Ruined city of Avdiivka, Ukraine Avdiivka was on the front lines of war between Kyiv and Moscow for almost a decade. Fierce fighting raged there for months following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago. The withdrawal was far less drawn out. When the Ukrainian military abandoned the town on Saturday, handing Russia its most important victory in months, it was rapid and ruthless. “Leave the 300 (wounded),” one soldier was purportedly ordered, “and burn everything.” Hours after Russian troops raised their flags over Avdiivka, one horrifying story has emerged of several injured soldiers who failed to escape – and were later killed as Russian troops reached their position. Members of Ukraine's National Guard Omega Special Purpose fire a SPG-9 anti-tank grenade launcher toward Russian troops in the front line town of Avdiivka, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine November 8, 2023. The Ukrainian servicemen there were part of the 110th S...

Early Monday morning, as families were preparing to start their week, waves of explosive drones struck Ukraine’s capital. A man falls on the ground following a drone attack in Kyiv. [Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP] The blasts echoed across Kyiv, setting buildings ablaze and sending people scurrying to shelters. At least three people were killed. Exactly how many drones were used in the attack on the capital was not immediately clear. According to the Associated Press, the drones appeared to include Iranian-made Shaheds, though Iran’s government has denied this. A drone flies over Kyiv. [Sergei Supinsky/AFP] Social media video posts showed drones buzzing over the capital and smoke billowing in the early morning light. The sound of sustained gunfire could also be heard in one video, in what appears to be an attempt to shoot a drone down. Russia is allegedly using Iranian-made Shaheds – renaming them Geran-2 – drones that pack an explosive charge and can linger over targets before attacking. Their d...

Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo has rounded off his season with Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal as the highest goal scorer of the 2021/2022 season of the Saudi Pro League. Ighalo scored a brace in Al-Hilal’s win against already relegated Al-Faisaly on Monday night with the fixture ending 2-1 at the King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh. The former Manchester United striker found the back of the net in the seventh and 64th minutes with two goals that sent the home crowd into a frenzy. The win sealed the 18th league title win for the home side who were closely being chased by fierce rivals, Al-Ittihad Ighalo joined Al Hilal in January 2022 after abruptly ending his stay at Al-Shabab, another Saudi Pro League side.  I can’t stop scoring, says Ighalo  Ighalo fires Ghana warning with hat-trick  Ighalo gives reasons for quitting Al Shabab, ready for EPL return The Ajegunle-born striker appeared in 31 matches in the Saudi league and found the back of the net 24 times. His tally comes from his...

 According to Bitcoin.com, the Moroccan central bank is presently working on a cryptocurrency regulation framework bill and according to the bank’s governor, Abdellatif Jouahri, this is set to be introduced soon. The regulatory framework being worked on will result in Morocco’s money laundering and anti-terrorism financing regulations being upgraded. ETH +0.57% BTC +0.36%

Ukrainian officials have said they struck a Russian tugboat in the Black Sea using two Harpoon missiles on Friday. It is the first time Ukraine has announced it has destroyed a Russian vessel with Western-supplied weapons. A statement from the Ukrainian military says the Harpoons used were given to Ukraine by the US. Ukrainian military officials have said they struck the Russian Navy's Vasiliy Bekh tugboat in the Black Sea using two Harpoon missiles supplied by the US. The action marks the first time Ukraine has announced it has destroyed a Russian vessel with Western-supplied armaments. On Friday, the attack was announced on Ukraine's Armed Forces Strategic Communications Directorate's Telegram channel. It published a video purporting to show the anti-ship missile blowing up the vessel. Insider could not independently verify the footage. The head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Maxim Marchenko, said, "This morning, our naval forces struck th...

  More than 100 Ukrainians have died in the first day of war Brave Ukrainian woman confronts heavily armed Russian troops A Ukrainian woman is being hailed for her bravery after she confronted a heavily-armed Russian soldier and offered him sunflower seeds — so that they might bloom when he dies. The woman was captured on camera voicing her outrage as Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday, with tanks rolling across the border and air strikes targeting major cities. Ukraine says it suffered 137 casualties on the first day of the war. The woman can be seen in the video asking the soldiers "Who are you?", to which a soldier standing in the street says: "We have exercises here. Please go this way." After asking if they are Russians, she said: "So what the f*** are you doing here?” As the soldiers tried to calm her down, the enraged woman said: "You’re occupants, you’re fascists! What the f*** are you doing on our land with all these guns? “Take these seeds and p...