German state elections put fresh pressure on Chancellor Merz
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his governmen...
Russian attacks late on Wednesday (7 January) left almost all of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions without electricity, Ukrainian authorities said, amid freezing temperatures and worsening winter conditions.
Hospitals, water facilities and other critical infrastructure were operating on reserve power, with emergency crews working through the night to restore electricity, water and heating, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry said in a statement on Telegram.
Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said repairs were being carried out in an “intensified manner” in Dnipropetrovsk while ensuring the safety of staff.
In Zaporizhzhia, authorities relied on alternative power sources to maintain water supplies.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko warned that temperatures were set to fall to minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit) overnight, which could compound disruptions to power and heating.
“Ukraine’s energy system is under enemy attacks every day, and energy workers are operating in extremely difficult conditions to provide people with light and heat,” she wrote on Telegram.
Public broadcaster Suspilne reported widespread outages in the city of Dnipro, where the metro had stopped running, and in other areas of the region. Schools have extended their holidays by two days as power restoration continues.
Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the military administration in Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s home city, said conditions were particularly difficult in two districts where crews were restoring electricity. Generators were being deployed where possible, he added.
Ukrainian Railways said trains and signalling systems in the affected regions had switched to reserve systems, with stations operating using backup generators.
Zaporizhzhia Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov said the blackout had affected air raid sirens, though electricity had been restored at “key facilities.” He urged residents to limit use of mobile networks operating in emergency mode.
Russian authorities have not issued a specific response to the latest outages, but state‑linked commentary and official media generally frame strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure as part of their ongoing military campaign.
Analysts note that Moscow’s forces have repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s energy system throughout the conflict, a tactic Russian defence commentators characterise as aimed at degrading Kyiv’s war‑fighting capacity and forcing Kyiv to divert resources, even as Ukrainian officials condemn the strikes as attacks on civilians.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that additional news organisations could be barred from the White House, hours after announcing bans on CNN, MS NOW and Politico over coverage he described as “fake news”.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his government faces growing public frustration and a resurgent far right.
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations against Islamic State since 2016, the Transport Ministry said.
Denmark and Greenland have moved to reassure the public that their sovereignty will remain intact under a new security agreement with the United States.
World leaders are set to gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York for several days of high-level debate, with Iran, Ukraine, artificial intelligence (AI) and a range of global crises expected to dominate discussions this week.
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his U.S. tour, apologising for decisions made after rapper Macklemore was removed from the line-up over his public support for Palestine.
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