by Daria ANDRIIEVSKA Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — A blistering wave of Russian strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure killed 11 people on Thursday, a day after Germany and the United States pledged heavy tanks for Kyiv. The stepped-up military aid swept aside long-standing misgivings among allies and signaled a surge of Western support for a counteroffensive against the Russian invasion. The latest wave of Russian attacks came as the Kremlin said it perceived the […]
Europe
EU mission to Armenia will fuel confrontation, says Russia
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Thursday accused the EU of seeking to fuel “geopolitical confrontation” by sending a civilian mission to monitor Armenia’s volatile border with Azerbaijan. Moscow has sought to maintain its role as a powerbroker between the ex-Soviet republics despite being bogged down in its offensive in Ukraine. On Monday, the EU launched a civilian mission to help monitor Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan, bolstering the bloc’s role in a region viewed by […]
Deadly Russian missiles hit Ukraine energy infrastructure after West pledges tanks
Kyiv, Ukraine | AFP | Thursday 1/26/2023 by Daria ANDRIIEVSKA Russian forces fired dozens of missiles at Ukraine on Thursday in a blistering wave of strikes targeting energy infrastructure, a day after Germany and the United States pledged heavy tanks for Kyiv. The latest wave of attacks came as the Kremlin said Moscow perceived the tank deliveries “as direct involvement in the conflict” and Ukraine conceded it was facing mounting pressure from Russian troops on […]
‘No terror motive’ in knife attack on German train
German prosecutors said Thursday there was no indication of a terrorist motive in a knife attack on a train that killed two teenagers and wounded several other passengers. A 33-year-old suspect named only as Ibrahim A., a stateless man of Palestinian origin, has been detained over Wednesday’s stabbing spree on the route between the northern cities of Hamburg and Kiel. “There are no indications of a terrorist background,” Peter Mueller-Rakow, a spokesman for the local […]
Migrants in Morocco limbo as they cling to Europe dreams
by Kaouthar Oudrhiri Agence France-Presse CASABLANCA, Morocco (AFP) — Oumar left home in Guinea five years ago in search of a better life in Europe, but today he inhabits a daily purgatory of hunger, cold and police violence in Morocco. “Just surviving every day is a battle,” said the 25-year-old. “It’s exhausting not eating enough, not sleeping under a roof, not feeling safe, experiencing racism.” He spends his nights camped out on the pavement outside […]
European bid to send cluster munitions to Ukraine
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A European country has proposed sending cluster munitions to Ukraine, believing the controversial weapons — whose use by Russia has been condemned — could help on the battlefield, an official said Wednesday. An official from a European nation, who did not want to be identified by name or country, said his government approved the shipment and was seeking permission from Germany, which is involved in the production of the munitions […]
One dead in machete attack on Spain churches
ALGECIRAS, Spain (AFP) — A church official was killed and a priest seriously wounded late Wednesday when a man wielding a machete stormed two churches in southern Spain, the government said. Prosecutors immediately opened a terror probe into the attack, which took place in the port city of Algeciras in Spain’s southern Andalusia region. “Just after 7:00 pm (1800 GMT) this evening, a man entered the church of San Isidro in Algeciras, where, armed with […]
Spain says ‘ready’ to send German tanks to Kyiv
Madrid, Spain | AFP | Spain said Wednesday it was ready to send some of its German-made Leopard tanks to bolster Ukraine’s fight against Russia after Berlin granted approval for their European transfers. “Spain is ready… to deal with our allies in any way necessary, whether that means sending Leopards, training in the use of Leopards or help in their maintenance and upkeep,” Defence Minister Margarita Robles said. Her remarks came shortly after Berlin said […]
ALERT: Two dead in knife attack on train in northern Germany: police
Two people were killed and several others wounded in a knife attack on a regional train in northern Germany Wednesday, police said, announcing that the alleged assailant had been captured. The stabbings occurred on a train travelling between the cities of Hamburg and Kiel, a spokesman for the federal police force said. The suspect was taken into custody at the railway station in the town of Brokstedt. This is a breaking / developing story…. © […]
Germany approves long-awaited Leopard tanks for Ukraine
Berlin, Germany | AFP | Wednesday 1/25/2023 by Femke COLBORNE with Daria ANDRIIEVSKA in Kyiv Berlin on Wednesday agreed to deliver powerful German-made Leopard tanks to help Ukraine repel Russia’s invasion, a decision hailed by Kyiv and NATO but slammed by Moscow as “extremely dangerous”. President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his German counterpart Olaf Scholz for the “important and timely” announcement, as NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the heavy armaments can help Ukraine win the war. […]
Climate change increases human trafficking risks: UN
Vienna, Austria | AFP | Tuesday 1/24/2023 Evidence is emerging that climate-related disasters are becoming a cause of human trafficking as criminal gangs exploit a growing number of uprooted people, the UN said Tuesday. The continuing war in Ukraine is also another risk factor for increased human trafficking, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a report. “Climate change is increasing vulnerability to trafficking,” the UNODC report said. “While a systematic […]
Start training Ukrainians to use Leopard tanks, Germany says
Berlin, Germany | AFP | Tuesday 1/24/2023 by Femke COLBORNE Germany said Tuesday that allies could start training Ukrainian forces to use the Leopard battle tanks desperately sought by Kyiv to repel Russian troops, provoking a defiant response from the Kremlin. Berlin stopped short of granting permission for the tanks to be sent to Ukraine, but underscored that the pending decision was imminent. Poland sought to push Germany to speed up its decision, with Warsaw […]