
Nagorno-Karabakh: Fuel depot blast kills 20 as refugee count doubles
Officials say 290 people have been taken to hospital with dozens in a critical condition.
2023-09-26 15:23

Assisted dying: Grieving son calls for law change
James Johnson says his terminally ill mother used her life savings to die alone at a Swiss clinic.
2023-09-26 15:21

Ukraine launches new missile attack near Putin’s military airfield in Crimea’s Sevastopol
Ukraine has launched a fresh missile attack on a military airfield in Crimea’s Sevastopol, officials said. Sevastopol, an vulnerable Russian target in Crimea where Moscow parks its Black Sea Fleet, has come under repeated targeting in recent months as Ukraine looks to destroy Vladimir Putin’s logistics and infrastructure on the peninsula that Russia had illegally annexed in 2014. Russian air defence units downed a missile near the Belbek military airfield in the late hours on Monday, Russian-backed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said on his official Telegram channel early Tuesday. Sevastopol remained under an air raid alert starting around 11.30pm on Monday, as per Mr Razvozhayev’s Telegram message. It continued for an hour, covering midnight, as Russian air defence systems were activated. Traffic on the main bridge connecting the Russian mainland with the Crimean peninsula was also impacted during the attack, but was restored shortly after. The raid alert was subsequently lifted around 12.30am, said the Russian-installed governor. This comes just three days after one Ukrainian missile struck the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea navy in Sevastopol on 22 September. While Ukraine never directly takes responsibility for attacks on Crimea and other Russian targets, it has expressed satisfaction at the strikes. On Friday, it also indirectly showed the massive attack on Black Sea navy headquarters in its video of Ukrainian attacks on Russian positions. Mr Putin’s commander of his Black Sea Fleet has been killed in a missile strike in annexed Crimea, according to Ukraine. Admiral Viktor Sokolov was among 34 officers who died when British-made Storm Shadow missiles hit the Russian Navy headquarters in Sevastopol during the devastating attack. The death of Sokolov – said to have been handpicked by Mr Putin for the job last year – was announced by the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces in a social media update on Monday. Moscow has not yet responded to the claim. The Russian defence ministry initially said the strike had killed one service member, but later issued a statement that he was missing. On Monday, Ukrainian Special Operations Forces said Sokolov was among the 34 killed during the missile strike. They also claimed 105 other occupiers were injured. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin’s Black Sea fleet commander ‘killed in attack on Crimea navy HQ’ Ex-Ukraine president derides ‘crazy’ figure at centre of GOP’s Biden allegations in Fox News interview Putin’s Black Sea fleet commander ‘killed in navy attack’ as Ukraine breakthrough triggers ‘panic’ How Ukraine’s forces have surged back against Russia Russia unleashes hypersonic missiles on Odesa port in overnight attack
2023-09-26 12:27

Appeals Court Blocks Biden Bid to Limit Oil Drilling Auction
A federal court left in place an order forcing the Biden administration to expand an upcoming sale of
2023-09-26 11:57

Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin’s Black Sea fleet commander ‘killed in attack on Crimea navy HQ’
Ukraine have claimed that the commander of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, was killed in the missile strike on Sevastopol on Friday. The Ukrainian Special Operations Forces said in a social media update on Monday that he was among the 34 killed during the missile strike of the Black Sea fleet headquarters. They also claimed that 105 other occupiers were injured. The Russian defence ministry initially said that Friday’s strike killed one service member at the Black Sea Fleet headquarters, but later issued a statement that he was missing. They have not yet commented on the latest claims. Kyiv launched the missile attack on the fleet based in the port city of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea on Friday morning. Ukrainian officials said the attack, targeting what is believed to be the best of Russia’s navy, was timed to coincide with the naval commanders’ meeting. On Saturday morning, it followed this up with another missile attack on Sevastopol, according to a local Russian-installed official. The strike sent plumes of black smoke billowing from the building. The special forces added that: “The headquarters are beyond repair.” Read More Putin’s Black Sea fleet commander ‘killed in navy attack’ as Ukraine breakthrough triggers ‘panic’ Tucker Carlson denies rumour he is launching Russian TV show after his image appeared on state channel Canadian parliament accidentally honours Nazi - with Zelensky and Trudeau applauding How Ukraine’s forces have surged back against Russia
2023-09-26 11:53

California governor signs law requiring gender-neutral bathrooms in schools by 2026
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a law requiring K-12 schools to provide gender-neutral bathrooms by July 2026.
2023-09-26 10:15

Asia Stocks Fall as Treasury Yields, Dollar Higher: Markets Wrap
Shares in Asia declined while Treasury yields and the dollar rose in a sign investors are yet to
2023-09-26 09:27

Dimon Warns World May Not Be Prepared for Fed at 7%, TOI Reports
The world may not be prepared for a worst-case scenario of Federal Reserve benchmark interest rates hitting 7%
2023-09-26 09:18

Thomson Reuters AI copyright dispute must go to trial, judge says
By Blake Brittain A jury must decide the outcome of a lawsuit by information services company Thomson Reuters
2023-09-26 08:54

Ryder Cup 2023: Full schedule of events
The 2023 Ryder Cup will be the epicenter of golf with the United States looking to win on European soil. Here's the full schedule of events at Marco Simone for the Ryder Cup.
2023-09-26 07:49

