Ukraine: Europe's largest nuclear power plant hit by Russian strikes

The Zaporizhia atomic power plant, the largest in Europe in central Ukraine, was hit by Russian army strikes on Friday which caused a fire, but its safety is "guaranteed" according to kyiv, which accused Moscow to resort to "nuclear terror". The fire affected a building dedicated to training and a laboratory. Ukrainian rescuers said they were finally able to access the site, after being prevented from doing so for a time by Russian troops, and having stopped the progression of the fire.

Ukraine: Europeans grant "temporary protection" to refugees

The Twenty-Seven unanimously agreed to grant "temporary protection" in the EU to refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, whether they are Ukrainian nationals or long-term residents in this country, a decision considered "historic " by Brussels. European interior ministers decided to activate for the first time the 2001 directive on displaced persons, which will allow refugees from Ukraine to stay in the EU, work there, access aid social services and housing, the school system and medical care. The status of "temporary protection", for a period of one year renewable, will be granted to Ukrainian nationals and their families, to beneficiaries of international protection (who already have refugee status), as well as to nationals of other countries long-term residents in Ukraine.

French presidential election: Macron finally launches, his opponents on the lookout

President Emmanuel Macron has finally lifted the veil by running for re-election on Thursday evening, for which he is a big favorite in the midst of war on the European continent, while his opponents immediately attacked his record. In a "Letter to the French" published online by several media and intended for the regional press, the outgoing president announces that he is "candidate to invent with you, in the face of the challenges of the century, a singular French and European response". "We will have to work more and continue to lower taxes on labor and production", warns Emmanuel Macron in this three-page text where he gives some leads on the main lines of his campaign, also promising "a different method "because, he says, "we have not succeeded in everything".

Only 38 days from the first round, the now president-candidate thus gives a boost to a campaign whose cards have been reshuffled by the war in Ukraine. In what promises to be a flash campaign, he warns that he will "not be able to campaign" as he would have "wished because of the context", at the risk of being accused of wanting to dodge the debate while his opponents on the right and on the left only aspire to do battle with him on a record that they vehemently denounce.

IN SHORT

Georgia and Moldova have officially applied to join the European Union, the Georgian Prime Minister and the Moldovan President announced in Tbilisi in Chisinau, after Ukraine requested its integration into the EU in the face of the invasion Russian.

The number two in Russia's oil sector, Loukoil, called on Thursday to "quickly end" the war in Ukraine, becoming the first major national company to oppose Moscow's invasion of the country.

The French subsidiary of the Swiss group UBS, already sent to trial for having harassed two whistleblowers at the origin of revelations of tax fraud, will also be tried for witness tampering and for having prevented the proper functioning of a staff body , we learned from concordant sources.

The state recovered 10.7 billion euros last year following tax audits, which almost reached their record level of 2019, before the health crisis, during which the controls had dropped significantly, the ministry said. of Public Accounts.

Less than 24 hours to change their minds: under pressure, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) finally decided to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Winter Games which start Friday in Beijing.