Europe

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s state electricity operator on Saturday announced blackouts in Kyiv and seven other regions of the country in the aftermath of Russia’s devastating strikes on energy infrastructure.

The move comes as Russian forces continue to pound Ukrainian cities and villages with missiles and drones, inflicting damage on power plants, water supplies and other civilian targets, in a grinding war that is nearing its nine-month mark.

04 Nov 2022; MEMO: The EU's Foreign Policy Chief, Josep Borrell, on Friday called on Iran to end its military support to Russia in the war against Ukraine, Anadolu News Agency reports.

"We insist on Iran to stop providing arms to Russia. Iran denies it but Ukrainians have been providing evidence of these drones," Borrell said on the sidelines of the Group of Seven foreign ministers' meeting in the western German city of Muenster.

04 Nov 2022; MEMO: NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, on Thursday increased pressure on Turkiye on the acceptance of Sweden and Finland to the alliance, Reuters report.

According to the report, officials from Turkiye, Finland and Sweden signed a Memorandum in June to pave the way for the two countries to address Turkish concerns regarding terrorism and arms exports, but Turkiye — along with Hungary — has yet to sign off on their accession.

MILAN (AP) — Italy’s new far-right led government adopted a measure Friday formalizing the closure of its ports to rescue ships run by humanitarian groups as four vessels with more than 1,000 migrants continued to press for a safe port.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told reporters Italy would allow a German migrant rescue ship to arrive in Sicily to land minors and those with medical emergencies, but he said the ship must then return to international waters with the rest of the migrants.

ZURICH (AP) — Soccer’s top officials have urged the 32 teams preparing for the most political World Cup in the modern era to focus on the game in Qatar and avoid handing out lessons in morality.

A letter urging teams to “let football take center stage” was sent by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and secretary general Fatma Samoura ahead of intense media focus on coaches and players when World Cup squads are announced next week.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian soldiers are forcing Ukrainian civilians from their apartments in the occupied capital of the Kherson region and moving in themselves, a resident said Friday as the southern city became a growing focus of war in Ukraine.

His account of soldiers spreading throughout the city of Kherson suggested that Russia could be preparing for intense urban warfare in anticipation of Ukrainian advances.

03 Nov 2022; MEMO: On the 105th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration the Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB) has called on the British government to apologise "and take the necessary steps to correct this grave injustice."

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/: As many as 107 Russian service members returned from Kiev-controlled territory as a result of negotiations, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

"As many as 107 Russian service members, who had been facing mortal danger in captivity, returned from Kiev-controlled territory on November 3 as a result of negotiations," the statement reads.

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/: Russia’s COVID-19 case tally rose by 6,375 over the past day to 21,447,518, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Thursday.

A day earlier, 6,385 daily cases were recorded.

As many as 1,235 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Russia over the past day, down 6.4% from a day earlier. The number of hospitalized patients increased in 34 regions, while in 40 regions the figure decreased. The situation remained unchanged in eleven regions. A day earlier, 1,320 people were rushed to hospitals.

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/: The proportion of Russian citizens' confidence in President Vladimir Putin dropped by 0.3% and stood at 80.1%, according to the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center that published the results of a survey conducted from October 24 to 30 among 1,600 respondents aged over 18.

"When asked about trust in Putin, 80.1% of respondents answered positively (-0.3% over the week), the approval rate of the Russian president's work was 76.5% (-0.4 % over the week)," the pollsters noted.