0c3f75f8eb2ea95cdfd7d2af97dc936b

Puzzles

Quick crossword #255

Author photo

POPULAR ARTICLES

Election

frank

Dutch centrist Jetten confident of forming government

Dutch centrist leader Rob Jetten says he is ”very confident” of being able to put together a government after his party’s strong showing in parliamentary elections that saw Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam Freedom Party lose ground. With most of the votes counted, Jetten’s D66 and Wilders’ PVV were neck-and-neck, with both projected to take 26 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament. That was a sharp drop for Wilders’ party, which lost over a quarter of its seats in two years, stemming from a poor performance in its first attempt at government and growing competition on the right.

Reuters

Ukraine

frank

Strikes on energy grid kill six

Russia has launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, forcing nationwide power restrictions and killing six people, including a seven-year-old girl, Ukrainian officials says. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko accused Moscow of targeting Ukrainian people and power supplies as the cold winter months approach.

Reuters

Israel

frank

Ultra-Orthodox flood streets to protest conscription

Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox men have covered the entrance to Jerusalem in a sea of black to protest plans to draft them into the military, singing, clapping and holding signs saying they would rather go to jail. The current draft exemption given to the ultra-Orthodox has caused deep divisions in Israeli society, emerging as the most serious threat to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The embattled leader relies on ultra-Orthodox parties to keep his government limping along, but their attempts to pass a law to permanently exempt ultra-Orthodox Israelis from military service could sink his government and spark early elections.

AP

POPULAR ARTICLES

Election

frank

Dutch centrist Jetten confident of forming government

Dutch centrist leader Rob Jetten says he is ”very confident” of being able to put together a government after his party’s strong showing in parliamentary elections that saw Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam Freedom Party lose ground. With most of the votes counted, Jetten’s D66 and Wilders’ PVV were neck-and-neck, with both projected to take 26 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament. That was a sharp drop for Wilders’ party, which lost over a quarter of its seats in two years, stemming from a poor performance in its first attempt at government and growing competition on the right.

Reuters

Ukraine

frank

Strikes on energy grid kill six

Russia has launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, forcing nationwide power restrictions and killing six people, including a seven-year-old girl, Ukrainian officials says. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko accused Moscow of targeting Ukrainian people and power supplies as the cold winter months approach.

Reuters

Israel

frank

Ultra-Orthodox flood streets to protest conscription

Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox men have covered the entrance to Jerusalem in a sea of black to protest plans to draft them into the military, singing, clapping and holding signs saying they would rather go to jail. The current draft exemption given to the ultra-Orthodox has caused deep divisions in Israeli society, emerging as the most serious threat to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The embattled leader relies on ultra-Orthodox parties to keep his government limping along, but their attempts to pass a law to permanently exempt ultra-Orthodox Israelis from military service could sink his government and spark early elections.

AP