Greece Fights Wildfires as Wind Raises Risk Across Mediterranean
Greece is fighting almost 200 wildfires as strengthening winds present an additional challenge, even as the heat wave
2023-07-27 17:25
Russia-Ukraine war – live: Kyiv gains around Bakhmut as Putin’s forces fire missiles at Odesa port
Ukrainian troops are inching closer to the eastern city of Bakhmut, the scene for some of the fiercest fighting in the continuing invasion, officials in Kyiv have said. Deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said fierce fighting raged near the villages of Klishchiivka, Kurdyumivka and Andriivka on the southern flank of Bakhmut, a small city reduced to ruins in a bloody, months-long battle that gave Russian forces control of the area for now. Despite steady Western military aid, Ukrainian military officials have said Russia still has an advantage in artillery, tanks and manpower. But Volodymyr Zelensky’s military is about to receive a consignment of 1,700 strike and reconnaissance drones to help with its counteroffensive. It comes as Russian forces struck port infrastructure in Ukraine‘s Odesa region in an overnight missile attack, killing a security guard and damaging a cargo terminal, the region’s governor said on Thursday. Odesa’s ports have been regular targets for Russian attacks since Moscow withdrew on July 17 from a U.N.-brokered deal that allowed Ukrainian grain to be exported via the Black Sea. Read More Angry Russia refuses to speak at UN meeting on its attacks on Ukraine's key port city of Odesa. Putin’s forces pushed back around Bakhmut as Ukraine’s troops press on with counteroffensive Wrongfully detained in Russia and injured fighting in Ukraine. Everything we know about Trevor Reed Russian fighter jet strikes another American drone over Syria in the sixth incident this month
2023-07-27 16:27
Wildfire on Spain's Gran Canaria island 'stabilised' - emergency services
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Spain Firefighters have "stabilised" a wildfire that ravaged 400 hectares of woodland in the
2023-07-27 15:50
Ukraine MP being investigated for taking family holiday in Maldives amid Russian invasion
Ukrainian authorities are reportedly conducting an investigation to determine whether a member of parliament violated the law by taking a family holiday to the Maldives. Earlier in January this year, the Ukrainian president banned officials from travelling abroad for non-governmental purposes. The security service has initiated a criminal case to ascertain whether member of parliament, Yuriy Aristov provided false information to the authorities. He faces up to three years in prison if convicted. During a video address in January, Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Ignoring the war is a luxury that no one can afford.” He added: “There is a principled decision of the NSDC [National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine] on officials travelling abroad. It applies to all officials of the central government and various other levels of local government. It applies to law enforcers, people’s deputies, prosecutors and all those who are supposed to work for the state and in the state. If they want to rest now, they will rest outside the civil service. Officials will no longer be able to travel abroad for vacation or for any other non-governmental purpose.” Mr Aristov is accused of providing false information while applying to leave the country. He reportedly went on a family vacation to the Maldives. The MP reportedly told authorities he was going on sick leave. But investigations found that Mr Aristov had been on the private island of Ithaafushi in the Maldives in mid-July with his wife and children. The State Bureau of Investigation and the Security Service of Ukraine have opened a criminal case against him. Mr Aristov was abroad from 5 June to 22 July, during which he embarked on a three-day business trip to Poland before being observed in the Maldives by Ukrainian media. Kyiv Independent said that he was first spotted in the luxurious 5-star Waldorf Astoria Maldives hotel on the private island in mid-July. An investigation by the Ukrainian outlet, Slidstvo.info revealed that Mr Aristov had indeed been a guest at the Maldives resort after the hotel confirmed. However, by the time they received the inquiry, he had already checked out. The accommodation costs at this exclusive resort vary significantly – starting from 100,000 hryvnias [$2,600] and reaching 323,000 hryvnias [$8,800] for a single night. Additionally, there is a premium villa option that surpasses one million hryvnias per night [$26,700], according to local media. In response to the publication of the investigation, Mr Aristov promptly resigned from his position as a people’s deputy. Parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk made the announcement of his resignation on Facebook. Read More North Korea’s Kim Jong-un shows Russia’s defence minister banned ballistic missiles Bluffing or not, Putin’s declared deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus ramps up saber-rattling Ireland unlikely to offer condolences to Russia if Putin dies, Varadkar says The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
2023-07-27 14:52
Ukraine war: Western armour struggles against Russian defences
Russians use layers of mines to prevent Ukraine's advance on the southern front.
2023-07-27 14:51
Xi Protege’s Sudden Removal Adds to Rough Start for Third Term
The sudden ouster of Xi Jinping’s handpicked foreign minister is the latest example of how the Chinese president’s
2023-07-27 14:47
Barclays Unveils New Buyback as Investment Bank Misses Estimates
Barclays Plc said it would buy back a further £750 million ($972 million) of its shares after a
2023-07-27 14:46
Turkey’s New Central Bank Governor to Confront Misgivings in Public Debut
Turkey’s newly-installed central bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan will step into the spotlight for the first time on
2023-07-27 12:20
Most unaccompanied children failed to win asylum in Greece, NGO says
BRUSSELS Fewer than a third of unaccompanied children succeeded in winning asylum in Greece last year, with the
2023-07-27 09:57
Greece orders fresh evacuations as wildfires erupt on mainland
By Angeliki Koutantou and Karolina Tagaris ATHENS (Reuters) -Authorities ordered the evacuation of a handful of communities in central Greece
2023-07-27 06:22
EU plans to buy new firefighting planes as climate crises worsen
By Kate Abnett BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union wants to sign contracts this year for up to 12 firefighting planes,
2023-07-27 02:53
Russia-Ukraine war – live: Putin’s forces pushed back near Bakhmut as Kyiv sends 1,700 drones to help advance
Vladimir Putin’s troops are being pushed back by Kyiv’s forces in eastern and southern Ukraine, where 1,700 drones will be sent to the frontline to help their counteroffensive “All of [the drones] are now going to the front to protect the lives of our soldiers, to make our artillery even more accurate, to destroy the enemy,” Mykhailo Fedorov, a deputy prime minister, said. The deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar, reported advances towards the southern occupied cities of Melitopol and Berdyansk which is on the Sea of Azov. She said Kyiv’s troops were also successfully attacking in the east on the flanks of occupied Bakhmut – a city that has gained symbolic importance to both Kyiv and Moscow after months of bloody clashes. While “successes” in the southeast, she added, include an area near the village of Staromayorske which is located by a cluster of hamlets recaptured by Ukraine in the Donetsk region this summer. “Battles continue near Staromayorske, our defenders have successes, they were gaining a foothold on the reached frontiers,” Ms Maliar added. Read More Putin ‘looked paralyzed and unable to act’ as Wagner coup unfolded African leaders arrive in Russia for summit with Putin, as Kremlin seeks allies in Ukraine war China and Russia to join North Korea’s Korean War celebrations in a first after pandemic ‘Our own front line’: Ukrainian surgeons see wave of wounded soldiers since counteroffensive began
2023-07-27 00:17