
Italy’s Probe Against Ryanair Escalates Tensions With Airlines
Italy’s competition authority has opened a probe into Ryanair Holdings Plc’s market position in the country, further escalating
1970-01-01 08:00

Pernod Ricard Seeks Sale of Wine Brand Portfolio Again
French spirits maker Pernod Ricard SA is exploring a potential sale of its wine portfolio that features brands
1970-01-01 08:00

Russian fighter jet worth more than $30 million crashes during training exercise
A Russian fighter jet worth more than $30 million has crashed over Russia during a training exercise, according to the country’s defence ministry. The Ministry said two crew members on board the Su-34 fighter jet were able to eject as it crashed in a deserted area of the Voronezh region in Central Russia. The Su-34, made by Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi, first flew in 1990 but entered the Russian Air Force fleet in 2014. In 2015, they were used during the Russian military intervention in Syria to attack ISIS targets. The estimated value is reportedly between $36m and $50m. It comes after the debris of an $80m Marine Corps F-35 fighter jet that went missing when its pilot ejected during a “mishap” was found in a South Carolina field after a day-long search. It was discovered in the Indiantown area of Williamsburg County, United States, according to officials. The search for the jet began on Sunday after its pilot was found on in North Charleston, South Carolina, after safely ejecting. And in September last year, a Russian pilot fired two missiles towards an RAF surveillance plane after mistakenly believing he had permission to fire. Following the incident, Russia claimed it had been caused by a “technical malfunction” with the UK’s Ministry of Defence publicly accepting their explanation last week. However, intercepted communications reveal that one of the Russian pilots believed he had been given permission to target the aircraft following an ambiguous command from a Russian ground station. After firing, the first missile missed the RAF plane while the second failed to launch successfully. If it had reached its target, it could potentially have drawn a Nato member into a military confrontation with Mr Putin’s Russia. The two Russian SU-27 fighter jets had encountered the RAF plane, which was carrying a crew of up to 30 people, as it was flying a surveillance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace on 29 September. Read More Debris of missing F-35 fighter jet found in South Carolina field after day-long search Russian pilot tries to shoot down RAF spy plane over Black Sea: ‘You have the target’ Kim Jong-un inspects Russian fighter jets on visit to aviation plant The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
1970-01-01 08:00

Sochi fuel depot goes up in flames in suspected first drone strike on Putin’s summer resort town
A suspected “kamikaze drone” attack targeted resort city Sochi where Vladimir Putin spends his summer holidays and led to a massive fuel tank going up in flames, said officials. This is the first suspected drone strike made on the Russian president’s resort city during the course of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Mr Putin has also hosted the 2014 Olympic games in the city. Drone and missile attacks deep inside Russia and on Russia-controlled territories have shot up in recent months. News of the latest attack comes amid Russia claiming it downed several drones near Sevastopol in Crimea, that Mr Putin had illegally annexed in 2014, as well as drone strikes over the Belgorod and Oryol oblasts. The fire in Sochi was extinguished shortly after it began early Wednesday and no casualties were recorded, mayor Alexei Kopaigorodskyi said on his Telegram channel, adding that the cause is being investigated. More than 60 firefighters were deployed to bring the blaze under control in the Adler district of the Black Sea resort town, the official said. Locals reported the fire erupted after an explosion around 5am in the morning. The fire radius was reported to be around 96 metres. Russian Telegram channel SHOT said the blaze was seen on a tank with 1,200 tons of fuel. Security and surveillance footage of the diesel fuel tanker on fire on several local telegram channels showed a massive explosion at 5.16am. After the explosion, the fuel facility was covered in a huge cloud of billowing smoke and in what was suspected to be tons of fuel burning for hours. The visuals also captured some officials trying to bring the fire under control while another staff present at the site was picking up fragments of a drone from the site. One official was seen holding what appeared to be the wing of a damaged drone as he was walking out. Telegram channel Baza, related to Russia’s security services that has a following of over a million, said the cause behind the fire in Sochi was a “drone attack”. It claimed a kamikaze drone crashed into a tank with diesel fuel, as per preliminary reports. “Judging by the video, the characteristic sound of a UAV was heard before the explosion,” the Telegram channel said in a post. Another video of the attack from a residential area captured a thundering blast around the same time. Other videos of the oil depot taken in the morning of the tourism hotspot showed heavy flames engulfing the facility. The explosion took place near the Sochi airport, but authorities there continued operating as normal, the press service of the airport told Russian news agencies. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Zelensky faces showdown with Lavrov after warning ‘evil’ Putin ‘cannot be trusted’ Zelensky tells UN to not do deals with ‘evil’ Russia: ‘Ask Prigozhin whether Putin can be trusted’ Moscow court refuses to hear appeal by detained US journalist Evan Gershkovich Zelensky urges Trump to ‘not waste time’ and share proposal on ending Russian invasion of Ukraine Drones shot down over Russian cities near Ukraine border in overnight attack
1970-01-01 08:00

