Berlin, Germany | AFP | Two people were killed Tuesday in a stabbing assault in western Germany, police said, adding that the perpetrator was in custody. The motive was unclear, said police of the incident in the city of Ludwigshafen. Officers had fired shots at the suspect before arresting him, a police spokeswoman said. First accounts indicated that “an individual had attacked another with a knife”, said police in a statement. The crime scene has […]
Europe
Russian military jet crashes in southwest, at least six dead
Moscow, Russia | AFP | A Russian military plane crashed on Monday into a residential area of Yeysk, a town in southwest Russia near the border with Ukraine, causing a huge fire and killing at least six people, according to Russian authorities. “Six people died, 19 injured including two children,” a spokesman for the ministry of emergency situations said giving an updated toll late Monday. The resulting fire that engulfed a nine-storey residential building […]
Iran vows ‘immediate’ response to new EU sanctions
Tehran, Iran (AFP) — Iran vowed Monday an “immediate” response to the European Union as it prepares new sanctions on the Islamic republic after over a month of protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death. EU foreign ministers met Monday to adopt sanctions on Iran, including on the morality police in whose custody Amini died on September 16 after she was detained for allegedly breaching Iran’s strict dress code for women. Iran will “decide and act […]
Russian ‘kamikaze drones’ strike Kyiv: Ukraine
by Emmanuel PEUCHOT Agence France Presse Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) — Russian-launched “kamikaze drones” attacked Kyiv early Monday, the Ukrainian presidency said, describing the strikes as an act of desperation nearly eight months into a war that has claimed thousands of lives. Photos captured by an AFP photographer showed the drones swooping low across the skies of Kyiv as police officers fired at them from the ground. Other images showed smoke rising from explosions across the […]
France’s TotalEnergies faces legal case for allegedly fuelling Russian bombers
Paris, France | AFP | Two associations have lodged a complaint against French energy giant TotalEnergies for “complicity in war crimes” for allegedly helping fuel Russian planes that have bombed Ukraine, a source close to the case said Friday. The France-based Darwin Climax Coalition and Ukrainian group Razom We Stand handed the file to the national anti-terrorist prosecutor, who investigates war crime allegations, on Thursday. Le Monde newspaper in August said TotalEnergies held a stake […]
Europe heading for warmer-than-average winter: forecaster
Paris, France | AFP | Europe faces a higher-than-usual chance of a cold blast of weather before the end of the year, but the winter overall is likely to be warmer than average, the continent’s long-range weather forecaster said Thursday. Temperatures this winter will be crucial for homeowners worried about the record cost of heating their homes, and for European policymakers seeking to avoid energy rationing due to cuts in Russian gas supplies. “We […]
Moscow-installed head of Ukraine’s Kherson region asks Russia to evacuate locals
Moscow, Russia | AFP | The Moscow-installed head of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, which the Kremlin says it has annexed, asked Russia on Thursday to help evacuate civilians from the area, in a sign that a Ukrainian counteroffensive is advancing. “We suggested to all people of the Kherson region to, if they wish, leave to other regions to protect themselves from missile hits,” the head of the Russian-backed administration, Vladimir Saldo, said on Telegram. “In […]
Russian army will be ‘annihilated’ if Pres. Putin nukes Ukraine: EU Policy Chief Josep Borrell
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned Moscow on Thursday that its forces would be “annihilated” by the West’s military response if President Vladimir Putin uses nuclear weapons against Ukraine. “Putin is saying he is not bluffing. Well, he cannot afford bluffing, and it has to be clear that the people supporting Ukraine and the European Union and the Member States, and the United States and NATO are not […]
Finland hopes new nuclear reactor eases energy crunch
by Elias HUUHTANEN Agence France-Presse EURAJOKI, Finland (AFP) — After over a decade of delays, the deafening sound of Finland’s new Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor finally running its turbine at full power was welcomed with joy — and relief. The Nordic country is hoping the plant will be able to ease the coming winter’s challenges as Europe battles soaring energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “It has taken a lot of perseverance and years […]
Ukraine claims new gains, welcomes Western air defense pledge
by Emmanuel PEUCHOT, with Dave CLARK in Toretsk Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine said Wednesday it had reclaimed more territory in the south and welcomed a Western pledge to deliver air defense systems to Kyiv “as fast as we can” after days of intense Russian missile strikes. A US-led group of around 50 countries held talks at the NATO headquarters in Brussels and vowed to deliver new anti-missile systems to Kyiv. Ukraine is […]
Spanish baby gets groundbreaking intestinal transplant
Madrid, Spain | AFP | A 13-month old baby girl received the world’s first intestinal transplant, Spanish health authorities have announced. The baby “has already been discharged and is in perfect condition at home with her parents”, said the statement from Madrid’s La Paz hospital, issued Tuesday. The baby received the organ via asystolic donation — from a donor at the end of their life. This method of donation means “the organ to be […]
Russia says eight suspects detained over Crimea bridge blast
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia has detained eight suspects over the deadly explosion of the bridge linking annexed Crimea to Russia, the FSB security service said in a statement quoted by news agencies on Wednesday. The suspects include five Russians and “three Ukrainian and Armenian citizens”, it said, without providing more details. “The explosives were hidden in 22 plastic film rolls weighing 22,770 kilograms (50,200 pounds),” it said. The rolls left on a […]
