Ukraine war: Liberated town shows human cost of Russia's defeat
Victory can look desolate.
It does inside the eastern Ukrainian town of Lyman, retaken from the Russians at the weekend. The deserted debris-strewn streets are lined by boarded up or burnt-out buildings. Metal sheeting dangling from smashed roofs is buffeted by the wind. Few civilians venture out. We counted almost as many dogs as people - though the population was around 20,000 before the war.
The handful of civilians we met seem shell-shocked by months of bombardment, and uncertain their ordeal is over.
The only surge of life was a convoy of Ukrainian troops riding high on top of armoured personnel carriers, waving and cheering, as they headed out of town, along a road bordered by pine forest.
Iran arrests musician as anthem for protests goes viral
The lyrics to Baraye by Shervin Hajipour are taken from ordinary Iranians voicing their anger in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s death
As demonstrations against the death of Mahsa Amini enter their third week in Iran, a protest song by one of Iran’s most popular musicians has become the soundtrack to the biggest civil uprising for decades, channelling the rage of Iranians at home and abroad.
The lyrics to Baraye by Shervin Hajipour are taken entirely from messages that Iranians have posted online about why they are protesting. Each begins with the word Baraye – meaning “For …” or “Because of …” in Farsi.
Hajipour released the song online last week and it quickly went viral, being viewed millions of times across various platforms. Videos show the song being sung by schoolgirls in Iran, blared from car windows in Tehran and played at solidarity protests in Washington, Strasbourg and London this weekend.
Dutch government announces energy price cap for consumers
The Dutch government has unveiled details of its energy price cap for households, together with the outlines of a subsidy system aimed at easing the pain for small-to-medium-sized businesses that use a lot of power
The Dutch government unveiled details of its planned energy price cap for households Tuesday, together with the outline of a subsidy system aimed at easing the pain for small-to-medium-sized businesses that use a lot of power.
The moves come amid soaring prices for gas and electricity caused by Russia's war in Ukraine, and moves across Europe to get a grip on skyrocketing energy bills that have forced some businesses in the Netherlands to halt production.
The government said its consumer price cap will start in January and limit electricity to a maximum of 0.40 euros ($0.40) per kilowatt hour while gas will be a maximum of 1.45 euros ($1.45) per cubic meter. Households will still have to pay market rates on any gas they use each month over 1,200 cubic meters or electricity over 2,900 KwH.
Philippine groups protest killing of journalist
A Philippine journalist often critical of former President Rodrigo Duterte was shot dead by two assailants on a motorcycle. "Authorities have failed to protect journalists," the National Union of Journalists says.
Radio journalist Percival Mabasa, better known in the Philippines as Percy Lapid, was killed on the outskirts of the country's capital, Manila, late on Monday, police said on Tuesday.
This triggered condemnation from media groups, activists, opposition politicians and foreign embassies, which described his "brazen" assassination as a blow to press freedom. Protesters organized a march of indignation and vigil on Tuesday evening in Manila.
Burkina Faso demonstrators wave Russian flags, protest West African mediation bid
Anti-French protestors waving Russian flags and shouting slogans against the West African ECOWAS block rallied in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou on Tuesday as ECOWAS delegates arrived on a fact-finding mission following the country's second military coup this year.
Brandishing Russian flags in a display of support for Moscow, the demonstrators shouted slogans criticising the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and France, the former colonial power in Burkina Faso.
Reporting from the upscale Ouaga 2000 district of the capital, where Burkina Faso's presidential palace is located, FRANCE 24's Sophie Lamotte said there were several messages on display at the demonstration.
Northern Japan wakes up to alert of North Korean missile launch
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
October 4, 2022 at 18:49 JST
Kazuko Ebina became so afraid when she heard her smartphone speaker blare out the “J-Alert” alarm that she could not stop her legs from shaking.
The 80-year-old housewife was preparing breakfast for her family in Aomori city on Oct. 4 when the alert, officially called the national early warning system, went off for the first time in five years, warning that North Korea had launched a missile toward Japan.
North Korea had fired the ballistic missile eastward from the country’s inland area at around 7:22 a.m., according to Japanese government officials.
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