Critical infrastructure across Ukraine was pounded again on Saturday, with several regions reporting strikes on energy facilities while missiles were shot down in others. Follow FRANCE 24’s liveblog for all the latest updates. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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See ‘high drama’ during closing ceremony of China’s Party Congress
Former Chinese leader Hu Jintao was escorted out of the closing ceremony of Saturday’s Communist Party Congress in Beijing. CNN’s Beijing Bureau Chief Steven Jiang has more.
Still more evidence of massive voter fraud in 2020 ‘election’ that scammed senile Biden into office
Hungarian Foreign Ministry criticizes EU’s ‘pro-war’ position
Saying the Ukraine conflict can only end with Russia’s defeat is “dangerous and unacceptable,” Budapest insists
The Hungarian Foreign Ministry has rejected calls by the EU for Russia to be defeated in Ukraine, saying the bloc needed peace, not a prolonged conflict.
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson made several statements on the hostilities this week, stressing the bloc’s “determination, resolve and unity to stand by Ukraine as long as it takes.” She also insisted that “to end this crisis, first, Putin must lose.”
Responding on Friday, Tamas Menczer, State Secretary at Hungary’s Foreign Ministry, accused Johansson of making “a very dangerous statement because it links the end of a crisis with a military event, about which we don’t know when will it happen or if it happens at all.”
“This pro-war stance of Brussels extends the conflict and suffering. This is extremely dangerous and unacceptable,” he insisted.
Menczer reiterated the position of the Hungarian government, which is that “we need immediate peace instead of a longer war. Peace requires an immediate ceasefire and dialogue.”
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Hungary opposes ‘dangerous’ EU gas plan
Hungary has remained relatively neutral since the outbreak of fighting in Ukraine in late February. It has refused to send arms to Kiev unlike many fellow EU members and consistently criticized the sanctions imposed by Brussels on Moscow. Budapest, which is heavily dependent on Russian energy, was also able to negotiate an exemption for itself from the bloc-wide ban on Russian oil.
Moscow, which has repeatedly invited Kiev to get behind the negotiating table, has blamed the Ukrainian side for undermining any potential for a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signed a declaration that officially made it “impossible” to hold any negotiations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The move followed the inclusion of the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, and the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, into Russia as result of referendums in those territories. Kiev and its Western backers have labeled the September’s votes a “sham” and continue to view the areas as parts of Ukraine.
US elite unit ready to fight in Ukraine if conflict ‘escalates’ – CBS
America’s 101st Airborne Division, deployed close to the Ukrainian border, would step in if NATO were attacked, its commanders said
The US Army 101st Airborne Division would not hesitate to enter Ukraine should a conflict break out between Russia and NATO, CBS News reported on Friday citing the elite unit’s military commanders. The division is currently conducting war games in Romania, close to the NATO country’s border with Ukraine.
The division’s commanders told CBS that they would be prepared to cross into Ukraine if the fighting escalates – without elaborating what that would entail – or if NATO were to come under attack. They highlighted that their current deployment in Europe, for the first time since WWII, is done “to defend NATO territory.”
“We’re ready to defend every inch of NATO soil”, Brigadier General John Lubas, the division’s Deputy Commander, told the news network.
In Romania, the 101st Airborne Division is holding joint live-fire ground and air assault exercises. According to Colonel Edwin Matthaidess, Commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, his division is the closest US unit to the fighting in Ukraine. He noted that the US troops, have been “closely watching” the Russian military while “building objectives to practice against” and organizing the drills to “replicate exactly what’s going on” in Ukraine.
“It keeps us on our toes,” he added.
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Russia reveals details of rare contact with US military chief
In total, about 4,700 American soldiers from the 101st Airborne’s base in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, have been sent to Europe.
NATO has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the conflict and will not send its troops into Ukraine. In late June, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that the alliance would significantly increase the number of its forces on high alert from 40,000 to over 300,000.
Since the start of Russia’s military offensive on February 24, Ukraine has received substantial military aid from NATO countries, with billions of dollars’ worth of weaponry pouring into the country – something Moscow has repeatedly criticized.
