World – Page 2

Russia Fires Missiles at Kyiv; the US Calls the Attack “Brutal”

A Russian rocket attack on Kyiv kills many people and does a lot of damage. The US criticizes the “brutal” attack.

A Russian rocket hits Kyiv and kills a person.

The US condemns the “brutal” strike and promises Ukraine assistance.

An early Friday morning rocket attack killed many people in Kyiv, the city of Ukraine. This was a frightening example of Russia’s constant aggressiveness.

At least one person was killed and nine others were hurt, according to police in Ukraine.

U.S. Ambassador Bridget A. Brink called the attack “brutal,” which shows how things are getting worse and how quickly a strong reaction is needed.

The strike sent shockwaves through the city and destroyed many things in its path as it hit.

The first responders bravely battled against the street fires, while falling objects caused damage to high-rise buildings and disrupted the morning’s tranquility.

• The strike caused a lot of problems. A broken heating main left over 600 buildings, including important hospital facilities, without heat.

• Seventeen schools and thirteen kindergartens were also left without heat, which shows how the attack didn’t target anyone in particular and how it hurt the weakest people.

Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, gave updates through the messaging app Telegram, painting a bleak picture of the fallout. He told people to stay alert and find cover while the city figured out how bad the damage was.

This attack comes after a string of air attacks by Russia last month that targeted Ukraine’s electricity assets.

“Ukraine needs more air defense systems,” the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said in a harsh threat. We need to stop the Russian evil.

As the rest of the world watches in fear, the US and its allies have promised to give Ukraine more security help and energy support in response to what Ambassador Brink called “brutal attacks.”

There is no doubt that the Ukrainian people are strong, but the world needs to work together more than ever to stop Russia’s invasion.

A “No Find, No Fee” deal in Malaysia revives the MH370 search

Under a “no find, no fee” agreement, Malaysia has hired Ocean Infinity to look for MH370 in a new area in the southern Indian Ocean.

First, Ocean Infinity will search the bottom at a new 15,000-sq-km spot.

The government will only pay if the plane’s wreckage is found.

Malaysia’s search for Flight MH370 continues with a new step forward: the government has agreed to accept a second “no find, no fee” offer from a U.S. company to start looking for the missing plane again. Anthony Loke, the minister of transportation, made the decision public.

It is another attempt to bring peace to the families of the 239 people who died on the trip.

The Cabinet has given the go-ahead for Ocean Infinity, a marine robotics company based in Texas, to do a seabed search operation at a new spot spanning 15,000 square kilometers in the southern Indian Ocean.

Loke asserts that the proposed area is grounded in the latest information and data studies conducted by experts and researchers. This gives Ocean Infinity’s plan more weight.

The Boeing 777 plane, which was on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, disappeared from radar not long after takeoff. Satellite data suggests it went off course and crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.

Ocean Infinity’s previous international and private search attempts in 2018 did not find any clear evidence, but trash washed up on the coast of East Africa and on islands in the Indian Ocean.

The government won’t have to pay Ocean Infinity until the plane’s wreckage is found. This is similar to the “no find, no fee” deal that was made during the last search.

It’s good that the government wants to help the families find peace, but the fact that there isn’t much clear evidence from earlier searches says that success may not be likely.

Additionally, depending on a “no find, no fee” deal might not always promise that the wreckage of MH370 will be found.

Oliver Punkett, CEO of Ocean Infinity, has been confident in the company’s better technology since 2018.

He says that they work with experts to look at data and narrow the search area to the most likely spot.

By the start of 2025, the terms and conditions of this agreement should be complete. This will initiate a fresh endeavor to resolve one of aviation’s most significant challenges.

Israelis Leave En Masse Post-October 7 Attack Amid Safety Fears

Since the attack on October 7, thousands of people have left Israel, which has caused worries about a possible brain drain.

People from Israel look for safety outside of Israel, especially in Germany and Canada.

Many well-known people warn against being a “wandering Jew” without a state.

One thousand people were killed and 250 Israelis were captured in a Hamas attack in Gaza on October 7, 2023. This broke the country’s promise to be a safe place for Jews.

Since then, thousands of Israelis have left the country, which has caused worries about a possible “brain drain” in fields like science and medicine.

It is thought that more Israelis will leave the country than will come to live there in 2024, which would be the first time in Israel’s history.

