German military exercises to continue after soldier shot by police

German military exercises to continue after soldier shot by police

German military exercises in the southern state of Bavaria are set to continue despite an incident that saw a soldier shot and injured by police on Wednesday, reported dpa. The country's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, announced on Thursday that the "Marshal Power" drills are to go ahead. Referring to the shooting in Erding, north-east of Munich, the Bundeswehr's website on the exercises stated that the matter "is currently being analysed by the responsible authorities and the Bundeswehr in close cooperation." After the incident on Wednesday afternoon, which left the soldier injured after being shot by a police officer, the Bavarian police assumed that the cause was a "breakdown in communication." "We didn't know that exercises were being carried out there at that time," a police spokesman told dpa. "The police in Erding were not involved in the exercise yesterday either." According to the Bundeswehr, the aim of the large-scale exercise, which is to last until October 29 and take place across 12 Bavarian districts, is to practise fighting behind a fictitious front line in a defensive situation with several hundred participants - with the police, fire brigade and rescue services. Forces are to practise their approach towards "irregular forces" in public, for example on country roads, in towns and on company premises.

Melnikova wins women's all-around title at Jakarta gymnastics worlds

Melnikova wins women's all-around title at Jakarta gymnastics worlds

Olympic champion Angelina Melnikova reclaimed the women's all-around title at the 53rd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships here on Thursday, marking her second world crown in the event after four years, reported Xinhua. Melnikova, 25, totaled 55.066 points to take the gold, followed by American gymnast Leanne Wong with 54.966. China's Zhang Qingying claimed the bronze with 54.633, earning her first individual world championship medal. The top six qualifiers competed in the same rotation, starting on vault and proceeding through uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. Zhang, who ranked fourth in qualification, began solidly on the vault and continued to deliver stable routines throughout the competition. Melnikova, the 2021 world all-around champion and Tokyo Olympic team gold medalist, opened with a high, elegant vault that immediately put her in the lead. Japan's Aiko Sugihara and American teenager Dulcy Caylor, both strong contenders, suffered falls on uneven bars, which allowed Zhang to temporarily rise to second after a clean routine on the same apparatus. Algeria's Olympic champion Kaylia Nemour, known for her outstanding uneven bars skills, thrilled the crowd with the highest score of 15.166 on that apparatus, narrowing the gap with Melnikova to just 0.168 points. The balance beam proved challenging for many. Melnikova fell once but maintained composure, while both Nemour and Caylor also suffered falls. Zhang delivered a steady and elegant beam routine, landing firmly before embracing her coach, which briefly moved her into first place. In the final rotation, Zhang's floor exercise, set to a traditional Chinese-style composition, impressed the audience and lifted her total to 54.633. But Wong, competing on vault at the same time, produced the highest-difficulty vault of the session, scoring 14.466 to overtake Zhang for silver. Melnikova, the last to perform on floor, finished with the second-highest score of the rotation to secure the title. Zhang said she was satisfied with her performance. "I would give myself 95 out of 100 today," she said. "My goal was to do my routines as I trained them. I didn't expect to make the podium, so this result really motivates me for future competitions." The women's all-around final concluded the second day of finals at the Jakarta world championships, which will continue with apparatus finals over the weekend.

Ukraine imposes blackouts after Russia strikes power infrastructure

Ukraine imposes blackouts after Russia strikes power infrastructure

Ukraine's state-run energy company Ukrenergo on Thursday imposed rolling power outages nationwide after recent Russian missile and drone strikes on energy infrastructure, reported Xinhua. Electricity restrictions will be in place from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. in 12 regions, the company said in a statement on Telegram. The measures will affect households, businesses and industrial users. Parts of the eastern Kharkiv region and the northern Chernihiv region were completely cut off from power as a result of the attacks. Overnight Wednesday, Russia launched a large-scale strike on Ukraine's critical infrastructure, firing 405 drones and 28 missiles, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Air defense units intercepted 333 drones and 16 missiles.

Kremlistä vastaus Liettualle

Kremlistä vastaus Liettualle

Venäjän ulkoministeriö kiistää maan koneiden loukanneen Liettuan ilmatilaa. Liettuan presidentti Gitanas Nauseda sanoi torstaina, että kaksi venäläiskonetta oli loukannut maan ilmatilaa. Nausedan mukaan koneet lähtivät Kaliningradin alueelta. Liettuan asevoimien mukaan Suhoi SU-30-hävittäjä ja IL-78-ilmatankkauskone lensivät 700 metrin matkan Liettuan ilmatilassa. Ilmatilaloukkaus kesti vain 18 sekuntia. Asevoimien mukaan meneillään oli todennäköisesti ilmatankkausharjoitus. Paikalle lähetettiin kaksi espanjalaista […]

