Month: December 2022

In the lush greenhouses of Kyiv’s National Botanical Garden, staff are struggling to save a decades-old collection of tropical plants after months of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid led to electricity outages, threatening the garden’s heating supply. “These collections cannot be restored. This is not a greenhouse with cucumbers and tomatoes… The loss of …

Read more “Kyiv’s Botanical Garden Struggles to Save Its Tropical Plants Amid Russian Attacks”

Police said Monday they believe no one is missing after a Christmas Day avalanche that swept across a ski trail near the town of Zuers in western Austria.  First responders initially assumed as many as 10 people could be buried based on cell phone video from a witness showing the group near the avalanche that …

Read more “Police: No One Believed Missing in Austrian Avalanche”

Dutch King Willem-Alexander welcomed the government’s apology for the Netherlands’ role in 250 years of slavery in his Christmas address on Sunday, saying it was the “start of a long journey.”     Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday officially apologized for the Dutch state’s involvement in slavery in its former colonies, calling it a “crime against …

Read more “Dutch King Says Slavery Apology Start of ‘Long Journey’”

The Iskander tactical missile systems and the S-400 air defense systems that Russia has deployed to Belarus are fully prepared to perform their intended tasks, a senior Belarusian defense ministry official said on Sunday.    “Our servicemen, crews have fully completed their training in the joint combat training centers of the armed forces of the Russian …

Read more “Belarus Says Russia-Deployed Iskander Missile Systems Ready for Use”

North Macedonia’s government said it’s imposing emergency measures in the country’s capital, Skopje, and three other cities in order to protect people from severely high levels of air pollution. No sports events will be staged Sunday or on any day with high air pollution levels, and other outdoor activities will be curtailed. Starting Monday, construction …

Read more “North Macedonia Takes Emergency Antipollution Steps”

Iran’s top general has said that Western claims its drones are being used by Russia against Ukraine show the ‘effectiveness’ of Tehran’s unmanned aerial vehicles, Iranian media reported Sunday. Kyiv and its Western allies have accused Russia of using Iranian-made drones to carry out attacks against Ukraine in the monthslong conflict, causing significant damage to …

Read more “Iran Says Western Claims Show ‘Effectiveness’ of Its Drones”

Supporters of a Belgian aid worker being held in Iran staged a Christmas Day protest in Brussels to demand his immediate release, with a spokesman questioning why a prisoner swap treaty was stalled.  Around 50 people took part in the demonstration under constant rain in the center of the Belgian capital, brandishing pictures of the …

Read more “Demonstration for Belgian Held in Iran Calls for His Release”

An avalanche left up to 10 people missing in western Austria on Sunday, according to media reports. About 200 rescue workers were searching for people feared buried under the snow near the town of Zuers, reports said. The avalanche occurred at around 3 p.m. (1400 GMT) on the 2,700-meter (nearly 9,000-foot) high Trittkopf mountain between …

Read more “Austria Avalanche Leaves up to 10 Missing, Reports Say”

The man suspected of fatally shooting three Kurds in Paris ahead of Christmas weekend told investigators that he had set out that morning aiming to kill migrants or foreigners and then himself, according to prosecutors. The 69-year-old man killed three people outside a Kurdish cultural center Friday and wounded three others and was then disarmed …

Read more “Prosecutors: Paris Shooting Suspect Wanted to Kill Migrants “

Pope Francis Sunday delivered his traditional Christmas address from St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, describing Russia’s war in Ukraine as “senseless” and calling for an end to the conflict. “May the Lord inspire us to offer concrete gestures of solidarity to assist all those who are suffering, and may he enlighten the minds of …

Read more “In Christmas Message, Pope Prays for Ukraine, End of World Hunger “

A Christmas Eve shooting at a pub in northwest England killed a young woman and wounded three men, police said Sunday. The Merseyside Police force said it was investigating the 11:50 p.m. Saturday shooting at the Lighthouse pub in the town of Wallasey as a murder case. Police have not detained any suspects. “This investigation …

Read more “1 Dead, 3 Wounded in Shooting at UK Pub “

Russia is ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the war in Ukraine but Kyiv and its Western backers have refused to engage in talks, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview aired Sunday. Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has triggered the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two and the biggest …

