February 14, 2023 (Tuesday)

1.4 minutes to read

Armed conflicts and attacks

Moldova temporarily closes its airspace after receiving reports of a "balloon-like object".

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United States Central Command says U.S. forces have shot down an Iranian UAV near a patrol base and oil field in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria.

(Newsweek)

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Ukrainian forces blow up a bridge located between Bakhmut and Kostiantynivka as Russian troops and Wagner Group fighters advance on the city.

(The Guardian)

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Three Pakistani Taliban members are killed by fellow militants who were trying to free them while being transported from Miranshah to Bannu, Pakistan by counter-terrorism officers. Four of the attackers are also killed in the ensuing shootout.

(Tribune)

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The Romanian Air Force unsuccessfully attempts to intercept an unidentified flying object detected roughly 11,000 metres (6.8 mi) above southeastern Romania.

(Reuters)

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Disasters and accidents

A national state of emergency is declared in New Zealand for only the third time in the country's history as Cyclone Gabrielle affects the country.

(AFP via RFI), (Al Jazeera)

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Twenty people are killed and 68 others injured in a head-on collision between a tour bus and an armoured cash-in-transit van in Makhado, Limpopo, South Africa.

(BBC News)

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International relations

Philippine president Bongbong Marcos summons Chinese ambassador Huang Xilian following a China Coast Guard vessel's alleged use of a laser weapon on a Philippine ship in the South China Sea.

(The Guardian)

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Law and crime

The European Parliament formally approves a law to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in the European Union from 2035, citing the need to combat climate change in Europe and promote electric vehicles.

(Reuters)

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Sri Lanka announces a ban on disposable cutlery, cocktail shakers, and artificial plants beginning in June, citing the risk of plastic pollution on its wildlife.

(AFP via RFI)

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