Russia targets Kyiv with ballistic missiles as fears increase of attacks

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s capital early Monday destroyed several homes and left more than 100 households without electricity. The predawn attack on Kyiv came amid warnings that Russia will step up its attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure as winter sets in with freezing temperatures. A series of loud explosions followed by air raid sirens broke the silence in Kyiv just after 4 a.m. as the city was under its nightly curfew. Ukraine’s military said its air defenses intercepted all eight ballistic missiles.

Poland’s parliament elects centrist party leader Donald Tusk as prime minister

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s parliament elected centrist party leader Donald Tusk as prime minister on Monday, paving the way for a new pro-EU government after eight years of stormy national conservative rule. Tusk becomes prime minister nearly two months after a national election that was won by a coalition of parties ranging from left-wing to moderate conservative. The parties ran on separate tickets but promised to work together under Tusk’s leadership to restore democratic standards and improve ties with allies. The vote was 248-201 in support of Tusk in the 460-seat lower house of parliament, the Sejm, with no abstentions.

Navalny’s whereabouts are unknown, a spokeswoman says

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The whereabouts of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny are unknown and a spokeswoman says that officials at the penal colony where he was serving his sentence told a lawyer that he’s no longer on the inmate roster. The spokeswoman sounded the alarm on Monday, nearly a week after not being able to contact Navalny. The opposition leader is President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe. Navalny had been facing transfer to a facility with the highest security level in the Russian penitentiary system. Russian prison transfers are notorious for taking a long time during which there’s no access to prisoners and information about their whereabouts is limited or unavailable.

Man charged with terrorism over a fire at South African Parliament is declared unfit

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A man charged with terrorism and other offenses over a 2022 fire that badly damaged South Africa’s historic Parliament complex in Cape Town was declared unfit to stand trial by a court on Monday. Zandile Mafe was diagnosed with schizophrenia by an expert panel in a report, and a judge in the Western Cape High Court ruled that he agreed with the assessment. Judge Nathan Erasmus said that Mafe wasn’t able to understand the charges against him.