Ukraine rejects defective Leopard 1 tanks from Germany after finding ‘serious faults’
Ukraine has rejected a number of defective German tanks after discovering they were not working properly. Ten Leopard 1 tanks, the predecessor to the superior Leopard 2, were returned after the Ukrainian army noticed they had “serious technical issues” on delivery to Rzeszów, Poland, in July. Germany admitted the vehicles were not working properly and would need further repairs before being used in Kyiv’s counteroffensive, after sending engineers to inspect them, according to German newspaper Der Spiegel. It is not clear if the fault is a result of wear and tear or their manufacture. First developed in the 1960s, the Leopard 1 received its last update in the 1990s and was decommissioned by the German army a decade ago. Military experts warned earlier this year that establishing effective logistics lines and technical training would be paramount for keeping Kyiv’s offensive going. This week, experts warned Ukraine has just four weeks to hold a “knife at Crimea‘s throat” and force Vladimir Putin into peace talks before Russia’s army recoups over winter. Professor Mark Galeotti, academic and author of more than 20 books on Russia, said Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops need to move another 10 miles southwards to be in range of striking key Russian supply routes in Crimea. “They’ve got about another month of campaign season. But if things slow down, the Russians will use the winter to regroup themselves and the whole thing will start up again in spring,” the professor, who teaches Slavonic and East European Studies at University College London, told The Independent. Dr Marina Miron, a postdoctoral researcher at King’s College London war studies department, explained Ukraine had a “heavy logistical” footprint with German Leopard and British Challenger 2 tanks, but they would be harder to use in wetter, muddier conditions, to assist a full breakthrough. “They’re just not designed for those types of terrains,” she said. “They would risk losing more equipment, getting bogged down in winter conditions than waiting it out until getting F-16 fighter jets.” Read More Ukraine ‘has one month to hold knife to Crimea’s throat’ and force Putin into peace talks Ukraine-Russia war – live: Zelensky faces showdown with Lavrov after warning ‘evil’ Putin ‘cannot be trusted’ Zelensky tells UN to not do deals with ‘evil’ Russia: ‘Ask Prigozhin whether Putin can be trusted’
1970-01-01 08:00

Coty Raises Sales Outlook on Strong Fragrance Demand
Coty Inc. raised its sales outlook for the current fiscal year, citing continued robust demand for higher-end fragrances.
1970-01-01 08:00

Ajax Probes Football Affairs Director for Conflict of Interest in Borna Sosa Transfer
AFC Ajax NV is investigating its director of football affairs over an alleged conflict of interest regarding the
1970-01-01 08:00

Sunak’s Green Rollback Imperils Britain’s 2050 Net Zero Target
Rishi Sunak’s plans to backtrack on green policies will put the UK’s 2050 net zero target in jeopardy,
1970-01-01 08:00

Ceasefire agreed after Azerbaijan unleashes military strikes in Nagorno-Karabakh
Separatist Armenian forces in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh have agreed to a ceasefire to end hostilities with Azerbaijan. The ceasefire agreement, proposed by Russian peacekeepers, means separatist forces in the region will have to disband and withdraw all heavy weaponry. It comes after Azerbaijan demanded the total surrender of ethnic Armenians in the region. Azerbaijan’s defence ministry said it would not stop artillery and drone bombardment of the region until Armenian armed forces “lay down their weapons” and “surrender”, despite calls from the US and Russia for calm. The country began what it called its “anti-terrorist” operation on Tuesday in Nagorno-Karabakh after it claimed four of its soldiers and two civilians died in landmine explosions in the region. Now, dozens have been reported dead and more than 200 wounded after Armenian officials said the region’s capital Stepanakert and other villages came under “intense shelling”. On Wednesday, Russia and America condemned the “bloodshed” and called for an “immediate” end to hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenians in the contested region. Armenian ethnic separatists demanded independence from Azerbaijan nearing the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1988, when it was known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. After a separatist war in 1994, the territory remained under ethnic Armenian control. But Azerbaijan regained parts of Nagorno-Karabakh after a six-week conflict in 2020. That war ended with an armistice which placed a Russian peacekeeper contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh. But Azerbaijan alleges that Armenia has smuggled in weapons since then. Armenia’s foreign ministry denied that its weapons or troops were in Nagorno-Karabakh and called reported sabotage and land mines in the region “a lie.” Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashiyan alleged that Azerbaijan’s main goal is to draw the two countries into conflict with each other. Some 27 people, including two civilians, were killed and more than 200 others were wounded, according to Nagorno-Karabakh’s human rights ombudsman Geghan Stepanyan. On Wednesday, Ruben Vardanyan, former head of the breakaway region’s government, claimed “close to 100” had been killed, and hundreds more injured. Neither claim has been verified. Azerbaijan said it was only targeting military sites, but significant damage was visible on the streets of the regional capital, Stepanakert, with shop windows blown out and vehicles punctured apparently by shrapnel. The region’s military said Azerbaijan was using aircraft, artillery and missile systems, and drones in the fighting. Pictures showed Stepanakert residents hiding in basements and bomb shelters, as the fighting cut off electricity. According to some reports, food shortages have affected the region, with limited humanitarian aid delivered on Monday not distributed due to the shelling, which resumed in the evening after halting briefly in the afternoon. Thousands of protesters gathered on Tuesday in central Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, blocking streets and demanding that authorities defend Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Read More Azerbaijan and Armenia fight for 2nd day over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh Azerbaijan announces an 'anti-terrorist operation' targeting Armenian positions in Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians face genocide in Azerbaijan, former International Criminal Court prosecutor warns The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
1970-01-01 08:00

German Ministry Wants to Ban Huawei Parts From Core Network
Germany’s Interior Ministry wants to ban critical components from Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp. from its 5G
1970-01-01 08:00

UK Property and Banking Stocks Boosted by Easing Inflation
Shares of UK companies whose fortunes are tied to interest rates soared after data showed a softening in
1970-01-01 08:00

European shares rise ahead of Fed; UK's FTSE 100 outperforms
By Bansari Mayur Kamdar European shares rose on Wednesday ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy decision, with
1970-01-01 08:00