EU.<\/strong> The president of the European Council
<\/p>\n
Ukraine.
Quake.
<\/p>\n
Radio.
A roundup of local and international news.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":105208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-106469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nCharles Michel has stated the European Union’s firm commitment to stand by
\nUkraine as long as necessary. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, who
\nattended a special meeting of the council, called on EU heads of state and
\ngovernment to provide additional support for his country, including fighter
\njets. A group of EU leaders, including Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis, met
\npresident Zelensky on the sidelines of the Special European Council. According
\nto a statement from the Romanian president’s office, Iohannis emphasised the
\nneed to further provide support for Ukraine in all areas and to maintain
\npressure on Russia. <\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>The Russian forces launched air raids on the essential infrastructure in
\nseveral areas in Ukraine, while at least 17 missiles against hit Zaporizhzhia in
\nthe early hours of Friday. Air raid sirens sounded across the country and local
\nofficials urged people to take shelter, warning of new strikes. The attack on Zaporizhzhia was
\nthe biggest since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, local officials
\nsaid. The essential infrastructure also came under attack in Kharkiv, in
\nnorthern Ukraine, and in the Dnipropetrovsk region, in the centre. The spokesperson
\nfor the Air Forces told the Ukrainian TV that this country’s aid defence
\nsystems shot down five of the seven drones and five of the six Kaliber missiles
\nlaunched into Ukraine. On Thursday night, French president Emmanuel Macron said
\nthe Ukrainian army needs weapons that are more useful and faster, such as the
\nCaesar guns and the MAMBA surface-to-air defence systems, which France has
\nalready supplied. He also said the fighter jets requested by Ukraine from its
\nwestern partners could not be sent in the coming weeks. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>Hopes fade of finding survivors in the wake of the violent quake that killed
\nover 21,000 people in Turkey and Syria in one of the biggest disasters to
\naffect this region in the last century. The death toll is already higher than
\nof the previous earthquake that hit Izmit, in north-western Turkey, in 1999,
\nwith experts saying it will grow as more bodies are found. A first-aid convoy
\nentered yesterday from Turkey into rebel-controlled territory in Syria. The six
\ntrucks carry emergency aid such as blankets, mattresses, tents, and shelter material as well as
\nbasic relief items set to cover the needs of at least 5,000 people,
\naccording to the International Organisation for Migration. The White Helmets, a
\nvolunteer organisation operating in parts of opposition-controlled areas in
\nSyria, called for more specialised help to rescue people from under the
\nrubble. <\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>Radio Romania’s production The Sixties<\/em> by Ema Stere and adapted and directed by Mihnea Chelaru is one of the three to be
\nshortlisted for the BBC Radio Drama Awards in the Best European Drama category.
\nThe winners will be announced on Sunday in London. The Sixties<\/em> explores the drama
\nof the first generation of young people separated from the free world at a time
\nwhen the communist regime was tightening its
\ngrip on power in Romania. The other two shortlisted productions for Best
\nEuropean Drama are Czech Radio’s Burning <\/em>by Sudabeh Mohafez and Polskie Radio’s Let Me Tell You<\/em> by Marta
\nRebzda. (CM)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"