In 2024, more than 18,000 Israelis applied to become citizens of Germany. This was more than double the number of applications the year before.

For singer Shira Z. Carmel, who was born in Israel, the attack was the final blow. Taking a flight to Australia with her husband and child, she lied about the move as a brief “relocation” to avoid the family problems and social shame that come with leaving Israel for good.

Carmel said, “We told them we’re going to step back for a while.” She said it was “hard to talk to them about it”—”even hard to admit it to ourselves.”

It’s possible that Carmel lied about the move to avoid problems with her family and social shame, but it’s important to remember that everyone makes choices that may go against what society thinks is right.

When Naftali Bennett warns about the risks of not having a passport and being vulnerable, he doesn’t take into account how complicated people’s lives are or their basic right to make decisions for themselves and their families.

“Talks about leaving the country are the thing that worries me the most.” Bennett wrote, “This must not happen. Israel must keep its best people.”

Israel’s population keeps growing, but many families who want safety and security have found that the financial, emotional, and social costs of leaving have been worth it.

Between January and October 2024, over 5,700 applications for work permits from Israeli citizens were sent to Canada. These numbers are much higher than they were in the years before.

Hospitals like Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center are having a hard time with specialists who aren’t sure if they want to come back from fellowships abroad.

As long as the shaky peace between Hezbollah and Hamas lasts, the October 7 attack’s effect on Israelis leaving the country is still a major worry for a country that is still trying to figure out what its basic goals were.

France’s declining power in Africa faces its biggest problem in decades

In decades, France’s biggest threat to Africa has been that allies like Chad and Senegal are trying to redefine sovereignty and break with France.

Chad and Senegal say they will no longer work together with France on defense.

There will be fewer regular troops in France, and business ties will be strengthened.

Key partners are pulling away from Paris and trying to rethink their authority, which is the biggest threat to France’s long-standing power in Africa in decades.

This change comes as France is working on a new defense plan to lower the number of troops it keeps on the continent.

On its Independence Day, Chad, which was seen as France’s most steady and reliable partner in Africa, said it was stopping military cooperation to reaffirm its independence.

This was a double hit. At the same time, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Senegal’s new president, said it was “obvious” that French troops would soon leave Senegalese land.

“The fact that the French have been here since the time of slavery doesn’t mean that it can’t be done differently,” Faye told Le Monde.

At the same time as this announcement, France was trying to regain some of its lost power. Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot visited Chad and Ethiopia, and President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged that the French Army killed up to 400 soldiers in West Africa in 1944.

A top expert at Verisk Maplecroft called Chad’s choice “the final nail in the coffin of France’s post-colonial military dominance in the whole Sahel region.”

Analysts say that Senegal and Chad’s choices are part of a larger shift in how the region interacts with France, where Paris’s military and political power keeps decreasing.

In the past few years, military-led governments have gotten rid of French troops in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, where locals became angry because of persistent Islamic terrorist insurgencies.

France wants to decrease its military influence but also increase its business position in English-speaking countries like Nigeria.

It is also looking into new ways to work together, like offering specialized training and short-term missions.

Venezuelan opposition member leaves Argentina’s diplomatic protection

Concerns are raised when Fernando Martínez, a member of the Venezuelan opposition, leaves the Argentine embassy shelter in Caracas after nine months.

The departure was unclear because of problems with the Maduro government.

Important people in the resistance are still hiding at the embassy complex.

Some people are surprised that Fernando Martínez, one of the six political opponents of Venezuela who had been hiding in the Argentine foreign property in Caracas for nine months, has now left the building.

Tensions are rising between the resistance and President Nicolás Maduro’s government, which is why he is leaving.

It’s still not clear why Martínez left the property; people who knew about the situation spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of vengeance. His exit, on the other hand, has shown how dangerous things are for those seeking safety in the foreign building.

Since the end of November, members of the opposition have been complaining about the constant presence of police and officers from the Venezuelan intelligence service outside the home, saying that the government is cutting off water and power services.

The Maduro government has categorically rejected these claims.

Some important people are still staying at the home of the Argentine minister. For example, Maria Corina Machado’s campaign manager and media director are still there.

In March, they were given refuge after officials close to the ruling party filed arrest warrants for them, saying they were encouraging violent acts to make the country less stable.

Martnez, who was minister of communications and transportation in the 1990s, was very important in helping the opposition set up a second government after Maduro was re-elected in 2018.

