International

Nightclub fire kills at least nine in Spain

Published

2 months ago

October 2, 2023

Nightclub fire kills at least nine in Spain

MADRID (Reuters): At least nine people have been killed in a fire in a nightclub in Murcia in southeast Spain, the mayor said, adding that rescuers were still searching for people unaccounted for after the blaze.

The fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday in Teatre nightclub in Atalayas, on the outskirts of the city, emergency services said on social media platform X.

Murcia’s Mayor Jose Ballesta told reporters nine people were confirmed dead. Earlier, he said seven had been found in the same area of the first floor, where the fire broke out.

Outside the club, young people hugged, looking shocked as they waited for information about those missing.

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“I’ve got five family members inside, I don’t know where they are. And two friends,” said a man, who did not give his name.

Ballesta declared three days of mourning for those who had died. Flags were lowered to half mast outside Murcia’s City Hall.

Footage released by Murcia’s fire service showed firefighters working to control flames inside the nightclub. The fire had destroyed part of the roof, the footage showed.

“We are devastated,” Ballesta said on Spanish TV channel 24h, adding rescuers were still searching for several people reported missing.

Ballesta told 24h the fire started at around 6 a.m and had now been brought under control.

He said emergency services were working to establish the cause of the blaze. Four people have been treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.

Nightclub fire kills at least nine in Spain

International

BREAKING: Secretary-General invokes Article 99 of UN Charter to end Israel-Gaza war

Published

7 hours ago

December 6, 2023

Trends Admin

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres

BREAKING: Secretary-General invokes Article 99 of UN Charter to end Israel-Gaza war

Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, has invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter to press for a humanitarian ceasefire to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian war.

The secretary-general appealed to the Security Council to use all its influence to press for an end to the conflict to avoid a total collapse of the humanitarian system.

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Details soon…

International

Ukraine reports over 50 overnight drone attacks

Published

12 hours ago

December 6, 2023

Trends Admin

Ukraine reports over 50 overnight drone attacks

Russia has showered Ukraine with a new wave of drone attacks overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force reported on Wednesday morning.

Forty-one of the 48 combat drones launched by the Russian army have been repelled, the air force said on Telegram.

There were initially no reports of casualties or damage.

The Ukrainian Air Force had already warned of a new wave of approaching drones and subsequent attacks, particularly in the southern Odessa region.

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It was later reported that Ukraine’s air defence was also active in the western Ukrainian city of Khmelnytskyy.

Russia had been waging a war against the neighbouring country for more than 21 months and has been ramping up its overnight drone attacks over the past few days.

Ukraine has been able to repel most of the drones using air defence systems provided by Western allies, including Germany’s Iris-T system.

Looking ahead to the coming winter months, Ukraine had also warned of increased attacks on its energy infrastructure, similar to last winter.

Ukraine reports over 50 overnight drone attacks
dpa/NAN

International

Court orders US to pay $50bn for Soleimani assassination

Published

12 hours ago

December 6, 2023

Trends Admin

Qassem Soleimani

Court orders US to pay $50bn for Soleimani assassination

An Iranian court looking into the killing of IRGC’s Quds commander Qassem Soleimani has awarded damages of almost $50bn against the US government and linked individuals and bodies.

Judicial officials also demanded an apology for the killing of the Soleimani in a drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020.

Then US president Donald Trump justified the action by saying that Soleimani was actively planning attacks on American diplomats and service members in the region. Trump also claimed the veteran regime commander was already “directly and indirectly responsible for the deaths of millions of people”.

Now the 55th Branch of the Legal Court of International Relations of the Tehran Justice Department has ruled against the US government and 41 other individuals and entities, ordering them to pay a sum of $49.77 billion in connection with the killing.

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The court also ordered that the US government and the others held responsible for Soleimani’s death should issue a formal apology, with instructions to publish it in a widely circulated newspaper.

The sentence comes after judicial officials had ruled in favor of more than 3,000 plaintiffs who had filed complaints claiming that they had suffered damages as a result of Soleimani’s death.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian previously stated in January that nearly 60 US officials had been blacklisted by Tehran for their involvement in the assassination of Soleimani.

Both Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei have repeatedly vowed revenge for the killing of Soleimani.

Since Soleimani’s death, a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has been charged with planning to assassinate John Bolton, the former US National Security Advisor, as retaliation for the military commander’s killing. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was also identified as a potential target in the same plot.

Qassem Soleimani played a crucial role in Iran’s external military and intelligence operations, overseeing support and organization of militant proxy forces, including Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi Shiite militia groups engaged in hostilities against US forces in the region.