Europe

Russia's ally China needed to end Ukraine war, Swiss diplomat says

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 14 (Reuters) - China needs to be involved in talks to end the war with Russia, Ukraine's top representative said after a high-level diplomatic meeting ahead of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

Ukraine's presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Sunday it was important that Russian ally China was at the table when Kyiv convenes further meetings on its peace formula.

Iceland: Volcano erupts in Iceland, flowing lava reaches fishing town

Jan 14 (Reuters) - A volcano erupted in southwest Iceland on Sunday, with molten lava flows reaching the outskirts of a small fishing town by midafternoon, setting some houses alight, although the town was evacuated earlier and no people were in danger, authorities said.

Fountains of molten rock and smoke spewed from fissures in the ground across a wide area stretching to the town of Grindavik, where at least one house had caught fire, live video published by daily Morgunbladid showed.

Frederik X is proclaimed the new king of Denmark after his mother Queen Margrethe II abdicates

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s prime minister proclaimed Frederik X as king on Sunday after his mother Queen Margrethe II formally signed her abdication, with massive crowds turning out to rejoice in the throne passing from a beloved monarch to her popular son.

Switzerland: More countries join talks on Ukraine leader’s peace formula. But Russia is absent and war grinds on

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Leaders of talks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s peace formula on Sunday said a growing number of countries are working to help set the groundwork for Russia to join one day, an admittedly distant goal as the nearly two-year war grinds on and neither side willing to cede ground.

Ukraine needs more attack aircraft for war effort - ground forces commander

KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Ukraine's ground forces commander said on Friday that Kyiv needed more military aircraft for its war effort, such as U.S. A-10 attack jets to support infantry and planes that could fire long-range cruise missiles.

Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi spoke to Reuters in an exclusive interview at an undisclosed location in the northeastern region of Kharkiv that borders western Russia.

Huge fire rips through Russian online retailer's warehouse in St. Petersburg

MOSCOW, Jan 13 (Reuters) - A huge fire tore through a warehouse belonging to one of Russia's biggest online retailers in St. Petersburg on Saturday, the Ministry of Emergency Situations said, saying firefighters had succeeded in halting it spreading further.

The warehouse's owner, Wildberries, said in a statement that all its staff had been evacuated. Nobody was reported to have been hurt.

There was no immediate word on how the fire, which covered 70,000 square metres and was rated as a category five, the most serious, had started in the suburb of Russia's second city.

French foreign minister visits Kyiv and pledges solidarity as Russia launches attacks

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — France’s new foreign minister arrived in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Saturday to meet with his counterpart in a sign of support for Ukraine as Russia’s full-scale invasion nears its second anniversary.

Stéphane Séjourné noted that Ukraine was his first destination abroad since his appointment in a government reshuffle this week.

“Ukraine is and will remain France’s priority,” he said. “The defense of the fundamental principles of international law is being played out in Ukraine.”

Israel defends itself at the UN’s top court against allegations of genocide in Gaza

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Accused of committing genocide against Palestinians, Israel insisted at the United Nations’ highest court Friday that its war in Gaza was a legitimate defense of its people and that it was Hamas militants who were guilty of genocide.

Germany approves the export of air-defense missiles to Saudi Arabia, underlining a softer approach

BERLIN (AP) — The German government has approved the export of air-defense missiles to Saudi Arabia, underlining a softening of its hard line of recent years toward arms exports to the kingdom.

Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit on Wednesday confirmed a report by news magazine Der Spiegel that Germany’s Security Council, made up of Chancellor Olaf Scholz and several other ministers, approved the export of 150 air-to-air missiles for the Iris-T air defense system at the end of 2023.

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