Europe

Survivors say Greek Coast Guard 'directly involved' in deadly shipwreck: EU lawmaker

16 June 2023; MEMO: Survivors have said the Greek Coast Guard was "directly involved and might have caused" the deadly shipwreck off the southern coast of Greece, according to an EU lawmaker, Anadolu Agency reports.

"Greek authorities knew that a ship carrying asylum seekers is in danger in their waters, but didn't start the rescue for hours," Erik Marquardt, a German Member of the European Parliament from the Green Group, told Anadolu.

UAE ready to promote conflict settlement in Ukraine — president

ST. PETERSBURG, June 16. /TASS/: The United Arab Emirates is ready to assist in any way possible the efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said during talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday.

"Regarding Ukraine, thank you for your words. You can be certain that if the UAE can play any role in stabilizing the situation, in humanitarian issues, we are ready to assist in any way possible," the UAE president said.

UAE ready to promote conflict settlement in Ukraine — president

ST. PETERSBURG, June 16. /TASS/: The United Arab Emirates is ready to assist in any way possible the efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said during talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday.

"Regarding Ukraine, thank you for your words. You can be certain that if the UAE can play any role in stabilizing the situation, in humanitarian issues, we are ready to assist in any way possible," the UAE president said.

Russia to give military-technical response if F-16 jets appear over Ukraine — Lavrov

MOSCOW, June 16. /TASS/: Russia is ready to give a military-technical response if F-16 fighter jets appear in the skies over Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the RT television channel on Friday.

"Of course, a military-technical response will follow," he said, responding to a related question.

Lavrov added that Russia had presented "a very serious demarche" within the framework of the UN Security Council panel "nuclear five" in connection with the possibility of F-16 aircraft being prepared for transfer to Ukraine to carry nuclear weapons.

Greece boat disaster: Emotional reunion for brothers as hopes of finding more survivors fade

KALAMATA, Greece, June 16 (Reuters) - A Syrian teenager who survived a shipwreck that killed at least 78 people off Greece was emotionally reunited with his elder brother on Friday, but there was no news for other relatives searching for loved ones.

Witness accounts suggested between 400 and 750 people had packed the 20- to 30 metre-long (65- to 100-foot) fishing boat that capsized and sank early on Wednesday morning about 50 miles (80 km) from the southern coastal town of Pylos.

Netherlands: Highly likely Russia behind Ukraine dam collapse, experts say

AMSTERDAM, June 16 (Reuters) - It is "highly likely" that the collapse of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine was caused by explosives planted by Russians, a team of legal experts assisting Ukraine's prosecutors in their investigation said in preliminary findings released on Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of destroying the Kakhovka dam as a Western-backed tactic to escalate the conflict.

Ukraine is investigating the blast as a war crime and possible criminal environmental destruction, or "ecocide".

Subscribe to Europe