Europe

Heavy snowfall, cold cause traffic jams in Nordics

STOCKHOLM, Jan 4, 2024 (AFP) – Hundreds of cars were stuck along highways in southern Sweden and Denmark on Thursday, authorities said, with heavy snowfall behind the gridlock as a cold snap hit the region. In Sweden, military personnel were dispatched to assist rescue services working to aid stranded motorists between the towns of Horby and Kristianstad in Sweden’s far south. After drivers who requested help were evacuated, the people who remained in the area […]

Germany urges citizens to leave Lebanon swiftly

BERLIN, Jan 3, 2024 (AFP) – Germany on Wednesday urged its citizens to leave Lebanon quickly, warning that an expansion of the Israel-Hamas war could not be ruled out after a drone strike in Beirut killed a senior Hamas leader. “All German citizens, who are still in Lebanon, are asked to register on the ELEFAND crisis preparedness list and to leave the country as quickly as possible,” wrote the German foreign ministry on X, formerly […]

Sweden sees coldest weather in 25 years

STOCKHOLM, Jan 3, 2024 (AFP) – Sweden on Wednesday recorded its coldest January night in 25 years, with a reading of minus 43.6 degrees Celsius in the far north as a cold snap hit the Nordics. “To put that into perspective, that is the lowest January temperature in Sweden since 1999,” Mattias Lind, meteorologist at Sweden’s national weather agency SMHI, told AFP. In January 1999, a temperature of minus 49 degrees Celsius (minus 56.2 Fahrenheit) […]

NATO to buy 1,000 Patriot missiles in face of Russia threat

BRUSSELS, Jan 3, 2024 (AFP) – NATO members in Europe have signed a contract for up to 1,000 Patriot missiles to bolster air defences in the face of the threat from Russia, the alliance said Wednesday. The announcement of the contract, estimated to be worth $5.5 billion, comes as Moscow has unleashed repeated barrages of deadly missile and drone strikes against Ukraine in recent days. NATO’s procurement agency said the deal agreed by an initial […]

Doctors in England start longest strike in NHS history

LONDON, Jan 3, 2024 (AFP) – Hospital doctors in England on Wednesday began their longest consecutive strike in the seven-decade history of Britain’s National Service (NHS). Junior doctors — those below consultant level — started a six-day walkout at 0700 GMT, in a major escalation of their long-running pay dispute with the UK government. The industrial action, which ends next Tuesday, comes at one of the busiest times of the year for the state-funded NHS, […]

President Putin says Russia will ‘intensify’ attacks on Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine, Jan 1, 2024 (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that his forces would intensify strikes on military targets in Ukraine, after an unprecedented Ukrainian attack over the weekend on the Russian city of Belgorod. The attack on Saturday, which killed 25 people including five children, came after Moscow launched a large-scale attack on Ukrainian cities. Meanwhile, Kyiv said Russia had targeted the country with a “record” number of drones on New […]

UPDATE: Fareastern Russia on ‘alert’ due to tsunami risk

MOSCOW, Jan 1, 2024 (AFP) – Russia’s Sakhalin island and the Pacific city of Vladivostok were on “alert” Monday to a possible tsunami risk after a major earthquake in Japan. The alerts came after the powerful 7.5 earthquake in Japan prompted tsunami warnings, with Japanese authorities urging people to move to higher ground. Sakhalin is an elongated island north of Japan and Vladivostok is Russia’s main Pacific city. Authorities in Sakhalin said the island’s west […]

Frederik, Denmark’s ‘woke’ and popular future king

COPENHAGEN, Dec 31, 2023 (AFP) – A rebellious teen turned “woke” family man, Denmark’s future king Crown Prince Frederik is the embodiment of the country’s relaxed, liberal monarchy. Passionate about the environment, he has discreetly imposed himself in the shadow of his hugely popular mother, Queen Margrethe II, championing Denmark and its drive to find solutions to the climate crisis. “When the time comes, I will guide the ship,” he said in a speech celebrating […]

Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II announces surprise abdication

By Camille BAS-WOHLERT COPENHAGEN, Dec 31, 2023 (AFP) – Denmark’s popular Queen Margrethe II, Europe’s longest-serving monarch, said Sunday that she would abdicate on January 14 and pass the baton to her son Crown Prince Frederik. Margrethe, 83, has reigned for 52 years and has been Europe’s only reigning queen after the death of Britain’s Elizabeth II. She has been hailed for subtly modernising Danish royalty in her half-century on the throne. She made the […]

Zelensky vows to wreak ‘wrath’ against Russia in 2024

KYIV, Ukraine, Dec 31, 2023 (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed in his New Year’s address Sunday to wreak “wrath” against Russian forces in 2024, despite what he said were attempts to “undermine” support for Kyiv. His message came less than 72 hours after Moscow launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities, killing 39 people in one of the biggest aerial attacks since the war began. “Next year, the enemy will […]

Putin praises army in scaled-back New Year’s address

MOSCOW, Dec 31, 2023 (AFP) – President Vladimir Putin praised the Russian army in his New Year’s Eve address Sunday, arguing society had “united” behind the Kremlin in a scaled-back message that did not mention Ukraine. In stark contrast to last year, when the Kremlin leader gave a combative speech flanked by soldiers, Putin described 2024 as the “year of the family” in front of the traditional backdrop of the Kremlin. “We have repeatedly proved […]

Ukraine downs drones as Russia retaliates for Belgorod attack

KYIV, Ukraine, Dec 31, 2023 (AFP) – Kyiv said Sunday it had destroyed 21 of 49 Iranian-made drones fired after Russia vowed to retaliate for what it called a “terrorist attack” on a border city that left 24 dead. The Ukrainian air force said the “Shahed” drones were particularly targeted at “the front line of defence, as well as at civilian, military and infrastructure facilities in the front-line territories”. Six guided missiles had also targeted […]