Read more “Putin Says Russia Ready to Negotiate Over Ukraine “

Four people died after a bus plunged into a river overnight while crossing a bridge in Spain’s northwestern Galicia region, officials said Sunday.  The accident occurred on Saturday night near Vigo and the border with Portugal. The regional La Voz de Galicia newspaper said the bus was carrying people visiting their loved ones jailed in …

Read more “Four Killed in Spain After Bus Plunges Into River “

Pope Francis on Sunday appealed for an end to the “senseless” war in Ukraine, in his traditional Christmas message from St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.    The 86-year-old also warned the 10-month-old conflict was aggravating food shortages around the world, urging an end to the use of “food as a weapon.”  The head of the …

Read more “At Christmas, Pope Urges End to ‘Senseless’ Ukraine War “

A top aide to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday blamed street unrest that gripped Paris following the killing of three Kurds on outlawed PKK militants. “This is PKK in France,” Erdogan’s foreign policy adviser Ibrahim Kalin tweeted, posting images of overturned and burning cars in Paris. “The same terrorist organization you support in …

Read more “Erdogan Aide Blames Paris Unrest After Shooting on PKK “

Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted the West for trying to “tear apart” Russia, in extracts from an interview to be aired on national television later Sunday. “At the core of it all is the policy of our geopolitical opponents aiming to tear apart Russia, the historical Russia,” Putin said. “They have always tried to ‘divide …

Read more “Putin Says West Aiming to ‘Tear Apart’ Russia “

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Duma, said the Russian lower house of parliament was preparing a law to introduce higher taxation for people who have left the country, as many have since the war in Ukraine began in February. “It is right to cancel preferences for those who have left the Russian Federation and …

Read more “Duma Prepares Higher Taxation for Russians Who Left Country, Speaker Says”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi defended his country’s position on the war in Ukraine on Sunday and signaled that China would deepen ties with Russia in the coming year. Wang, speaking by video to a conference in the Chinese capital, also blamed America for the deterioration in relations between the world’s two largest economies, saying …

Read more “China’s Foreign Minister Signals Deeper Ties With Russia”

In a video address to Ukrainians celebrating Christmas late Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they were creating their own Christmas miracle by remaining unbowed and defiant in the face of Russian attacks. “We endured at the beginning of the war — we withstood attacks, threats, nuclear blackmail, terror, missile strikes. We will endure this winter …

Read more “Zelenskyy Says ‘Faith and Patience’ will Help Ukraine Endure”

Since the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine in February, Poland has become a key NATO ally in confronting Moscow’s aggression and an indispensable U.S. partner in the region. More than 7 million Ukrainians have crossed the Polish border as refugees. Today, Ukraine and NATO allies rely on Poland for the delivery of weapons and …

Read more “Poland Becomes Key Player in Russian War on Ukraine “

Ukrainians will create their own miracle this Christmas by showing they remain unbowed despite Russian attacks that have plunged millions into darkness, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a defiant message on Saturday. Speaking 10 months to the day since Russian launched a war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions more, Zelenskyy said …

Read more “Zelenskyy: Ukraine Will Create Its Own Christmas Miracle”

Maxi Jazz, the lead singer of the British electronic band Faithless, has died at the age of 65, the group announced Saturday. The musician and DJ, whose real name was Maxwell Fraser, passed away at his home in south London, according to the dance music act behind 1990s hits including Insomnia and God is a …

Read more “Maxi Jazz, of UK Dance Music Band Faithless, Dies at 65”

The eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has a peculiar “cemetery,” one that recalls some of the worst damage done since the Russian invasion: the debris of rockets used against this town and its people. The graveyard has more than 1,000 missiles, or parts of them. Local authorities hope they can help provide information for any …

Read more “The Peculiar Russian Missile ‘Cemetery’ in Eastern Ukraine”

Back when 2022 started, Kristina Kadashevych surely could not have envisioned ending the year in the city of Richmond, in the U.S. state of Virginia, performing as the sugarplum fairy (and two other roles) in Richmond Ballet’s annual holiday extravaganza, The Nutcracker. But then, the Ukrainian ballerina never could have imagined the year would turn …

Read more “Ukrainian Ballerina Finds Temporary Home in US”