Headline

Russia-Ukraine War: 18 Latest Updates You Should Know

Published

2 years ago

March 6, 2022

Here are the latest developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine:

– Fierce battles –
Ukraine’s military says it is fighting “fierce battles” with Russian forces on the edge of the southern city of Mykolayiv, which controls the road to the country’s biggest port Odessa in the west.

President Volodymyr Zelensky warns that Russia is preparing to bombard the historic city near the Romanian and Moldovan borders.

– Chernihiv pummelled –
Dozens of civilians are being killed in the battle for Chernihiv in the north, with those who remain in the city living in craters or among the ruins.

– Mariupol evacuation fails again –
Attempts to evacuate civilians from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol — which has neither power nor water — fail for a second day over ceasefire breaches.

The Red Cross describes “devastating scenes of human suffering” in the battered Sea of Azov port.

– Airport destroyed –
A barrage of Russian missiles destroy Vinnytsia airport in central Ukraine, Zelensky says.

– Refugee crisis:
fastest since WWII -Ukraine is the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II, says the UN. More than 1.5 million people have fled into neighbouring countries since Russia invaded on February 24.

– Polish jets deal –
The United States says it is working on a deal with Poland to supply Ukraine with Russian-made fighter jets that its pilots are trained to fly.

– Kremlin warns over planes –
Russia says it has destroyed “practically all” Ukraine’s combat-ready aircraft and warns its neighbours including NATO member Romania not to host Kyiv’s military aircraft, saying it would drag them into the war.

– Russia limits essential food sales –
Russian shops are told to limit sales of essential foodstuffs to counter black market speculation as Western sanctions bite.

– Putin: We will win through talks or war –
Russian President Vladimir Putin tells French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that he will achieve his aims in Ukraine “through negotiation or through war”.

– US, Europe mull oil ban –
The US says it is in “active discussions” with European nations about banning Russian oil imports.

– 2,500 held at Russia protests –
More than 2,500 people are held across Russia after new protests against the war in Ukraine, bringing to 11,500 the number arrested since the invasion began.

– Putin: Ukraine could cease to exist –
Putin warns Ukraine it may cease to exist as a state if leaders “continue to do what they are doing”.

He also says countries imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine will be considered combatants, while equating sanctions with a declaration of a war.

– Visa and Mastercard ban –
Credit card giants Visa and Mastercard refuse to do business with Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine but Russian banks say they will use China’s UnionPay system.

– Peace prospects ‘not great’ –
Israel’s premier Naftali Bennett says the chances of stopping fighting were “not great” after Kyiv asked Israel to open a dialogue with Moscow.

– Media blackout –
A host of international broadcasters, including the BBC and CNN, say they will stop reporting from Russia because of a new law threatening up to 15 years in jail for “fake news” about its invasion.

The Kremlin later takes BBC World News off the air there.

– Bolshoi director quits –The Bolshoi Theatre’s music director and principal conductor Tugan Sokhiev quits the Moscow theatre and France’s Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse saying he felt under pressure to take a stance on the war.

– France lashes Britain on refugees –
London says it can’t “just open the door” to Ukrainians after France accused it of a “lack of humanity” toward people fleeing the war and trying to join family in the UK.

AFP

Headline

Teenager Jailed For Life For Murder Of 16-year-old Boy At House Party

Published

11 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Editor

A teenager who stabbed Mikey Roynon, 16, to death with a “zombie knife” has been jailed for life.

Shane Cunningham, 16, fatally stabbed Mikey Roynon in the neck with a large hunting-style knife during a 16th birthday house party in Bath, Somerset in June 2023.

Mr Justice Saini sentenced him to life in jail with a minimum sentence of 16 years before he could be released for parole after he was convicted of murder.

Teenager jailed for life for murder of boy, 16, at house party
Shane Cunningham

His co-accused – Cartel Bushnell and Leo Knight, both 16 – were convicted of manslaughter after being acquitted of the more serious charge.

A judge sentenced Bushnell to nine years of youth detention, while Knight was given nine-and-a-half years’ youth detention.

The judge ruled that all three could be identified despite their age after an application by the PA news agency.

Cunningham had claimed he was acting in self-defence, claiming during the trial that Mikey had swung a knife towards friends in the garden of the property. But the jury saw through his story following a trial at Bristol crown court.

