Europe

MOSCOW, January 5. /TASS/: Air defense systems have eliminated a Neptune anti-ship missile over the northwestern part of the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"On January 5, around 12:30 p.m. Moscow time (9:30 a.m. GMT - TASS), an attempt by the Kiev regime was thwarted to carry out a terror attack on targets in the Russian Federation with the use of a Neptune anti-ship missile. Air defense systems on duty detected the Ukrainian missile and eliminated it over the northwestern waters of the Black Sea," the military agency said.

MOSCOW, January 5. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin may pay a bunch of foreign visits in 2024 and the head of the Russian state has invitations from dozens of countries.

The Kremlin has not yet announced future visits of the Russian President. "I do not exclude but I am trying not to plan anything so far," Putin said earlier, referring to possible visits to friendly nations.

Over past months, the Russian leader received invitations to visit Brazil, Burundi, Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Cuba, Mongolia, Thailand, Turkey, and other countries.

LONDON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Major rivers across Britain were flooded on Friday after heavy rain, with the government issuing more than 300 flood warnings, travel operators announcing serious disruption and around 1,000 homes suffering damage so far.

A succession of storms in recent weeks meant prolonged rainfall that started on Thursday fell on saturated ground and quickly caused already-swollen rivers and waterways to burst their banks across England and Wales.

The storms have also caused flooding in other parts of Europe in recent days.

HELSINKI, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Finland's record low temperatures this week inspired a tourist on a trip to the Arctic to try a trick that had long intrigued him: throwing boiling water in the air when it's extremely cold outside and seeing it turn into an instant cloud of icy dust.

This is not something to try unless the temperatures are at a level of cold that most places on earth rarely, or never, see.

MOSCOW (AP) —Russian air defenses downed dozens of Ukrainian drones in occupied Crimea and southern Russia on Friday, officials said, as Kyiv pressed its strategy of targeting the Moscow-annexed peninsula and taking the 22-month war well beyond Ukraine’s borders.

Air raid sirens wailed in Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea, and traffic was suspended for a second straight day on a bridge connecting the peninsula, which Moscow seized illegally a decade ago, with Russia’s southern Krasnodar region. The span is a crucial supply link for Russia’s war effort.

GENEVA, Jan 3 (Reuters) - United Nations experts urged U.S. authorities on Wednesday to halt the planned execution of a prisoner by asphyxiation using pure nitrogen, saying the untested method may subject him to "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or even torture."

Kenneth Smith, convicted for a murder-for-hire committed in 1988, is scheduled to be executed in the U.S. state of Alabama on Jan. 25 using the method, which is intended to deprive him of oxygen by using a face mask connected to a cylinder of nitrogen.

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO announced Wednesday that it would help buy up to 1,000 Patriot missiles so that allies can better protect their territory as Russia ramps up its air assault on Ukraine.

NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency said it will support a group of nations, including Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain, in buying the Patriots, which are used to defend against cruise and ballistic missiles as well as enemy aircraft.

According to industry sources, the contract could be worth around $5.5 billion.

MOSCOW(AP) — Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war under a deal sponsored by the United Arab Emirates.

Ukrainian authorities said that 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned home. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that 248 Russian servicemen have been freed from Ukrainian captivity. The ministry said that the deal was made possible thanks to mediatory efforts by the United Arab Emirates.

There was no immediate acknowledgment from the UAE, which has maintained close business ties to Moscow throughout Russia’s war on Ukraine

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union imposed sanctions on the world’s biggest diamond mining company and its chief executive officer on Wednesday as part of what it called its “unwavering commitment” to Ukraine in the war against Russia.

The move targeted Alrosa, which accounts for about 90% of Russia’s diamond production, and CEO Pavel Marinychev. The EU headquarters said the company “constitutes an important part of an economic sector that is providing substantial revenue” to Moscow.

MOSCOW, January 2. /TASS/: The Bitcoin prices surged above $45,000 during the trading session for the first time since April 5, 2022, according to Coindesk data.

As of 04:05 a.m. Moscow time, the cost of bitcoin grew by 6.33% to $45,173. By 04:09 a.m. Moscow time, bitcoin continued to grow and was at $45,374 (+6.93%).