Kiev calls for ceasefire and peace talks as clashes continue in Donbass

The separatists of Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the Donbass basin in eastern Ukraine accused Kiev of killing civilians by targeting residential areas with frequent shelling, while the Ukrainian president called for an immediate ceasefire in the east of the country, and affirmed his country's support for peace talks.

The separatists of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the Donbas basin in eastern Ukraine accused Kiev of killing civilians by targeting residential areas with repeated bombing.

This came, according to Russian media, about the separatists of the two pro-Moscow regions, who unilaterally declared their separation from Ukraine in 2014.

The separatist administration of Donetsk accused the Ukrainian armed forces of "bombing two residential areas and the Donetsk State Chemical Factory, with 120 mm shells prohibited by the Minsk agreements."

She said, "Before that, the Ukrainian army targeted residential points in Donetsk for two hours, namely Dokuchevskin, the village of Staromykailovka in western Donetsk, and the villages of Novolaspa, Leninskoye, and Spartak, causing civilian casualties and significant material damage in some areas."

Lugansk separatists also accused the Ukrainian army of launching an attack near the village of Pionerskoye, at dawn today, and destroying five residential buildings that resulted in civilian casualties, without mentioning a specific number.

The separatists stated that a clash took place after the attack and that they inflicted losses on the Ukrainian army that led to its retreat.

Yesterday, the separatists of Donetsk and Luhansk announced a general mobilization against the backdrop of military tension in the Donbass region.

The general mobilization came amid a mass evacuation of women, children and the elderly from separatist-held territories in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions to neighboring Russia.

A call for a cease-fire

In this context, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in the east of the country, where clashes between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces have increased in recent days.

Zelensky said that Ukraine supports peace talks within the framework of the tripartite contact group, which includes Kiev, Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

He added on Twitter: "We support intensifying peace efforts. We support the urgent convening of the tripartite contact group and an immediate ceasefire."

Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrinin announced that his country and Russia will continue joint exercises, following the deterioration of the situation in the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine and the increase in military activities on the border.

This came in statements he made on Sunday at the conclusion of the joint military exercises "Allied Resilience 2022" between Russia and Belarus.

"The presidents of the two countries decided to continue the maneuvers against the background of the increase in military activities near the borders of Russia and the aggravation of the situation in the Donbass region," Khrinin said.

He pointed out that the maneuvers aim to "reduce tension and respond to the ill-intentioned military preparations on the common borders."

"Our neighboring countries are urgently mobilizing the latest weapons," he added.

According to Ukrainian officials, Moscow recently massed more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, raising fears that Russia is planning a military attack against its neighbor.

Russia denied its willingness to invade, and accused Western countries of undermining its security through NATO's expansion towards its borders.

Zemmour may not be able to collect signatures to run in the elections. Will he lose the chance to preside over France?

Far-right candidate for the French presidential elections, Eric Zemmour, confirmed Sunday that it is very possible not to obtain the mandatory 500 signatures of an elected official of mayors and parliamentarians, to confirm his candidacy, an obstacle also faced by his rival Marine Le Pen.

Far-right candidate for the French presidential elections, Eric Zemmour, confirmed Sunday that it is very possible not to obtain the mandatory 500 signatures of an elected official of mayors and parliamentarians, to confirm his candidacy, an obstacle also faced by his rival Marine Le Pen.

The former journalist said: "I have no confirmation, it is very difficult, we call for hours, my friend Philippe de Villiers talks for hours with the mayors, Guillaume Peltier talks for hours with the mayors, and I myself make contacts with the mayors trying to persuade them."

He added, "I assure you that this is very possible," in response to a question about the possibility of not being able to obtain the 500 signatures, which he must submit to the Constitutional Council by the fourth of March at 18:00, in order to be able to participate in the elections scheduled between the tenth and the fourth. Twenty of April.

He continued, "The mayors tell me: Yes, you are wonderful, we agree with you, but they are afraid," because their names will be made public.

He considered that his inability to obtain the 500 signatures, while opinion polls showed him in a very good position, makes the "elections illegal," he said.

Eric Zemmour, the far-right National Rally candidate Marine Le Pen and the leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon regularly complain of difficulties in obtaining 500 mandatory signatures to run for the Elysee, while opinion polls show them ahead of other signature candidates.

"All this has become meaningless," said Laurent Jacobelli, spokesman for the National Rally, on Sunday in an interview with France Info radio. "All opinion polls show that Marine Le Pen is Emmanuel Macron's main rival," but "other underrepresented candidates are eligible," he added, citing Jean LaSalle and Nathalie Artaud.

He pointed out that they are still missing "80 signatures, denouncing a completely closed system that no longer works, with mayors under the influence of local barons."

According to the latest report issued by the Constitutional Council last Thursday, 6 candidates, some of whom have not yet officially run, managed to obtain 500 signatures: Valerie Pecresse, Emmanuel Macron, Anne Hidalgo, Natalie Artaud, Fabien Roussel and Jean LaSalle.

Yannick Gadeau is close to collecting the required signatures with 490, while Jean-Luc Melenchon has collected only 370, Marine Le Pen 366, Eric Zemmour 291, Philippe Botto 199, Christian Tobira 86 and Helen Toy 74.

They raped her for two years A British court orders the imprisonment of a gang who assaulted a minor

A British court has jailed six members of a gang that specializes in raping minors, after being accused of a variety of sexual offences.

A British court in Bradford has jailed six members of a gang that specializes in raping minors, after they were found guilty of a variety of sexual offences.

The court accuses the six detainees of raping a 14-year-old girl systematically and repeatedly over a period of two years.

The crimes occurred in the Kelly area between 2008 and 2009 against one victim, who was 14 years old at the time, and the investigation was opened after she submitted a report to the police against the accused as an adult.

The accused are: Nazir Khan, Kamran Hussain, Omar Safdar, Imran Saber, Hassan Bisharat and Barbar Hussain.

The court sentenced them to prison terms ranging from 5 to 13 years.

"The driving force for me to continue all of this was to prevent it from happening to other people, and also because it might help others progress," the victim said in a statement following the sentencing.

Chief Inspector Alan Wakes of Bradford County Police said: "Case like this is incredibly sensitive and complex, and it often takes years of painstaking investigation to bring them to court."

"I would like to take this opportunity to commend the victim for coming forward and reporting these crimes to the police, for her patience during the criminal investigation and for her courage in testifying in court," he added.