Author: AFP
A fire broke out early Monday at a retirement home on the outskirts of the Serbian capital, Belgrade, killing eight people and injuring seven. Luka Causic, a police officer overseeing the emergency response, said there were around 30 people inside when the fire broke out at 3:30 am (02:30 GMT). “Unfortunately, eight individuals lost their lives in the fire. I must say that members of the emergency response sector reacted very promptly and successfully rescued, or rather evacuated, 13 people,” Labour Minister Nemanja Starovic told local media. Earlier, rescue officials said at least six people had died. “I would like…
A wounded North Korean soldier captured by Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region has told interrogators that Pyongyang’s troops fighting for Moscow are suffering serious losses, official video published Monday showed. Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers in the border region and has posted videos of their interrogation, with one speaking on camera about his experiences. Moscow has not acknowledged the deployment of Pyongyang’s forces to fight in the Kursk region, confirmed by Seoul and Washington. President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday posted a video of a young soldier lying in bed saying there had been many casualties after he entered…
For the first time in more than a year, war-displaced Gazan Ammar Barbakh awoke on Monday feeling refreshed after a night spent in a tent, but free of Israeli attacks. “This is the first time I sleep comfortably and I’m not afraid,” Barbakh, 35, told AFP a day after a fragile truce in the Israel-Hamas war took hold. “We didn’t hear any shelling, and we weren’t afraid,” he said. Barbakh, from Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, pitched a tent on the rubble of his former home. Despite the destruction, he was thrilled to have had a peaceful sleep.…
French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Monday that Russia’s war against Ukraine would not end “tomorrow or the day after”, after Donald Trump pledged to quickly end the conflict. “This conflict will not end tomorrow or the day after,” Macron told the armed forces.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen invoked the “enduring strength” of transatlantic ties Monday as she congratulated Donald Trump on his inauguration for a second term as US president. “The EU looks forward to working closely with you to tackle global challenges,” the European Commission president wrote on X. “Together, our societies can achieve greater prosperity and strengthen their common security.”
Bitcoin hit a record high above $109,000 on Monday as Donald Trump, who plans to deregulate the cryptocurrency sector and has launched his own “meme coin”, prepares to be sworn in as US president. Bitcoin surged to an all-time peak of $109,241 ahead of Trump’s inauguration ceremony, before falling back to around $107,000. The world’s biggest cryptocurrency has soared nearly 60 percent in value since Trump won the presidential election in early November, which saw it surpass $100,000 for the first time at the start of December. It came after he nominated cryptocurrency backer Paul Atkins to head the US…
Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed an attack on an American aircraft carrier on Sunday and warned of “consequences” for any retaliation during the coming Gaza ceasefire. “The Yemeni Armed Forces warn the enemy forces in the Red Sea of the consequences of any aggression against our country during the ceasefire period in Gaza,” the rebels said in a statement. “They will confront any aggression with specific military operations against those forces without a ceiling or red lines.” An initial 42-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war is scheduled to begin at 0630 GMT Sunday. The Huthis, who have attacked shipping in…
Mediator Egypt said Saturday that Israel is to release more than 1,890 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages in the first phase of a Gaza truce. The foreign ministry said the prisoners would be freed during the first, 42-day phase of the ceasefire which is set to begin at 0630 GMT on Sunday. Qatar, which mediated the deal along with Egypt and the United States, had announced 33 hostages would be released by Hamas in Gaza during the first phase. Israel’s justice ministry had earlier said 737 Palestinian prisoners and detainees would be freed — none before 4:00…
Two Supreme Court judges were shot dead in Tehran on Saturday and another judge was wounded, the judiciary’s Mizan news website reported. It said the attacker killed himself after opening fire at the judges outside the Supreme Court. Iranian media said a bodyguard of one of judges was also wounded. The motive for the assassination was unclear. The judiciary identified the judges who were killed as ayatollahs Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini. Opposition websites have in the past said Moghiseh was involved in trials of people they described as political prisoners.
A Russian attack has killed four people and injured three in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, the city’s military administration said Saturday. “We already have four dead in Shevchenkivsky district,” said Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, in a Telegram post, adding that three people were injured. Hours earlier, Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko warned of a “ballistic missile threat” against the capital and said the city’s air defence was activated. He later said a building in Shevchenkivsky district had its windows broken, with smoke coming from it, while a water pipeline in the area was damaged. In addition, a…