US not enabling, encouraging Ukraine to strike beyond borders
The United States is not enabling or encouraging Ukraine to strike beyond its borders, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday, after Ukraine demonstrated an apparent new ability to penetrate hundreds of kilometres into Russian air space with attacks on air bases.
Moscow said attacks on Monday killed three of its servicemen and wounded four, as well as damaging two warplanes.
On Tuesday, a third Russian airfield in Kursk, which lies closer to Ukraine, was set ablaze in another drone strike.
Experts believe Ukraine penetrated Russian airspace with simple Soviet-era drones and not any of the billions of dollars in military assistance given by Western powers since Moscow’s Feb 24 invasion.
Zelensky visits Donbas near ‘difficult’ Ukraine front
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday visited the front-line region of Donetsk in east Ukraine, describing fighting in the area as “difficult” with Russian forces pushing to capture the industrial city of Bakhmut.
The visit came as Russian President Vladimir Putin convened his security council in the wake of the latest spate of drone attacks on military-linked facilities inside Russian territory.
The focus of fighting in Ukraine has shifted to Donbas after Kyiv’s forces recaptured the southern city of Kherson last month following a Russian retreat from the regional capital.
EU backs new Omicron vaccines for first Covid-19 jabs
The EU’s drug watchdog on Tuesday said two Covid-19 vaccines targeting new types of the Omicron variant could now be used for people’s first vaccinations, and not just for boosters.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in September and October respectively against the BA.4 and BA.5 types, but only in people who had already had their initial jabs.
The Amsterdam-based regulator said its emergency task force had now decided the two vaccines “may be used for primary (initial) vaccination. These vaccines are currently only authorised as boosters.”
Arrest made after ‘egg thrown’ during King Charles visit
UK police said they had arrested a 20-year-old man on suspicion of common assault, after an egg was allegedly thrown towards King Charles III on Tuesday during a walkabout.
The arrest in Luton, north of London, came less than a month after the monarch narrowly avoided being hit by eggs lobbed in his direction during a visit to York in northern England.
King Charles, 74, was in Luton to meet community leaders and voluntary organisations, open a new Sikh temple and visit a new public transport system.
Hat-trick hero Ramos helps Portugal thrash Swiss 6-1
Portugal’s Goncalo Ramos rose to the occasion on his first World Cup start to net a hat-trick in a 6-1 demolition of Switzerland on Tuesday, sending his side through to the quarter-finals for the first time in 16 years and setting up a clash with Morocco.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos had benched the country’s all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, tasking Benfica forward Ramos with leading the line despite the 21-year-old making his debut just three days before the World Cup in a friendly.
Ramos had played only 10 minutes as a substitute in Qatar but the youngster looked like he belonged on the big stage with a memorable performance for Portugal, who did not miss Ronaldo - a late substitute who had a goal ruled out for offside.
