Russia pounds Ukraine’s cities and front lines as air defences dwindle
Russia destroys Ukrainian power stations and defences as an expert warns Kyiv’s troops are ‘utterly exhausted’.
Ukraine’s dwindling supply of air defence missiles enabled Russia to devastate its energy infrastructure with ever-increasing effectiveness during the past week, while its artillery shell rationing allowed Moscow’s forces to continue a slow advance on the ground.
Making matters worse, Ukraine recorded no counterattacks against energy or military targets inside Russian territory.
Meanwhile, US congressional Republicans, who have effectively frozen aid to Ukraine since December, mulled over how and when to table a new bill to approve $60bn in aid requested by the administration of President Joe Biden.
Risk of bird flu spreading to humans is ‘enormous concern’, says WHO
Chief scientist voices fears about H5N1 variant that has ‘extraordinarily high’ mortality rate in humans
The World Health Organization has raised concerns about the spread of H5N1 bird flu, which has an “extraordinarily high” mortality rate in humans.
An outbreak that began in 2020 has led to the deaths or killing of tens of millions of poultry. Most recently, the spread of the virus within several mammal species, including in domestic cattle in the US, has increased the risk of spillover to humans, the WHO said.
“This remains I think an enormous concern,” the UN health agency’s chief scientist, Jeremy Farrar, told reporters in Geneva.
German police arrest two suspected of spying for Russia
German police have arrested two men on suspicion of spying for Russia. The German-Russian nationals are accused of acting as agents for sabotage purposes.
German prosecutors on Thursday said police in the Bavarian city of Bayreuth had arrested two men on suspicion of spying for Russia.
The two are accused, among other things, of acting as agents for sabotage purposes and of preparing explosives, the German Federal Prosecutor's Office announced in Karlsruhe.
Germany also summoned Russia's ambassador in Berlin after the arrests were announced.
"We will not allow Putin to bring his terror to Germany," Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wrote on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
UN chief warns Mideast on brink of 'full-scale regional conflict'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday painted a dark picture of the situation in the Middle East, warning that spiraling tensions over the war in Gaza and Iran's attack on Israel could devolve into a "full-scale regional conflict."
Guterres also said Israel's military offensive on Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, in retaliation for their unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, had created a "humanitarian hellscape" for civilians trapped in the besieged Palestinian territory.
"The Middle East is on a precipice. Recent days have seen a perilous escalation -- in words and deeds," Guterres told a high-level Security Council meeting, with several foreign ministers present, including from Jordan and Iran.
"One miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable --- a full-scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved," he said, calling on all parties to exercise "maximum restraint."
Hiroshima won’t invite Russia, Belarus to A-bomb event
By AKARI UOZUMI/ Staff Writer
April 18, 2024 at 16:25 JST
Russia and Belarus will not be invited to an Aug. 6 atomic-bombing anniversary ceremony here for the third consecutive year, although Israel will be extended an invitation, sources said.
Russia and Belarus representatives will be persona non grata at the annual Peace Memorial Ceremony on the grounds of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and the continuing conflict, the sources said April 17.
“The situation remains unchanged from the past fiscal year, and we decided to respond to it the same way,” a city official said.
Dubai airport struggles to resume flights after heavy rains leave runways underwater
Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs, remained in disarray Thursday after unprecedented heavy rain led to airliners having to negotiate flooded runways.
While check-ins for Emirates and Flydubai, the airport’s two main operators, had reopened, the airport warned that its Terminal 3 was experiencing high volumes of travelers as airlines tried to handle the backlog from cancellations and delays.
“There is currently a high volume of guests in [the] Terminal 3 check-in area,” it said in a statement on its website. “Passengers should only come to Terminal 3 if they have received a confirmation from their airline regarding their flight departure.”
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