldiers," Zelensky said. - CBC

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Tuesday to carry out a military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah regardless of whether there is an agreement with Hamas for a cease-fire and release of hostages held in Gaza. “The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question. We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate Hamas' battalions there — with a deal or without a deal, to achieve the total victory,” Netanyahu’s office quoted him as saying in a meeting with families of hostages. Netanyahu has said it is necessary for Israeli forces to enter Rafah to fully defeat Hamas, which carried out an attack on Israel in October that killed 1,200 people. Hamas also took about 250 hostages during the attack, and it is believed to still be holding about 100, along with the remains of 30 or more hostages who have either been killed or otherwise died in the ensuing months. More than half of Gaza’s population is sheltering in Rafah, located along the border between Gaza and Egypt. - VOA

New York police entered Hamilton Hall at Columbia University to end a student-led occupation of the building late Tuesday after Columbia University said it was left "with no choice." A steady stream of officers entered through a second story window using a New York Police Department armored vehicle with a mechanized drawbridge. Pro-Palestinian protesters took over the central campus building on Monday, after the school asked them to voluntarily disperse from an encampment. The school confirmed in a statement Tuesday that police arrived a little after 9 p.m. after Columbia President Minouche Shafik submitted a written request to the NYPD to help remove every protester from Hamilton Hall and all campus encampments - NPR

Austrian authorities have urged Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) to drop a deal linked to a Russian oligarch fearing a backlash from the United States, people familiar with the matter said, a blow to RBI's plans to unlock funds stranded in Russia. RBI, the biggest Western bank in Russia, wants to buy a stake in construction group Strabag linked to Oleg Deripaska for 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion), a contested deal that has renewed international pressure on the Austrian lender. In recent weeks, Austrian central bank officials have warned RBI about the deal, cautioning it could backfire if the U.S. penalises the bank, said one person with direct knowledge of those discussions. The central bank is responsible for oversight of Western sanctions in Austria and also watches for broader financial stability. Shares in RBI fell nearly 4% after the Reuters report, closing at 17.38 euros, against a 0.3% drop across the European banking sector RBI is buying the stake in Vienna-based Strabag from a company the construction group identified as earlier controlled by Oleg Deripaska