by Michelle Fitzpatrick Agence France-Presse FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) — Former German chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday defended her years-long policy of detente towards Moscow, saying she had “nothing to apologize for” even as the Ukraine war casts a pall on her legacy. In her first major interview since stepping down six months ago, Merkel insisted she had not been naive in her dealings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Diplomacy isn’t wrong just because it hasn’t […]
Europe
Russia jails four Jehovah’s Witnesses for six years
A Russian court sentenced four members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the US-based evangelical movement, to six years in prison for “extremism”, investigators said Tuesday. The four adherents of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who hail from the city of Chita in eastern Siberia, were found guilty of organising “extremist” activities between 2017 and 2020, the Investigative Committee said. They organised meetings, collected donations and distributed religious literature, investigators said in a statement. The court sentenced two of […]
Fierce battle for key Ukraine city changing ‘every hour’
by Blaise Gauquelin, with Quentin Tyberghien in Donbas Street fighting raged Tuesday for control of Ukraine‘s flashpoint city of Severodonetsk, with the situation changing “every hour”, an official said, as Kyiv warned its troops were outnumbered by Russian forces. Just days ago, Moscow seemed close to taking the strategic industrial hub in the east but Ukrainian forces have managed to hold out. “Our heroes are holding their positions in Severodonetsk. Fierce street fights continue in […]
Ukraine president says ‘outnumbered’ in strategic city Severodonetsk
by Blaise Gauquelin, with Quentin Tyberghien in Donbas Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Monday that his troops were outnumbered by a “stronger” Russian side, as the two countries’ forces battled for control of the eastern city of Severodonetsk. “We’re holding out” in the key city, but “there are more of them and they are stronger,” Zelensky told journalists in Kyiv, one day after a daring visit to frontline positions […]
Ukraine suffers setbacks in strategic city Severodonetsk
by Blaise Gauquelin, with Quentin Tyberghien in Donbas Ukrainian troops suffered setbacks after retaking parts of flashpoint eastern city Severodonetsk from Russian forces, local officials said on Monday, as the see-saw battle raged on for the strategically important city. With Russia bringing the weight of its artillery to bear around Severodonetsk — the largest city in the Lugansk region not under Russian control — more help was promised from abroad. The United Kingdom said it […]
Zelensky says ‘victory will be ours’, on day 100 of Russian invasion
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday his country’s military would fend off the Russian invasion, in a video marking 100 days of Moscow’s all-out assault on its pro-democracy neighbour. “Victory will be ours,” Zelensky said in the video. It included Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and presidential advisor Mykhaylo Podolyak, recalling an impromptu message they posted outside government buildings at the onset of the war, vowing to remain in the country. On the 100th day […]
Man charged over mystery needle attacks in France
by Pierre ROCHICCIOLI Agence France Presse MARSEILLE, France (AFP) — French prosecutors have charged a 20-year-old man in southern France in connection with a fresh spate of needle attacks that have mystified police and alarmed authorities since the start of the year. The man was detained and charged on Sunday, two days after around 20 people reported needle injuries during the filming of a televised concert on a Riviera beach in Toulon on Friday evening. […]
Ukraine says regained ground from Russia in key eastern city
by Blaise Gauquelin, with Quentin Tyberghien in the Donbas Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — With a see-saw battle for control of the strategically important city of Severodonetsk raging on, a senior Ukrainian official said Sunday that his country’s forces now control “half of the city”. The gains, announced by regional governor Sergiy Gaiday, would represent a significant advance by Ukrainian troops, who earlier had appeared on the verge of being driven out of […]
France confirms 51 monkeypox cases
PARIS, France (AFP) — France has detected 51 cases of monkeypox, French health authorities said Friday, as the number of confirmed infections worldwide rises. The European country reported its first cases in May, and its last total was of 33 confirmed cases on Wednesday. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday it was aware of more than 700 global cases of monkeypox, including 21 in the United States. The French national public […]
INC holds “Neighborhood Appreciation Day” in Heathrow to mark Mental Health awareness month
By Paul Jacob Erese and Love Ann Sison EBC United Kingdom To mark Mental Health Awareness Month last May, members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) in Heathrow, United Kingdom, hosted a Neighbourhood Appreciation Day as part of INCGiving socio-civic project. The Church and its members opened their doors to the local neighbourhood and surrounding communities in an effort to bring the community together in an uplifting, fun-filled family event. Many guests […]
Queen Elizabeth II kicks off historic jubilee celebrations
by Martine PAUWELS / Phil HAZLEWOOD / Valentine GRAVELEAU Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday kicked off the first of four days of celebrations marking her record-breaking 70 years on the throne, to cheering crowds of tens of thousands of people. But the 96-year-old sovereign’s appearance at the Platinum Jubilee — a milestone never previously reached by a British monarch — took its toll, forcing her to […]
Blaze rages through Moscow office building
A fire raged Friday through an office building in western Moscow, said the emergencies ministry, adding that over 120 people had been evacuated. “According to preliminary information, more than 120 people had been rescued from the burning building,” the emergencies ministry said in a statement on messaging app Telegram, adding the search for more people was continuing. The blaze covered an area of 1,000 square metres (10,764 square feet), the ministry said, adding that […]