Rape and sexual assault attributed to Moscow's forces in Ukraine are part of a Russian "military strategy" and a "deliberate tactic to dehumanise the victims", UN envoy Pramila Patten told AFP in an interview.. "And when the victims report what was said during the rapes, it is clearly a deliberate tactic to dehumanise the victims."
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijan on Friday slammed "unacceptable" comments from French leader Emmanuel Macron's on the decades-long conflict between arch foes Baku and Yerevan.. The foreign ministry in Baku reacted angrily Friday, saying the remarks were "unacceptable and biased".
A far-right committed Eurosceptic known for his anti-abortion, anti-gay views was elected speaker of Italy's lower house of parliament on Friday. . His election followed Thursday's appointment of Ignazio La Russa, a veteran of Italy's post-fascist movement known for collecting memorabilia from dictator Benito Mussolini, as speaker of the Senate.
Russia indicated Friday repairs to the Crimea bridge could take months after an explosion on the key supply link that sparked a barrage of retaliatory missile strikes on Ukraine.. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the explosion on the Crimea bridge last week as a terrorist act and in retaliation battered Ukraine for two days with missiles that hit energy facilities and caused blackouts and disruption to water supplies.
Ireland has detected a "warmer" tone from the new UK government as Britain and the EU seek compromise on a controversial post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, the Irish European Affairs minister told AFP. A fresh approach by Britain under Prime Minister Liz Truss was "welcome", given the complex task of implementing the so-called Northern Ireland protocol that aims to avoid a hard border between the British province and the Irish Republic as a result of Brexit, Thomas Byrne said in an interview during a visit to France.. Earlier this month Steve Baker, a British government minister, told Irish broadcaster RTE that he was "sorry that relations between the United Kingdom and Ireland have been soured by the Brexit process".
British postal operator Royal Mail on Friday unveiled plans to axe up to 10,000 jobs, blaming the move partly on ongoing staff strikes that contributed to a first-half loss.. Royal Mail said full-year operating losses could increase to £450 million should "customers move volume away for longer periods" as a result of strike action.
Three Swedish right-wing parties will build a minority government with the unprecedented backing of the far-right Sweden Democrats, the four parties said Friday, immediately unveiling plans to construct new nuclear reactors as well as crack down on crime and immigration.. Meanwhile, the future government also announced plans to build new nuclear reactors to meet the country's rising electricity needs.
UK finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng dashed home Friday from Washington for crisis talks with Prime Minister Liz Truss, with both their jobs on the line as their budget plans unravel.. But speaking in Washington on Thursday, the under-fire minister insisted that his job was safe.
At a bookshop in Kyiv, 33-year-old Yulia Sydorenko was dumping an entire collection of old books -- some gifts from childhood friends -- that have recently lost their appeal.. Sydorenko is among a steady stream of people hauling piles of books, sometimes by the suitcase or carload, to the Siayvo bookshop.
Xi Jinping's China has dragged millions out of extreme poverty, sent spacecraft to the Moon and committed itself to cutting greenhouse gas emissions.. A year after Xi became leader, 82 million Chinese people lived in extreme poverty, according to World Bank data.