Mikey collapsed on the driveway with heavy bleeding from a single knife wound to his neck.

Police, paramedics and doctors soon arrived at the scene in Weston, a north-west suburb of Bath, but Mikey died.

The defendants ran off and threw away their weapons, two of which were recovered by police.

Detective Inspector Mark Newbury said: “That three boys armed themselves with knives to go to a teenage girl’s 16th birthday party is utterly unconscionable.

“Mikey went to that party to socialise and to have a good time. Instead, he was attacked with a horrifying weapon, suffered a catastrophic injury and tragically lost his life.

“Mikey was a much loved teenage boy and his family have been left totally devastated.

“They have shown incredible bravery and have courageously spoken out against knife crime since his death, which is something they should never have to do.

“Since Mikey’s death, other young lives have been lost across our policing area and as a result we have launched a proactive operation to tackle and disrupt serious violence and knife crime involving young people.

“However, we know police enforcement alone won’t solve the problem and we’re working closely with our local authority partners, our colleagues in education and health and the Violence Reduction Partnership to identify the root causes and divert young people away from criminality.

“Our communities are also key and we’d like to encourage parents to talk to their children about knife crime – to make sure that they understand the terrible consequences carrying a knife can have and also how to report if they have concerns about someone they know carrying a knife.”

Headline

Shock As Woman Who Visited Hospital For Scan Was Told She’s Dead

Published

13 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Editor

A woman was left shocked when she turned up to a hospital scan only to be told by staff that her records showed that she was already ‘’dead.”

Susan Johnson from Scarborough was left ‘shaking by a leaf’ after staff at the Bridlington Hospital in Yorkshire told her their records showed she’d been dead for four months.

The incident left Susan, 62, a retired housekeeper, baffled that her husband Bob needed to bring her a strong coffee to help calm her nerves.

The mother-of-two told BBC News: ‘I gave them my letter and their first words were, “ooh you’re dead”.

‘I said, “pardon?”. I was in shock.

‘Then they put something on the computer so I could have the scan and then they just said, “bye” and that’s it.’

It is unclear how the mistake happened as when Susan contacted her GP, they told her that the mistake had been fixed.

However, when she contacted the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the call handler told her she was still marked as already dead on the system.

‘On the computer you’re dead,’ she was told. Susan then informed her she couldn’t be dead as she was on the phone and talking.

The error meant that Susan’s carer’s allowance for looking after her disabled husband Bob briefly stopped, though this has now been fixed.

She said she shut down completely after the news and said there was nobody to talk to about the mistake.

Scarborough Medical Group told the BBC they’d received an electronic instruction about the ‘death’ from Primary Care Support England (PCSE).

Susan is concentrating on her hobbies of gardening and knitting as she recovers from the shock.

An NHS spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of an issue involving a civil death registration being incorrectly recorded against a patient’s medical record.

‘This was removed within 24 hours of it being reported to us in March 2023 and the patient was re-registered by their GP.

‘We would encourage the patient to contact us directly so we can explain further.’

Headline

PHOTOS: Sandhurst Trained: UK High Commissioner Hosts First Nigerian Female To Graduate From Premier British Military Institution

Published

18 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Editor

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has congratulated Princess Owowoh on making history at the United Kingdom’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS).

Taking to X.com on Thursday, Montgomery expressed his pleasure in meeting Owowoh, who was accompanied by an officer from the Nigerian Defence Academy.

Sharing photos, he wrote, “I was pleased to meet 2nd Lt. Princess Owowoh, the first Nigerian female officer cadet to graduate from the UK’s

#RMASandhurst, accompanied by Lt. Col Nyiam from the #NDefenceAcademy to congratulate her on making history, hear about her experience, and reflect on our Nigeria-British relationship.”

Owowoh graduated from the RMAS as the first-ever Nigerian female officer on April 12.

She joined the NDA in Kaduna in 2018, where she was appointed as a cadet lance corporal in her second year.

She rose to a cadet sergeant in her fourth year and was appointed company senior under Officer Charlie (CSUO C) in her fifth year.

Owowoh held the appointment with two other female counterparts and made history by becoming the first female to hold the position of CSUO at the academy.

During her fourth year, she completed the academic component of the commissioning course, achieving first-class honours in biological sciences.

See the photos below: