Admins 
Austrian police say five people were killed in avalanches in the west of the country after three deaths were earlier reported despite pleas for caution on the ski slopes. The eight deaths came as resorts are filled during the February school holidays, with the avalanche alert level at four on a scale of five after … Read moreAustria avalanches kill at least 8 people
A fire broke out at an overloaded electrical substation in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Saturday, leaving nearly 500,000 people without power in a new blow to the country’s ailing energy grid that has been hammered by Russian attacks for months. Officials warned that repairs could take weeks. The government said it would … Read moreUkraine power substation fire leaves Odesa’s grid on the brink
Ukraine has released dozens of Russian soldiers as part of a negotiation brokered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Russia’s defence ministry has said, the same day 116 Ukrainian servicemen were also freed as fighting rages in the eastern city of Bakhmut. “A complicated negotiations process resulted in 63 Russian servicemen returned from the Ukrainian … Read moreRussia, Ukraine swap prisoners as battle for Bakhmut rages
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has dismissed one of his secretaries for homophobic comments that the prime minister called “outrageous”. Kishida said the remarks by Masayoshi Arai, in which he said he “doesn’t even want to look at” married same-sex couples, were “outrageous” and “incompatible” with an inclusive society the government is aiming for. “I … Read moreJapan PM dismisses aide over anti-LGBTQ+ comments
Brazil has sunk a decommissioned aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Ocean despite concerns expressed by environmental groups that the ageing warship was packed with toxic materials. The “planned and controlled sinking occurred late in the afternoon” on Friday, some 350 km (220 miles) off the Brazilian coast in the Atlantic Ocean, in an area with … Read moreBrazil sinks aircraft carrier in Atlantic despite pollution risk
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says Spain and Morocco have agreed to set aside their differences as they seek to repair a relationship marked by frequent disputes over migration and territory. Sanchez was speaking on Thursday at a summit in Rabat where the two countries signed about 20 agreements to boost trade and investment, including … Read moreSpain, Morocco seek reset of testy relationship at Rabat summit
Serbia does not plan to join NATO and will stick to its military neutrality, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told a parliament meeting. Serbia has been a candidate to join its single-biggest trade partner and investor, the European Union, since 2012. It is militarily neutral but maintains ties with NATO and has bought weapons from its … Read moreSerbia to maintain ‘military neutrality’, president says
European Union leaders have arrived in Kyiv for talks with Ukraine’s government, bringing the promise of new sanctions against Russia but disappointing Ukraine’s hopes for swift membership to the EU. The head of the group’s executive commission, Ursula von der Leyen, arrived in Kyiv by train on Thursday, a symbolic journey to demonstrate support for … Read moreEU’s top brass prepares for summit with Zelenskyy in Kyiv
Germany has confirmed that it will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and approve their re-export from other countries, in a move that was hailed by Kyiv’s Western allies and decried by Russia as a dangerous escalation. Fourteen of the German-made tanks from Berlin’s military stocks will be sent initially as part of Berlin’s historic … Read moreGermany to send battle tanks to Ukraine, angering Russia
On the night of January 4, a section of tracks along the Trans-Siberian Railway in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region was blown up. The rail line was used by the Russian army to transport supplies to Ukraine. A photo and video clip of an explosion ripping through a railway bridge were posted on Telegram by an organisation … Read moreRussian saboteurs seek to hamper Putin’s war machine