More Homes in Russia’s Orenburg Flooded, Water Levels Inch Down

 A view shows a flooded area near the village of Nikolskoye in the Orenburg region, Russia, April 13, 2024. (Reuters)
A view shows a flooded area near the village of Nikolskoye in the Orenburg region, Russia, April 13, 2024. (Reuters)
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More Homes in Russia’s Orenburg Flooded, Water Levels Inch Down

 A view shows a flooded area near the village of Nikolskoye in the Orenburg region, Russia, April 13, 2024. (Reuters)
A view shows a flooded area near the village of Nikolskoye in the Orenburg region, Russia, April 13, 2024. (Reuters)

About 1,000 more homes were flooded in Russia's Orenburg in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, but water levels in the Ural river that runs through the city have started subsiding, officials said.

"Last night was still quite tense," said Deputy Mayor Alexei Kudinov, according to Russia's RIA state news agency. "Almost 1,000 homes have been flooded in the past 24 hours."

The Ural started to recede early on Sunday, Orenburg's administration said on the Telegram messaging app.

Authorities in the southern Russian city near Kazakhstan called on thousands of residents to evacuate immediately on Friday as major rivers burst their banks after a historic deluge of melting snow.

Waters continued to rise sharply in the Russian region of Kurgan, east of Orenburg and also bordering Kazakhstan. Officials told the TASS state news agency that several settlements along the Tobol river were expected to be flooded in the next couple days.

TASS reported that some 770 homes were flooded in the region in the 24 hours to early Sunday.



Case of Italian Journalist Detained in Iran ‘Complicated’, Rome Says

A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)
A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)
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Case of Italian Journalist Detained in Iran ‘Complicated’, Rome Says

A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)
A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)

The case of an Italian journalist being held in Iran is "complicated", but Rome hopes to bring 29-year-old Cecilia Sala home quickly, Italy's foreign minister said on Saturday.

Sala, 29, who works for the newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Chora Media, was detained in Tehran on Dec. 19 but her arrest was only made public on Friday.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he hoped the issue could be resolved quickly but added: "It doesn't depend on us."

"We're trying to solve an issue that's complicated," he was quoted as saying by the news agency ANSA.

Tajani said Sala was being held in a single cell, in decent conditions that Italy would keep monitoring:

"It looks like she is being treated in a way that is respectful of personal dignity," he said. "So far we haven't had negative feedback."

Tajani said the official reason for Sala's detention was not yet clear, but that he hoped her lawyer could visit her soon and find out more.

There was no official public confirmation of the arrest from Iran, and Tajani declined to say whether it might be linked to the arrest of an Iranian in Italy this month at the request of the US.

Sala, who is being held in Tehran's Evin prison, left Italy for Iran on Dec. 12 with a valid journalist visa, Chora Media said on Friday. She had been due to fly back to Rome on Dec. 20.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was following Sala's case closely with the aim of bringing her home as soon as possible, urging the media to treat the issue with the "necessary caution".