More civilian deaths in Kyiv attacks; Instagram shut down in Russia

At least two people died and 12 were injured following an air strike on a residential building in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, the country’s emergency service said on Monday.

“As of 07:40, the bodies of two people were found in a nine-storey apartment building, three people were hospitalised and nine people were treated on the spot,” the emergency service said on Facebook.

Instagram was no longer accessible in Russia on Monday after its parent company Meta was accused by Moscow of allowing calls for violence against Russians on its platforms.

Instagram’s app was not refreshing on Monday. The social network also appeared on a list of online resources with “restricted access” published by Russia’s media regulator Roskomnadzor.

Asian stock markets mostly fell in early trading as investors tracked diplomatic efforts to bring the Ukraine crisis to an end. This week’s US Federal Reserve meeting is in focus as it prepares to start lifting interest rates.

Hong Kong tech stocks lose ground

 

Hong Kong stocks lost more than 5 percent, mostly in the tech sector.

Oil prices dropped, providing some respite after they soared to a 14-year high last week, though the commodity remains elevated around $110 and keeping upward pressure on inflation.

Trading floors continue to be flooded with uncertainty as Russia’s war in Ukraine rages, with comments from Vladimir Putin that there were “positive developments” in talks with Kyiv unable to provide much support.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is due to meet senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome later Monday, with Ukraine top of the agenda as the White House seeks help in bringing the crisis to a swift conclusion.