Nine civilians, including at least two children, were killed in a park in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region Wednesday by artillery fire Baghdad blamed on neighbouring Turkey, a country engaged in a cross-border offensive.. Arbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, has complicated relations with the PKK as its presence in the region hampers vital trade relations with neighbouring Turkey.
Ukraine's first lady made an emotional pitch Wednesday to US lawmakers for more weapons to fight Russian invaders, saying she spoke for millions of parents fearing for their children.. I don't know, like millions of mothers in Ukraine."
Climate demonstrators on Wednesday triggered a lengthy tailback on Britain's busiest motorway, warning that a record-breaking heatwave was a dire reminder for urgent action.. But declaring the M25 "a site of civil resistance", it warned of further protests to come this week.
Catapulted into a war he didn't start, Volodymyr Zelensky is now left with little choice but to prevail militarily against Russia, analysts told AFP. Having denied President Vladimir Putin a quick victory, the Ukrainian leader has no appetite to negotiate as the conflict looks set to drag on.. For now, any calls for negotiations "could only be promoted by pro-Russian forces in Ukraine" who are "on the sidelines" of Ukrainian politics, said Oktysyuk But opinions could shift as the conflict wears on.
Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine: - EU prepares for Russian gas cutoff - The European Commission urges EU members to reduce demand for natural gas by 15 percent over the coming months and to give it the powers to impose gas rationing in preparation for a winter without Russian gas, or with a much reduced supply... Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 and the West responded with sanctions, Russia has begun reducing its gas deliveries to EU members, including Germany, and in the case of Bulgaria, Poland, Finland, the Netherlands and Denmark, halting them altogether.
Returning to his refrigerated white truck with a red cross on its side, Oleksiy Yukov ends another tough day of collecting bodies from the frontline in eastern Ukraine.. Every day, Yukov and two other volunteers cross the eastern region of Donbas, scouring fields, roads and areas near the frontline for bodies of soldiers and civilians who have fallen victim to the war.
Citing a lack of motivation, chess world number one Magnus Carlsen on Wednesday announced that he would not defend his world championship title in 2023, but stressed that he was not retiring from chess.. But Carlsen also stressed that he was not retiring from the sport.
The Taliban have carried out hundreds of human rights violations in Afghanistan since seizing power last year, the United Nations said Wednesday, including extrajudicial killings and torture. . Fiona Frazer, head of the UN's human rights mission in Afghanistan, said "impunity prevails" in Afghanistan, and acknowledged there may be an under-reporting of allegations.
Russia said Monday that its military aims in Ukraine have expanded beyond the industrial Donbas region as its forces launched deadly barrages over the east and the south of the country.. While the brunt of fighting in Ukraine in recent months has focused on Donbas, a Ukrainian counter offensive in the south has slowly clawed back some Russian-held territory.
Europe counted the cost of a record heatwave on Wednesday as French firefighters brought twin blazes near Bordeaux under control and climate change protesters pointed to the sizzling weather as a wake up call for the continent. . - Heat records - The heatwave saw a host of local records set in France and a new all-time record for Britain where the national weather service clocked 40.3C in eastern England, surpassing the previous high set in 2019.
