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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced Wednesday an “inhumane” attack from Russia, which launched over 170 missiles and drones, knocking out power in several regions on Christmas Day and killing an energy worker.The country woke up at 5:30 am (0330 GMT) to an air raid alarm, followed shortly by air force reports that Russia had launched …

Zelensky condemns Russian ‘inhumane’ Christmas attack on energy grid Read More »

More than 1,500 prisoners escaped from a Maputo prison Wednesday, taking advantage of the third day of unrest triggered by the controversial confirmation of the long-ruling Frelimo party as the winner of recent elections. A total of 1,534 detainees escaped the high-security prison located about 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the capital, said national police chief Bernardino …

Mass jailbreak in Mozambique amid post-election unrest Read More »

Survivors and victims’ relatives will this week mark the 20th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which killed more than 220,000 people across more than a dozen countries.A 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the western coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island triggered huge waves that swept into coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand …

2004 Indian Ocean tsunami: what to know 20 years on Read More »

Emotional ceremonies were expected across Asia on Thursday to remember the 220,000 people who died two decades ago when a tsunami devastated coastal areas around the Indian Ocean, in one of the worst natural disasters in human history.On December 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia’s western tip generated a series of massive waves that …

Asia to mourn tsunami dead with ceremonies 20 years on Read More »

An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet crashed on Wednesday in western Kazakhstan, killing 38 of the 67 people on board, officials said.The Embraer 190 aircraft that was supposed to fly northwest from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to the city of Grozny in Chechnya in southern Russia but instead flew across the Caspian Sea and went down near the …

38 dead as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan Read More »

A “terrorist act” sank the cargo ship that went down in international waters in the Mediterranean this week, the Russian state-owned company that owns the vessel said Wednesday. The Oboronlogistika company said it “thinks a targeted terrorist attack was committed on December 23, 2024, against the Ursa Major,” it said in a statement cited by Russian …

Russian state owner says cargo ship blast was ‘terrorist attack’ Read More »

An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet crashed on Wednesday in western Kazakhstan, with 35 people feared dead, officials said.Azerbaijani authorities said 32 people had survived the crash of the Embraer 190 near the city of Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.With Azerbaijan Airlines reported that 67 people were …

35 feared dead as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan Read More »

Pope Francis called Wednesday for “arms to be silenced” around the world in his Christmas address, appealing for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan as he denounced the “extremely grave” humanitarian situation in Gaza.He used his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (“to the city and the world”) message to the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics …

Pope calls for ‘arms to be silenced’ across world Read More »

An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet with 67 people on board crashed on Wednesday in western Kazakhstan after veering from its scheduled route, officials said.Azerbaijani authorities said 32 people had survived the crash of the Embraer 190 near the city of Aktau, an oil and gas hub on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea.The plane …

32 survivors as Azerbaijani jet crashes in Kazakhstan Read More »

Christians across the world celebrated Christmas Wednesday, with the mood darkened by wars and a massive “inhumane” Christmas morning attack on Ukraine by Russia as well as a plane crash in Kazakhstan.With the war in Gaza also showing no signs of ending, Pope Francis was also expected to call for peace in the Middle East …

Pope’s sombre message in Christmas under shadow of war Read More »