Drones Spark Blaze at Oil Depot in Western Russia

A car drives past a non-functioning traffic light in a residential area of Kyiv that has been left without electricity and water due to recent Russian strikes battering the energy sector, on January 22, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
A car drives past a non-functioning traffic light in a residential area of Kyiv that has been left without electricity and water due to recent Russian strikes battering the energy sector, on January 22, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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Drones Spark Blaze at Oil Depot in Western Russia

A car drives past a non-functioning traffic light in a residential area of Kyiv that has been left without electricity and water due to recent Russian strikes battering the energy sector, on January 22, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
A car drives past a non-functioning traffic light in a residential area of Kyiv that has been left without electricity and water due to recent Russian strikes battering the energy sector, on January 22, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

A drone attack sparked a fire at an oil depot in the western Russian city of Penza early Friday, without causing any casualties, the region's governor said.

Social media videos purported to show a column of flames spewing from the site of an oil depot on Penza's eastern suburbs, about 618 kilometers (384 miles) from the front line.

Officials did not elaborate on the origin of the drones, but the Russian defense ministry said its air defenses had intercepted at least 12 Ukrainian drones overnight, including one over the Penza region.

Ukraine, which has targeted Russian energy infrastructure throughout the nearly four-year war in an attempt to sap the country's war chest, did not immediately comment.

"At around 4:00 am (0100 GMT), a drone attack caused a fire at an oil depot in Penza. According to preliminary data, there are no casualties or injuries," governor Oleg Melnichenko said on Telegram.

Relatively inexpensive Ukrainian drones have caused billions of dollars worth of damage to Russian oil and gas facilities.

Kyiv says the attacks are fair retaliation for Russian strikes on its own energy system.

Russian bombardment of Ukraine's energy grid in recent weeks has left thousands of people without heating and power during sub-zero temperatures.



France Accuses Iran of ‘Repression’ in Sentence for Nobel Laureate

People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)
People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)
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France Accuses Iran of ‘Repression’ in Sentence for Nobel Laureate

People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)
People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)

France accused Iran on Monday of "repression and intimidation" after a court handed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi a new six-year prison sentence on charges of harming national security.

Mohammadi, sentenced Saturday, was also handed a one-and-a-half-year prison sentence for "propaganda" against Iran's system, according to her foundation.

"With this sentence, the Iranian regime has, once again, chosen repression and intimidation," the French foreign ministry said in a statement, describing the 53-year-old as a "tireless defender" of human rights.

Paris is calling for the release of the activist, who was arrested before protests erupted nationwide in December after speaking out against the government at a funeral ceremony.

The movement peaked in January as authorities launched a crackdown that activists say has left thousands dead.

Over the past quarter-century, Mohammadi has been repeatedly tried and jailed for her vocal campaigning against Iran's use of capital punishment and the mandatory dress code for women.

Mohammadi has spent much of the past decade behind bars and has not seen her twin children, who live in Paris, since 2015.

Iranian authorities have arrested more than 50,000 people as part of their crackdown on protests, according to US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).


Iran's Supreme Leader Urges Iranians to Show 'Resolve' against Foreign Pressure

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).
Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).
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Iran's Supreme Leader Urges Iranians to Show 'Resolve' against Foreign Pressure

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).
Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Monday called on his compatriots to show "resolve" ahead of the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution this week.

Since the revolution, "foreign powers have always sought to restore the previous situation", Ali Khamenei said, referring to the period when Iran was under the rule of shah Reza Pahlavi and dependent on the United States, AFP reported.

"National power is less about missiles and aircraft and more about the will and steadfastness of the people," the leader said, adding: "Show it again and frustrate the enemy."


UK PM's Communications Director Quits

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS
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UK PM's Communications Director Quits

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's director of communications Tim Allan resigned on Monday, a day after Starmer's top aide Morgan McSweeney quit over his role in backing Peter Mandelson over his known links to Jeffrey Epstein.

The loss of two senior aides ⁠in quick succession comes as Starmer tries to draw a line under the crisis in his government resulting from his appointment of Mandelson as ambassador to the ⁠US.

"I have decided to stand down to allow a new No10 team to be built. I wish the PM and his team every success," Allan said in a statement on Monday.

Allan served as an adviser to Tony Blair from ⁠1992 to 1998 and went on to found and lead one of the country’s foremost public affairs consultancies in 2001. In September 2025, he was appointed executive director of communications at Downing Street.