Numerous Teenagers Among the Dead in Swiss Bar Blaze, Police Say

 A woman looks at tributes placed outside the "Le Constellation" bar, after a deadly fire and explosion during a New Year's Eve party in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland, January 4, 2026. (Reuters)
A woman looks at tributes placed outside the "Le Constellation" bar, after a deadly fire and explosion during a New Year's Eve party in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland, January 4, 2026. (Reuters)
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Numerous Teenagers Among the Dead in Swiss Bar Blaze, Police Say

 A woman looks at tributes placed outside the "Le Constellation" bar, after a deadly fire and explosion during a New Year's Eve party in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland, January 4, 2026. (Reuters)
A woman looks at tributes placed outside the "Le Constellation" bar, after a deadly fire and explosion during a New Year's Eve party in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland, January 4, 2026. (Reuters)

Teenagers as young as 14 and 15 years old were among those who died in the bar fire on New Year's Eve that killed 40 people in Switzerland, police said on Sunday. 

Police in Valais said they had identified 16 more of those who died in the blaze in Crans-Montana, one of the worst disasters in recent Swiss history. 

Those newly identified ‌included 10 ‌Swiss nationals, two Italians, one Romanian, one person from France and one from Türkiye, Valais police said. No names were given. 

The youngest person identified so far is a 14-year-old Swiss woman, while two 15-year-old Swiss women were also among the dead. 

Ten of the other ⁠bodies identified on Sunday were teenagers aged 16 to 18, ‌police said. Also identified among ‍the dead were two Swiss ‍men aged 20 and 31, and ‍a French national aged 39. 

In total, police have now identified 24 of those who died in the blaze in the mountain resort, in southern Switzerland. 

Late on Saturday police said two Swiss women aged 24 and 22 along with two ⁠Swiss men aged 21 and 18 had been identified. 

Officials are still trying to identify others killed in the fire at the Le Constellation bar. 

Some 119 people suffered injuries, including severe burns, with many transferred to burn units in hospitals around Europe. Work on identifying the dead and the injured are continuing, the police said. 

Two people who ran the bar are under criminal ‌investigation on suspicion of offences including homicide by negligence, prosecutors said on Saturday. 



Turkish Police Detain Deutsche Welle Journalist over Social Media Posts

19 February 2026, Canada: Deutsche Welle (DW) logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. Photo: Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
19 February 2026, Canada: Deutsche Welle (DW) logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. Photo: Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Turkish Police Detain Deutsche Welle Journalist over Social Media Posts

19 February 2026, Canada: Deutsche Welle (DW) logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. Photo: Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
19 February 2026, Canada: Deutsche Welle (DW) logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. Photo: Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Turkish police have detained investigative journalist Alican Uludag on suspicion of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and spreading misinformation, sparking outrage among journalism groups.
Uludag, who works for German broadcaster Deutsche Welle’s Turkish service, was taken from his home in Ankara late Thursday as part of an investigation into social media posts. The Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office said he is suspected of “insulting the president” and “disseminating misleading information.”
The journalist, whose reporting focuses mainly on the judiciary and on corruption cases, was later transferred to Istanbul for questioning.
His detention drew sharp condemnation from press freedom advocates, who described it as an attack on media independence and democratic norms, The Associated Press said.
Deutsche Welle’s director‑general, Barbara Massing, demanded his release, calling the arrest “a deliberate act of intimidation.”
On Friday, journalists gathered outside Istanbul’s Çaglayan Courthouse to protest Uludag’s detention and to call for his immediate release.
The advocacy group, Reporters Without Borders considers Türkiye to be one of the most repressive countries for journalists, nothing that most media organizations are under government control and journalists face frequent legal pressure or intimidation.
At least 14 journalists or media sector workers are currently in prison, according to the Turkish Journalists Syndicate.


South Korea’s Ex-President Yoon Apologizes After Life Sentence Over Martial Law 

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol  delivers a speech to declare martial law in Seoul, South Korea, December 3, 2024. (The Presidential Office/Handout via Reuters/File Photo)
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a speech to declare martial law in Seoul, South Korea, December 3, 2024. (The Presidential Office/Handout via Reuters/File Photo)
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South Korea’s Ex-President Yoon Apologizes After Life Sentence Over Martial Law 

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol  delivers a speech to declare martial law in Seoul, South Korea, December 3, 2024. (The Presidential Office/Handout via Reuters/File Photo)
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers a speech to declare martial law in Seoul, South Korea, December 3, 2024. (The Presidential Office/Handout via Reuters/File Photo)

Former ‌South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol apologized on Friday for his short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024, a day after a Seoul court sentenced him to life in prison for masterminding an insurrection.

In a statement released by his lawyers, Yoon said that while he was sorry for the "frustration and hardship" brought upon the people by his martial law decree, he stood behind the "sincerity and purpose" behind his actions.

The Seoul Central District Court's decision ‌to hand him ‌a life sentence on Thursday was "predetermined," he ‌said, ⁠adding that the verdict ⁠against him was political retaliation.

"Forces that seek to smear a decision made to save the nation as an 'insurrection' and to use it beyond political attacks as an opportunity to purge and eliminate their opponents will only grow more rampant going forward," he said.

Yoon also questioned ⁠whether an appeal would have meaning ‌in what he described as an ‌environment where judicial independence could not be guaranteed, while telling ‌supporters to "unite and rise."

His lawyers separately said the statement ‌did not amount to an intention to forgo an appeal.

Yoon's martial law declaration lasted around six hours before being voted down by parliament, but it sent shockwaves through the country and ‌sparked street protests.

The court found Yoon guilty of subverting constitutional order by deploying troops ⁠to storm ⁠parliament and move to detain opponents, capping a dramatic fall that saw him stripped of office and end up behind bars.

Yoon, a former career prosecutor, denied the charges, arguing he had presidential authority to declare martial law and his action was aimed at sounding the alarm over opposition parties' obstruction of government.

A special prosecutor had sought the death penalty for Yoon, though South Korea has not carried out an execution since 1997.

A prosecutor said on Thursday the team had some "regret" over the sentencing, but declined to say whether they planned to appeal.


Russia Hits Ukraine's Oil, Gas Infrastructure in Poltava Region, Naftogaz Says

FILE PHOTO: A Ukrainian service member of the 14th Unmanned Aerial Systems Regiment prepares a deep strike unmanned aerial vehicle before its launch toward Russian territory, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, undisclosed date, 2025. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Ukrainian service member of the 14th Unmanned Aerial Systems Regiment prepares a deep strike unmanned aerial vehicle before its launch toward Russian territory, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, undisclosed date, 2025. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo
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Russia Hits Ukraine's Oil, Gas Infrastructure in Poltava Region, Naftogaz Says

FILE PHOTO: A Ukrainian service member of the 14th Unmanned Aerial Systems Regiment prepares a deep strike unmanned aerial vehicle before its launch toward Russian territory, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, undisclosed date, 2025. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Ukrainian service member of the 14th Unmanned Aerial Systems Regiment prepares a deep strike unmanned aerial vehicle before its launch toward Russian territory, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, undisclosed date, 2025. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo

Russian drones hit Ukraine's oil and gas infrastructure in the central Poltava region, causing ‌damage ‌and a ‌fire, ⁠the state energy company ⁠Naftogaz said on Friday.

"This is yet another targeted ⁠attack on ‌our ‌oil and ‌gas infrastructure. ‌Since the beginning of the year, the ‌enemy has attacked Naftogaz Group facilities ⁠more ⁠than 20 times," Sergii Koretskyi, Naftogaz CEO said in a post on Facebook.