Kremlistä vastaus Liettualle

Kremlistä vastaus Liettualle

Venäjän ulkoministeriö kiistää maan koneiden loukanneen Liettuan ilmatilaa. Liettuan presidentti Gitanas Nauseda sanoi torstaina, että kaksi venäläiskonetta oli loukannut maan ilmatilaa. Nausedan mukaan koneet lähtivät Kaliningradin alueelta. Liettuan asevoimien mukaan Suhoi SU-30-hävittäjä ja IL-78-ilmatankkauskone lensivät 700 metrin matkan Liettuan ilmatilassa. Ilmatilaloukkaus kesti vain 18 sekuntia. Asevoimien mukaan meneillään oli todennäköisesti ilmatankkausharjoitus. Paikalle lähetettiin kaksi espanjalaista […]

Google reports breakthrough in quantum computing

Google reports breakthrough in quantum computing

Google has announced a new milestone in quantum computing that could pave the way for future uses in drug discovery and materials science, reported Xinhua. Using its latest quantum chip, called Willow, the company has developed a novel algorithm that outperforms conventional computers. The breakthrough was published in a peer-reviewed article in Nature on Wednesday and was achieved by Google's quantum Artificial Intelligence team. Hartmut Neven, a vice-president of engineering at Google, said in a blogpost that real-world use of quantum computers could still be five years away. However, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the breakthrough with the algorithm, which the U.S. tech company has called "quantum echoes," is a significant step. According to Google, the Willow chip ran the algorithm 13,000 times faster than the best classical algorithm on one of the world's fastest supercomputers. It could also, in theory, be replicated on another quantum computer. "Our Willow chip has achieved the first-ever verifiable quantum advantage," Pichai said in a post on X, calling the breakthrough a significant step toward the first real-world application of quantum computing. The new algorithm can explain interactions between atoms in a molecule using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Pichai said, potentially paving the way for future uses in drug discovery and materials science. This is not Google's first claim of quantum advantage, but researchers say the new achievement sets a critical milestone because the results are repeatable and independently verifiable. "This repeatable, beyond-classical computation is the basis for scalable verification, bringing quantum computers closer to becoming tools for practical applications," Google said in an official blogpost. Michel Devoret, winner of this year's Nobel Prize for Physics and chief scientist at Google's quantum AI unit, said, "This marks a new step towards full-scale quantum computation." Nevertheless, some scientists remain cautious, highlighting ongoing technical challenges.

Israel freezes legislative process for West Bank annexation

Israel freezes legislative process for West Bank annexation

Israel on Thursday froze the West Bank annexation bills that passed a preliminary vote in the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, the day before, reported Xinhua. Ofir Katz, chairman of the government coalition, said in a statement that the bills for the full annexation of the West Bank and the annexation of the large-scale settlement of Maale Adumim near Jerusalem will not be advanced until further notice. Israel's parliament voted Wednesday in favor of the two bills to apply Israeli law and administration to all settlements in Maale Adumim and the West Bank. The vote was carried out during U.S. Vice President JD Vance's visit to the country. Speaking to reporters at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv before his departure on Thursday, Vance said the vote was a "political stunt" which has no practical significance. "If it was a political stunt, it was a very stupid political stunt, and I personally take some insult to it," he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that the parliamentary vote on annexation "was a deliberate political provocation by the opposition to sow discord during U.S. Vice President JD Vance's visit to Israel." It explained that Netanyahu's Likud party "did not vote for these bills ... Without Likud support, these bills are unlikely to go anywhere."

2 Russian fighter jets violate Lithuanian airspace

2 Russian fighter jets violate Lithuanian airspace

Lithuania's Armed Forces said on Thursday that a Russian fighter jet and a refueling aircraft briefly violated the country's airspace near the southwestern town of Kybartai, which borders Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, reported Xinhua. In response to the incident, two Spanish Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon jets, currently serving under NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, were scrambled and flew to the area of the violation. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene called the alleged violation a serious breach of international law.

Kiusallista tautia ennätysmäärä – kausi voi jatkua pitkälle syksyyn

Kiusallista tautia ennätysmäärä – kausi voi jatkua pitkälle syksyyn

Borrelioositapausten määrä on noussut tänä vuonna, ilmeneen Pohjola Vakuutuksen tilastoista. Punkkikausi voi jatkua jopa marraskuulle asti, joten punkkeja vastaan suojautuminen kannattaa myös syksyllä. Pohjola Vakuutuksen tilastojen mukaan borrelioosiin sairastuneiden määrä on kasvanut 2020-luvulla, ja erityisesti tänä vuonna borrelioositapausten määrä on merkittävästi aiempia vuosia suurempi. Tammi-elokuussa borrelioosiin sairastuneiden määrä kasvoi 34 prosenttia verrattuna viime vuoden vastaavaan […]