Strike leaves two dead in Ukraine’s Kramatorsk
Ukrainian authorities said on Wednesday that at least two people were killed when a Russian rocket struck a residential building in the centre of the eastern city of Kramatorsk.
AFP saw two bodies at the scene as rescue workers cleared the rubble.
“Two hours ago, the Russian occupiers hit a residential building in the centre of the city with a rocket,” regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on the Telegram messaging app.
“At least two dead and seven wounded – these are the consequences of the shelling of Kramatorsk,” he added, warning that more people could be found under the rubble.
‘Mad cow’ disease case identified in Netherlands
Dutch officials have identified a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as “mad cow disease”, in a cow carcass, the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday.
The animal, an eight-year-old cow, tested positive for an “atypical” variant which arises sporadically in animals and is believed to pose less risk to humans, it said.
It is the first such case in the Netherlands since 2011.
Adani, embattled Indian company, scraps $3b share sale
Adani Enterprises, the flagship of Indian conglomerate Adani Group, called off its US$2.5 billion (S$3.2 billion) share sale on Wednesday, citing “market volatility” - a blow to the company and its billionaire founder, Gautam Adani, as it struggles to overcome a plunge in value set off by fraud allegations made by a New York investment firm last week.
The announcement followed a sharp drop in shares of Adani Enterprises on Wednesday, wiping billions of dollars from its market valuation and pushing its price well below the range it offered to investors in the sale. The sale closed on Tuesday and was fully subscribed by investors, including state-led institutions like Abu Dhabi’s International Holding Co in the United Arab Emirates and funds controlled by the State Bank of India.
Adani Enterprises said in a statement that it would withdraw the transaction and return the money.
US Fed delivers small rate hike, anticipates ‘ongoing increases’
The US Federal Reserve raised its target interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point on Wednesday, yet continued to promise “ongoing increases” in borrowing costs as part of its still unresolved battle against inflation.
“Inflation has eased somewhat but remains elevated,” the US central bank said in a statement that marked an explicit acknowledgement of the progress made in lowering the pace of price increases from the 40-year highs hit last year.
Russia’s war in Ukraine, for example, was still seen as adding to “elevated global uncertainty,” the Fed said. But policymakers dropped the language of earlier statements citing the war as well as the Covid-19 pandemic as direct contributors to rising prices and omitted mention of the global health crisis for the first time since March 2020.
Man United finish off Forest to cruise into League Cup final
Manchester United will meet Newcastle at Wembley on Feb 26 in the League Cup final after a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest sealed a 5-0 semi-final aggregate victory.
Anthony Martial and Fred scored the goals for Erik ten Hag’s men in the final 17 minutes as United booked their place in a first League Cup final for six years.
The damage was done for the Red Devils in last week’s 3-0 win at the City Ground in the first leg as Ten Hag was able to rotate his squad with United still involved in four competitions.
