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Russia said Monday its air defences had shot down eight ballistic missiles fired by Ukraine, amid heightened tensions over Kyiv’s use of Western-supplied long-range arms against Russia.Ukraine also targeted a Russian fuel depot while Russian aerial attacks wounded more than 30 in strikes on Odesa and Kharkiv, the latest wave of attacks.The nearly three-year war …

Russia and Ukraine trade aerial attacks amid escalation fears Read More »

Georgia’s new parliament met for the first time Monday, with the chamber facing serious questions over its legitimacy amid a boycott by opposition parties and the president declaring it unconstitutional.Political turmoil has rocked the Black Sea nation since an October 26 election, won by the governing Georgian Dream party but contested by pro-Western opposition parties.Calling …

Georgia parliament convenes amid legitimacy crisis Read More »

French prosecutors on Monday demanded a maximum 20-year jail term for the man charged with enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his heavily sedated wife, in a trial that has shaken France.Dominique Pelicot has been on trial in the southern city of Avignon since September with 49 other men for organising the rapes and sexual …

Maximum term sought in French mass rape trial for husband who drugged wife Read More »

A final round of talks on a treaty to curb plastic pollution opened on Monday, with deep differences between nations emerging almost immediately.The meeting started just hours after a chaotic end to the COP29 climate talks in Baku, where delegates agreed to a boost in climate funding that developing countries slammed as insufficient.Opening the plastics …

Deep divisions on display at plastic pollution treaty talks Read More »

A pro-Russia far-right candidate took a surprise lead Monday in Romania’s presidential election, as the EU-leaning premier was knocked out of the race that will be decided in a December run off.The result is a political earthquake in the country of 19 million, a NATO member which has so far resisted nationalist appeals, setting itself apart …

Pro-Russia candidate leads Romanian polls, PM out of the race Read More »

Bestselling British-American writer Barbara Taylor Bradford, whose first novel “A Woman of Substance” turned her into an overnight success, has died aged 91, a spokeswoman said on Monday.Taylor Bradford, who wrote 40 novels and notched up 91 million book sales worldwide during her career, died peacefully at her home on Sunday following a short illness.She …

Bestselling ‘Woman of Substance’ author Barbara Taylor Bradford dies aged 91 Read More »

A DHL cargo plane crashed early Monday near the airport in Lithuania’s capital, killing one person, authorities said as they searched for clues to what caused the tragedy.Lithuanian officials, who in the past weeks have been probing alleged acts of sending incendiary devices on Western-bound cargo planes, stopped short of linking the crash with that …

DHL cargo plane crashes in Lithuania, killing one Read More »

French prosectors said on Monday they were seeking the maximum 20-year jail term for the man charged with enlisting dozens of strangers to rape his heavily-sedated wife, in a trial that has shaken France.Dominique Pelicot has since September been in the dock in the southern city of Avignon with 49 other men for organising the …

Maximum term demanded in French rape trial for husband who drugged wife Read More »

A final round of talks on a treaty to curb plastic pollution opened on Monday, with deep differences between nations emerging almost immediately.The meeting opened just hours after a chaotic end to the COP29 climate talks in Baku, which agreed to a boost in climate funding that developing countries slammed as insufficient.Opening the plastics meeting, …

‘Existential challenge’: plastic pollution treaty talks begin Read More »

On a sunny afternoon in Cape Town’s seaside village of Simon’s Town, three young chacma baboons cause a commotion, clambering on roofs, jumping between buildings and swinging on the gutters. Enchanted tourists stop to photograph the troop crossing the road. Locals are less impressed: it’s a daily scene in the charming village nestled between the Atlantic Ocean …

As baboons become bolder, Cape Town battles for solutions Read More »