Second drone in as many days shot down near Moscow as Russia and Ukraine exchange attacks on capitals
Russia and Ukraine sent drones targeting each other’s capital cities over the weekend in signs of renewed intensity for their aerial warfare. Drones were shot down on both Saturday and Sunday in areas around Kyiv and Moscow. Air defence systems for both sides intercepted attacks and no casualties were reported. Multiple drones that were heading for Moscow and Russia’s border areas on Sunday were downed by Russian air defence systems over the weekend, officials said. Kyiv has promised to wage a major drone campaign against Russia this winter, as bad weather conditions make it difficult to conduct operations on the ground. Russian air defence units in Moscow intercepted a drone targeting the Russian capital, mayor Sergei Sobhyanin said on Telegram. He said defence units in the Elektrostal district in the capital’s east intercepted the drone. Falling debris resulting from the operation had caused no damage or casualties, the mayor said, citing preliminary information. Russia’s defence ministry confirmed the drone strike on Sunday night, as is typical describing the Ukrainian military operation as a “terrorist attack”. “On 19 November at 23.20 Moscow time, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using an aircraft-type UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] on targets in Moscow and the Moscow region was stopped,” it said on its official Telegram channel. “Duty air defence systems intercepted an unmanned aerial vehicle over the territory of the Moscow region.” A second drone targeting Moscow was also intercepted by Russia’s air defence systems at around 1am. The UAV was destroyed over the territory of the Bogorodsky district in Moscow, it said. This comes after Russian authorities on Saturday said they shot down a Ukrainian drone heading for the border region of Bryansk. The defence ministry said on-duty air defence systems destroyed the drone over Bryansk. It did not mention any casualties or damage from the attack. Russia has also begun targeting Kyiv again after a 52-day break in air raid sirens for the Ukrainian capital. On Saturday, Ukrainian officials said all drones heading towards Kyiv were destroyed but some hit infrastructure facilities elsewhere in Ukraine. A day later, a wave of Iranian-made Shahed drones from Russia targeted Kyiv overnight. The drones targeted the Ukrainian capital and the Cherkasy and Poltava regions, according to a military statement. Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems shot down 15 of 20 drones targeting the areas. Serhii Popko, the city’s military administration spokesperson, said the drones attacked Kyiv from different directions in waves that were “constantly changing vectors”. Ukrainian officials had warned Russia would step up aerial assaults during the winter months. Meanwhile, the British defence ministry said there were “few immediate prospects” for major change along the Ukrainian frontline as the war enters its second winter. In a statement, it said intense fighting was concentrated near Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, Avdiivka in Dontesk and on the left bank of the Dnipro river, where Ukrainian forces have established a bridgehead. Read More Russia ‘pushed miles back’ after major Kyiv breakthrough on Dnipro River – live New Rwanda treaty seems unlikely to be ratified before new year An orphaned teenager who was taken to Russia early in the Ukraine war is back home with relatives Trump reshares Melania’s response to ‘golden shower’ claims K-12 schools improve protection against online attacks, but many are vulnerable to ransomware gangs Hunt backs Sunak to solve ‘fearsomely complex’ challenges on Rwanda asylum plan
2023-11-20 15:47
UK Seen Trimming Debt Supply Plans This Year Due to Tax Boost
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2023-11-20 15:23
Iceland residents fleeing imminent volcanic eruption told they face months away from home
Experts have revealed the likely eruption site of a volcano in Iceland, as authorities warn evacuees they may not return home for months. Iceland has seen more than 1,700 earthquakes in the last 24 hours, according to the country’s Met Office, with most of the activity north of Hagafell. The forecaster said magmatic gas has been detected at a borehole in Svartsengi, signalling an imminent eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano over the coming days. “Hagafell is thought to be a prime location for an eruption,” the forecaster said. The likely eruption site is near the town of Grindavik, which was evacuated last Saturday due to a string of earthquakes shaking residents and their homes. The fishing town has been the most affected area