- Cambodian opposition figure in court on incitement charge
- Bumrah takes three wickets to have Bangladesh in trouble at 112-8
- Kimchi threat as heatwave drives up South Korea cabbage prices
- UK economic data delivers fresh blow to new govt
- China to 'gradually resume' seafood imports from Japan after Fukushima ban
- India minister blames dam release for flooding
- O'Rourke strikes early for Kiwis as Sri Lanka trail by three
- Deep takes two as Bangladesh totter in reply to India's 376
- Israel pounds Lebanon's Hezbollah after device blasts
- Revolution or mirage? Controversy surrounds new Alzheimer's drugs
- Ashwin's 113 powers India to 376 in Bangladesh Test
- Biden opens home to 'Quad' leaders for farewell summit
- Sally Rooney returns with 30-something questions
- Wallabies sense 'massive' chance to upset All Blacks
- Taiwan questions two in probe into Hezbollah pagers
- Viral Korean Olympic shooter scores first acting role as assassin
- Farrell set for 'challenge' of downing Bordeaux in Top 14
- Springbok Etzebeth diverts attention from looming caps record
- Inter on a high ahead of Milan derby as Napoli face Juve test
- Bank of Japan leaves key interest rate unchanged
- Arnold quits after six years in charge of Australia
- Asian markets track Wall Street record to extend global rally
- Guirassy and Anton to return to Stuttgart with new side Dortmund
- Marseille bidding to continue 'almost perfect' Ligue 1 start
- Arnold quits as coach of Australia men's football team
- Harris and Oprah hold star-studded US election rally
- Allies to remember failed WWII parachute operation
- Perez leading new-look Villarreal charge against leaders Barca
- Man City face Arsenal in Premier League title showdown, Postecoglou under pressure
- Fake celebrity endorsements, snubs plague US presidential race
- Documentary brings Argentine 'death flights' to the big screen
- Strike shows challenge to Boeing 'reset' of labor relations
- World leaders to gather at UN as crises grow and conflicts rage
- How plastic pollution poses challenge for Canada marine conservation
- Scientists track plastic waste in pristine Canada marine park
- South Africa's Buhai grabs LPGA Queen City lead
- Japan inflation firms to 2.8% ahead of BoJ rate decision
- Russia's Kadyrov accuses Musk of 'remotely disabling' his Cybertruck
- Titan sub had to abort a dive days before fatal implosion: testimony
- Ohtani makes MLB history with first 50-homer, 50-steal season
- Ohtani eyes MLB history after surpassing 50 stolen bases, 49 homers
- Ohtani eyes MLB history after surpassing 50 stolen bases
- Barca downed by Monaco as Arsenal held in Champions League stalemate
- Head's 'good night at office' after century seals win over England
- Dubois seeks legitimacy with Joshua scalp
- Rate cut could lift consumer spirits before US elections
- Last-gasp Gimenez strike sends Atletico past Leipzig
- Barca stumble at Monaco after early red card
- Raya heroics save Arsenal in Champions League opener at Atalanta
- Cathay Airbus engine fire linked to cleaning: EU regulator
Sleepless night under falling shells at Ukraine front
The ripped power lines hanging from wooden poles betray a sleepless night without electricity for the residents of this frontline Ukrainian town, where renewed shelling attacks have put it under a global spotlight.
More heavy thuds rang out on Friday around the snow-covered town of Stanytsia Luganska, as world powers braced for signs of an escalation in fighting that Russia might use as a pretext to launch an invasion of Ukraine.
Many of the rural town's original 12,000 residents fled at the onset of fighting eight years ago in regions hugging Ukraine's southeastern border with Russia. The conflict has killed thousands.
But those who remained in the government-held town spent the night worrying about a resurgence of clashes similar to those that claimed dozens of lives daily in the early months of Ukraine's simmering war.
"Right now, the locals' biggest need is housing," Vostok SOS relief agency head Kostyantyn Reutskiy told AFP as he inspected the latest damage.
"Three houses and a store were damaged in the village itself," he said.
His agency counted 20 houses damaged by the latest exchanges of fire between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists along this stretch of the front.
"One family spent the night in one of these houses without a roof over their heads," said Reutskiy. "They have nowhere to go."
- 'Children are frightened' -
Stanytsia Luganska gained unwanted international attention after a shell blew a hole in the wall of one of its kindergartens during a sudden surge in attacks on Thursday afternoon.
All 20 children and 18 staff escaped relatively unharmed after rushing to the opposite side of the building and cowering against the walls.
But the shell smashed through the wall of a gym room the children were supposed to play in 15 minutes later.
Kindergarten director Natalia Butenko said her family had to run into their own bomb shelter twice last night because of shelling attacks nearby.
"Of course, all of this is wrong," the 38-year-old told AFP. "The children are frightened. The staff are also worried. It's not even safe at home. You end up having to hide."
Butenko braved the thuds echoing on the horizon and returned to the kindergarten to clean up some of the debris on Friday.
The gym room's floor was scattered with a thick pile of bricks. Three soccer balls lay atop debris dust in a corner decorated with posters and a few remaining Christmas ornaments.
"If the shooting intensifies, we will run into the bomb shelter in the neighbouring house," Butenko said.
- Banned weapons -
Ukrainian soldiers stationed some 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the southwest in the frontline town of Novoluganske reported heavier fighting in recent days.
"It has been quiet for a few hours," an infantry soldier, who agreed to be named only as Andriy for military security reasons, told AFP.
"But in the morning, at about 7:00 am, first on the right, then on the left, they were firing at us with banned weapons."
Monitors from the OSCE European security body are also reporting more attacks by armaments that were supposed to have been removed under the terms of two largely-ignored peace plans signed in 2014 and 2015.
"Before, they would fire with small-calibre weapons, regular grenades, grenade launchers. But now, they are using more serious weapons: artillery and guided anti-tank missiles," the soldier said.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told parliament on Friday that his forces were being extremely careful not to do anything that might provoke Russia into launching its feared offensive.
Andriy said his infantry unit was following that guidance.
"We are not responding to the fire," he said. "If they launch a direct offensive, we will have to hold them back. But otherwise, we are not responding to provocations," he said.
L.Janezki--BTB