Author: AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed fighting Russia in almost three years of war, and that some 370,000 have been wounded. “Since the start of the full-scale war, Ukraine has lost 43,000 soldiers killed in action on the battlefield,” Zelensky said on social media. “There have been 370,000 cases of medical assistance for the wounded,” but he added that “half” of wounded troops return to the battlefield.

Iraq on Sunday urged respect for the “free will” of all Syrians and the country’s territorial integrity, following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad. “Iraq reaffirms the necessity of respecting the free will of all Syrians and emphasises that the security, territorial integrity and independence of Syria are of paramount importance,” government spokesman Basim Alawadi said in a statement.

Anti-regime fighters who have taken city after city in a lightning offensive in Syria aim to overthrow Bashar al-Assad, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader said in an interview published on Friday. After cutting a swathe through government-held territory in northern and central Syria, the anti-regime forces were at the gates of the country’s third largest city Homs, a war monitor said. In a little over a week, the offensive has seen Assad’s forces ousted from the major cities of Aleppo and Hama for the first time since the civil war began in 2011. Should the opposition forces capture Homs,…

Anti-regime fighters who have taken city after city in a lightning offensive in Syria aim to overthrow Bashar al-Assad, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader said in an interview published on Friday. After cutting a swathe through government-held territory in northern and central Syria, the anti-regime forces were at the gates of the country’s third largest city Homs, a war monitor said. In a little over a week, the offensive has seen Assad’s forces ousted from the major cities of Aleppo and Hama for the first time since the civil war began in 2011. Should the opposition forces capture Homs,…

US President-elect Donald Trump is in Paris for the reopening ceremony of the Notre Dame Cathedral on Saturday, marking a symbolic moment in the historic structure’s recovery five years after a devastating fire engulfed it in flames. French President Emmanuel Macron personally welcomed Trump at the Elysee Palace’s entrance, highlighting the strong ties between the two leaders during Trump’s first term in office. “It is a great honor for the French people to welcome you five years later,” Macron stated. “You were the president at the time when the cathedral burned, and I remember the solidarity and your immediate action.…

Thousands of protesters marched in the Georgian capital Tbilisi Saturday for the 10th day of rallies sparked by a disputed election and the government’s decision to shelve EU accession talks. Demanding fresh elections and a return to European integration, the demonstrators headed towards the Black Sea country’s parliament, undeterred by a crackdown on pro-EU protesters the day before. Security forces fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse the thousands of people who had likewise gathered outside parliament in Tbilisi on Friday evening, while Georgian police said they had made 48 arrests. The Caucasus nation has been engulfed in turmoil…

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol escaped impeachment Saturday over his brief declaration of martial law, after lawmakers from his ruling party boycotted a vote despite huge protests outside parliament. Yoon stunned the nation and the international community on Tuesday night by suspending civilian rule and sending troops to parliament, but was forced into a U-turn after lawmakers nixed his decree. Opposition parties proposed the impeachment motion, which needed a two thirds majority to pass, but a near-total boycott by Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) doomed it to failure. “The number of members who voted did not reach the required…

The ceremony for the grand reopening of France’s Notre Dame cathedral will be held entirely indoors due to an inclement weather forecast, the Elysee Palace and Paris diocese said Friday. Saturday’s reopening, which comes five years after the fire that devastated the famed Paris landmark, was moved inside after weather service Meteo France forecast wind gusts of up to 80 kilometres (50 miles) per hour, “obliging us to reorganise the arrangements”, said President Emmanuel Macron’s office and the local diocese in a joint statement. A long list of world leaders, royalty and celebrities are due to attend the gala event.…

A Russian strike on Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region has killed at least nine people, the local governor said Friday. Zaporizhzhia governor Ivan Fedorov said a Russian attack had set a car garage and service station on fire, posting images of a fire blazing with debris strewn across the street. “Nine dead and six wounded,” he said in a post on Telegram, updating an earlier toll of seven fatalities. “Among the wounded are two children, aged four and 11,” he added. In a previous message he had called Russia a “terrorist state”. Some nearby communities had problems with electricity supplies after…

TikTok edged closer to being banned in the United States after it lost an appeal on Friday against a law requiring the video-sharing app to divest from its Chinese parent company by January 19. The potential ban could strain US-China relations just as president-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office on January 20. TikTok said it would now appeal to the Supreme Court, which could choose to take up the case or let the DC circuit court’s decision stand. “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do…