in Iceland, as the magma tunnel snakes beneath the ground leaving huge cracks in roads. While the eruption is most likely to happen in Hagafell, there is a possibility that it could happen anywhere along the magma tunnel. Although seismic activity has decreased, magma is still moving 3-4cm each day and ground deformation is continuing according to GPS data and satellite imagery. The head of the volcanic activity department at the Icelandic Met Office said the situation has not developed much in recent days. Kristín Jónsdóttir noted that while the magma intrusion is still deepening and widening, it is doing so at a slower rate. She said that a decrease in seismic activity indicates that magma has reached very high up in the earth’s crust and does not now need much for it to reach the surface. At a Civil Defence briefing on Saturday, director Víðir Reynisson said there is significant damage to houses and pipes in the area. He said: “This plus uncertainty about earthquakes means that residents have to prepare to live elsewhere in the coming months.” Locals have been permitted to briefly enter their homes for five minutes this week to collect their valuables and pets but need prior authorisation. Mayor of Grindavik Fannar Jónasson said that it will take “days and weeks” to resolve housing issues as a result of the evacuations. He said 1,200 families from the town need more permanent shelter. “I think the nation has done very well, considering the response and the aid we have received,” he said. “A lot has happened in this one week. I know that there is a lot of impatience and a call from the residents to go faster, but everyone is doing their best and it will take days and weeks to resolve issues.” Grindavik, a town of 3,400, sits on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of the capital, Reykjavik and not far from Keflavik Airport, Iceland’s main facility for international flights. The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal resort, one of Iceland’s top tourist attractions, has been shut at least until the end of November because of the volcano danger. A volcanic system on the Reykjanes Peninsula has erupted three times since 2021, after being dormant for 800 years. Previous eruptions occurred in remote valleys without causing damage. Scientists say a new eruption would likely produce lava but not an ash cloud. Read More Iceland officials reveal where volcano will likely erupt Torrential rain warnings issued for weekend as Met Office gives update on snow More rain for southern England and south Wales following Storm Debi Storms batter southern England as flooding causes travel disruption Thunderstorm warning in effect as downpours continue in parts of UK Storm Debi: London weather warning extended as Met Office warns of lightning damage
2023-11-20 13:48
Seized Vessel in Red Sea Revives Fears of Shipping Disruptions
A Japanese-chartered vessel seized in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthi rebels is raising fears that the Israel-Hamas
2023-11-20 11:51
Oil Steadies After Two-Day Swing as Countdown to OPEC+ Begins
Oil steadied after a two-day swing as investors looked ahead to an OPEC+ meeting on supply that will
2023-11-20 08:26
Asian Stocks Set for Mixed Open as US Rally Stalls: Markets Wrap
Asian stocks are set for a mixed open after a $2.7 trillion rally in US shares fueled by
2023-11-20 07:48
Barclays Expects Bumper Japan Profit Driven by BOJ Trading Bets
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2023-11-20 06:16
Mother of teen killed during a traffic stop in France leads a protest against officer's release
The mother of a 17-year-old who was killed during a traffic stop in France led a protest Sunday to call for justice after after the police officer suspected in the fatal shooting of her son was released from custody pending further investigation. The death of Nahel Merzouk June touched off rioting around the country that highlighted anger over police violence, poverty and discrimination against people with immigrant backgrounds. Merzouk was of North African origin. A few hundred people rallied Sunday at the site where he was killed, Nelson Mandela Square in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. Police vans lined nearby streets. Shouts briefly erupted when objects were thrown at police, but the gathering was overall peaceful. The late teenager's mother, Mounia, choked with emotion as she described missing her son. She led the group in chants of ‘’Justice for Nahel.'' Those in the crowd included people who have experienced police violence, such as music producer Michel Zecler, as well as left-wing activists and mothers fearful their children could experience the same fate as Merzouk. Several described dismay at a far-right