Russia says 63 Russian soldiers were released while Ukrainian authorities say 116 of their servicemen have been freed, amid continued fighting in the east.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 territory”, the ministry said on Saturday, as quoted by TASS news agency. It added that people of a “sensitive category” were also…
Author: National Tone
Tiba al-Ali, 22, was killed by her father, despite attempts by police to mediate a dispute between her and her family.The death of a young YouTube star at the hands of her father has sparked outrage in Iraq, where so-called “honour killings” continue to take place. Tiba al-Ali, 22, was killed by her father on January 31 in the southern province of Diwaniya, interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan said on Twitter on Friday. Police had attempted to mediate between al-Ali – who lived in Turkey and was visiting Iraq – and her relatives to “resolve the family dispute in a…
This month, after eight years of a Muhammadu Buhari presidency under which Nigeria emerged as the world’s poverty capital and endured two recessions in five years, Nigerians will head to the polls to elect his successor, hoping for a new era. Since the country’s return to democracy in 1999, Nigeria’s presidency has rotated between two political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now in opposition, and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). But now, the trade union-backed Labour Party is campaigning with Peter Obi, former two-term governor of the southeastern state of Anambra, as leader – and people are taking notice.…
Dan Evans says his shock defeat to Nicolas Meija in Great Britain’s Davis Cup qualifier with Colombia is “the hardest loss to take”.Evans was beaten 6-2 2-6 6-3 by his 253rd-ranked opponent on the clay in Bogota at an altitude of over 2,500 metres, before British No 1 Cameron Norrie levelled the tie with a 6-2 7-5 victory over Nicolas Barrientos. Evans and Neal Skupski will take on former world No 1 doubles pair Juan-Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in Saturday’s opening match before Norrie plays Meija and Evans then concludes the tie against Barrientos.Ten-time Davis Cup winners Britain are…
Critics of Brazil’s planned sinking of the decommissioned Sao Paulo aircraft carrier described it as a ‘state-sponsored environmental crime’.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 an “approximate depth of 5,000 meters [16,000 feet]”, Brazil’s Navy said in a statement. The decision to scuttle the six-decade-old aircraft carrier “Sao Paulo” came after Brazilian…
Ukraine will not give up on embattled Bakhmut in the east of the country, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said as Moscow’s forces continue their onslaught against a town the Ukrainian leader described as a “fortress”. The hotly-contested town in the Donetsk region has been at the centre of fighting for months and Zelenskyy said on Friday that Ukrainian forces would continue to hold it for as long as possible, during a summit in Kyiv with EU leaders. “No one will surrender Bakhmut. We will fight as long as we can,” Zelenskyy said, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with President of the European Council…
Climate change has fuelled the growth of explosive wildfires across the globe with rising temperatures and drought.Wildfires in the South American nation of Chile have killed an estimated seven people as blazes tear across wide swathes of forests and farmland, incinerating homes. As of Friday, authorities were struggling to contain the many wildfires that had erupted, burning through more than 14,000 hectares (34,595 acres) of land across the country. The fires have been exacerbated by a nearly 13-year-long drought in the country, as well as a heat wave. Many of the fires are concentrated in the Biobío region, located about…
Financial contagion fears spread in India on Friday as Adani Group’s crisis worsened, with ratings agency Moody’s warning the conglomerate may struggle to raise capital and S&P cutting the outlook on two of its businesses. Chaotic scenes in both houses of India’s parliament led to their adjournment on Friday as some legislators demanded an inquiry after a dramatic meltdown in the stock market values of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s companies. The crisis was triggered by a Hindenburg Research report last week in which the United States-based short-seller accused Adani Group of stock manipulation and unsustainable debt. Adani Group, one of…
A pair of CFL all-stars have re-signed with their teams. Wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. inked a three-year deal with the Toronto Argonauts on Friday and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers re-signed returner Janarion Grant to a one-year extension. Gittens, a 25-year-old Canadian, caught 81 passes (fifth best in the CFL) for 1,101 yards (sixth best) and five touchdowns in 2022. He led the league in yards after catch (483), en route to being named a CFL All-Star for the first time in his career. The Ottawa native was the Argonauts’ nominee for Most Outstanding Canadian for the second season in…
After pleading guilty to a felony charge in the deadly riot at the United States Capitol, former West Virginia lawmaker Derrick Evans appeared before a federal judge to express remorse for letting down his family and community, saying he made a “crucial mistake”. Less than a year later, Evans is portraying himself as a victim of a politically motivated prosecution as he runs to serve in the same building he stormed on January 6, 2021. Evans is now calling the US Justice Department’s prosecutions over the attack a “miscarriage of justice” and describes himself on Twitter as a “J6 Patriot”. “Some…