Europe

VATICAN CITY, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Monday denounced a growing crackdown on the Catholic Church in Nicaragua by the government of President Daniel Ortega.

Twelve priests and a bishop have been detained in recent days in the Central American country, where Ortega began repressing the Church after national demonstrations in 2018.

"I am following with concern what is happening in Nicaragua, where bishops and priests have been deprived of their freedom," Francis said in his weekly Sunday message and blessing in St. Peter's Square.

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities said Monday they detained another suspect in connection with an alleged threat of an attack on the world-famous Cologne Cathedral over the holidays, bringing the overall number of people detained in connection with the alleged plot to five.

The latest suspect, a 41-year-old German-Turkish man, was detained Sunday night in the western city of Bochum in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

VALLETTA, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela on Sunday pledged more measures to tackle inflation in 2024 as part of the government's fight against the increased cost of living.

Addressing the nation in his New Year speech, Abela said the government could not be indifferent to the challenges that families were facing.

"I can confirm that in the coming days, we will implement more measures that we have already announced, and we will continue working with all our stakeholders" to tackle the cost of living, he said.

MOSCOW  (AP) —Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Russia’s “united society” in his prerecorded New Year’s address to the nation, the country’s state news agencies reported Sunday.

Putin addressed Russians in a video that ran under four minutes long, significantly shorter than the New Year’s speech he gave last year, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. Millions of people were expected to watch the new address when it airs on TV as each Russian time zone region counts down the final minutes of 2023 on Sunday.

PARIS (AP) — France saw fewer of the car burnings that usually blight the arrival of a new year as the Olympic host country celebrated the start of 2024, the interior minister said Monday.

The 380 arrests made nationwide overnight was a 10% drop compared with a year ago, said Gerald Darmanin, citing preliminary early morning figures.

Authorities counted 745 vehicle fires, also 10% fewer than last year, Darmanin said.

About 40 police officers suffered slight injuries, a 40% drop on last year, he added.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a record 90 Shahed-type drones across Ukraine during the early hours of the new year, and Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country would “intensify” its attacks on its neighbor.

Speaking during a New Year’s Day visit to a military hospital, Putin said Ukraine could expect more such strikes after shelling of the Russian border city of Belgorod that killed more than two dozen people and wounded more than 100 others.

LONDON (AP) — A Colorado mother suspected of killing two of her young children and injuring a third made an initial court appearance Monday in London, where she was arrested over the weekend.

Kimberlee Singler, 35, appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court facing extradition to the U.S. on two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, three counts of child abuse and one count of assault.

MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed about Ukraine’s shelling attack on the Russian city of Belgorod, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

"President Vladimir Putin has been briefed about Ukraine’s strike on residential quarters in Belgorod," he said, adding that the president ordered to send a Russian health ministry team led by Minister Mikhail Murashko and emergencies ministry’s rescuers to the city to help those affected.

BAKU, December 30. /TASS/: Azerbaijan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has registered incumbent President Ilham Aliyev as a candidate for president.

"To register Ilham Aliyev, who was nominated by the Eni Azerbaijan (New Azerbaijan - TASS) party, as a candidate for president at the February 7 extraordinary presidential election," it said in a resolution.

As many as 50,000 signatures have been collected in support of Aliyev’s candidacy, whereas at least 40,000 are required under law.

MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/: Ukraine’s armed forces have lost up to 350 personnel in the Donetsk area over 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

According to its statement, the Ukrainian losses amounted to 350 troops killed and wounded, two armored vehicles and six pick-up trucks. Counterbattery work has wiped out a M777 artillery system and a US-made Paladin self-propelled howitzer.