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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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
By Matthew WALSH, Oliver HOTHAM BEIJING, Dec 31, 2023 (AFP)– President Xi Jinping said Sunday the Chinese economy had grown “more resilient and dynamic” in 2023, despite financial figures continuing to disappoint as the post-Covid recovery stalls. He also promised in a bullish New Year’s address to the nation that China would “surely be reunified” — a reference to the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own and has pledged to seize. […]
JERUSALEM, Jan 1, 2024 (AFP) – Several rockets fired from the Gaza Strip targeted Tel Aviv and southern Israel as the country rang in the New Year on Monday, according to AFP journalists on the ground. Air-raid sirens sounded as journalists in Tel Aviv saw Israeli missile defence systems intercept the rockets. People who had gathered on the streets to celebrate New Year’s Eve took shelter, while others continued to party. The attack on southern […]
WASHINGTON, Jan 1, 2024 (AFP) – A 39-year-old Hawaii man has died of his injuries after he was attacked by a shark in the waters off Maui, local police said. Jason Carter, described by local media as a surfer, was attacked on Saturday morning, the Maui Police Department said in a statement. When police arrived, he was being rushed to shore via jet ski by safety officers. “Once onshore, life-saving measures were performed” until he […]
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 […]
BERLIN, Dec 31, 2023 (AFP) – Chancellor Olaf Scholz travelled Sunday to parts of northern Germany hit by floods after days of heavy rains, urging the nation “to close ranks” in the face of the challenges posed by nature. The German leader arrived by helicopter at Verden an der Aller in Lower Saxony, one of the worst hit states, where he was briefed about the emergency situation as well as protective measures that had been […]
BERLIN, Dec 31, 2023 (AFP) – German police arrested three people on Sunday over an alleged attack plot targeting the cathedral in Cologne on New Year’s Eve. The “alleged means of attack” is a car, said police in the western city, adding that security measures have been stepped up around the site. The three suspects are believed to be linked to a Tajik who was arrested on Christmas Eve, said Cologne police chief Johannes Hermann. […]
HODEIDA, Yemen, Dec 31, 2023 (AFP) – The US military said Sunday its Navy helicopters fired at Iran-backed Huthi rebel boats off Yemen that were attacking a cargo ship, with Yemeni sources reporting 10 rebels killed. The clash in the Red Sea marked a deadly escalation since the United States set up a multinational naval task force in early December to protect the vital shipping lane against Huthi attacks. The rebels — who say they […]
MOSCOW, Dec 30, 2023 (AFP) – Russia accused Ukraine of targeting the city of Belgorod with missiles and rockets on Saturday, killing at least 14 people and wounding dozens more in an attack Moscow warned would “not go unpunished”. Belgorod lies about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the border with Ukraine and has been repeatedly struck by what Moscow says is indiscriminate shelling by Kyiv’s forces. Unverified footage showed debris strewn across the street and […]
By Caroline TAÏX, Helen ROWE LONDON, Dec 30, 2023 (AFP) – All Eurostar trains were cancelled on Saturday due to flooded tunnels in southern England, causing misery for New Year travellers in the second major disruption in 10 days. The latest cancellations follow a wildcat strike by French unions days before December 25 and weather warnings from the UK’s Met Office for rain, snow and ice across large parts of the country. Hundreds of travellers […]
