International
UK sending Ukraine ‘high-grade’ weaponry after station attack
AFP
Britain is sending Ukraine more Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles and 800 anti-tank missiles after an “unconscionable” attack on a train station, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday.
The “high-grade military equipment” is worth £100 million ($130 million, 120 million euros), Johnson said, with the UK anti-tank missiles seen as particularly potent against Russian forces.
The attack at Kramatorsk “shows the depths to which (Vladimir) Putin’s once-vaunted army has sunk”, he told reporters alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who called the Russian strike “atrocious”.
Fifty people were killed at the railway station, including five children, Ukrainian officials said as the toll rose on one of the deadliest strikes of the six-week-old war.
Scholz also defended Germany against criticism that it is dragging its feet on ending Russian energy imports as part of Western sanctions over Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We are doing all we can and we are doing a lot,” the chancellor said, pointing to Germany’s long-term diversification to alternative energy and other suppliers for natural gas.
After talks with Scholz in Downing Street, Johnson said Britain and Germany would work together on renewable technologies.
“We cannot transform our energy systems overnight, but we also know that Putin’s war will not end overnight,” the prime minister said.
The UK and German leaders met as European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell visited Ukraine.
Von der Leyen visited a mass grave in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv where Russian forces are accused by Ukraine of massacring civilians.
Asked whether he also intended to visit Kyiv, Johnson said “we are trying to help people come from Ukraine”, pointing to German and British efforts to shelter refugees fleeing the war.
International
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.
All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.
The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.
The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.
“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
International
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.
“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.
Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.
According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.
International
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.
The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.
Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.
Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.
The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.
Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.
Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.
In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.
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