MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) – The Russian army claimed on Wednesday it had taken control of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson as Moscow’s invasion of the pro-Western country entered its seventh day. “The Russian divisions of the armed forces have taken the regional centre of Kherson under full control,” defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in televised remarks. He claimed that public services and transport were operating as usual. “The city is not experiencing shortages […]
Tag: Russia
Russian-European Mars rover ‘very unlikely’ to launch this year
PARIS, France (AFP) – A Russian-European mission to land a rover on Mars is “very unlikely” to launch this year due to sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Space Agency said. The launch of the Rosalind Franklin rover, whose mission is to drill into Martian soil to seek out signs of life, was originally planned for 2020 but postponed due to Covid-19 and technical delays. In January the ESA declared the ExoMars mission […]
UN General Assembly to vote on demand for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine
by Philippe RATER UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — After more than 100 countries spoke during two days of extraordinary debate, the UN General Assembly was poised to vote Wednesday on whether it will vigorously deplore Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and demand Moscow withdraw troops immediately. The vote on the draft resolution is being touted by diplomats as a bellwether of democracy in a world where autocracy is on the rise in countries from Myanmar […]
Biden seeks US unity through Russia crisis
by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden won standing ovation upon standing ovation Tuesday in a rousing State of the Union speech seeking to transform bipartisan support for confronting Russia into momentum for broader unity as the United States finally emerges from the Covid pandemic. The entire first section of Biden’s one hour speech to the joint session of Congress was devoted to the bloody Russian invasion […]
Russian airborne troops land in Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv: army
KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Russian airborne troops landed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Wednesday, the Ukrainian army said, adding that there were immediate clashes. “Russian airborne troops landed in Kharkiv… and attacked a local hospital,” the army said in a statement on messaging app Telegram. “There is an ongoing fight between the invaders and the Ukrainians.” Kharkiv, a largely Russian-speaking city near the Russian border, has a population of around 1.4 […]
Oil tops $110, equities sink on rising Ukraine war fears
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Crude surged past $110 a barrel Wednesday and equities sank with investors growing increasingly fearful about the Ukraine war’s impact on global energy supplies and the economic recovery. Vladimir Putin’s invasion of his neighbor has sent world markets into a spiral over the past week, further fraying nerves on trading floors caused by runaway inflation and tighter central bank monetary policies. The crisis has seen numerous countries hammer Moscow with […]
Airstrike hits Kyiv’s main television tower, kills five
KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — A video published on the Telegram channel of Kyiv’s Mayor Vitaly Klitschko shows the moment an airstrike hits Kyiv’s main television tower in the heart of the Ukrainian capital, knocking out some state broadcasting capabilities but leaving the structure intact. Ukrainian emergency services say five people died and five were injured in the missile strike.
President Duterte signs EO protecting refugees, asylum seekers
(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an executive order institutionalizing refugees’, stateless persons’, and asylum seekers’ access to protection services. President Duterte signed Executive Order No. 163 that establishes an Inter-agency Committee on the Protection of Refugees, Stateless Persons, and Asylum Seekers on Feb. 28 and “ensure full protection of the rights of persons of concern to liberty and security, and freedom of movement.” “Subject to applicable laws and issuances, the minimum standards […]
Biden warns ‘dictator’ Putin, oligarchs as Russia bombards Ukraine
by Frankie Taggart with Dave Clark in Kyiv WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden branded Vladimir Putin a “dictator” Tuesday and warned Russia’s billionaires that he was coming after their yachts and private jets, as Russian air strikes pummeled Ukraine in a bid to crush the US ally’s resistance. Despite sanctions and warnings of a humanitarian crisis, Moscow launched a fresh assault on a residential block in Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv as […]
ExxonMobil says withdrawing from key Russian oil field
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – US oil giant ExxonMobil announced Tuesday it will begin a phased withdrawal from the major oil field it operates in Russia on behalf of a consortium including Russian, Indian and Japanese companies, citing Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “In response to recent events, we are beginning the process to discontinue operations and developing steps to exit the Sakhalin-1 venture,” the group said in a statement. The group added that it […]
Biden touts Western strength as Russia bombards Ukraine
by Frankie Taggart with Dave Clark in Kyiv President Joe Biden hailed the steadfast Western alliance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday as air strikes pummeled populated areas in the heart of the US ally’s second city, raising the civilian toll of the week-old war. Despite sanctions and warnings of a humanitarian crisis, the fresh assaults on a residential block in Kharkiv came as the US leader was preparing to steel the American public’s […]
Top UN court to hold Ukraine war hearings on March 7, 8
The International Court of Justice said Tuesday it would hold genocide hearings on March 7 and 8 over the war in Ukraine, as fighting intensifies. The Hague-based ICJ, the United Nations’ top court, will open the public hearings after Ukraine lodged a complaint with the court to order Russia to stop its invasion. “The hearings will be devoted to the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by Ukraine,” the court said in a […]





