Europe
Nuclear deterrence still at heart of great power strategy: experts
Nuclear-armed powers have no intention of giving up the atom bomb as part of their military strategy, experts said after the Nobel Peace Prize committee urged against any weakening of the nuclear “taboo”.
Russian attack on Kharkiv injures 21
A Russian attack on the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine injured at least 21 people yesterday, including a child, regional officials said.
973 migrants cross Channel in record day
A record 973 migrants crossed the Channel on small boats on the same day in which four died while attempting the journey from France to England, UK Home Office figures showed yesterday.
Halt arms supplies to Israel for use in Gaza: Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday urged a halt to arms deliveries to Israel, which has been criticised over the conduct of its operation in Gaza.
Russia calls for West to lift sanctions on Afghanistan
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday called on the West to lift sanctions on Taliban-led Afghanistan and take “responsibility” for reconstruction efforts in the country.
Prosecution of Assange ‘politically motivated’
The prosecution of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was “politically motivated” and had a “chilling” effect on the whole media landscape, the parliamentary arm of pan-European rights body the Council of Europe said on Wednesday.
UK hands Indian Ocean islands to Mauritius
Britain yesterday said it would give up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius but under what US President Joe Biden called a “historic agreement” will keep its strategic joint military base with the United States on Diego Garcia.
Phasing out teen smoking could save 1.2m lives: study
Banning the sale of tobacco to people born between 2006 and 2010 could prevent around 1.2 million deaths from lung cancer by the end of the century, said a modelling study released yesterday.
Ireland fines Meta 91m euros over EU data breach
An Irish regulator helping to police European Union data privacy said yesterday it had fined Facebook-owner Meta 91 million euros ($102 million) for password-security breaches.
Afghan embassy in UK shutters after Taliban cuts ties
Afghanistan’s embassy in London closed yesterday after Taliban authorities cut ties with diplomatic missions set up by the previous government in Kabul and fired its UK staff.
Russia strikes apartment block in Kharkiv
Russia hit a high-rise apartment block in Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv during an attack with guided bombs yesterday, killing at least three people and injuring 15 more, with others feared trapped under rubble, local authorities said.
UK Channel migrant arrivals top 25,000 in 2024
The number of migrants arriving in Britain by crossing the Channel in small boats has topped 25,000 since the start of the year, provisional figures showed yesterday.
France unveils a more right-wing government
France unveiled a new government on Saturday evening that aims to strike a fine balance between right-wingers and centrists, as Prime Minister Michel Barnier hopes to break political deadlock following snap elections that delivered a hung parliament.
Building collapse near Naples kills two siblings
A young brother and sister were killed near Naples, Italy, yesterday after the two-storey building where they lived collapsed, firefighters said.
UK’s Starmer rules out austerity as Labour conference opens
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to protect public services and ruled out austerity measures as Labour’s annual conference kicked off yesterday, its first in 15 years as a government party.
Ukrainian drones hit west Russia arms depot
Ukrainian drones struck an arms depot in Russia’s western Tver region early yesterday, sparking a massive blaze that led to the evacuation of nearby residents, a Ukrainian security source said.
France’s new PM warns of ‘very serious’ financial situation
France’s budgetary situation is “very serious”, Prime Minister Michel Barnier told AFP yesterday, saying more information was needed to gauge the “precise reality” of French public finances.
8 migrants die in Channel crossing attempt
Eight migrants died early yesterday when their overcrowded vessel capsized while trying to cross the Channel from France to England, French authorities said, less than two weeks after the deadliest such disaster this year.