crowdfunding campaign that raised $1.6 million for the police officer before he got out of custody. "We don’t understand his release,'' Nanterre resident Nadia Essa said. ‘’It's a bad signal to young people.'' She said she refused to let her 17-year-old son, who has Moroccan roots, go out for weeks after Merzouk’s death. ‘’We are longer comforted when we pass by the police.'' Video of the day Merzouk died showed two motorcycle officers at the window of the car he was driving, one with his gun pointed at the teenager. As the car pulled forward, the officer fired. The officer, who has been identified only as Florian M., was jailed two days later and given a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide. On Wednesday, the Nanterre prosecutor’s office said magistrates concluded that his continued detention “no longer fulfills the legal criteria” under which he was held. Preliminary charges in French law mean magistrates have strong reason to suspect wrongdoing but allow more time for further investigation. It is unclear whether or when the case will go to trial. Protests over Merzouk's death quickly morphed into rioting that spread to towns around France, driven by a mainly teenage backlash against a French state that many say routinely discriminates against them, and amplified by social networks. The mayhem subsided after a massive police deployment, and left 100 million euros ($109 million) in damage to schools, stores and other public buildings, many of which have not been repaired. The government has promised a raft of measures in response to the summer events, mostly focused on tougher policing and prosecution. ’’We all know someone in our families or entourage who has been touched by police violence, because you are Arab or Black,'' Ibrahim Assebbane, a 22-year-old computer science student from Nanterre, said during Sunday's protest. ‘’The only time they heard us was when there were riots,'' Assebbane said. "We don't support that, but we understand'' where the anger was coming from. Read More Reports say Russell Brand interviewed by British police over claims of sexual offenses Investigators probe for motive behind shooting at New Hampshire psychiatric hospital A hat worn by Napoleon fetches $1.6 million at an auction of the French emperor's belongings AP Top 25: Ohio State jumps Michigan, moves to No. 2. Washington, FSU flip-flop at Nos. 4-5 US calls Nicaragua's decision to leave Organization of American States a 'step away from democracy' Fires in Brazil threaten jaguars, houses and plants in the world's largest tropical wetlands
2023-11-20 04:26
Iceland volcano eruption update: Magma ‘very close’ to surface as residents ‘wait in suspense’
Magma may have reached very high up in the Earth’s crust, according to Iceland’s meteorological office, which says people will have to “wait in suspense for the next few days” to see how events play out. “While there is still magma flow into the corridor, and while our data and models show that, that probability is imminent, and we really just have to wait in suspense for the next few days to see what happens,” Kristín Jónsdóttir, head of department at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, said. She said the decreasing earthquake activity over the last 24 hours could be a sign that magma has reached very high up in the earth’s crust, adding that the scenario is not unlike what was seen prior to a previous eruption in 2021. The Met Office said magmatic gas has been detected at a borehole in Svartsengi, signalling an imminent eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano over the coming days, with the town of Grindavik most at risk. “Hagafell is thought to be a prime location for an eruption,” the forecaster said. An eruption is now feared by many experts to be a case of when, not if. “I do think an eruption will take place, but the big question is when that might happen,” Dr Margaret Hartley, of the University of Manchester, told Live Science. Read More Biggest volcanic eruptions in the last 10 years as Iceland town faces devastation ‘It’s like a dystopian movie’: Iceland residents describe ‘apocalyptic’ scenes as they flee volcano threat Iceland earthquakes: Are flights still running amid fears of volcano eruption? Is it safe to travel to Iceland? Your rights if you have a holiday booked
2023-11-20 02:52
Israel Says Iran-Backed Rebels Seize Cargo Ship in Red Sea
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2023-11-20 00:21
Dollar Scarcity is Pushing More African Countries to Crisis
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2023-11-19 20:24
Former Dunnes Stores boss Ben Dunne dies aged 74
Businessman's life featured a number of controversies including a cocaine arrest and an IRA kidnapping.
2023-11-19 18:51