Ayoola Atitebi

Russia and Ukraine have conducted a significant prisoner exchange facilitated by the United Arab Emirates. While the Russian defense ministry reported exchanging 150 soldiers from each side, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 189 Ukrainians had returned home. Among those released to Ukraine were defenders of the Azovstal steel plant and Mariupol, which fell to Russian forces in May 2022 after a prolonged siege, as well as personnel from the Chernobyl nuclear facility. Two civilians captured in Mariupol were also included in the exchange. Zelensky shared images of released prisoners on a coach displaying Ukrainian flags, reaffirming his commitment to freeing all captives. The Russian defense ministry confirmed their released personnel are now in Belarus receiving medical care and contacting their families. Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova released video footage showing soldiers in military and winter clothing preparing to […]

South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok has ordered an emergency inspection of all airline operations following a devastating crash at Muan International Airport that killed 179 people. The Jeju Air flight crash-landed and burst into flames, with only two crew members surviving. The directive comes as another Jeju Air Boeing B737-800 returned to Seoul's Gimpo International Airport shortly after takeoff on Monday due to landing gear issues. The aircraft model is the same as the one involved in Sunday's crash, and comprises 39 of Jeju Air's 41-plane fleet. Sunday's ill-fated flight 7C2216 crashed after attempting to land following a bird strike warning. The plane skidded off the runway and hit a wall around 09:00 local time. The victims, aged between three and 78 years old, included two Thai nationals, with the remaining passengers believed to be South Korean. Boeing has […]

Two teenagers in China's Hebei province have been sentenced in connection with the March killing of their classmate Wang. The main perpetrator Zhang received life imprisonment, while his accomplice Li was sentenced to 12 years, according to a court statement released Monday. The court detailed how the 13-year-old defendants planned to kill their classmate and split his money between them. Zhang transported Wang to an abandoned greenhouse by scooter, accompanied by Li and a third teen, Ma, on another scooter. At the location, Zhang assaulted Wang with a shovel, assisted by Li, while Ma departed upon witnessing the attack. The victims' family and lawyer had previously reported that Wang had endured long-term bullying from three classmates. After the assault, Zhang and Li buried Wang's body and used his phone to transfer money to themselves through WeChat. Zhang removed the victim's […]