Europe

KRASNOYARSK, May 8. /TASS/: A number of people injured in fires across Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Territory has climbed to 19, including six fire fighters, the press office of the regional government announced on Sunday.

"Nineteen people were injured. Fourteen people were hospitalized, including six fire fighters," the press office stated.

According to previous reports, 17 people were injured in the fires. Five people were earlier reported to die in the fires in the villages of Talazhnka and Nikolskoye. Two more were reported dead in the residential area of Achinsk.

MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/: The Russian Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA) plans to begin in 2022 clinical trials of the country’s new anti-coronavirus Convasel vaccine on people aged 60 and older, FMBA chief Veronika Skvortsova told TASS.

"Taking into account the past experience of such research work and successful pre-clinical and clinical trials, FMBA considers an opportunity of launching clinical trials of Convasel for people aged 60 and older in 2022," she said.

MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/: During the past 24 hours, 5,447new Covid cases were registered in Russia, bringing the total case count to 18,227,666, the federal anti-Covid crisis center announced Sunday, adding that 1,308 people were hospitalized.

The relative case growth is 0.03%.

Meanwhile, 6,682 people recovered from the disease, bringing the total recovery count to 17,603,393. The recovery share is 96.6% of all cases.

MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/: Russian aviation destroyed a communications post at the Chervonoglinskoye airstrip and a Project 1241 corvette near Odessa via precision air-based missiles, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov announced Sunday.

"During the night, Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed a mechanize brigade command post near Pyatikhatka, Kharkov Region, and a communications post at the Chervonoglinskoye airstrip near the settlement of Artsyz," Konashenkov said.

"A Ukrainian Navy Project 1241 corvette was destroyed near Odessa," he added.

MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin sent congratulations with the 77th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War to leaders and people of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic, as well as to the peoples of Georgia and Ukraine, the Kremlin announced on its Website Sunday.

 ATHENS, May 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Greece’s coastguard on Sunday said it had rescued 106 migrants including many children from a half-sunken sailing boat on the Aegean Sea.

  A coastguard statement said the migrants were found late on Saturday near the southeastern island of Kos, a short distance from the Turkish coast.

  The group, of various nationalities which were not disclosed, included 14 women and 20 children.

  No other people are considered to be missing in the incident, the coastguard said.

KYIV, May 8 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an unannounced visit on Sunday to the Ukrainian town of Irpin, which was retaken from Russian troops in late March after fierce fighting, the town's mayor said on Telegram.

"I've just had an honor to meet with the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, who came to Irpin to see with his own eyes all the horror which Russian occupiers have caused to our town," Oleksandr Markushyn said on his Telegram channel.

KYIV, May 8 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Sunday he discussed with the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken how to unblock Ukraine's food exports and ensure global food security.

Ukraine, one of the world's major grain and oilseeds, used to export most of its cereals through its Black Sea ports, which have been blocked by Russia since the start of Moscow's invasion on Feb. 24.

FRANKFURT, May 8 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a televised address to the nation on Sunday May 8, marking the anniversary of the end of World War Two, assured Ukraine of solidarity in its fight against Russia's invasion.

"Putin will not win this war. Ukraine will persevere," said Scholz.

The date takes on special meaning this year as two countries that were once victims of Nazi Germany - Ukraine and Russia - are now at war because Russia unleashed it, he said.

Scholz said Germany would help Ukraine with humanitarian, financial and military help.

BERLIN, May 8 (Reuters) - Former Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives (CDU) looked set to make a clear win a regional election in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday, in a boost to the party which was ousted from national government in federal elections last year.

An exit poll by ARD Tagesschau put the CDU at 43% of the vote, up 11 percentage points compared to the last vote, while the Social Democrats slumped to 15.5%.