Europe

Russia bans Instagram and Facebook as ‘extremist’

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) – A Russian court on Monday banned Facebook and Instagram as “extremist”, part of sweeping efforts by Moscow to crack down on social media during the conflict in Ukraine. The Russian authorities have accused US tech giant Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — of tolerating “Russophobia” since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine on February 24. Facebook and Twitter have been inaccessible in Russia since early […]

Two injured in attack at Swedish school

MALMO, Sweden (AFP) — Two people were injured and rushed to hospital on Monday after a “suspected serious crime” at a secondary school in the southern Swedish town of Malmo, police said. It was not immediately known what happened but police said there had been no reports of gunfire. “One person has been arrested. Police have the situation under control,” police said in a statement issued around 6:30 pm (1730 GMT). The incident took place […]

Germany to ‘fast-track’ gas terminals as part of Qatar deal

DOHA, Qatar (AFP) – Germany has committed to “fast track” the construction of two liquefied natural gas terminals as part of a new long-term deal with Qatar as it looks to reduce dependence on Russian gas, the Gulf state said Sunday. Economic Affairs Minister Robert Habeck secured the accord during talks in Doha with its emir and energy minister who have been pressing European nations to strike long-term deals to guarantee their supplies. European states […]

Ukraine rejects Russian ultimatum to surrender Mariupol

KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) – Ukraine has rejected an ultimatum to surrender the besieged port city of Mariupol to Russian forces, its deputy prime minister told Ukrainian media Monday. “There can be no talk of surrendering weapons. We have already informed the Russian side of this,” Iryna Vereshchuk told Ukrainska Pravda newspaper. “It’s a deliberate manipulation and it’s a real hostage situation,” she added of the demand. Russia gave the city an ultimatum late Sunday, urging […]

Bodies of US marines found after Norway military crash

OSLO, Norway (AFP) – The bodies of four US marines killed when their plane crashed during NATO exercises in Norway have been retrieved, Norway’s defence ministry said Sunday. A Norwegian Sea King rescue helicopter found the bodies at the accident site south of Bodo in northern Norway where their V-22B Osprey aircraft belonging to the US Marine Corps was reported missing on Friday evening. The ministry said the bodies would be brought to Bodo prior […]

Four dead in Belgium as car hits early morning carnival crowd

A car crashed into a crowd of early morning carnival-goers in Belgium on Sunday, killing four people and injuring 20 people seriously, authorities said. “A car driving at high speed ran into the crowd that had gathered to attend (the carnival),” La Louviere mayor Jacques Gobert told Belga news agency. The incident took place at about 5:00 am (0400 GMT) at the carnival of Strepy-Bracquegnies, a district of the former industrial town of La Louviere, […]

Russia says it has again fired hypersonic missiles in Ukraine

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia said Sunday it has again fired its newest Kinzhal hypersonic missiles in Ukraine, destroying a fuel storage site in the country’s south. The Russian defence ministry also said it killed more than 100 members of Ukrainian special forces and “foreign mercenaries” when it targeted a training centre in the town of Ovruch in northern Ukraine with sea-based missiles. “Kinzhal aviation missile systems with hypersonic ballistic missiles destroyed a large […]

Thousands protest over soaring prices across Spain

  MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Thousands of demonstrators hit the streets across Spain on Saturday in protest at the soaring cost of food, light and fuel, which have been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The rallies, which took place in Spain’s main cities, were called by the far-right Vox party which sought to tap into growing social discontent over the spiralling cost of living that has left many families struggling to pay their bills. […]

Russia claims hypersonic missile strike, Ukraine urges cease-fire

  by Emmanuel Duparcq and Dmytro Gorshkov Agence France Presse KIEV, Ukraine (AFP) — Russia said Saturday that it had unleashed hypersonic missiles against an arms depot in Ukraine, the first use of the next-generation weapons in combat, after Kyiv’s embattled leader pressed for “meaningful” talks to halt an invasion now in its fourth week. Moscow also said its troops had broken through Ukrainian defences to enter the strategic southern port city of Mariupol, prompting […]

Over 3.25 million have fled Ukraine, most to Poland

  GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — More than 3.25 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion, the United Nations said Friday, with more than two million crossing the Polish border. UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said 3,270,662 people had joined the exodus since the war began on February 24, or another 100,765 since Thursday’s update. “We have seen a general slowdown” in flow since the early days of the conflict, said UNHCR spokesman Matthew […]

Russian official who spoke out against ‘war’ leaves post

  MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Former Kremlin aide and ex-deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich on Friday stepped down as chair of the Skolkovo Foundation after becoming a rare official voice of dissent against Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine. Established in 2010, the Skolkovo Foundation has aimed to diversify the country’s economy from oil and gas, foster start-ups and build a Russian version of Silicon Valley outside Moscow. “Arkady Dvorkovich decided to terminate the powers of […]

Norway boosts military spending by over 300 million euros: official

OSLO, Norway (AFP) — Norway on Friday announced it would provide an additional 3 billion Norwegian kroner (308 million euros) this year to strengthen its military forces in the north near the Russian border. “Even if a Russian attack on Norway is not likely, we must realise that we have a neighbour to the east that has become more dangerous and more unpredictable,” Norwegian Defence Minister Odd Roger Enoksen told a press conference, referring to […]