The fact that he was involved in talks between the opposition and the government makes his leaving the foreign base even more important.

As things change politically in Venezuela, the people who are still in the Argentine diplomatic shelter are uncertain about their safety and the future of the opposition’s attempts to fight the Maduro government.

Putin’s comments on the Ukraine war worsened tensions.

Putin’s stubborn presser on the war in Ukraine, ties with Trump’s U.S., and the missing American journalist—heavy on angry language.

Putin says that Russia is not in a “weaker position” and is ready to meet with Trump.

Says its missiles can’t be stopped and gives Ukraine a “duel” test.

Russia’s war on Ukraine took up most of the first part of President Vladimir Putin’s yearly long press conference, which showed how stubborn he is about the conflict and how he plans to work with the new U.S. government.

Putin said, “You would very much like Russia to be in a weakened position, but I hold a different point of view” when asked about dealing with President-elect Donald Trump when Russia was in a “weaker position.”

• Putin is ready to meet with Trump, even though they haven’t talked in four years, and he said that Western defenses can’t stop Russia’s Oreshnik rocket.

• A “duel” to test a rocket against Ukraine’s air defenses was suggested.

When Putin talked about the current war in Ukraine, his angry comments made things even worse. He talked a lot about how powerful the Oreshnik rocket was and said that Western technology “stands no chance” against it.

• A planned target for attack in Kyiv to see how well Ukraine’s air defenses work

• Says the possible test is “interesting for us.”

Along with his angry words, Putin talked about the case of Austin Tice, a missing American writer who went missing in Syria 12 years ago.

Putin promised to bring up the problem since Bashar Assad, the former president of Syria, is now living in exile in Russia.

“I promise that I will definitely ask this question,” he said. People who control the situation and can affect the outcome can also answer my questions about a variety of topics.

Putin’s Extended Press Conference on Domestic and Global Tensions

Putin’s lengthy news conference addresses economic growth, the Ukraine war, and global issues, primarily focusing on internal matters.

Putin talks about economic growth and the war in Ukraine

The long presser is mostly about family problems.

The goal of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s yearly long news conference and call-in show was to show how much power and control he has over the country’s politics.

The carefully planned event, which is shown live in all 11 time zones in Russia, has usually been about issues in Russia.

Putin began by bragging about how well Russia’s economy was doing and saying that he thought it would grow by almost 4% this year.

He said that even though consumer inflation is high (9.3%), the economy as a whole is still “stable.”

• More than 2 million questions from people

• Journalists hold up signs to get Putin’s attention.

• There are a lot of problems at home, but the war in Ukraine is a big one.

Russia’s military action in Ukraine and rising tensions with the West are likely to be at the center of the conversation in Russia.

Putin has promised that what he calls the “special military operation” will end “victoriously.”

• The killing of a Russian general with ties to the Ukraine war

• Attacks with hypersonic missiles on Ukraine were talked about

• Calls for Ukraine to drop its bid to join NATO were made again

Ukraine says that Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov was killed in Moscow in a bold act, which has brought the almost 3-year war back to the streets of the Russian city.

People will pay close attention to what Putin says about possible changes in bargaining positions before the new U.S. government takes office.

The Russian leader could also talk about the fall of Bashar Assad, the president of Syria, to whom he had offered refuge.

Moscow’s military involvement in Syria suffered a setback with the death of Assad, prompting efforts to safeguard political and military assets, as well as to extend leases on air and navy bases.

France’s main suspect in a rape gets the maximum 20-year sentence

A French rapist boss was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while hundreds faced conviction. The ten-year-abused wife became a feminist hero.

A ringleader in a huge French rape case gets up to 20 years in prison.

About 50 convicts, and the wife becomes a feminist voice.

In France, a shocking case involving dozens of men raping a woman over and over by her husband has come to an end. The head of the group was given the maximum 20-year prison term.

The 72-year-old Dominique Pelicot admitted that he drugged his wife Gisèle and let at least 50 men sexually abuse her at their home in Provence from 2011 to 2020, which is almost ten years.

Gisèle gave a moving statement during the three-month trial, which was one of the largest of its kind in French history.

She is now praised as a female hero for her bravery in coming out. Because the acts were so horrible, prosecutors wanted the toughest punishments.

49 of the 50 co-defendants were charged with repeat rape or attempted rape.

One was charged with sexual assault and could spend up to four years in jail.

