Europe

KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — Shelling by Russian forces struck several areas in eastern and southern Ukraine overnight as utility crews continued a scramble to restore power, water and heating following widespread strikes in recent weeks, officials said Sunday.

With persistent snowfall blanketing the capital, Kyiv, Sunday, analysts predicted that wintry weather — bringing with it frozen terrain and grueling fighting conditions — could have an increasing impact on the direction of the conflict that has raged since Russian forces invaded Ukraine more than nine months ago.

KHERSON, Ukraine (AP) — Shelling by Russian forces struck several areas in eastern and southern Ukraine overnight as utility crews continued a scramble to restore power, water and heating following widespread strikes in recent weeks, officials said Sunday.

With persistent snowfall blanketing the capital, Kyiv, Sunday, analysts predicted that wintry weather — bringing with it frozen terrain and grueling fighting conditions — could have an increasing impact on the direction of the conflict that has raged since Russian forces invaded Ukraine more than nine months ago.

Tehran, IRNA - European officials say Washington is making a fortune from the war in Ukraine by selling more gas and weapons to Europe at exorbitant prices, according to a report in the US political news website Politico.

“The fact is, if you look at it soberly, the country that is most profiting from this war is the US because they are selling more gas and at higher prices, and because they are selling more weapons,” one senior European official was quoted as saying by Politico on Friday.

MILAN (AP) — Rescuers dug through mud for a second day Sunday in the search for people lost in an enormous landslide on the Italian resort island of Ischia.

One body was recovered on Saturday and about a dozen people, including children, were reported missing in the port town of Casamicciola, feared buried under mud and debris that firefighters said was six meters (20 feet) deep in some places. Small bulldozers were being used to clear debris, and Italian media said digging was continuing by hand in some places and that teams of divers had been brought in.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The play finishes. The actors take their bows. Then they let loose with wartime patriotic zeal. “Glory to Ukraine!” they shout. “Glory to the heroes!” the audience yells back, leaping to its feet.

The actors aren’t done. More yells follow, X-rated ones, cursing all things Russian and vowing that Ukraine will survive. More cheers, more applause.

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/: Russia’s COVID-19 case tally rose by 6,088 over the past day to 21,568,846, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Saturday.

The death toll rose by 53 to 391,789.

The daily numbers of new cases and deaths are down from the day before when they were 5,992 and 56, respectively.

Recoveries rose by 5,088 over the past day, compared with 5,337 a day before, reaching 20,977,854.

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said in a documentary aired on Saturday that Ukrainians deserve friendly relations with their Slavic brothers and will be liberated from neo-Nazi rulers.

"The Ukrainian people will be liberated from neo-Nazi rulers. It deserves to live in good neighborliness, friendship, prosperity next to its Slavic brothers," he said in the film aired by the Rossiya-24 television channel.

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/: Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev held a telephone conversation for the second time this week to discuss agreements between the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday.

"Further steps to implement the entire range of trilateral agreements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia with an emphasis on practical issues of unblocking transport and economic ties in the region were considered," the statement said.

MINSK, November 26. /TASS/: Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei has passed away, the Belarusian news agency BelTA reported on Saturday.

"Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei has died," the report said citing Anatoly Glaz, spokesman for the country’s Foreign Ministry.

TASS has no official confirmation of this information yet.

BRUSSELS, Nov 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — European interior ministers gathered for crisis talks as an ugly row between France and Italy over how to handle would-be refugees forced EU migration reform back onto their agenda.

New arrival numbers haven’t yet hit the levels of 2015 and 2016, but European capitals are concerned about new pressure on sea routes from North Africa and overland through the western Balkans.