Thousands of ethnic Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan seizes control in lightning offensive
Thousands of ethnic Armenians fled Nagorno-Karabakh on Monday in lines of cars which stretched for kilometres, after Azerbaijan took control of the breakaway region sparking fears of persecution. Desperate residents of the main city sent videos showing families stocking up vehicles and sitting in tailbacks which have brought the mountainous road to Armenia to a standstill. They told The Independent people chose to leave fearing abuse at the hands of the Azerbaijani authorities and a burgeoning humanitarian crisis as food, fuel, gas and electricity were increasingly scarce following a 10-month blockade. The Azerbaijani military routed Armenian forces in a 24-hour blitz last week, forcing the authorities of the breakaway region to agree to lay down weapons. They also agreed to start talks on the “reintegration” of Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, into Azerbaijan, after three decades of separatist rule. Azerbaijan has pledged to respect the rights of ethnic Armenians and to restore the supply routes they cut in December. But Artak Beglaryan, a former adviser to the self-declared government of Artsakh, told The Independent that people fear reprisals and ethnic cleansing and so “almost all the villages” and large parts of the main city Stepanakert, which Azerbaijan calls Khankendi, “are emptying”. The leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh said in total nearly 7,000 people fled to Armenia on Monday alone. “They are fleeing because of the genocidal policy of Azerbaijan, the blockade, their aggression, and the failure of Russian peacekeepers to guarantee protection,” Mr Beglaryan added with desperation. “It is impossible to live under Azerbaijani subjugation. The Azerbaijani state and society is full of hatred of Armenians. “The international community is just looking at this and saying sorry. Nothing else is being done. We are frustrated with everyone. We are frustrated with humanity.” Siranush Sargsyan, a freelance Armenian journalist who also spoke to The Independent from Stepanakert, sent videos of lines of vehicles trying to escape. “I have never seen so many cars together, people are scared the roads will close and they won’t be able to leave so they are going now. And the other problem is food, it is hard to try to find something to eat,” she said. “Nobody wants to leave, we just want to have a life. If we know that we are protected we would stay but who is going to give us that guarantee?” She said the ethnic Armenians had suffered 10 months of “psychological terror” and starvation, because of Azerbaijan’s effective siege. Breaking down into tears, she accused the international community had prioritised their own economic interests over the lives of ethnic Armenians. “The whole world was silent because our lives were not as important as Azerbaijani gas. The world exchanged our lives for gas.” Both sides have been locked in a bloody battle over the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. It is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan – which is backed by Turkey – but home to 120,000 ethnic Armenians who have enjoyed de facto independence since then. In 2020, a six-week war erupted during which nearly 7,000 people were killed as Azerbaijan reclaimed swathes of the region. Russia, historically a close ally of Armenia, brokered a truce and dispatched 2,000 peacekeepers. But in recent months Moscow has taken a step back since building stronger ties with Azerbaijan and Turkey after suffering crippling sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. The world exchanged our lives for gas Siranush Sargsyan, a freelance Armenian journalist And so on Tuesday, the Russian-agreed true was broken by the Azerbaijan army who launched a 24-hour string of lightning strikes against the severely outnumbered and outgunned breakaway forces. The area had been struggling with a humanitarian crisis due to Azerbaijan’s blockade of the “Lachin Corridor” – the road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia – piling on further pressure. Now thousands are on the move. Moscow said that Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh were assisting the evacuation. A second round of meetings between Azerbaijani officials and separatist representatives begin in Khojaly on Tuesday after the opening meeting last week. The international community has been quick to urge Baku to protect the ethnic Armenians. On Monday, the German government said Azerbaijan had a responsibility to protect rights. The day before, French president Emmanuel Macron pledged support for Armenia and Armenians, saying that France will mobilise food and medical aid for the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, and keep working towards a “sustainable peace” in the region. Meanwhile, the head of the US Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, visited Armenia on Monday to “affirm US support for Armenia’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and democracy and to help address humanitarian needs stemming from the recent violence in Nagorno-Karabakh”. She was joined by US Department of State acting assistant secretary for Europe and Eurasian affairs Yuri Kim. “The United States is deeply concerned about reports on the humanitarian conditions in Nagorno-Karabakh and calls for unimpeded access for international humanitarian organisations and commercial traffic,” USAid said. In an address to the nation on Sunday, Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan said his government was working with international partners to protect the rights and security of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Mr Pashinyhan has faced growing calls for his resignation over what demonstrators have said is his failure to protect Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Read More What is Nakhchivan? And after Nagorno-Karabakh, is this the next crisis for Azerbaijan and Armenia Thousands of Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh as Turkish president is set to visit Azerbaijan First refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh arrive in Armenia following Azerbaijan's military offensive What is Nakhchivan? And after Nagorno-Karabakh, is this the next crisis for Azerbaijan and Armenia First refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh arrive in Armenia following Azerbaijan's military offensive Aid shipments and evacuations as Azerbaijan reasserts control over breakaway province Azerbaijan send in food supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh after warning of humanitarian catastrophe Azerbaijan send in food supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh after warning of humanitarian catastrophe Stones thrown as Armenian protesters clash with police after ceasefire
2023-09-26 06:46

Italy Set to Approve Energy Aid Package Worth Over $532 Million
The cabinet of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni approved a fiscal aid package worth about €1.3 billion ($1.4
2023-09-26 01:46