Dominique admitted that she put sedatives in Gisèle’s food and drink to make her unconscious.

He found the guys online and brought them to his house to beat his wife.

Dominique didn’t feel bad about what he did, even though he was old. He just told his family to “accept his apologies.”

The detailed proof he gathered, which included 20,000 photos and videos, was very helpful in naming the people who were accused of rape.

Prosecutors said that about 20 other people involved have not yet been named from the evidence. Gisèle’s brave choice to go public with her terrible story shocked people all over the world.

She spoke out strongly in court, “It’s not for us to feel ashamed; it’s for them.” This made her a voice for all rape survivors.

After ten years of hellish abuse at the hands of her husband and his evil friends, the landmark case and important penalties are a small step toward justice for Gisèle.

North Korea may send more troops to Russia in spite of deaths

South Korean intelligence says that North Korea may send more troops to Russia, even though a lot of its fighters have died in the Kursk area.

In Kursk, at least 100 North Korean forces were killed and more than 1,000 were hurt.

The Russian army is upset that North Korean troops can not use drones.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told lawmakers on Thursday that Pyongyang may send more troops to help Moscow’s war efforts, even though North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region of Russia have suffered a lot of deaths.

South Korean politician Lee Sung-kwon says that during the fighting in Kursk, at least 100 North Korean troops have died and more than 1,000 have been hurt.

• The US and Ukraine say that there are between 10,000 and 12,000 North Korean troops in Russia right now, mostly in the Kursk area.

The Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said this week that at least 30 North Korean soldiers were killed and hurt in Kursk. This adds to the evidence that the North Korean forces are losing a lot of soldiers.

• South Korea’s National Intelligence found proof that many North Koreans, including high-level officials, were killed in rocket attacks, drone strikes, and drills.

• Even though there weren’t many battles, a lot of people died because North Korean forces were sent as shock troops to unknown open fields and weren’t trained to fight back against drone attacks.

According to lawmaker Lee Sung-kwon, the Russian army has complained that North Korean troops are too much of a burden because they don’t know how to use drones.

• Both Ukrainian and American sources have reported that North Korean troops are fighting and maintaining losses.

• Even though they lost, North Korea may still send more troops to Russia, showing that the government is determined to help Moscow win the war.

As the conflict in Ukraine gets worse, the fact that North Korean troops are being sent there and are participating in combat activities makes people worry that tensions will rise even more and more people will die.

Alberta’s Premier backs Canada’s trade surplus despite Trump’s tariff threats

Danielle Smith, the premier of Alberta, says that exporting raw materials worth billions of dollars makes American companies trillions of dollars rich.

Trump said that he would put a 25% tax on Canadian goods. Smith replied.

Brings attention to Canada’s important role in sending raw products to the U.S.

In a strong response to President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to put a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has defended Canada’s trade surplus with the US, saying that it is due to the billions of dollars worth of raw materials that are sent south, which makes American companies and workers rich.

On Wednesday, Trump made some controversial comments on Truth Social. He asked why the U.S. “subsidizes” Canada and said that many Canadians want their country to become the 51st state to get armed security and lower taxes.

Smith, on the other hand, decided to talk about the key problem of the trade imbalance instead of Trump’s rude comments.

“That’s a good question about the trade imbalance with Canada. Dear President Trump (@realDonaldTrump): What’s the reason for this? “Canada, especially Alberta, sends billions of dollars worth of raw materials to your U.S. refineries and factories.

Your great American companies and workers refine these materials and sell them all over the world, including back to Canada (we are by far your biggest customer),” Smith wrote on Twitter.

About 4.3 million barrels of oil and gas are sent to the U.S. every day from Alberta alone.

The United States gets 60% of its crude oil and 85% of its power from Canada.

Canada also sends the most steel, metal, and uranium to the United States of any country. 34 important metals and minerals that the Pentagon wants to get.

Smith said that these cheap raw materials from Canada are important for millions of American jobs and businesses that make trillions of dollars for the US economy.

After Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the day before that Trump’s planned tariffs would be a “disaster” that could hurt U.S. stock markets, she said the same thing.

Every day, goods and services worth approximately $2.7 billion ($3.6 billion) cross the border.

For 36 U.S. states, Canada is their main trading market.

Even though Trump’s words may be hurtful, Smith’s calm reaction shows how the economies of the two countries are connected and how Canada’s natural resources greatly contribute to American wealth.