The 101st Airborne Division, also known as the “Screaming Eagles,” has a distinguished military history. It took part in the airborne operations during the D-Day landings in Normandy in 1944 and in the Battle of the Bulge, where it fought in a complete encirclement. The unit was also involved in the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Japan, Australia leaders sign new security pact to counter China
Japan’s military will participate in training and exercises alongside Australian forces in Australia’s northern region.
US, Russia defence chiefs discuss Ukraine war in rare phone call
Few details have emerged of Friday’s conversation, but both sides confirmed discussing the Ukraine war.
Hu Jintao: ex-president escorted out of China party congress
The former president is escorted off stage during the Party Congress, with no explanation given.
Ex-BBC EastEnders star Josephine Melville collapses and dies backstage during play
Josephine Melville has died backstage after a theatre performance yesterday (Thursday, October 20). The actress, who played Tessa Parker in EastEnders during the 1980s, was starring as Maggie in the Nottingham Playhouse production.
The venue and co-producer Leeds Playhouse said Josephine received medical assistance but died at the scene. It read: “We are deeply saddened to announce that last night the actor Josephine Melville, passed away backstage at Nottingham Playhouse following the performance of the play Nine Night, in which she was performing. Josephine’s family have been informed, and our thoughts and deep condolences are with them.”
It added: “Josephine received immediate assistance from Nottingham Playhouse first aiders and a medically qualified member of the Nine Night audience. The subsequent very swift arrival of paramedics meant she was quickly and expertly treated but sadly she passed away at the scene.”
It continued: “The entire company, and staff at both theatres are in a state of shock. Josephine was a truly wonderful and well-loved person, a revered and deeply respected performer, director, producer, archivist and writer, and a tremendous Auntie Maggie in Nine Night. “We are offering our full support to her family, our onstage and production crew, and all staff at this awful time.”
They went on to say all performances of Nine Night at Nottingham Playhouse have been cancelled.
Stephanie Sirr, chief executive of Nottingham Playhouse said: “We send our love and condolences to Jo’s family and friends. On a deeply tragic and extremely difficult evening we want to pay tribute to the company of Nine Night and to the whole Nottingham Playhouse team who managed the situation with empathy and professionalism.”
Josephine landed her first television role in 1982 in the series Luna before starring in the series American Playhouse.
She arrived in Walford as Tessa Parker, a college friend of Kelvin Carpenter, in 1986 and reappeared in the soap in 2005 as Ellie Wright for one episode.
Protesters ‘have blood on their hands’ after mum died when ambulance was delayed
An ambulance had battled through diversions caused by the closure of the Dartford Crossing to reach the crash in Swanley, Kent.
The accident reportedly took place after a woman stopped to help a fellow driver who had become stranded by the side of the motorway.
A vehicle then collided with the women as they waited for assistance on the hard shoulder.
An ambulance, held up by traffic, took 40 minutes to reach the crash scene.
Builder Mark Heap, 55, had also stopped to help the stranded driver and was badly injured in the crash.
Speaking from his hospital bed, he accused protesters of having ‘blood on their hands’.
The nearby Dartford Crossing had been shut after activists climbed onto cables high above the bridge, which links Essex and Kent.
Mr Heap told MailOnline: ‘The eco-warriors may have thought it was an innocent protest, but they’ve got blood on their hands.
‘I don’t think they deliberately caused the crash.
‘But their actions, bringing the traffic to a stand-still on the M20, caused the crash in which those two women died.
‘There was another bad crash on the M2 at about the same time.’
One of Monday’s crash victims has been named as Lisa Webber, a mother-of-four in her 50s.
The other victim, also female, has been described as a GP in her 40s.
The Dartford Crossing protest had ended after Just Stop Oil tweeted they had ‘agreed to cooperate with police’.
The eco-protest saw many drivers rerouted via the M20 in a bid to avoid delays.
Read More: Protesters ‘have blood on their hands’ after mum died