Germany's Scholz Says EU Firmly on Ukraine's Side

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz looks on during a press conference with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic (not pictured), at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 04 May 2022. Vucic and Scholz met for bilateral talks. (EPA)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz looks on during a press conference with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic (not pictured), at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 04 May 2022. Vucic and Scholz met for bilateral talks. (EPA)
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Germany's Scholz Says EU Firmly on Ukraine's Side

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz looks on during a press conference with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic (not pictured), at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 04 May 2022. Vucic and Scholz met for bilateral talks. (EPA)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz looks on during a press conference with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic (not pictured), at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 04 May 2022. Vucic and Scholz met for bilateral talks. (EPA)

The European Union is united in its support for Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the German parliament, adding, with apparent reference to Hungary, that attempts to undermine the bloc's values by blocking foreign policy measures would fail.

"Anyone who thinks he can undermine the values of the EU, to which every member state has committed itself, by blocking its foreign and security policies, will fail," he told legislators on Wednesday.

Budapest earlier this week dropped its objections to an EU loan to Kyiv after the partial unfreezing of financial support for Hungary. The EU had blocked the funds over rule of law concerns, The Associated Press said.

Support for Ukraine, including sanctions against Russia, would be maintained and intensified for as long as President Vladimir Putin kept up his war against Kyiv, Scholz added.

"Nobody is suffering as much from Russia's war as the Ukrainians - and we stand firmly by their side," he said.



Fuel Tanker Blast Kills 18 in Nigeria's South East

Firefighters battle a fire at a building in Lagos, Nigeria, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP PhotoSunday Alamba)
Firefighters battle a fire at a building in Lagos, Nigeria, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP PhotoSunday Alamba)
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Fuel Tanker Blast Kills 18 in Nigeria's South East

Firefighters battle a fire at a building in Lagos, Nigeria, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP PhotoSunday Alamba)
Firefighters battle a fire at a building in Lagos, Nigeria, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP PhotoSunday Alamba)

A fuel tanker truck explosion killed 18 people in Nigeria's southeastern Enugu state on Saturday, the national road safety agency said, a week after another incident left about a 100 residents dead in the north of the country.
The truck suffered brake failure and the driver lost control, crashing into more than a dozen vehicles on an expressway, Olusegun Ogungbemide, spokesperson of the Federal Road Safety Corps said in a statement late on Saturday.
According to Reuters, he said 10 people were rescued with different degrees of injuries and another three were unharmed.
"Unfortunately, the remaining 18 victims were burnt beyond recognition," said Ogungbemide.
Accidents involving fuel tanker trucks have become common in Africa's largest oil producer, which authorities blame on bad roads and reckless driving, often with dozens of fatalities.