Europe

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%).

MOSCOW, January 2. /TASS/: Russia is closely watching the situation in the wake of an explosion on Roosevelt Island in New York City, Russian Consul General in New York Alexander Zakharov said in a comment for Rossiya-24 television.

"So far, there has been no [information] about any injuries, moreover among Russians, from among students of a university located on that island. We will watch the situation closely," he said.

Calls were received for reports of "a building shaking and explosion" at 5:54 a.m. local time (10:54 a.m. GMT) on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, January 3. /TASS/: Russian air defense forces shot down two Ukrainian Tochka-U missiles and seven Olkha MLRS projectiles over the borderline Belgorod Region, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported.

ROME, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Italian prosecutors on Tuesday placed a lawmaker from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's party under investigation after a bystander was injured by a shot fired from his gun at a New Year's celebration.

Emanuele Pozzolo, who is a member of Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, said the small revolver from which the bullet came belonged to him but has denied discharging the weapon himself.